Japan Fuel
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48)
Sun 2007/10/28 04:35
Filling up the car with fuel is an interesting experience no matter what country you are in.
Japan is no exception. This is a self service gas stand where the fuel would be cheaper than a serviced stand.
Serviced stands have little men who run out to greet you and guide you to a parking spot. They then fill you up and wipe down your car while offering to empty your ashtray.
They then run out back into the road to stop traffic and guide you out.
Regular gas costs 130 yen yen per litre in Chiba (where this photo was taken) but costs about 144 yen in Tokyo.
Serviced stands have little men who run out to greet you and guide you to a parking spot. They then fill you up and wipe down your car while offering to empty your ashtray.
They then run out back into the road to stop traffic and guide you out.
Regular gas costs 130 yen yen per litre in Chiba (where this photo was taken) but costs about 144 yen in Tokyo.
The black circle with the orange hand has "DO THIS FIRST" written on it.
Its there for you to discharge static electricity from your body - you must touch this before you fill up or the fuel will start to spark and explode.
Its there for you to discharge static electricity from your body - you must touch this before you fill up or the fuel will start to spark and explode.
A holder just for the cap.
The most interesting experiences I've had filling up is in the US where you need to go and pay first.
I need to fill the car but don't know how much its going to cost. I pay 20 USD to see how much that gets me. If its not enough, I need to run back to the till and pay more. if I paid too much in the beginning, I need to go back and get my change. Not efficient. My Japan issued credit cards don't work in gas stands which is a bummer.
And I notice that you need to ask for a key to the toilet for many gas stations across the US.
The most interesting experiences I've had filling up is in the US where you need to go and pay first.
I need to fill the car but don't know how much its going to cost. I pay 20 USD to see how much that gets me. If its not enough, I need to run back to the till and pay more. if I paid too much in the beginning, I need to go back and get my change. Not efficient. My Japan issued credit cards don't work in gas stands which is a bummer.
And I notice that you need to ask for a key to the toilet for many gas stations across the US.
Once you have filled up, this jukebox thingy appears on screen - hit the start button that appears on the screen to stop the spinning slots. If you get lucky - you get prizes.
This screen appears before you pay so I'm guessing that you have the chance of a discount.
BTW, rumor has it that you don't really need to touch that orange static discharge button and that its just there for people who can release electricity from their fingertips - just like that girl in the last episode of Heroes.
This screen appears before you pay so I'm guessing that you have the chance of a discount.
BTW, rumor has it that you don't really need to touch that orange static discharge button and that its just there for people who can release electricity from their fingertips - just like that girl in the last episode of Heroes.
UPDATE: video located here.
Following up with an extended report on yesterdays YouTub...(more)
Sat 10/27 12:49 comments (41)
Taken very recently at a clinic when I done my back in - couldn't walk for two days.
...(more)
Fri 10/26 23:15 comments (60)
Fuel gets crazily expensive everywhere in the world. Resources diminish fast and surely now. Here it's very various prices, fluctuating from day to day (got to be lucky not to refill your tank when prices rise) and taxes... well you got both provincial and national.By the way the gas unit here is not gallon but liters! Darn unfair compared to the US. I am glad I don't have to drive a car here. It may become a problem in the future not to have the skill, but I don't care now. This and a really possible worldwide major energy crisis in ten or twenty years...!!
(ID #61208) Posted on 2007/10/28 04:34
*gallons By the way, the anti-static button, is to prevent you to use super-powers Magneto (I didn't want to say Storm here) or Darth Vader style because of safety issues? Darn.
(ID #61209) Posted on 2007/10/28 04:38
It's sorta cheap over here in California. That slot game sounds like a distraction, but it's worth the time, right...? I'm still confused about that hand thing, I do understand it but I'm still not sure... Danny. T_T
(ID #61210) Posted on 2007/10/28 04:39
i understand what u've gone thru to get gas here in the U.S. i used 2 work in a gas station in L.A. as a cashier and i've experienced many cases like yours (for example there was this guy from Germany and it was soo funny it's not like im making fun of him or u, cuz you experienced the same thing, i remember the guy was asking me 2 open the gas pump for him and then i told him "I CAN'T u have to pay first!!" and he said: "HOW CAN I PAY?? I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IS MY CAR GONNA USE" and then i told him "WELL just give me what u have and if it's more than what u used i'll give you ur change" and then he said: "OOOOOOHHHH!!!", minutes later he started to explain me how they put gas in their cars back in Germany and then i was the one who said: "OOOOOHHHH!!!") and yes Danny i know it must be really uncomfortable for you to do this i mean u are already used to the Japanese way
(ID #61213) Posted on 2007/10/28 04:50
TK-8316 / 宅男 Otaku / 工程师 Engineer
in singapore, majority of people buy a car as a show of their social position. my 2 cents. personally i think there's no need to own a car here cos firstly singapore is a small country, there's bus stops and trains everywhere, if there's not enough one can always get a cab. secondly maintaining a car here is expensive with road tax, fuel, parking fee etc. people here tend to drive to our neighboring country malaysia to top up since price of fuel there is much cheaper.
