The following is a quote from the ex-pat e-zine Unified Front Japan (issue 21 Oct 1999) on taking the driving test.
There’s boom right now here about JAPANESE DRIVING LICENSE, we received 17 inquires about DL this month. We are posting some Suggestions from THE UFJ archive to list.
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Suggestions for Passing the Driving Test in Japan
By: Hershey Wier
Background of My Situation: American trying to obtain a Japanese driver’s license. Already holds valid US license and international driving license. Has 20 years driving experience in the US and 8 months driving experience in Japan.
1)First go for one or two driving lessons at a driving school, preferably with an English speaking instructor. Usually a cost of ( 5,000 per hour or so. I spent a total of ( 9,600 for a 2 hour lesson. For Kansai readers, there is a driving instructor in Kobe, listed in the Town Pages, who speaks some English. As always, it’s best that the examinee speak some Japanese. Japanese ability also does wonders in putting the driving license examiner at ease during the test.
2)Ask the instructor what the most common mistakes and reasons for failure are.
Remember the marking points when making the “crank” and “s” curve turns - don’t just leave them to chance. There are definite points at which the steering wheel needs to be turned. Know them.
3)Take the driving test as soon as possible after completion of the driving lesson, so what is learned is not forgotten.
4)During the test, verbalize all of your actions from the start of the test to the finish. I actually said (in Japanese): “Lock door, adjust mirrors, put on seatbelt, release emergency brake, put on signal, look left right... Okay, now we need to make a right turn so go to the center line...,” etc. There have been many a disagreement and test failure because of the disparity between what the examiner thought and what the examinee thought. Verbalizing minimizes the chance for doubt.
I met several non-Japanese examinees taking their driving test multiple times - at a not so small cost of time, self-confidence and money. The best tip I got was to take a driving lesson before even attempting the test, no matter how many years of driving experience one has.
© 1997-98 United Front Japan
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More Suggestions for Passing the Driving Test in Japan
By: A. Uehara
In the November 1997 issue, Hershey Wier wrote about acquiring a Japanese Driver’s License. Like her, I possess a legal U.S. license. Unlike her, I haven’t actually lived in the U.S. for 15 years. Like her, I possess an international driver’s license, which I got on my last trip to the U.S. because I had kept my U.S. license valid. I think I slipped through some government netting here somewhere and thought I’d better take care of business and get my official Japanese license to make things honest.
As she suggested, I took a one-hour driving class in the mountains for a mere 4,000 yen. Although I’d been driving regularly down steep grades and backing around curves and having to pass parked cars in entire left lanes, that little practice test was so hard! But, it was good to make mistakes there and not at the test sight.
I also found it useful to practice at an arcade and get wiping out and speeding out of my system. It later snowed heavily and I needed to put chains on my car. This practical experience has nothing to do with the actual test.
The driver’s licenses must be translated into Japanese by your local Japan Automotive Federation. This costs 4,000 yen. While waiting, they have a simulation machine to practice on but the motion sickness is for real! I left my imaginary car in the street and jumped off before I embarrassed everyone.
Then one must go make a reservation for the written test, which is only offered twice a day at 8:30a.m. or at 2:00p.m. This costs about 3,000 yen (the first driving test is included I believe). These tests are available in many languages such as English, Urdu, Portuguese, Korean, Chinese,etc. There are only 10 questions that require 1 1/2minutes to complete.
It took me 2 ½ hours to get there, after dropping my kids off at a friend’s home in another city. You may not take the driving test the same day as the written test.
The driving test is twice a day, at 8:00a.m. and at 1:30 p.m. Each time the test is taken, a fee of 1,000 yen must be paid for processing. Every test after the first requires a fee of 2,000 yen for car usage. I arrived early the first day and was the first to go. Don’t do this. The first person must wait to ride in the back of the last person’s car. “The first person never passes,” I was told. It’s true. I met the most interesting people while I was waiting who had divorced and returned to Japan, had studied abroad, foreign nationals working in Japan, Yakuza-looking people, (I wondered if a major scar on my face would help me pass).
I took the test again and passed the second time. Many were there five times! Much money is lost in the process, not to mention time if you are traveling across an entire prefecture to get there! If you have to get a license, look into getting it in a prefecture that is not home to one of the major cities like Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, etc. I was told that Yamagata and Ehime are good places to get it. For all the money I spent, it might have been nice to go skiing in Yamagata and get my new license. Best of luck to future license adventurers.
© 1997-98 United Front Japan
Additional info is also available at Koyama Driving School, as well as from the Japan Auto Federation, the Sendai government and Kamogawa City government, Hirakata City government.