Hi
I am going to get a driving license here. I have a driving license in my home country but never drive after getting the license.
The driving school or practice course is so expensive so I am thinking if there is another way to practice. Is there any road specified for practice? Can I rent a car for practicing in my situation? Is there any suggestion? Thanks!
9 comments
no you can’t rent or practice on your own.
Your grey zone is find a friend with license, go deep in the mountain to practice with friend sitting next to you. You are not allowed on public road.
Unless you have an IDP and it’s within your first year in Japan, you cannot drive here legally.
You must obtain your driving permit first from the license office. This means would have to go to the police drivers license center in your area and take an exam. Pass the exam and get a drivers permit that is valid for 6 months. This permit allows you to practice driving with a person with a class two license or has held a license for more than three years.
There are driving schools that offer support and practice on driving track/courses if you opt in converting (Gaimen Kirikae) your driver’s license to a Japanese one. It depends on where you live but it would not cost as much as going to a driving school for a one whole course.
Just go rent a car in a small town where it’s easy to practice and bring a driver friend with you if possible
In a car bruv
I paid 10k or 20k for 3 courses of driving because I hadn’t driven for 10 years and first time driving wrong side and automatic gear.
I just contacted a driving school and they quoted me for it. 3rd lesson was not required at all for me, but I had payed upfront!
Well worth the piece of mind, especially I was moving in with a woman with small children and I really didn’t want to fuck up.
Good points about this is I got fresh experience safely (first 30min on school circuit), got tips about specific Japanese laws, and tips on driving auto gear (like parking maneuver and starting in an upward slope are slightly different).
I’m not sure what it costs to take the test, but I had a friend take the test about 8 times until they passed. The first 7 times were “practice”. It’s time-consuming, but for him it was effective!
If you dont have a japanese license, or foreign license+IDP+be your first year as resident (all three conditions together), you cant rent or drive legally in japan.
Traffic laws apply only on 一般道路 (public streets) and with some excemptions in public access installations (like parking lots), but they do not apply on private land (私有地).
Your best way to practice is to find someone on the countryside with an unused big enough plot, go there with a friend and its car and then practice all you want on private land.
Some schools offer their course space for a fee, you rent the course by the hour, or the course and school car, but they have their own rules (must go with someone with license or pay one of their instructors hourly), because its their private land.
But never, ever drive on public roads without license.