(ID #61216) Posted on 2007/10/28 05:08
e-jump in Malaysia
======== BTW, rumor has it that you don't really need to touch that orange static discharge button and that its just there for people who can release electricity from their fingertips ======== That thing might come in handy, as most seats are cushion basted and while you sit/rub on it, it creates static charge In malaysia, at some station, we can fill in 1st than pay later. everything is on trust. Pretty cinvinient eh? But we only have Ron97, while japan have up to Ron100 fuel ;__;
(ID #61219) Posted on 2007/10/28 05:16
High School Student, College student, Part-time Ninja
Before the first gas price spike a few years back. You pay after you get the gas in the US, but after oil price increased, some people just drive off and not pay, so they changed the rules.
(ID #61220) Posted on 2007/10/28 05:30
In Malaysia, the fuel price sure are cheap (if i'm not mistaken, less than 100yen per litre). But the salary for worker here is much lower compared to develope country, so for us, the price is a little bit expensive
(ID #61221) Posted on 2007/10/28 05:35
Gas is pretty damn expensive in HK, but that still doesn't deter loads of people from buying cars.
(ID #61222) Posted on 2007/10/28 06:01
Web Design & Development
Considering we have a refinery less than 100 KM away from our city, gas should really not be $1.32 per litre.
(ID #61223) Posted on 2007/10/28 06:22
"BTW, rumor has it that you don't really need to touch that orange static discharge button and that its just there for people who can release electricity from their fingertips" I bet it's true...if not I'm dead by now. We don't have such thing here in Malaysia and I'm a person with lots of static at certain time... Exiled_Gundam : Don't forget that we waste the fuels on traffic congestion and not to mention the evil toll X_X
(ID #61226) Posted on 2007/10/28 06:26
Gas is expensive here, though its no where near the average of the US. I have seen television shows where static electricity did start off fires at gas stations, so it might not be BS to place your hand there; I just touch my car panels before I fuel up. Interesting how theres a little bucket for your gas cap, I would think that would result in people forgetting about it. Interesting that the service people would actually go out and stop traffic for you lol.
(ID #61227) Posted on 2007/10/28 06:28
about Rp5000,00 per litre for local/national gas about 50 yen per litre so yeah, its damned cheap 100 yen for the SHELL fuel.
(ID #61230) Posted on 2007/10/28 07:31
low salary in indonesia too though -.- u have to use car for transport in indonesia, or at least use bajaj and taxi service, its pretty cheap for foreigner, medium for local. parking fee's also a joke too,only 20 yen for an hour, some place is 50 yen although the gundam/figure/japanese original stuff prize is really killing
(ID #61232) Posted on 2007/10/28 07:42
I've never seen any of those anti-static things in Spain. And never heard of any gas station on fire because of that in the news. I have a diesel car and the price of diesel used to be cheaper than gasoline, now they are almost equal.
(ID #61233) Posted on 2007/10/28 08:06
I don't drive any more. Here in Chicago, we have a decent public transit system that can get you almost anywhere! ( Of course now they claim to be in financial trouble, which is just saying their CEO's are sucking the company dry and they want us to pay for them!) I gave up driving because the cost was astronomical! Between gas, parking and insurance, you had nothing left to pay your rent or buy food! Now add global warming to the list and its pretty safe to say, I'll be taking the trains and buses for a very long time!
(ID #61235) Posted on 2007/10/28 08:38
Professional Student
Gas is currently $3.11/gallon here for 93 octane (highest octane at most places). I say 93 since my car requires it...unless I want to retard the timing by 10º and lose some HP that is. I think it's like $2.7x/gallon for regular 87. It's expensive, but compared to the rest of the world, it's cheap. Also, gas prices haven't inflated here at the same rate other items have, so we're kinda lucky to have it at that price. As far as "paying before you pump", I just put in my debit card and pump. The "pay before you pump" thing started after so many people were filling up and then running away afterwards. The key to the bathroom started because of people ruining bathrooms. I have no issues with paying beforehand, but I know some people feel they're being treated as criminals because of it.
