Before You Drive
International Driver's Permit
As a resident of Japan, you can only drive in Japan using an IDP for exactly one year from your arrival date in Japan. This is regardless of when your IDP actually expires, or however many new IDPs you get or renew. This also means you can’t get your first IDP after already living here for over a year.
You can get an IDP from your local automobile association in your home country before arriving or online through certain websites depending on your home country.
You must always have your IDP and your home country’s license with you when driving. If you get into an accident without a license or a valid IDP, you will be in a huge mess. You will be held liable for repairing any damage or medical expenses because your insurance will not cover damages as you were not driving legally. You will also be required to pay a fine of up to ¥300,000, and depending on the severity, you may also spend up to one year in jail, which will result in your removal from the JET Program. As careful a driver as you may be, keep in mind that traffic accidents are evaluated as a shared responsibility, so you may still be partially liable. So don’t risk it!
You can get an IDP from your local automobile association in your home country before arriving or online through certain websites depending on your home country.
You must always have your IDP and your home country’s license with you when driving. If you get into an accident without a license or a valid IDP, you will be in a huge mess. You will be held liable for repairing any damage or medical expenses because your insurance will not cover damages as you were not driving legally. You will also be required to pay a fine of up to ¥300,000, and depending on the severity, you may also spend up to one year in jail, which will result in your removal from the JET Program. As careful a driver as you may be, keep in mind that traffic accidents are evaluated as a shared responsibility, so you may still be partially liable. So don’t risk it!
Buying a Car
There are a number of things to consider when deciding to buy a car in Japan:
Is it necessary for your placement work?
Some JETs, especially Municipal ALTs, will require a car to travel to, from and between their schools. In this case, your supervisor and predecessor should help you with this.
Is it necessary for your placement location?
A lot of the placements in Gifu are situated in towns or cities near a train line. The trains in Japan are reliable, but if you’re in Chuno or Hida, they can be expensive and not very frequent. Listen to the opinions of your predecessor and the people in your region to see whether or not having a car is an essential or just a luxury.
How much do you want to spend?
Avoid buying a brand new car, not only are they a bad investment, but they also incur extra fees and taxes when purchased. Your best option is to go for a second-hand car as they are relatively inexpensive and will do the job for getting around the prefecture. You should be able to buy a second-hand car for anywhere from ¥0-400,000 from either your predecessor, online, or from a dealership (the most expensive option).
There are two types of cars you can get in Japan:
The other important part of determining how much you pay for a car is Shaken (車検).
Shaken (車検)
Shaken is the registration and road worthiness test every car must undergo to legally be able to drive on the road. In Japan, this test must be taken every 2 years and can cost from ¥70,000 – 160,000, depending on the size of your car and how much needs to be fixed. The test will include a paperwork fee, the inspection fee, the compulsory vehicle insurance and weight tax, as well as any required repairs.
When buying a second-hand car privately, remember to look at when the shaken was last done. Cars should have the amount of shaken left factored into their price leading to cars that have shaken nearly due being practically free, to cars which have 2 years worth of shaken left and are on the upper end of the price scale. Also consider how long you will be in Japan. If you’re only here for a year, try to buy a car with more than a year’s worth of shaken to avoid paying it. However, don’t worry too much because cars with 1-2 years of shaken left on them can be sold for a lot more than those with less than a year left. On the other hand, if you decide to buy from a dealer, new shaken will automatically be factored into the cost.
Other costs
Here are the average costs you can expect to incur when owning a car:
Is it necessary for your placement work?
Some JETs, especially Municipal ALTs, will require a car to travel to, from and between their schools. In this case, your supervisor and predecessor should help you with this.
Is it necessary for your placement location?
A lot of the placements in Gifu are situated in towns or cities near a train line. The trains in Japan are reliable, but if you’re in Chuno or Hida, they can be expensive and not very frequent. Listen to the opinions of your predecessor and the people in your region to see whether or not having a car is an essential or just a luxury.
How much do you want to spend?
Avoid buying a brand new car, not only are they a bad investment, but they also incur extra fees and taxes when purchased. Your best option is to go for a second-hand car as they are relatively inexpensive and will do the job for getting around the prefecture. You should be able to buy a second-hand car for anywhere from ¥0-400,000 from either your predecessor, online, or from a dealership (the most expensive option).
