Status and fear can do a swift job of clearing a congested road ahead of you. It's a phenomenon I've seen twice on double-lane highways in Japan in the past six months. One time, crawling along at 15 kph in heavy traffic, I spotted a convoy of three black S-Class limos in my rearview mirror threading their way through the congestion. The precision with which they maintained single-file formation and the way they blocked both lanes by straddling the center white lines was as eye-popping as it was educational. None of the other motorists got upset. Nobody honked their horns. Try such antics on roads in Europe or the United States and people are bound to take offense, call the cops or just block you.
But in Japan, common sense prevails: When you see big black or white limos, normally top-of-the-line Mercedes S-Class or Lexus LS models, pushing their way through the traffic, just let them pass. Or if you see them blocking a driveway or parked on a corner, just drive on by. That's what the locals do. Mr. Average doesn't want to tangle with whoever might be inside. I let them pass, too. I like life too much.
But when you write about cars and drive as much as I do in Japan, you're bound to encounter some dubious sorts from time to time. Luckily, my first face-to-face encounter with yakuza gangsters was at an interview specially set up to inquire as to why they so often travel in left-hand-drive Mercedes-Benz S-Class limos (usually black or white) in Japan's right-hand-drive car culture. It is a question a Japanese writer wouldn't dare ask. Why? Because they think it is too direct, or even rude. A foreign writer has more license — although there are still rules. If you ever do cross paths with this underworld fraternity, you had better know when you can ask probing questions and when to just shut up or move seamlessly on.