Four Reasons Why Driving in Japan Actually Sucks

"Kat Callahan" (kyosuke)
07/17/2014 at 21:25 • Filed to: japan, jdm

If your idea of driving in Japan has been wholly influenced by Initial D and Fast and Furious 3: Tokyo Drift , you're in for quite a shock. Even JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) enthusiasts who do not base their views of wider Japanese driving culture on such Western media representations often do not realise that while driving in Japan can be extremely fun and rewarding, the reality is on a day to day basis it's mostly boring and kinda just... sucks.

1. Getting a License is HARD

Assuming you are not from a location (most Commonwealth nations) where your country has a reciprocal agreement with Japan (Britain, Australia, Canada, etc), then there are two ways to get a license in Japan—you can convert your license if you hold a recognised foreign drivers' license, or you can go to driving school. Driving school, of course, is what the majority of Japanese people have to do, save for some "returnees" who learned to drive in a country where they were previously living. Driving school is expensive, around $3000 or so. The upside of going to driving school is that they don't just teach you how to drive, they teach you how specifically to drive in order to pass the licensing examination.

There's a ton of paperwork, just get used to that. And Kami-sama (God) forbid you have anything out of the ordinary in regards to your foreign license which doesn't match up with the photocopies they have in their allowed conversion books. I was delayed three months while I tried to get the Texas Department of Public Safety to write a letter (and then have it translated into Japanese and notarised) that although my license had a corner clipped off (which referred to the fact I was in the process of obtaining a new Texas license—itself not so easy when 7000 miles away) it remained valid until my new license arrived. You will need extra documentation if your license does not have the issue date of your license. The new Texas licenses have an issue date (for that card, I think, not for your actual original issue date, which was July 2000 for me), but the one from six years ago did not. That means ANOTHER DPS document notarised and translated into Japanese. Not fun and not cheap (although now you can get some of these forms online, I think?).

And the driving test? It has two parts and it's hard. Really hard. The written test in Japanese for those who choose the driving school is quite difficult. It's very long and it's in Japanese. It comes from a place of assuming that you previously have no driving experience, so it is significantly harder than the license conversion test. The license conversion test comes in multiple languages, including English, and is very easy. Many expatriates get a bit cocky after seeing the written conversion test. If you were even half awake during your own drivers education, even if it was 15 years ago, you can't fail this. It's got questions like, "if you see this sign (picture of stop sign), should you stop?" If you fail this test, you should not only be refused a Japanese license, you should lose your original license.

Then there's the actual road test. This is the same for both license conversion and new license acquisition. And this is where shit gets real. Although most Japanese do pass the test the first time, this is only because of driving school, which meant hours and hours and hours practicing specifically for this test. They've failed it many times before and been corrected by instructors. You, most likely, will not have had this practice. Even if you've driven in Japan with an international license from AAA or something. You will fail. Oh, and did I mention you have to choose between automatic and manual (Japan does not recognise this as the same skill set, and there are two different licenses), and that the manual test is even harder than the automatic test? I took the automatic test and failed three times. My total cost (since you have to pay each time) was about $700. Better than $3000, but still not cheap. My friend Chris who took the manual test? Seven failures.

Oh, and once you get your license, do you want to convert it to manual? Great! $700 more for a short course, and then you get to take the manual test. Which you will no doubt fail multiple times for even more money. And don't you ever, ever, EVER let that thing expire, even if you've stopped driving, or you'll have to go through the entire process again. You really don't want to do that.

2. Owning a Car is Expensive

Oh, so now you want to buy a car, since you have that shiny new Japanese drivers license, right? Stop there. If driving is not your passion, consider one of two other options: usage of a company car and/or leasing a car. I've only just decided to purchase my first vehicle since moving to Japan. Cars are cheap and plentiful, you won't have a problem finding one you want. However, that's only for the car itself—the rest of the expenses all add up. If you will only be in Japan temporarily, I suggest not buying your own vehicle. If you can have your company loan you a car (which I have done for the last several months) or lease you a car (at a rate which would be exorbitant if confused with a car payment, but not when you add up all the other expenses), you should do that. If not, there are small car leases which are relatively inexpensive. One of the best is on the Daihatsu Mira. Enthusiast or not, if you're here temporarily, getting a nice car (especially one of the JDM fever dreams like a Skyline GT-R or a Silvia s15 or a WRX etc) just isn't worth the hassle.

