The Tokyo police and a bus association held a competition for long-haul bus drivers in the capital to raise safety awareness after several recent fatal accidents, including a single-vehicle crash in Nagano Prefecture last year that left 15 people dead.
The contest Sunday drew 24 drivers from 15 expressway and tourist bus firms belonging to the association. They competed in several categories including a slalom course where they had to weave between pylons as quickly and safely as possible.
The competition "strictly tested my driving sense at a level which I don't normally have to use," said 42-year-old expressway driver Mitsuhiro Kurita of JR Bus Kanto.