There are two types of cars you can get in Japan:
- Kei cars / yellow plate cars: These a cars with smaller engines (<660cc), and as a result their insurance, tax and petrol consumption is less (prices below)! However, they are smaller cars so they have very little space inside, they only seat 4 people legally, they’re not great on long journeys and they tend to be not as safe as white plate cars.
- White plate cars: These cars have bigger engines (>660cc) and therefore their insurance, tax and petrol costs are higher (prices below). They are much roomier, seat 5 people, are faster, and they have enough guts to make it up a mountain!
The other important part of determining how much you pay for a car is Shaken (車検).
Shaken (車検)
Shaken is the registration and road worthiness test every car must undergo to legally be able to drive on the road. In Japan, this test must be taken every 2 years and can cost from ¥70,000 – 160,000, depending on the size of your car and how much needs to be fixed. The test will include a paperwork fee, the inspection fee, the compulsory vehicle insurance and weight tax, as well as any required repairs.
When buying a second-hand car privately, remember to look at when the shaken was last done. Cars should have the amount of shaken left factored into their price leading to cars that have shaken nearly due being practically free, to cars which have 2 years worth of shaken left and are on the upper end of the price scale. Also consider how long you will be in Japan. If you’re only here for a year, try to buy a car with more than a year’s worth of shaken to avoid paying it. However, don’t worry too much because cars with 1-2 years of shaken left on them can be sold for a lot more than those with less than a year left. On the other hand, if you decide to buy from a dealer, new shaken will automatically be factored into the cost.
Other costs
- Annual car owning tax: a tax paid every year in May. It ranges from 5000円 – 56,000円 depending on the size of the car.
- Insurance: 強制保険 (insurance for your car) and 自賠責保険 (vehicle liability insurance). These are both compulsory and additional to the basic shaken vehicle insurance. Normally they will be bundled into one package for you and the cost will vary on your age, driving experience, number of people driving the car, previous accidents, how much you will drive, etc. This has to be purchased yearly, but you can generally cancel whenever you need and get a refund for the unused months. If you’re not great at Japanese, we recommend you find a company that has a 24 hour toll-free English hotline in case you have an accident. Or check with your BOE if they are affiliated with a particular insurance company as they may get discount rates if you go through them. Just ask your supervisor for advice.
- Transfer of ownership fee
Here are the average costs you can expect to incur when owning a car:
Transferring ownership
Officially transferring ownership of a car requires a decent amount of paperwork. First, you need to make sure you have all of these documents:
- The car ownership transfer application form (OCR #2 sheet)
- Documents from the seller:
- Car registration payment receipt
- Proof of the transfer of car ownership
- Certificate of inkan impression (you can get this from your local town hall)
- Inkan (to stamp some of the forms)
- Certificate proving your address / Juminyhou (can also get it from your local town hall)
- Certificate of compulsory car insurance (not all cases)
- Documents from the buyer
- Certificate proving your address
- Certificate of compulsory car insurance
- Receipt for the automobile tax (not all cases)
- Certificate proving you have a parking space
Proof of parking
You have to be able to prove you have somewhere you can park your car before purchasing one. To get a certificate proving this you have to go to a police station with the following documents:
- Application form
- Map showing the location of the parking space relative to the location of your residence
- Map showing the layout of the parking space
- Document showing that you have consent to use the parking space (generally from the landlord or person in charge of the apartment blocks).
- The fee: 500円 for yellow plate cars, 2700円 for white plate cars
Once you have all the documents, head to your local transport branch office, to officially transfer the car between the buyer and the seller. Hopefully your supervisor can help you through all the steps, if not, get in contact with your RPA/PA team!
Starting to Drive
Road Rules
The full book of Japanese road rules can be purchased here in multiple languages from the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF):
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/road.htm
The basic road rules and traffic signals can be found here for free:
https://www.npa.go.jp/annai/license_renewal/english.pdf
The main rules that might be different to those in your home country include:
Bonus tidbit: Your BOE might try and tell you that you can’t have a car. They are allowed to restrict your mode of transport during work hours, however they can’t restrict whether you buy a car and drive outside of work hours.
