Driving in Japan may not be the first thing you think of when considering moving here. Even if you already live in Japan, you may not think about driving much if you live in a big city with convenient access to trains and buses. But, it’s a useful skill to have, and almost certainly essential if you plan to move to a rural community in Japan. Since the convenient trains that so many rave about tend to thin out or even cease to exist in rural Japan, you’ll probably need to learn how to drive if you plan to live there.
How to Start Driving in Japan
There are a few different ways to get started driving in Japan, and some are going to be easier than others. I’ll explain each way that you can start driving, starting from the easiest and getting more difficult from there.
International Driving Permit
The International Driving Permit (called the kokusai unten menkyosho・国際運転免許証 in Japanese) is a one year long driving permit that’s available to foreigners living in a variety of countries, including Japan. You’ll need to obtain it while you’re still in your home country, and will need to present your valid domestic driving license, as well as a passport-style photo, and will probably need to pay a small fee to obtain the permit.
The entire process is pretty easy, and requires no written or hands-on test to complete. You can get the process started by bringing your current license, passport photos, and a filled-out IDP application to your country’s automobile association (AAA in the U.S. and CAA in Canada). This is where they will process your application and issue your IDP, usually on the same day. I remember when I applied for an IDP before moving to Japan, the entire process took about an hour. It may vary by country, but in general, it’s a simple and straightforward process.
Driving License Conversion
Foreign driving license conversion, called gaikoku menkyo kirikae・外国免許切替 in Japanese, is a common practice, and much easier than taking a Japanese driving test or attending a school to get started driving in Japan. But, it’s a little more complicated than the International Driving Permit process explained above. First of all, Japan only allows the licenses of some countries to be converted, and in the case of the U.S., only a few U.S. state’s licenses allow for conversion. So check to make sure your country is on the list of eligible licenses, before taking the steps to convert yours.
If this is all fine, then the process shouldn’t take too long. It will probably take about half a day at your local prefecture’s driver’s license center, and can be done completely in Japan, so you don’t need to do anything beforehand in your home country to get the process started. You will need to submit some paperwork, take an eye test, and, in some prefectures, drive a lap on a closed course. You’ll need to pay a few fees, including an examination fee and license issuance fee, as well as a fee on top of that to get your home country’s license translated to Japanese. However, these fees are not outrageous, with the combined examination and license issuance fee coming out to about 5,000 yen, and the license translation fee being about 6,000 yen.
You will also need to make an appointment at your local driver’s license center, and will need to provide some other things such as your passport, residence card, etc.
Official Driving School
If you’re unable to convert your driving license, there are a few other ways to get started driving in Japan. But, they’ll be a little more expensive and complicated. The easier way to start driving in Japan without a convertible license, is to attend one of Japan’s accredited driving schools. You’ll be able to graduate from the school without taking the practical driving test, so in a lot of ways, it’s easier. However, you’ll still need to take the written exam that I’ll explain more about later.
Attending one of these schools will cost you from 250,000 to 350,000 yen, which is considerably higher than the fee just to take the driving test. However, paying the fee is often available in installments, so you don’t necessarily have to pay it all at once.
In terms of the curriculum of an accredited driving school, expect 26 hours total of classroom time teaching Japanese rules of the road, and 31 hours of hands-on driving time on both closed course tracks and real roads. But, at the end of all of this, you will not need to take the practical driving test, so you’ll be able to start driving in Japan as long as you pass the written and eye exams. Many schools also now supply English language materials, so you won’t be completely lost in class if you don’t speak fluent Japanese.
Some of Japan’s officially designated driving schools that are English-friendly are Koyama Driving School in Tokyo and Yokohama, Seishin Driving School in Kobe, and Minami Fukuoka Driver’s School in Fukuoka.
Prefectural Driving Test
Probably the most difficult way to start driving in Japan is to take the official driving test (unten menkyo shiken・運転免許試験) in order to get your Japanese driving license. However, it is quite a bit cheaper than attending a school, with the combined fee for the written test, practical exam, and license issuance coming out to a little under 10,000 yen.
At the test itself, you should expect a written examination of 50 questions. You will need to get 90% of these questions right to pass. Don’t worry, the exam is available in English as well as many other foreign languages, so you don’t need to be completely fluent in Japanese to pass this test.
The most difficult part of the test may be the practical exam, in which you will need to not only drive safely as you normally would, but will be required to check your blind spots more than usual, and will be required to look under and around the car before driving, to make sure that there aren’t any dangerous objects underneath.
You will also need to take a basic vision and hearing test to make sure that it’s safe for you to drive on Japanese roads.
Japanese Driver’s Test Advice
Common Test-Day Snags
On the day of the test, don’t forget to pay attention to these things that often trip people up. Remember to stop at any railway crossings before continuing on ahead, in case the gates lower and a train is about to pass. Remember to drive at 30 km/h (or under) unless otherwise specified. Remember to over-check your blind spots and mirrors while taking the practical test (better safe than sorry!)