(ID #61236) Posted on 2007/10/28 08:48
Student
Since my family has three cars each one has different gas needs being the expensive my mercedes from 91 which when I want to fill it up it requires 98 octanes which is 1,4€ / per liter and my Toyota Avensis requires diesel which is cleaner and cheaper now is around 1,1€/liter, but amazingly the gas is cheaper in Spain so lots of people drive there to fill up their cars, one of the reasons is the insanely high taxes we have to pay for gas.
(ID #61238) Posted on 2007/10/28 11:04
GESS, Student
Well i don drive so i duno...But my dad is always saying fuel is expensive:(
(ID #61240) Posted on 2007/10/28 11:27
Hobby Store clerk guy thing...
I've never filled up the family car, but then again, I don't drive much. It's pretty much all self service here, with payment after filling up the car. Simple enough~
(ID #61245) Posted on 2007/10/28 11:43
somedude
Hmm.. with the talk of octane, just thought I'd mention that the octane rating differs between the US and most elsewhere. In most other countries it's just RON, while the US uses the average between RON and MON which is why on some US pumps you'll see the label "(R + M)/2". RON is always higher than MON for the equivalent octane.
(ID #61246) Posted on 2007/10/28 11:51
Regular is around 144 yen here in Fukushima which is slightly more expensive than the one in the picture. Then again, I never had to get out of the car when filling up petrol here as it's all fully serviced! I just love the service which I will never get back home in Australia.
(ID #61250) Posted on 2007/10/28 13:38
Being a new driver, I haven't fuelled up the family car before but gas stations work here in the way that you fuel first and then go pay. As for the static thing, that's pretty cool but I don't think its ever been a problem here. Probably only tip I've heard is to turn of the engine before putting in fuel,that's about it. There are some rumours on cellphones but not sure about that.
(ID #61251) Posted on 2007/10/28 13:42
our gas sations don't take money, they take arms and legs...
(ID #61252) Posted on 2007/10/28 13:47
lol to harry below me.. petrol is killing people.. and people die for petrol itself..
(ID #61269) Posted on 2007/10/28 15:13
The gas pump in the pics look so hi-tech. i haven no idea about gas prices in the uk since i am still learning how to drive. but its does seem to be quite expensive unless you are using diesel.
(ID #61274) Posted on 2007/10/28 16:16
Student
Damn high techy. Gas prices are EXPENSIVE here in Ontario. 97 cents so far, it was a dollar something before. It sucks for me when I have to spend over 60 bucks filling up my car.
(ID #61276) Posted on 2007/10/28 17:09
We don't hv this kind of self service T_T... It costs like US$ 1,25 the Gasoline, but we have some other kind of fuels in Brazil. Alcohol costs US$ 0,70 and is way better than gasoline (more power to ur motor =P, more fun). And we have gas... but i dont hv idea the price. Never heard of anyone exploding gas with static eletricity... is this really possible? I see lot of ppl smoking while filling the car with gas =.=
(ID #61279) Posted on 2007/10/28 19:01
Troubleshooter, Universal Exports
Gasoline -always like the word Petrol better- has become quite expensive here in the states. especially for those of us who remember paying a lot less for it. America really has become the land of excess and inconvenience. Since many Americans don't go outside of the country they don't realize how different it is here compared to the rest of the world. A note for everyone. If you find yourself in the southern part of the U.S. always try to fill up in Georgia. Since it's location is near so many refineries, gasoline is always cheaper.
(ID #61280) Posted on 2007/10/28 19:23
It cost $70 USD to fill up my truck. I go through that about twice a week. Thats about 50 Gallons a week, at about $2.70 a gallon. Since its hot here in Arizona, we actually get less gas than colder states. We dont get a break on the price though. Interesting thing is in the really cold areas (cold= more gas per $1) the oil companies increase pricing for what they say is compensation for the increased amount of fuel for the money in these cold areas. Shennanigans.
(ID #61282) Posted on 2007/10/28 19:30
Makes you wonder how long until the world turns into Gundam (o)(o).
(ID #61283) Posted on 2007/10/28 19:34
€ 1.1 a litre. 180 yen? its mainly because of the extreme taxing on everything in Belgium. Free Social security, medical and education has his toll in Belgium.