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/road.htm
The basic road rules and traffic signals can be found here for free:
https://www.npa.go.jp/annai/license_renewal/english.pdf
The main rules that might be different to those in your home country include:
- Japan has a zero tolerance policy for alcohol when driving or cycling. You can’t have a single drop of alcohol in your system without risking big fines, jail time and expulsion from the JET program. If you go somewhere to drink, don’t drive home.
- If you provide a vehicle to someone who has drunk alcohol, provide alcohol to a driver, or even ride in a car with a driver who has had alcohol, then you are complicit in their crime and can also face large fines and jail time.
- You must stop at a railroad crossing to check for trains before continuing. Police are known to sit near crossings and enforce this rule.
- If you are in an accident, you are always required to notify the police, regardless of the amount of damage or lack thereof. If you don’t speak Japanese, please ask a Japanese person to call.
- Police cars and ambulances generally always drive with their lights flashing, but they don’t expect you to move over unless their sirens are on.
Bonus tidbit: Your BOE might try and tell you that you can’t have a car. They are allowed to restrict your mode of transport during work hours, however they can’t restrict whether you buy a car and drive outside of work hours.
Traffic Violations
Traffic violations can either be:
This is the process you will have to follow:
- Major: If you are arrested you will be subject to criminal prosecution and may be put on trial.
- Minor: It may only require you pay a fine and acquire demerit points to your license.
This is the process you will have to follow:
Demerit system
Each level of Japanese driver’s license can accumulate a certain number of demerit points as a result of traffic infringements before being suspended or revoked. The points are tallied over a period of 3 years, but if you go one full year without a traffic violation then your points will be reduced to zero the following year. If you can go 5 years without an infringement then you’ll be given a fancy gold license with special perks!
Each level of Japanese driver’s license can accumulate a certain number of demerit points as a result of traffic infringements before being suspended or revoked. The points are tallied over a period of 3 years, but if you go one full year without a traffic violation then your points will be reduced to zero the following year. If you can go 5 years without an infringement then you’ll be given a fancy gold license with special perks!
Japan can’t track the number of points you’ve accumulated on an International Driving Permit, so they can’t suspend or revoke it, but they can issue you with fines and criminal punishments.
Accidents
As mentioned in the IDP section, in the Japanese system, every driver is at least 1% to blame in all accidents regardless of fault.
If you are ever in an accident, follow these steps:
If you have any trouble, try calling your supervisor. Failing that, you can contact someone from your RPA or PA team to help you.
If you are ever in an accident, follow these steps:
- Prevent further accidents by pulling over and stopping your car.
- If anyone is injured, render first aid is possible until an ambulance arrives.
- The police must be called for every car accident that occurs, regardless of damage or lack thereof. If you can speak Japanese, notify the police (call 110) and tell them where and when the accident occurred, the number of people injured, the degree of injuries and property damage, the number of vehicles involved, what kind of vehicles were involved, and your personal information. If you can’t speak Japanese, ask a Japanese speaker to call for you.
- Exchange details with the other person (ask to take a photo of their information to make it easier and quicker). The details you should get include:
- Personal details: name, phone number, and home and business address.
- License number
- Car registration plates number
- Insurance number
If you have any trouble, try calling your supervisor. Failing that, you can contact someone from your RPA or PA team to help you.
Winter Driving
In most of Gifu, winter driving will be a reality. Most cars will require a set of summer and winter tires, unless you live in the Gifu or Seino region and don’t plan on driving north (then you can probably get away with it). But for the majority of us, winter tires will be necessary. Here are some tips on how to handle driving in winter.
1. Buying winter tires
You may not have used winter tires back at home, but they’re necessary in parts of Japan for several reasons. In many cases, local roads are rarely plowed or even salted. Gifu also has large mountains and small, windy roads up north and you may not be let through the IC checkpoints if you don’t have winter tires on your car. Also, if you get into an accident in the snow and you don’t have winter tires on you may be deemed at fault.
Look for “stud-less tires” which supposedly are a bit wider with deeper threads, and are made out of different material that helps deal with slippery roads better than general “snow tires”.
