Quite like

It was in the youth hostel near Kobe, we arrived by night. I took a bath before going to sleep. Lying in the water, I suddenly became aware of the sound coming through the open window, this interesting sound of cars passing by on the street down there, car by car passing, endlessly, what a late traffic, car by car passing, in such a regular rhythm, what a disciplined traffic, car by car passing, passing by so smoothly, it sounded quite like waves reaching the beach.
While I was thinking that, other thoughts passed by at the same time, but suddenly I remembered that the youth hostel was situated on the coast and what I was hearing actually was the sea.