Japanese drivers license

[danielsan]

I will be moving from California to Tokyo to be a teacher, and although I realize I will need a Japanese driver's license after six months, I was wondering how drivers license works for motorcycles. Do I need an additional license/test or what?

[annie]

I will be moving from California to Tokyo to be a teacher, and although I realize I will need a Japanese driver's license after six months, I was wondering how drivers license works for motorcycles. Do I need an additional license/test or what?

You can use your international license for 1 year.
I've heard that it's easier to get a motorcycle license than a driver's license, but no real proof of that.

[Robato]

Not sure regarding the motorbikes.

I had a Japanese drivers license.I showed the license centre my UK license, had an eye test only,photos needed for the license, a fee also.
By the way the license needs to be reviewed every 3 years , new photos, eye tets again acomplete repeat of everything and a payment too!!
Also it takes at least a half day in Tokyo queing and getting this sorted out.
Hope this helps a little.Good Luck.

[JonB]

Great to be a Brit - but no such joy for the Americans! They have to take the test in full - something to do with the fact that in the US licenses are given out by the state and I blieve 2 states in the US do not recognise the Japanese license so Japan refuses all. I think the JAF web site will have a list of recipricol countries where you do not need to do the Japanese test.

There are schools in Tokyo that you can do the driver ed in English and only have to sit the written test (in English or other langauges). Draw back is it is about 3,000 dollars.

You can just turn up and do the test - driving and written but I know very few people that have passed this first time and it seems to be a bit of a lottary. Apparently you sit in the back for the person before yous test and I have heard of one woman where the woman before got all her instructions in English but when it came to her turn it was like the instructor knew no English and refused to speak anything but Japanese.

Also they have closed the loophole of leaving the country to renew your license. If your first entry stamp was more than a year ago you are technically illegal.

Bike license for over 400cc is apparently quite tough

[Robato]

Thanks Jon B Wow! totally unaware of that information.

Perhaps it's a Mama Chari then !

For those who do not know affectionately called is the Mami Chari a bicycle with a basket on the front for shopping --Mothers Chariot!! I had one when I lived in Japan great for getting around .

Joking apart are there any Americans out there who have a license in Japan to help danielsan with information /experiences?

[untmdsprt]

Great to be a Brit - but no such joy for the Americans! They have to take the test in full - something to do with the fact that in the US licenses are given out by the state and I blieve 2 states in the US do not recognise the Japanese license so Japan refuses all. I think the JAF web site will have a list of recipricol countries where you do not need to do the Japanese test.

http://www.japandriverslicense.com/lic.htm

The above link states that since the US licenses are state issued and not Federally issued is the problem. Just another wonderful reason to live in the 50 independent states of America.

Another link: http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/switch.htm
http://www.koyama.co.jp/e3.htm

I do have one question: how hard is it to drive a manual transmission with the steering wheel on the right? How are the gears set up, and is the clutch still for the left foot, while the brake and gas pedals are for the right?

My gears are: 1 3 5
2 4 R

[Airth]

I do have one question: how hard is it to drive a manual transmission with the steering wheel on the right? How are the gears set up, and is the clutch still for the left foot, while the brake and gas pedals are for the right?

My gears are: 1 3 5
2 4 R

Almost no-one drives a manual transmission car here. It is usually offered as an option on the 'sports' models and you end up paying a premium for it. Unless you're buying used, in which case any manual car should be priced lower than its automatic equivalent. In other words, I'd be surprised if you ended up driving a manual unless you are a car enthusiast.

With that said, the clutch pedal is still on the left and the gear stick has the same layout you currently use. Reverse may be next to first depending on the make, but I really can't imagine you'd have any trouble. Really, it's no big deal.

[JonB]

reverse tends to depend on the car make and not RHD or LHD.

As Airth said maual is very unusual here and I miss it!

[danielsan]

I wondered too if it's because America drives on the right and Britian drives on the left, just like Japan. They might assume that previous experience helps!

[Robato]

Also in Japan people walk on the left hand side.I had never thought of it before until a Spanish guy said to me that they walked on the right hand side just like their traffic!


To follow on I found some info.

Japan is one of the few countries outside the Commonwealth of Nations to drive on the left. An informal practice of left-hand passage dates at least to the Edo period, when samurai are said to have passed each other to the left in order to avoid knocking swords with each other (as swords were always worn to the left side). During the late 1800s, Japan built its first railways with British technical assistance, and double-tracked railways adopted the British practice of running on the left. However, army troops were ordered to keep to the right while travelling on roads, creating a double standard that was not legally resolved until 1924, when all road travel in Japan switched to the left.[20]

After the defeat of Japan during World War II, Okinawa was occupied by the United States and made to drive on the right side. Okinawa changed back to driving on the left when it was returned to Japan. The change took place at 06:00 on 30 July 1978. It is one of very few places to have changed from right to left hand traffic in the late twentieth century.

In Japan, foreign cars sold locally have traditionally been LHD, which is regarded as exotic or a status symbol. This even applies to British brands (although cars for the British market have the steering wheel on the right), in part because many have been imported via the US. Many tollbooths in Japan have a special lane for LHD vehicles. However, some US manufacturers have made RHD models for the Japanese market (namely the Ford Taurus and Chevrolet Cavalier), though with limited success; and as continental European brands become more popular, the preference is increasingly for RHD models, many of which are re-exported to countries like New Zealand as grey imports, along with Japanese models.

[untmdsprt]

Wow, what a history lesson!!


Thanks for all your input. To be honest, I'll be glad when I never have to own a car again. They're too much trouble!!

For what it's worth, I don't see an advantage to driving on one side vs the other. It's just what you're used to.

[danielsan]

After doing some more research, I found this site:
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/bikerfaq-toc.html

Either it's very realistic, pessimistic, or both!