Japan Fuel

POSTED BY DANNY CHOO On Sat 2007/10/27 22:35 JST in Japan

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.

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.

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.

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.