Same here ... fall is over, trees have barely any leaves. It already snowed while I was in Japan. It gets dark so early. So depressing. ^^;

I don't know. I've never been to the U.S.
All I can say that the rules are very similar to the ones in Germany. In Germany we also drive on the right side. It's not that difficult. And most traffic signs are international, no? I had no issues understanding the signes in Japna. There are only a few that are different. And most other signs have usually English on them.