If you ever spend time in Japan, you may notice that there are some things that are done just a bit differently. Sometimes this is due to habits that date back centuries, or just because a necessity brings out a unique solution to a situation only found in Japan.
One of these unique things you see roaming the streets is what looks like a mobile petrol bowser attached to a small truck. This truck will be blaring out cutesy music similarly to an ice cream van that you may find in Australia, Europe or the USA.
These mobile fuel vendors deliver kerosene to households around major cities. In Japan, kerosene heating is very popular and is considered to be safe and reasonably efficient. Modern kerosene heaters in Japan can be rather high-tech with LCDs, temperature control and even auto cut out in case of an earthquake. Their use in small homes and apartments dates back ages and is more popular than a central heating unit or electric heating.
While you can go to local gas station and pick up your kerosene, many locals prefer to purchase it off the local door to door kerosene truck which makes sense since many Japanese don’t have cars and lugging several jerry cans of kerosene back from the service station would be impractical especially for the elderly.
Most kerosene heaters hold around 2 litres of kerosene and would last for 2 or 3 days, you would then fill it up again from a jerry can that you keep outside. Most people keep a few cans on hand, so when you hear the jingle of the kerosene van, you head outside to have your cans filled on the street while paying the driver in cash.
These small trucks are a kei class truck that are often owned by the local service station. These trucks will head back to their home station at the end of their run or to refuel. Speaking of service stations and uniquely Japanese things is the fact that self-service fuel has only been in Japan since deregulation of the fuel service industry in 1998, so there are still many full service gas stations around. Part of this is due to the small footprint of the traditional service station, which required the filling hoses to be suspended from the roof of the forecourt to enable as much space as possible. These types of service station are still quite popular, especially in built up city areas where space is at a premium.
Other musical trucks also exist in Japan also selling everything from tofu, fruits and veg to Japanese sweets like mochi and sweet potatoes. Most have their own unique tune to attract the customers out of their homes.