(ID #61286) Posted on 2007/10/28 20:25
Haha - i love that gambling game on it! I can just imagine rows of businessmen smoking cigarettes and sitting, staring at them like in the Pachinko parlours! How about a feature on garages in general? One thing ive noticed when i were in japan is how damn clean and shiny almost EVERY car is! I saw these service garages with dangly things coming from the bay roof - they must be where they clean em.
(ID #61290) Posted on 2007/10/28 22:14
Interactive Media Design and Graphic Design
oh danny u had bad luck in gas stations in usa. I believe most are you pay with a credit card or bank card right there on a spot. I never go pay the guy, well in the area where I live at lest. We don't have static releaser, but I have not heard of any explosions because of it so far.
(ID #61294) Posted on 2007/10/28 22:56
man, you're lucky gas prices is so low over there and service and game w/ prizes to boot...over here we're lucky if gas is under three bucks which is like 342.54 yen over there and only going higher...
(ID #61332) Posted on 2007/10/29 06:09
mahou kishi
most american fuel stations are self serverd
(ID #61343) Posted on 2007/10/29 08:03
Dropping computers, starting all over again at Journalism
Gas stations exploding because of static discharges and cellphones are kind of a myth (watch mythbusters), but it's interesting how much stuff they ... stuff in a japanese gas station. Here in Brazil, the pumps are plain and simple. Gas can be expensive at some times. We simply don't have auto-service... the thing I saw closer to american auto-services here was a drive-thru gas station, but there was still someone filling the car up for you.
(ID #61344) Posted on 2007/10/29 08:32
anime/cosplay events organizer
we don't have those self-service fuel pumping stations here and here gas boys help you in refueling your car ^^
(ID #61362) Posted on 2007/10/29 10:45
Anime artist/figure appreciator
All stations in Australia are self-service, as far as I know. And where I live is one of the cheaper places for petrol (fuel). I just pay as much as I know the car needs, as I know how much the tank holds, and just guess the amount left in the tank.
(ID #61422) Posted on 2007/10/30 01:38
NEVER Go into public restrooms in USA. They are so dirty.
(ID #61434) Posted on 2007/10/30 02:51
All gas stations in Holland are, as far as I know, self service stations and we don't have any static electricity discharge buttons either (they're useless anyway). The chance that you ignite the fuel with static electricity from your body is as high as the chance that your mobile phone will give a spark when it goes off. I must say that I find the jukebox thingy very funny, it's always nice to have a chance on discount.
(ID #61443) Posted on 2007/10/30 03:14
Gas stations in California are usually self-serve. One thing I hate about some gas pump is it will stop after you tried to pump 1-2 gallons into the tank and u KNOW AS A FACT that your tank is empty. Then you keep pressing on the lever, and it keep stopping after it pumps 1-2 gallons. grrrrr..... @_@
(ID #61530) Posted on 2007/10/30 23:43
Art Student - Illustrator
We have full service in Korea too, though I live in Chicago now. @Cosmo - I hear ya, CTA blows! I don't even know how I'm going to get to classes starting next week..
(ID #61748) Posted on 2007/11/01 06:24
v6g3h7 in Vancouver, BC
oops, I just posted weird message... Just for information, Japan uses metric scale and gas is measured in LITRE rather than gallon (3.7 litre/gallon). If you are thinking that the gas price in Japan is cheap, you probably grew up in the States or other countries that use gallon as their scale. In Vancouver, Canada (I don't know about the rest of Canada because I never travelled "within" Canada...) gas stations usually have one "Full Service" lane and rest are self-serve lane, though I've never seen people using the full service.
(ID #61751) Posted on 2007/11/01 07:06
Miaka in Malaysia
Fuel charges here is expensive, concerning that I'm not earning much T_T! It's RM1.92/liter and we are suppose to be one of the countries which produce petrol... (rumor says that there will be a RM1 hike next year). We also have the prepaid system where we pay first then pump oil. And we have the credit card system if you choose not to pay by cash. We do not have the slot machine thing though ahaha, I think that's quite cute but we do have points collecting program (from petrol stations, super markets, bills etc).
(ID #63352) Posted on 2007/11/13 04:39
Fuel costs about 200Y+ here right now, it's crazy and a new record... I'm glad I don't need to pay for fuel (because I'm too young for a drivers license ^^")
(ID #64944) Posted on 2007/11/25 14:07
poor student
i live in the usa and ive never even seen full service at any gas station. we have to pay first but you can pay by credit card right at the pump so that problem with running in to the teller is gone. they dont have that orange hand for the static electricity though... so it must be just for that girl from heroes...
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