Otherwise look at paying for shaken , or inspection, which is due every two years and costs quite a bit. Usually between $1000 and $2000. It depends, of course, on the car. Then there are the prefectural taxes paid every year. This is about $400 and fluctuates based on the age of car. The categories are under thirteen years, between thirteen years and eighteen years, and over eighteen years. The older the car, the more you pay. And although insurance comes with shaken , it is only the base level liability. So if you have a very nice car, you should probably get more insurance.

Then you need to prove you have a place to put it, so you have to pay for parking registration at your local police station before you can even get ahold of the vehicle. If this doesn't come with your apartment, you will need to find parking. With most apartments, this is probably going to cost you between $20 and $30 in most suburban areas. I pay 2200 yen a month for my parking spot. The closer you are to the center of a major city or to a major station, the higher your parking space cost. I've seen people regularly pay about $100 for a parking space a few blocks from their apartment in an area where parking was scarce. It's best to just factor this into your idea of rent payment when you search for a place. Take your parking contract and drawn description of the space to the police, pay a fee, and get a registration sticker. If you have multiple parking spaces, you need only register one. Even if they are in entirely different areas.

If you have any expectation of driving long distances at the highway speeds you're used to using elsewhere, then you'll be in for a shock. The only place to drive that long at such speeds is on very expensive tollways. An hour on the tollway could be around $30. And be very careful about prefectural borders. Just this past weekend I missed an exit and the next exit was across the border. This jumped my total up by about $16. Prefectural changes are always ridiculously expensive. However, the tollways are pretty much the only real place where you can drive very quickly, and do so on a nice, long, flat, wide surface. Oh, and generally unless you're being very overtly stupid, there are no police officers to tell you to slow down. Everyone speeds twenty, thirty, sometimes fifty kilometers over the speed limit.

Be be careful of how far you go and how fast you drive, since... Oh, yeah, gas is about $4 a gallon here, just so you know.

3. Tiny roads

I haven't yet been able to figure out if eminent domain just doesn't exist in Japan, or if its highly restricted, or if it just isn't all that used. Most roads snake around property lines long since established with very little attempt to create straight, wide lanes. In most residential areas you'll be lucky if you can fit your kei car around the corners, and driving in some of the oldest quarters in Japan (such as a hot springs town I recently visited) pretty much reduces me to tears. There are open gutters, ditches, concrete block walls, things sticking out into intersections, and pedestrians that just decide to wander in front of you seemingly for the hell of it. Not to mention bicycles, scooters, and motorbikes darting at insane speeds around corners and through traffic. They're not nearly as bad as the two wheel operators I saw living in Seoul, South Korea, but then Korean roads are new, wide, flat, and long. Japanese roads? Not so much. I love driving on open rural roads with little traffic, but I pretty much hate driving the minute I am anywhere near an even remotely urban area.

4. Traffic

Like any developed nation with a very high per capita rate of car ownership, Japan's traffic is awful. I won't even drive in Osaka or Kyoto after one really terrible experience. Tokyo? Ha. Hahahahahaha. Hahahahahahahahahaha. No. Never. I chose my apartment because it is five minutes by foot from a station on a major line that gets me into central Tokyo in just about an hour. So how's my commute to work, which is through a bunch of suburban bedroom communities on the Saitama/Gunma border? Pretty awful. The roads are actually pretty decent, we're far enough out for that, but everyone owns a car, and I swear to God, every single one of them is on the road between the hours of 7AM and 9AM each weekday morning. And I am always floored, even after six years, at the level of traffic midday on a Saturday or Sunday. Prepare to be bored and annoyed in your 300hp JDM demon.

Conclusion

So let's recap, shall we? Driving in Japan can be a lot of fun. Especially if you like mountain driving or like going to the tracks for drifting or drag racing. Plenty of tracks to drive. However, getting your license is really hard and really expensive. Buying a car is a pain in the ass and maintaining its legal status is really, really expensive. Parking is a total shit-show. Driving anywhere of any major distance at any relatively quick speed means using very costly tolls, and you need to watch your prefectural changes with an eagle eye. And of course most of your time in your daily driver (and you will only have one car, because multiple cars in Japan ? You're mad. Totally out to lunch) will be spent crawling along in slow traffic along too small roads, and when you're not doing that, you'll be trying to meander your car through tiny residential streets that don't seem to be designed for your vehicle because they weren't .

And yet, you're going to go buy that Mitsubishi Evo anyway, aren't you?

Idiot.

Image via Shutterstock.

