At 7:45 a.m. in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture, Severine Lamielle, 44, runs her hand along the side of her white Kaike Taxi, feeling for scratches and completing the morning safety check. She has already taken her alcohol and blood pressure tests, had a quick chat with the dispatcher and recited the corporate oath.
By 8 a.m., she is on the road, one of just three women at her company — and the only foreign national.
In a nation where taxis are predominantly driven by middle-aged Japanese men, Lamielle’s day-to-day life is both a curiosity and a sign of change. Her journey from rural France to the least populous prefecture in Japan is a small but conspicuous example of the demographic shifts that are reshaping the country.
AloJapan.com