You can buy these tires new from most petrol stations, mechanics, dealers, or from Costco. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, try second hand stores, your mechanic, or the Gifu Garage Sale/Chubu Area Treasure Trove Facebook pages.
2. Changing tires
You can get this done at most petrol stations or mechanics for about ¥2000-3000.
3. Snow chains
Chains are generally only necessary when there is very heavy snowfall and it is accumulating on the road. However, if you have good snow tires, then you are unlikely to also need chains. Chains can be a handy alternative for people that rarely visit snowy areas and don’t want to invest in snow tires.
4. Tips for driving on icy roads
What to do if you start to skid:
1. Buying winter tires
You may not have used winter tires back at home, but they’re necessary in parts of Japan for several reasons. In many cases, local roads are rarely plowed or even salted. Gifu also has large mountains and small, windy roads up north and you may not be let through the IC checkpoints if you don’t have winter tires on your car. Also, if you get into an accident in the snow and you don’t have winter tires on you may be deemed at fault.
Look for “stud-less tires” which supposedly are a bit wider with deeper threads, and are made out of different material that helps deal with slippery roads better than general “snow tires”.
You can buy these tires new from most petrol stations, mechanics, dealers, or from Costco. If you’re looking for a cheaper option, try second hand stores, your mechanic, or the Gifu Garage Sale/Chubu Area Treasure Trove Facebook pages.
2. Changing tires
You can get this done at most petrol stations or mechanics for about ¥2000-3000.
3. Snow chains
Chains are generally only necessary when there is very heavy snowfall and it is accumulating on the road. However, if you have good snow tires, then you are unlikely to also need chains. Chains can be a handy alternative for people that rarely visit snowy areas and don’t want to invest in snow tires.
4. Tips for driving on icy roads
- Drive slower and allow at least 3 times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
- If you have standard brakes – brake gently or slowly pump the breaks to avoid the wheels locking up.
- If you have ABS – brake gently until you feel the ABS begin to work (you will feel the brake pedal start to vibrate) then you can brake strongly without fear of the wheels locking up and you skidding off the road.
- Use low gears so your car can keep traction on the roads, especially on hills.
- Turn your lights on.
- Be especially careful on the less frequently driven roads as they are more likely to be frozen and icy.
What to do if you start to skid:
- Rear wheel skidding – stop accelerating, steer in the direction that your rear wheels are sliding to straighten up (you may have to overcompensate a few times as you gain back control), and break slowly as above (standard breaks – gently, ABS – strongly once activated).
- Front wheel skidding – stop accelerating, change gears into neutral, and don’t try to steer immediately. As the wheels skid they will slow your car and traction will return, when it does you can move back into drive and accelerate gently.
After One Year
Getting a Japanese Driver's License in Gifu Prefecture
The Process
1. Start preparing early! Appointments may be booked up for up to 6 weeks at a time, so book early, especially around March/April and June/July when most foreigners’ IDPs are about to expire. This is even more important if you need to take a driving test, as you can only take the test once per month and are likely to fail at least once (going off past results). START EARLY!
2. Begin by gathering all of the documents required (see below, this might take weeks).
3. Book a preliminary document check appointment at the Mitahora Licensing Centre (phone: 058-237-3331). There might be up to a 6 week wait for one of these.
4. Complete your preliminary document check at Mitahora, then book your final appointment (all appointments will be at 8:30am on a weekday):
5. Pay a processing fee (about ¥5000) and have a license photo taken, then you’ll have a Japanese driver’s license! Licenses will expire on your 3rd future birthday, so if you plan on staying in Japan for 3-4 years, try not to book this appointment just before your birthday to make the most of its duration.
6. To reiterate, make absolutely certain you have a way to communicate in Japanese during your appointments. The licensing office requires you to arrange an interpreter for the license conversion interview if you cannot communicate in Japanese yourself. If there is any doubt, arrange to have a interpreter with you.
2. Begin by gathering all of the documents required (see below, this might take weeks).
3. Book a preliminary document check appointment at the Mitahora Licensing Centre (phone: 058-237-3331). There might be up to a 6 week wait for one of these.
- In this appointment they check that all of your documents are perfect so that when you turn up for the real appointment it will be smooth sailing.
