That’s true. Japanese residential streets really are that narrow, if not narrower. You could argue that’s why parking enforcement is necessary, but if the police ticketed every car that stopped briefly to load or unload furniture, nothing would get done. Long-term parking is another matter, but a temporary stop like that usually isn’t something people worry about getting fined for in Japan.

It feels like something that has been lost in today’s society, and unfortunately, it seems difficult to regain it at this point. I don’t know where this difference came from.

Your comment resonates with me.

That’s interesting. I always thought Europe was more relaxed about things like that. In Japan, at least, you’re generally allowed to stop temporarily while loading or unloading furniture, so this surprised me.

As a Japanese person, my first reaction was, “That sounds exhausting.” I’m genuinely curious, though. Is this something most Americans enjoy, or is it one of those social expectations that not everyone is actually comfortable with?