Japanese service stations

Published on : 10/05/2021
by : OF

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Japanese car in front of Mount Fuji — © Melih Karaahmet, Unsplash

In Japan, the customer is king, and this is true for drivers filling up their car at a Japanese gas station. They have a reputation for providing excellent service, and making you feel like a Formula 1 driver making a pit stop.

Stopping at a gas station in Japan

At Japanese gas station, you will not need to pump any gas, because the employees will do it for you.

When you enter the service station, an employee will tell you where to park your car and ask you how much petrol you want.

While one of the employees pulls down one of the filling hoses in order to pump the gas, another will clean your windscreen and wing mirrors. No need to be alarmed, this is a free service. They will also offer to empty your ashtray and you will often be given a wet wipe to clean the dashboard. Those who are most eager to please may even throw in some air freshener. If you have any rubbish to throw away, they will take it from you as well.

After having paid for your gas, an employee will guide you out by standing in the middle of the road to open the way or stop the other cars.

Useful vocabulary

Fill the tank: 満タン - "Mantan"
With cash: 現金で - "Genkin de"
By credit card: クレジットカードで - "Kurejito Kaado de"
Ashtray: 灰皿 "Haizara"

When you leave, the employee will ask which way you are going, in order to help you get on the move again.

どちらに行きますか？- "Dochira ni ikimasu ka?"

You can answer:

Left: 左に - "Hidari ni"
Right右に: - "Migi ni"

Don’t forget to say thank you afterwards.

Thank you: ありがとうございました - "Arigato Gozaimashita"

If you need to reverse out or perform a slightly complicated manoeuvre, the employees will guide you by repeatedly shouting "Oo laï" (deformed version of "all right") to let you know that you can keep going backwards until you hear “Haï! OK”, meaning you should stop.

Types of petrol and prices

Like in many other countries, Japan uses the following three types of gasoline : regulary gas, four-star and diesel. It goes without saying that the price of petrol fluctuates depending on the economic climate, but the current prices per litre are within the following ranges:

Regular: between 130 and 140 yen
Four-star: between 140 and 155 yen
Diesel: between 110 and 130 yen