- This appointment will take about 3 hours (most of it is sitting around waiting so take a book or some work), and are generally available at 1pm or 3pm on weekdays. Be aware that you will need to take this time off as paid nenkyuu leave and that you also will need to take another 1/2–full day of nenkyuu for a second trip to Mitahora, explained further down).
- If you don’t speak Japanese well (≥N3 level or so), you will need to bring an interpreter (an over-the-phone interpreter doesn’t count). People with a basic listening skills have tried going with a translation of the answers to all the possible questions and have still been turned away because they didn’t have an interpreter. You may get lucky and have someone that speaks a bit of English, but don’t risk waiting another 4 weeks for a new appointment!
- If one of your documents is wrong, they will stop the process immediately. This means you won’t have the rest of your documents checked and will have to make another preliminary document check on another day.
4. Complete your preliminary document check at Mitahora, then book your final appointment (all appointments will be at 8:30am on a weekday):
- People from countries with licensing agreements with Japan (most European countries, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada) only need to do a final document check and a quick vision test (bring your glasses and/or contacts if you use them normally) to transfer their license. This will take about 1-2 hours.
- The United States has several states with either full or partial reciprocal licensing agreements with Japan. This can exempt you from either the knowledge exam, practical exam, or both. Make sure to check your state's DMV website, your home region's Consulate of Japan or the Embassy of Japan website, or contact them for more details. As of this writing (Feb 2023), the US states of Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington State have reciprocal agreement; exemption from both written and practical exams. Indiana is exempt from the practical exam only. Further research may be required in the case you have other classifications, such as for motorcycles or commercial vehicles.
- People from countries without licensing agreements with Japan (Most of the US, South America, South Africa, Asia and any other countries not listed above) must go through the full Japanese driver’s examination. This will take nearly a full day. It will include:
- A documents check (to re-check the documents you had checked at the preliminary document check).
- A vision check (bring your glasses and/or contacts if you use them normally). It will be a Landort ring identification (which way is the gap in the C facing) and a colour blindness test (remember that what we call the green light is actually a blue light in Japan, so say "ao" instead of "midori").
- Pay around ¥2500 to take the written and driving test.
- A 10-question written test (it will be in English). It is 10 questions with 7 correct answers required to pass. They will take everyone up to a room with desks, pencils, and little test booklets in your native language. The test is very easy, and anyone who has been driving previously in Japan should have no trouble with it. If you want to study, get the "Rules of the Road" from JAF. After the written test, you will have a break until about 1pm when you return for the Driving Test.
- A short driving test on an enclosed course.
- At a scheduled time, everyone taking the test will walk over to the enclosed course. You will have the course explained to you either by getting in the car with the instructor who will drive around the course once and point out some details along the way in Japanese, or having the instructor show you in Japanese the route using a toy magnet on a whiteboard map version of the course.
- Then it’s your turn! You have 5 minutes to show the instructor that you are a competent and safe driver. The test begins from the moment before you step into the car and goes until after you step out of it and off the course. Don’t be surprised when you get in the car with another student. One student takes the test while the other watches the test as a backseat passenger before they do their own test.
- If you make any critical errors or hit a curb, the test may stop immediately and you will be failed, or they will tell you once you've parked. If you don’t appear to make any errors, the test will end with a lecture in Japanese in the car (regardless if you pass or fail).
- For further details on the intricacies of this test, refer to this detailed blog post about the test, but just be aware that some of the process details are out of date as it was written a while ago, but the driving test details are still exactly the same!
- We strongly recommend you take at least one lesson at the Fukutomy Driving School. It’s just up the road from Mitahora and has an exact replica of the driving test course. You pay to go around the track twice with an instructor who will yell instructions and advice at you in Japanese (bring a interpreter) to prepare you for what the assessors will be looking for in your driving test. It’s pretty safe to say that you won’t pass the test first time without at least one of these lessons.
- After everyone has taken the test they will announce the people who have passed.
5. Pay a processing fee (about ¥5000) and have a license photo taken, then you’ll have a Japanese driver’s license! Licenses will expire on your 3rd future birthday, so if you plan on staying in Japan for 3-4 years, try not to book this appointment just before your birthday to make the most of its duration.
