Job Discussion Forums

[shmooj]

First, you search these forums.

Then you find tons of advice on this topic.

Then you find this URL posted by someone green who shall remain nameless.

http://www.japandriverslicense.com

Then you visit it.

Eventually, you get a license.

[Glen 2003]

I felt safer driving in Nagoya than my hometown,Los Angeles.

[ryuro]

Check out the Japan Automobile Association's (JAF) English website and click on the link 'Switching Overseas Driver's License to Japanese License"...

http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index_e.htm

and if you're American, be prepared to take the driving test a number of times (I took it four times before I "passed")

good luck,
ryuro

[ellienihon]

Before you "passed"? Do you mind elaborating?

[shmooj]

I liked the " " there ryuro. Made me laugh

[Gordon]

[diderot]

AAA told me the international drivers license is only good for 6 months.

Is this true?

[Glenski]

[G Cthulhu]

[Gordon]

[shmooj]

[ryuro]

Felt I should throw one or two more things in here that I haven't seen mentioned yet...

Pretty much what everyone has been saying here is true, but BE WARNED the people who work at these driving centers are some of the most miserable, minor petty bureaucrats I've ever had the displeasure of interacting with in any country!

Being that they're this way, the are INTENSELY anal about ridiculous little things.

Example1: Names on the home country DL, Passport and Gaijin Card MUST MATCH EXACTLY (Letter for Letter!!!)

A teacher I was trying to help obtain a Japanese DL was from Australia. He had all the correct documents and translations ready to go, but it was all derailed by a single letter. The name on his Aussie DL was ONE LETTER DIFFERENT from his passport and gaijin card- so "dame!" They guy behind the counter literally said "no" and just waved us off. We tried to convince him for nearly an hour, but he was having NONE of it. So the teacher had to send off to the RTA in Australia for an official, certified document with a correction in his name. The petty little man at the driving center had originally said the RTA could send a fax that could then be translated by JAF and then he could return and try again. Fortunately when we talked to JAF they told us that no way would the driving center accept a fax, they strongly advised us to have the RTA send by regular mail the official document with some kind of raised seal. JAF told us that the driving centers often did this to people, told them one thing and then when you produced the goods, they'd come-up with another hitch. We eventually got the DL, but it took a visit from the Japanese president of our company to the driving center to finally make them accept the document and translation.

In another case in this example one of our teachers DL had only his initial for his middle name. His passport and gaijin card had his full first, middle and last name. Again- "dame!" No! from the shifty little bureaucrat. The guy had to send away for a resplacement DL.

Example 2: The Three Month Rule.

You better be able to PROVE beyond ANY doubt that you've definitely had your home country's DL for a minimum of three months IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY before arriving in Japan. If you do a lot of travelling, they will make you go through your passport stamp for stamp to account for all your trips and where you were- I kid you not! If you're on a second or third passport they may demand to see your previous passports- failure to produce them can result in them refusing to even accept your application (I always tell teachers to simply say it's their first passport regardless of which one it really is). If you have renewed your DL while in Japan, you better be able to produce the old, cancelled one, 'cause if the issue date on your current DL is listed as a time when you were in Japan... well, you're kind of screwed.

I had yet another teacher who qualified in every way and when the driving center went through her passport (stamp by stamp) they found that the date on which her current DL was issued that she happened to be out of her home country on a five day holiday. Didn't matter that she had proof of over three months driving experience in her home country, she was not in her home country on the issue date so "dame!" Subsequently she had to contact her home country's driving authorities and request some kind of document stating the date when she passed the test and that she was i the country at that time. Her case is still pending.

And this is all BEFORE an American would even get to the point of having to take the written and driving test.

So way do they act this way???? Simple, because they can.

And what I meant in my earlier post about "passing" I think has been explained somewhat by others here. The driving test is in no way rational or logical. In most tests in western countries they actually keep a score and if you fall below a certain point number you fail. Here, it really depends on the mood of the instructor and how many times you've already taken the test.

As I think Gordon mentioned before, it's more a money grab. They figure that since we didn't shell out the 300,000yen or so for their driving school, they'll nibble away at us through having to take the test a number of times. And in my personal experience I KNOW NO ONE who didn't take the test a minimum of three times. The record of a person I personally know was 12. I finally "passed" on the 4th go round. It's a joke. You just bite your tongue and do what ya have to, because no amount of getting angry with these miserable people will help.

So that's been my experiences and experiences of a few of those around me. Probably not the same everywhere, but just be prepared for the worst and if it doesn't happen then you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Good luck,
ryuro

PS. If you're thinking of chancing it and driving illegally- BE CAREFUL. If you're caught the minimum fine is 300,000yen, absolute suspension of ALL driving priviliges and being ineligible for obtaining a Japanese DL for a minimum of one year from the date of the infraction. This actually happned to another teacher I personally know and needless to say when it also cost him his teaching job as driving was required for it.

[shmooj]

What Ryuro says about the passport/s proving you have had your license for 90 days in your home country is no joke. I had both my cancelled and current passports and, as I gained my full UK license a week before I came to Japan, they totalled all my holidays since I'd arrived here. Thankfully, the total came to 103 days so I just made it.

A colleague who had been driving for years in her native NZ was turned down because she did not have her passport from the time when her license was issued (we're talking like almost 20 years ago). They made her contact agencies in NZ who had to send official documents verifying everything i.e. that she had had passports previous to the one she now held.

I tell you, one thing that makes this all worthwhile is that by the time you finally get your license, the pettiness that is actually driving in Japan seems like a piece of cake in comparison.

[buffy]

Interesting article related to driving in Japan and it has some good resources at the bottom of the page.

http://www.gethiroshima.com/en/gethiroshima/Hype/2004/02/10/drivingschool

[JibberJabber]