Parking at off base markets

Many service people and their families do just fine here in Japan and feel perfectly comfortable driving off base and all over Japan. Others rarely venture off base maybe because of fear of the unknown. I remember our first venture off base was to Daiei and it was quite exciting driving on the streets in a foreign country.

Since this blog is supposed to be about food, let's discuss how different markets handle parking in the Yokosuka area. With most of the signs in Japanese, it may be easy to get into the parking, but a bit harder finding your way out of the parking garage using the right procedure.

At the bottom I've provided some parking meters and their directions for those little lots you can park at around town.

Lets start with Daiei since it is the most involved - but after you've done it once you're all set.
As you leave base turn right and drive on Hwy 16. Stay in the right hand lane. 16 will make a turn to the right and the right two lanes will be for turning into Daiei parking. When you drive to Daiei parking garage you will see some electric signs for each of the parking floors just above the entrance. I think it is 1st floor, 5th floor, 6th floor and the roof. Next to each of the parking floor numbers you'll see some Kanji.
It will either say empty "空" or full "満". There is no need to remember these Kanji as the "full" sign will be in red and the "empty" sign will be in white. As you drive in from the outside, the far left lane will take you up to the 5th and 6th floors and the roof parking areas. The second one from the left will take you to the first floor or street level parking. It is perfectly alright going to a floor that has full parking indicated. You will just have to wait for some people to leave before you can get through the gate. 

For each of the floors, you will pull up to a ticket machine. Push the button and then it will give you a ticket. If you push the button and no ticket comes out, it means that level is full and you'll have to wait until someone leaves. Eventually it will spit out a ticket. Take the ticket and the gate will open. On the first floor, there are signs for each aisle which will either show the red full sign or show no sign at all. Go down the aisle which do not show the red. Red indicates all the spaces for that row are full. Once you turn down an aisle, each parking spot has a sign above it to indicate which ones are open or full. Find an opening and drive down there and park. 

When you go into the store, take your parking ticket so you can get it validated. I believe the first hour is free on weekdays, then it depends on how much you purchase. Purchase over 1000 yen and you'll get one extra hour. Purchase over 2000 Yen and you'll get 2 more hours for a total of 3 hours. Over 10000 yen in purchases will get you a total of 4 free hours of parking. 

On weekends this changes slightly - as best I can tell, the first hour is not free. But 1000 yen purchase gets you 1 hour, 2000 gets 2 hours, and over 10000 will get you 3 hours. Rates start at 400 yen for the first hour and then 200 yen for each 1/2 hour after that without a purchase. The key here is to get your parking ticket validated when you make a purchase. Often times we'll eat lunch at a restaurant and get it validated, then go shopping at the food mart and get it validated again. 

Daiei Parking Ticket Machine

Once you are ready to leave Daiei and go out to your car there are yellow parking payment machines. They are by the escalators or elevators near the exits. Put your card into the machine. If you bought something and had it validated, it will do something to the card and spit it back out. You must take the card again to your car, since you will feed it into another machine at the parking garage exit. This machine will take the ticket and open the gate. I've seen people waiting for their ticket to come back out while the gate is open. Don't wait because it will never come out. You are free to go. If for some reason you did not pay by the elevators, you'll have to pay from your car which is neither convenient and you will not make any friends with the Japanese trying to get out behind you while you try to find yen to feed into the machine. If you did not make a purchase or purchase enough, you will be asked to pay by the machines by the elevator/escalator. Pay your bill here while standing on your own feet so you can get through the second gate in a fully paid status. I have never driven out to the second gate without paying at the first or even verifying it is zero so I'm not familiar with the process but I assume its the same. Its just much easier to pay at the first machine before getting into your car.

Bottom line is that you should get your ticket validated and you need to insert it into two yellow parking ticket machines on your way out. To get your ticket validated at the food store in Daiei, you need to bring it to the service counter after going through the checkout. The checkout people cannot validate parking tickets.  

Next up is More's City parking: There are two entrances. If coming down Blue Street from the base, you will turn right just after you pass KFC and Burger King on the left. After you pass under the train tracks you will turn left to enter the parking garage. The other entrance is on Hwy 26 if you continue past and around the train station. When you go into the garage you'll take a ticket. Then just be careful maneuvering in this tiny, but tall, parking garage. At Mores, there is no need to take your parking ticket in with you since there is no validation via the ticket. But do bring your receipts out with you and show them to the parking attendant on your way out along with your parking ticket. He will open the gate and let you pass as long as you've purchased enough.

Parking is 400Yen for first hour and 200 yen each additional 1/2 hour if you've made no purchases.
With purchases,  more than 2000 Yen gets you two free hours, 20000 gets you 3 free hours, and 50000 Yen gets you 4 free hours.

Saikaya has a parking garage underneath the building. There is also a parking lot that just opened in October of 2013 right across the street. You take a ticket as you go in. On your way out you stop at the gate and insert your ticket then put your money in. Very simple. Eventually I think this lot will go away when the decide to build a new large building there.

AVE Supermarket parking is free and there are no tickets. Just don't miss the entrance as the road is before the store and wraps around to the back of it. One entrance leads you to the ground floor parking in front and the other is a ramp that take you to the roof.

Holmes parking is free. Street level parking or parking garage.

LIVIN  parking is also free. Was free. I think they charge now, but you can validate your ticket inside at a cashier or service counter. 

In town parking lot meters

 Now that you've mastered all the parking garages and walked everywhere else, you are now ready to park next to your favorite restaurant or store but there is no free lot and your only choice is the paid parking lots. But how do I pay? do I get a ticket? do I put some money in first? pay later? Below I'll show several examples of meters and their instructions.

The next 5 pictures are all from the same lot.

The above picture shows the machine. When you first arrive at a lot all you have to do is park your car. You can drive in straight or back in (in most places). Once parked, a sensor will normally detect the presence of your car and the locking plate will rise up after about 3 minutes. The time may vary depending on the parking lot.

You shouldn't have to do anything at this particular machine. You just park and go about your business. You don't need to get a ticket or anything. Once you come back, you'll follow the instructions below.

Notice it says exact fair. There is no change slot so come prepared with coins.
1. Push the number of your parking spot.
2. Enter the exact change for the amount as displayed on the screen.
3. Press receipt button if desired.
You have 3 minutes to get into your car and leave. Make sure the gate is down before leaving.

This particular lot (above) is fairly reasonable. Every 60 minutes is 200 Yen. After 8pm it goes to 100 Yen.

Parking location #2 (below)

In the above picture you see that the machine and it's instructions are almost the same as the one above it but not quite. You've got a few extra buttons to push.
1. Enter your stall number (when you are ready to leave)
2. Press the yellow button to calculate your fare. If you make a mistake press the red button and start over.
3. Enter your payment using exact change.
4. Leave after the gate lowers.

Parking location #3

Here is another one of the off-base street level parking machines you'll see around town. It looks fairly easy to operate. 

The above one used tickets. 
Park your car. 
Enter the stall number.
Press the ticket button (bottom orange button)
Take your ticket.
Do your business
Return and press your stall number and then press the top orange (calculate) button
OR, insert your ticket
Pay the amount indicated
Leave when the lock plate lowers