6. To reiterate, make absolutely certain you have a way to communicate in Japanese during your appointments. The licensing office requires you to arrange an interpreter for the license conversion interview if you cannot communicate in Japanese yourself. If there is any doubt, arrange to have a interpreter with you.
Gifu Prefecture Driver's License Division
22-8 Mitahora-higashi, Gifu City, 502-0003
岐阜県自動車運転免許試験 岐阜試験場
〒502-0003 岐阜県岐阜市三田洞東1丁目22-8
Tel: 058-237-3331
https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/site/police/541.html
40 minutes by bus from Gifu Station
Take the bus bound for「三田洞団地」and get off at the【三田洞自動車学校口】stop.
22-8 Mitahora-higashi, Gifu City, 502-0003
岐阜県自動車運転免許試験 岐阜試験場
〒502-0003 岐阜県岐阜市三田洞東1丁目22-8
Tel: 058-237-3331
https://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/site/police/541.html
40 minutes by bus from Gifu Station
Take the bus bound for「三田洞団地」and get off at the【三田洞自動車学校口】stop.
Note: This is the only available licensing facility in the prefecture. In which case you may need to plan your trip in advance, especially for JETs coming from Hida. You may also need to make further arrangements with your school or board of education if you require being absent from work to visit the licensing office.
Required Documents
1. Your driver’s license from your home country (+ a photocopy of the front and back on page 1)
2. An official Japanese translation of your license. These can only be obtained from a few places:
3. All of your passports (+ a photocopy of every single page, each double page should be on a separate page, including the front and back cover of the passport). If you don’t have all the passport you’ve ever had, you can:
4. If your license doesn’t have a date of issue on it, or if you have more than one type of license (eg. car and motorcycle licenses) you must get an official certificate/transcript of your license which details the date of issue of your license(s) from the traffic authority centre in your home country/state. It must be an original transcript with a signature on it, no photocopies!
5. Identification card of your license issuing country, not necessary if your license is your ID card. (+ a photocopy of the front and back on 1 page).
6. Zairyu (在留カード) / Residence card (+ a photocopy of the front and back on 1 page)
7. Juminhyou (住民票) / Proof of residence certificate. It must have your indicated nationality on it. If it doesn’t, go to your local town hall and get a new one and make sure they include it on it.
8. One passport style photograph of yourself, but it should be 3.0 x 2.4cm (not passport size despite their documents stating ‘passport size’) and taken within 6 months of your application date (this won’t be your license photo, it’s just for their records).
9. Japanese driver’s license (if you have one, valid or invalid).
10. [Filipino JETs] Original receipt for your license or license certificate that indicates when the license was first obtained. You cannot pass the document check without this.
11. Proof that you were in your home country for at least 3 contiguous months (preferably at least 12 contiguous months) while your full level license was valid (either from your license or license certificate date of issue). This proof can come from:
2. An official Japanese translation of your license. These can only be obtained from a few places:
- The administrative organization that issued the driver’s license in your home country
- Your embassy or consulate
- The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) will do it for ¥4000 and it will take 2-3 weeks. You can apply in person at one of the JAF centres in Nagoya, Gifu, Tajimi or Toyama, or apply by mail (it will cost extra for delivery). You can also apply online through the above link and have the translation issued to you at a 7-Eleven.
3. All of your passports (+ a photocopy of every single page, each double page should be on a separate page, including the front and back cover of the passport). If you don’t have all the passport you’ve ever had, you can:
- Get documents from your home country’s immigration centre detailing every international departure and arrival you’ve had to and from your home country.
- Say that your current passport is your first passport.
4. If your license doesn’t have a date of issue on it, or if you have more than one type of license (eg. car and motorcycle licenses) you must get an official certificate/transcript of your license which details the date of issue of your license(s) from the traffic authority centre in your home country/state. It must be an original transcript with a signature on it, no photocopies!
5. Identification card of your license issuing country, not necessary if your license is your ID card. (+ a photocopy of the front and back on 1 page).
6. Zairyu (在留カード) / Residence card (+ a photocopy of the front and back on 1 page)
7. Juminhyou (住民票) / Proof of residence certificate. It must have your indicated nationality on it. If it doesn’t, go to your local town hall and get a new one and make sure they include it on it.