Study Resources
- Rules of the Road by the Japan Automobile Federation (English Edition)
- Sample quizzes on your prefecture’s police department website
- Koyama Driving School’s online mock tests
- The app called “運転免許学科試験問題集” for timed practice
The Point System
While gaining points is usually a good thing, when driving in Japan, gaining points is the thing you really want to avoid. For every driving infraction, you gain a certain number of points, and how many points you gain depends on the offense you committed.
For example, driving 15 km/hr over the speed limit will usually get 1 or 2 points put on your record. If you gain 6 points in the span of three years, you’ll be required to go to a cautionary lecture. Six or more points in the span of a year will get your license suspended for a period of time, the length of which goes up the more points you accrue in that year. If you reach 15 points in a year, your license will be revoked.
So, be careful on the road in Japan. Because your driving will be evaluated even after getting your license. Foreigners in Japan who accrue 25 points in 3 years are at risk of visa complications, and any amount of alcohol in your system while driving may lead to arrest.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. There are also rewards for being a particularly careful driver in Japan. If you drive in the country for five years without accruing any points, then you get the special “gold license”, which comes with the perks of shorter license renewal times and lower insurance premiums. I’ll explain a little more about the different license types below.
Types of Licenses
Green, Blue, & Gold Licenses
The green license is the first license you’ll get in Japan. It’s valid for the first three years that you’re driving in the country, and is signified by a green band across your license’s expiration date.
A blue license is basically the “normal” license, which you get after your first renewal. You will maintain this license if you have a few minor infractions on the road, or if you maintain a clean driving record up until you’re eligible for a gold license at the 5 year mark.
The gold license is your reward for maintaining a completely clean driving record for 5 years. Benefits of the gold license include a validity of 5 years, instead of the 3 year validity of green and blue licenses. Also, your insurance payments will be lower on the gold license, and you’ll be eligible for faster lectures when renewing (30 minutes instead of 2 hours).
Ordinary, Motorcycle, and Heavy Vehicle Licenses
The most common driving license in Japan is the ordinary license, for cars under 3.5 tons which carry under nine passengers.
There’s also the motorcycle license, which splits up into three sub-categories: small, ordinary, and large motorcycles.
The least common type would be the heavy vehicle license for vehicles such as buses, those for transporting goods such as lorries, and other specialized road-worthy vehicles. This license is most commonly seen in commercial driving such as public transportation and long-haul shipment of goods.
Renewal, Lost/Stolen License, Address/Name Change
License Renewal
Your first driving license in Japan will remain valid for three years after issuance, expiring on your birthday in the third year of its validity, while if you have a gold license, it will remain valid until your birthday on the fifth year of validity. You can renew your license between one month before and one month after your birthday.
You can renew your license at your local driving license center, or at certain police stations. To start the process, you can bring your current license, renewal notice, residence card, and a photo to the center of your choice. The renewal fee will cost between 3,000 and 4,000 yen, and you will need to attend a two hour safety lecture. But, once all that is done, you should have a freshly renewed license on the same day, and be able to continue driving in Japan.
Reporting a License Lost or Stolen
To report your current license lost or stolen, you can file a lost property report at your local police station. They will give you a loss certificate, which you can then take to your local driving license center to obtain a new license. The fee to get a new license will be 3,500 yen, and you’ll need to show ID when there. If your lost license shows up, give it to the police station where you filed the loss report immediately.
Address and Name Changes
If you’ve just changed your name or address in Japan, you should report this change at your local driving license center or at the traffic counter at your local police station within 14 days of moving or changing your name. This process is free of charge, but is vital for insurance claims, renting a car, and more.
Driving Culture in Japan
If you’re worried about whether driving in Japan will be particularly difficult or different from your home country, I don’t think you need to worry that much. In general, Japanese drivers are overly cautious and drive at a slow pace. At least compared to the U.S. where I’m from, the speed limits in Japan are much lower, and people are generally more courteous drivers. Of course, there are exceptions to this, so always stay vigilant on the road.
Even if you happen to be driving on the opposite side of the road from your country, or if you can’t understand what’s written on the signs, it’s not as big a deal as you might think. As someone who needed to drive in Japan for my job in the past, I quickly got the hang of driving on the opposite side of the road from the U.S., and many of the signs were also written in English. If you’re worried about whether you’ll understand the Japanese road signs, definitely research the names and meanings of these signs before you start driving in Japan.
To Wrap It Up…
Getting your driving license or International Driving Permit in Japan can feel like a complicated process; and in many cases it really is. There are a few different ways to start your journey driving in Japan, and it’s all about which path you think would be the best option for you to take. The good thing is that the process is pretty flexible to accommodate your situation, so if you put in consistent effort, you should be able to start driving in Japan sooner or later!
Read More
