RetireJapan

Does anyone else keep a close watch on time when using pay / coin parking or is this just me being a cheapskate?
I often go "pick up" the car and exit before my family is finished shopping just to avoid some extra yen. Haha.
Or how about those "buy X amount and Y hours of parking are free" places?

runmanTX wrote: ↑Fri Aug 20, 2021 5:40 am Does anyone else keep a close watch on time when using pay / coin parking or is this just me being a cheapskate?
I often go "pick up" the car and exit before my family is finished shopping just to avoid some extra yen. Haha.
Or how about those "buy X amount and Y hours of parking are free" places?

I'd run back to the car park if I know it's not covered by shopping or whatever.
Sadly I'm out of shape as my family will always spend enough..

On a related now, I've had the builders using my parking space for several weeks so I'm now an expert on coin parking near the house.

TOP TIP:
Be very careful with coin parking offering a maximum fee for 24 hours. Underneath you will likely see 一回限り (limited to one time).
I learnt this by leaving a car there for three days. Ouch.
If you need to use such a car park for a few days, you need to release and repark every 23 hours to be safe!

I hate paying for parking. One of the better things about supermarkets and shopping centres here, is that usually if you are spending money you don't have to pay. In the UK, we had to pay for parking, even at Asda or the local shopping centre.

Reminds me of one of my early Japan jobs ... I would drive to work sometimes when I was especially lazy, as it was faster than public transport and eons more comfortable. There was a mid-sized mall about a 5min walk away that offered up to three hours of free parking on their upper floors parking garage. I would duck out during work to walk to the car, drive it out the exit, turn around the block, go back in, repark, then go back to work. Whole thing would take me upwards of 20 min, and I would do it twice a day, all on the down-low as we weren't allowed to drive to work.

mighty58 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2021 4:37 pm Reminds me of one of my early Japan jobs ... I would drive to work sometimes when I was especially lazy, as it was faster than public transport and eons more comfortable. There was a mid-sized mall about a 5min walk away that offered up to three hours of free parking on their upper floors parking garage. I would duck out during work to walk to the car, drive it out the exit, turn around the block, go back in, repark, then go back to work. Whole thing would take me upwards of 20 min, and I would do it twice a day, all on the down-low as we weren't allowed to drive to work.

That's some serious frugality

OP:
I just avoid paid parking at all costs.
Since I live in the countryside, that’s not a problem. If there’s no choice but using a parking lot I do the same thing you do

mighty58 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2021 4:37 pm when I was especially lazy

surprisingly, a great motivator

mighty58 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 24, 2021 4:37 pmI would drive to work sometimes when I was especially lazy, as it was faster than public transport and eons more comfortable.

Opposite for me. Biking to work was always faster taking two buses, and the bus pass money paid for a nice Trek in 6 months. The rest has been gravy.