8. One passport style photograph of yourself, but it should be 3.0 x 2.4cm (not passport size despite their documents stating ‘passport size’) and taken within 6 months of your application date (this won’t be your license photo, it’s just for their records).
9. Japanese driver’s license (if you have one, valid or invalid).
10. [Filipino JETs] Original receipt for your license or license certificate that indicates when the license was first obtained. You cannot pass the document check without this.
11. Proof that you were in your home country for at least 3 contiguous months (preferably at least 12 contiguous months) while your full level license was valid (either from your license or license certificate date of issue). This proof can come from:
- Having a re-entrance stamp to your home country in your passport and then no exit stamp for at least 3 or 12 months. (If you have a new passport with an electronic chip in it, you will unlikely have any re-entrance stamps to your home country, making this option impossible).
- Official details of your departures and arrivals to and from your home country from your country’s immigration department.
- The date of issue of your first passport if you got it at least 3-12 months after you’d had your full license (but you have to remind/convince them that this means you were obviously in the country for the time prior to getting the passport).
- Your academic transcript (this must be the original, not a photocopy, and which may or may not be returned to you).
- (JFY22) One Gifu JET gave testimony that they provided a photograph with metadata from the time they were first issued their driver's license more than a decade prior. This may be difficult to produce but has been accepted.
- You can try other documents you think might work, but the options above are the only proof we’ve heard of being accepted.
- If you don’t have proof of at least 3 contiguous months, you will not be able to receive a Japanese license.
- If you have proof of 3-11 contiguous months, you will receive a ‘new driver’ Japanese license. You will have to attach new learner magnets on your car, you’ll have a smaller demerit point pool (3 points until it’s suspended, 6 points for revocation), and you may have difficulty with renting cars.
- If you have proof of over 12 contiguous months, you’ll get a regular Japanese license and a larger demerit point pool (6 points until it’s suspended, revoked at 15 points).
** Documents 2, 4, 6, 7 and 10 must all be originals, photocopies of these are not accepted! These documents (all but your Zairyu card) will also be taken from you and not returned, so make sure you have copies of them if you need them in the future.
Required Information
1) Details about the process of obtaining a license in your home country/state:
You may be asked a range of questions about this process in Japanese. Don’t worry about your answers too much, they’re just checking that your home country’s licensing process meets the minimal standards of comprehensiveness and rigorousness. Remember, if you don’t speak Japanese, you need to have a Japanese interpreter with you (having a prepared translation of your answers to all of these questions isn’t good enough, trust us, we’ve tried it). You can find a list of the possible questions you might be asked here.
2) Details of your departure and arrival dates from your home country, according to your passport stamps:
You may be asked a range of questions about this process in Japanese. Don’t worry about your answers too much, they’re just checking that your home country’s licensing process meets the minimal standards of comprehensiveness and rigorousness. Remember, if you don’t speak Japanese, you need to have a Japanese interpreter with you (having a prepared translation of your answers to all of these questions isn’t good enough, trust us, we’ve tried it). You can find a list of the possible questions you might be asked here.
2) Details of your departure and arrival dates from your home country, according to your passport stamps:
The official will look through your passport and try to deduce a travel timeline from the dates in it (on a form that looks like the example on the right). If your passport is a mess of foreign country stamps, or you have stamps with no country name on them (especially if they’re not in English), I suggest you make your own document of every entry and exit date in your passport(s) to save them some time. You’re most likely going to be asked about each date anyway, so this helps save both of you some time.
Many new passports now have electronic chips in them so they probably won’t have any re-entrance stamps from when you returned to your home country. In this case, it may be difficult to prove you actually returned to your home country without a re-entrance stamp (or without an official declaration of travel dates from your home country’s immigration department). Try and remember (or guess) what your holiday dates were and add them to your travel timeline.
Many new passports now have electronic chips in them so they probably won’t have any re-entrance stamps from when you returned to your home country. In this case, it may be difficult to prove you actually returned to your home country without a re-entrance stamp (or without an official declaration of travel dates from your home country’s immigration department). Try and remember (or guess) what your holiday dates were and add them to your travel timeline.
