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Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/23 19:13
My newly moved in neighbor is slightly doing my head in regarding our mutual car parking. My car is average size, hers is one of these huge SUV types.

The apartment parking is under the block (1st floor) and like this: 2 spaces, on my left is solid wall and right is white line. Neighbor on my right with another white line on her left and on her right a wall. This wall is not solid and he/she can get into the car through it, driver's side.

I'm an experienced driver and when I park up I get ridiculously close to the solid wall my left, so leave a good space up to my white line (my right). But my neighbor parks right up to her white line (her left) leaving acres of space her right, and almost zero space for me to access my side door to load and unload stuff. Recently, s/he is creeping closer and closer to my side and pushing me further and further against my solid wall.

A long story...

HOW do I say to her something like (and VERY politely):

Excuse me, do you think you could park a little more to your right? You are so close to the white line your side (and have space on your right) that I have so little space to load and unload my car, and also I'm worried that you are so close I'm going to scratch your car.

Answers in Hiragana + Kanji would be great, thank you so much.
by Josh (guest)  

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/24 13:21
Is there enough parking space to park a SUV?
It's normally illegal to park a large sized car in a standard sized parking space. You need to make a complain to the parking manager rather than the SUV driver. So the complain is slightly different between the SUV driver and the parking manager. Check the parking size first.
by tokyo friend 48 rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/24 15:38
Well he said that she has space on her right so the place must be big enough.

My Japanese isn't good enough to present the problem in a polite manner but what I would do first is whenever you come back first and park your car, put it as close as possible to your own line (because you can afterall).

I also think it's somehow a Japanese way of facing the problem since you won't face directly the person and most Japanese people want to avoid that. Doing the same thing should at least send her big signals.
by meneldal rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/24 23:52
Can you park your car in a way where the passenger side is on the side of the white line shared by the both of you, leaving you enough room to use the driver's side door on the wall side? If you park as close to the white line without infringing upon it, then the other person can park close to it as well, leaving you both with the driver's doors with as much room as possible. Or is this forbidden and all cars must face the same way? That way, the other person can only park so close to your car without hitting it. And if she does, then it's her fault, not yours.
by John B digs Japan rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/25 04:16
My reply is not very helpful but we have similar problems in North-America..
Many parking spots are a bit too narrow for SUV and too many SUV drivers appear to be unable to park them properly.

The worse offenders are city guys that buy huge trucks that are made for farmers and such that are too wide for a shopping mall parking spot.
by Monkey see (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/25 11:28
I appreciate your culture input, everyone, but please, a translation would be the most helpful thing for me at this point. Thanks!
by Josh (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/25 11:50
Josh, if you need the text, here it is. I am assuming that you are going to leave a written note.

はじめまして。隣に車を停めている者です。
できたらお願いしたいのですが、もう少しだけ、右に寄せて頂けないでしょうか?私の側の白線に寄せて停められているようで、実は、車の乗り降りに苦労しています。それに、自分が駐車するときに、うっかりこすってしまうのではないかと心配になります。
どうぞよろしくお願いいたします。

(First time writing to you. I'm the one who is parking next to you.
I'd like to ask you, if possible, to park a little bit more to your right? You seem to park quite close to the white line on my side, that, actually I am having difficulty getting on/off my car. Also I get concerned that I by chance might scratch your car.
Thank you for your consideration.)

I omitted the part about she having space on her right - it is usually better just to let people know what difficulty YOU are having, rather than pointing out what THEY are having.
by AK rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/25 12:42
AK. Many thanks for that, but actually I want to speak it face to face. It seems cold/sneaky to me just to leave a note, especially as we haven't really met yet. May I ask you to re-post with Kanji but with hiragana so I can work out what is what?
by Josh (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/27 19:28
Sumimasen, kuruma wo mousukoshi migigawa ni tomete kudasai.

Watashi no kuruma to butsukarimasu.

(Excuse me, Please park your car a bit on right side. Your car will hit my car.)
by tokyo friend 48 rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/27 19:57
Since you said kanji with hiragana, I thought that just writing it plain in usual text would be OK :)

So assuming that you bump into that person and will "say" it. I will keep it shorter, because you wouldn't want to give all that explanation in one go.

すみませんが、もう すこし だけ、 みぎに よせて とめて もらえませんか。
(Excuse me, but can you park your car just a bit too the right? - I assume you can indicate with your hands "who's right" as you say this.)

わたしの くるまに とても ちかい ので、のりおりに くろうして います。
(As (your car) is very close to my car, I am having difficulty getting on/off.)

うっかり こすって しまいそうで しんぱい です。
(I am worried that I might "brush by" your car.)

おねがいできませんか。
(May I ask you to do so?)
by AK rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/28 14:21
AK

Thank you very much! Putting it phrase by phrase like that is so helpful.
by Josh (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/28 22:01
Actually, if I were you (and since you want to approach her "politely"), I would avoid saying the "I am having difficulty getting on/off" part.

After all, as long as she moves over, your problem will be solved, and at the moment it may be just that it never occured to her to leave more space for you (some people are just insensitive than others).

So you may just want to, with a smile, say...

すみませんが、もう すこし だけ、 みぎに よせて とめて もらえませんか。
(Excuse me, but can you park your car just a bit too the right? - I assume you can indicate with your hands "who's right" as you say this.)

わたしの くるまに とても ちかい ので、(As (your car) is very close to my car, )

うっかり こすって しまいそうで しんぱい です。
(I am worried that I might "brush by" your car.)

The point is to make it sound so that it's not her to blame.

And if that doesn't work after a few more days, you can add that missing part back.

Hope everything turns out fine.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Neighbor - how to politely ask? 2014/8/28 22:19
I feel it is OK as long as the request (or complaint) is a statement of "what I'm feeling/suffering about," and not "pointing at what she is doing to her advantage." That's why I left out the part about she having space on the other side.

Otherwise she might wave her hand and say OK OK, no worries, and that might be it :( That was my thought anyway.
by AK rate this post as useful

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