Renewing Your Japanese Driver's License
Your first Japanese driver’s license will expire on your 3rd birthday after receiving it, so after 2-3 years. You will get a notice in the mail about the need to renew it which has to be done between 1 month before and 1 month after your birthday.
The process is similar to when you got your original license, but only involves one visit this time:
1) Make a booking at Mitahora Driving Centre
2) Turn up with the correct documents:
3) Spend about 3 hours doing paperwork and a vision and hearing test.
4) Get your new license
The process is similar to when you got your original license, but only involves one visit this time:
1) Make a booking at Mitahora Driving Centre
2) Turn up with the correct documents:
- Current driver’s license
- The notice you received in the mail
- The renewal fee (about ¥4000)
3) Spend about 3 hours doing paperwork and a vision and hearing test.
4) Get your new license
Renewing Shaken (車検)
Shaken is the road worthiness test every car must undergo to legally be able to drive on the road. In Japan, this test must be taken every 2 years and can cost from ¥70,000 – 80,000 for a yellow plate, and ¥120,000 – 160,000 for a white plate depending on how much needs to be repaired. The test will include a paperwork fee, the inspection fee, the compulsory vehicle insurance and weight tax, as well as any required repairs.
If you are good with cars then you can consider taking your car and doing the shaken test yourself. This will be the absolute cheapest way to do it and will end up only costing about ¥50,000 – 100,000 depending on the size and power of the vehicle. It will require you to take a 1/2 day of nenkyuu and for you to take your car through a series of tests at the testing centre in Japanese. Check out how to do that here.
If you are good with cars then you can consider taking your car and doing the shaken test yourself. This will be the absolute cheapest way to do it and will end up only costing about ¥50,000 – 100,000 depending on the size and power of the vehicle. It will require you to take a 1/2 day of nenkyuu and for you to take your car through a series of tests at the testing centre in Japanese. Check out how to do that here.
Disposing of an Unwanted Car
If you have a car that you are unable to sell, the only option left is for you to get it crushed. Please don’t leave it somewhere in Japan, you will be chased down back home via your school with fines from the Japanese government. Generally there are two options:
The above companies will deal with all the confusing paperwork and just ask for a few things from you:
They will also ask you to sign and stamp these forms that they will provide:
Once you’ve provided all the documents and signed your car’s life away, it will be disposed of.
- Use a car disposal company
- Buy a new car from a car dealership and they’ll take care of your old car
The above companies will deal with all the confusing paperwork and just ask for a few things from you:
- Vehicle inspection certificate
- A receipt showing you paid the annual car tax
- Certificate of your inkan impression (you can get this from your local town office)
- Front and back license plates
- Car keys
They will also ask you to sign and stamp these forms that they will provide:
- Certificate of disposal
- Disposal authorization letter
Once you’ve provided all the documents and signed your car’s life away, it will be disposed of.
Further Driving Resources
Driving in Japan http://www.supermelf.com/japan/ajetdrivingbook/index.htm
Japan Drivers License http://www.japandriverslicense.com/faqs.asp
Japanese Traffic Rules Driver's Edition: http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/English/life/traffic/text/index.data/untensha-en.pdf
Pedestrian & Cyclist's Edition: http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/English/life/traffic/text/index.data/hokousha-en.pdf
- A comprehensive guide to the tests in many Japanese prefectures, as well as information on buying, insuring, and licensing a car in Japan.
Japan Drivers License http://www.japandriverslicense.com/faqs.asp
- A solid FAQ from a professional English license conversion prep school.
Japanese Traffic Rules Driver's Edition: http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/English/life/traffic/text/index.data/untensha-en.pdf
Pedestrian & Cyclist's Edition: http://www.pref.gifu.lg.jp/English/life/traffic/text/index.data/hokousha-en.pdf
- Summary Driving Manuals edited by the Gifu Prefectural Police Headquarters, compiled and published by Gifu Prefecture. Though not as detailed as the JAF Rules of the Road (which we highly recommend for serious drivers), they do give a good outline of the traffic rules (enough to guarantee that you pass the written exam with a perfect score) and they illustrate common traffic signage (useful for those new to driving and parking in Japan).