Kat Callahan is a writer for Jezebel and currently the LGBT editor at Jezebel's LGBT+ subpage !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . She can be reached @JezebelKat on Twitter. She likes Japanese and German cars, with her loyalties being to Honda and BMW. She currently drives a JDM 2000 Honda Logo Sportic TS (GA5) and lives on the Saitama/Gunma Prefectural border in the Tokyo Regional Area of Japan.

DISCUSSION (100)

daender > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 21:39

While this is discouraging for wanting to drive in Japan to race circuits and whatnot in my bucket list of things to do, I'm still dead-set on importing one of those forbidden machines whenever the realistic opportunity arrives.

To be honest, are commuter cars really needed in Japan with such a developed public transportation system?

Kat Callahan > daender
07/17/2014 at 21:44

In rural-suburban mix areas like my own? Yes. In metro areas? HELL NO.

Crest > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 21:44

Hahaha i love this article. I've always wanted to visit Japan especially Tokyo. I mean if it weren't for school and work i'd have done that already. Imagine i even learned how to speak a little Japanese. I will visit one day but thanks to your article i think i'll visit Osaka or Nagasaki and when i do, i'll buy that Evo anyway…..hehehehe

UI 2.0 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 21:55

I feel like this can apply to almost any metropolitan area minus the difficulty of the exam.

kincai28 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 21:57

Can't wait to visit Japan! My roommate in college was from Japan so I'm going to bring him as a translator. Either 2015 or 2016! (2o15 may be Oktoberfest in Munich)

Minardi Gras > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:02

Rule Britannia. I just handed over 10000yen and took an eye test to get my licence.

Agree with you about the tolls and how f'ing annoying it is if you make a wrong turn. Also, I know you said that people ignore the (very slow) speed limits but they do like their speed cameras... As a Brit I'm used to them but at least in the UK they are always bright yellow and not stealth grey.

I didn't get parking with my apartment and looked into it, cheapest I could find within a few blocks was 22000JPY/~220USD per month... so I got a motorbike instead. Hire cars are cheap (even fun ones like the 86, 370z and GT-R) and to be honest I don't find driving in Tokyo that bad although that is comparing it to central London.

Chrono > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:04

I grew up in a rural American town, where you basically need a car to do anything. I've always thought growing up somewhere where almost everything is within walking distance was amazing, but I'm guessing not.

Also

And Kami-sama (God) forbid

For much longer then I care to admit this was the only Kami I knew:

Kinja'd!!!

jariten1781 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:10

I passed first try. Took a short (about 1 hour) course that was specifically for foreigners who were converting. They quickly covered the standard 'obstacles' on the course and gave general hints. The one hint I think that was most beneficial to passing was 'say everything you're doing'. So ' I'm checking my side mirror, I'm checking over my shoulder, etc etc etc'. Kinda goofy, but it worked.

Kat Callahan > Minardi Gras
07/17/2014 at 22:10

Yeah, I was supremely annoyed when one of my Brit friends was like, "Haha, I just showed up and they gave me one."

Kinja'd!!!

Kat Callahan > jariten1781
07/17/2014 at 22:11

I had to learn that the hard way. Where was this course? I had no idea it even existed.

Minardi Gras > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:12

jariten1781 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:22

When I went to the JAF office in Yokohama to get my license translated they asked if I wanted to sign up for it. Was about ten years ago so I have no clue if it is common or even offered anymore. It was only like 5k yen so I figured that was money well spent.

Kat Callahan > jariten1781
07/17/2014 at 22:26

Very well spent. I went to JAF and they said nothing to me about this. Maybe it didn't exist in Kyoto?

Agrajag > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:29

I always figured owning/operating a vehicle in Japan would be difficult. Now I know I could never live there.

Kat Callahan > UI 2.0
07/17/2014 at 22:34

Trust me, Japanese roads are smaller and twistier than anything I ever encountered in Austin, Texas, Dallas, Texas, San Antonio, Texas, or Atlanta, Georgia. There's really no comparison, even in old urban neighborhoods in these cities.

jariten1781 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:42

No idea. There're lots of foreigners (shipping ports, Naval bases) around there so maybe that's why it was available.

Kat Callahan > jariten1781
07/17/2014 at 22:44

If you're military or a US national contractor who works on base, you get a SOFA license. It doesn't work the same at all, just as an aside. Shipping ports I could see, maybe.

Xagor > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:56

Erm, nothing to do with the article, but is your avatar the girl from Aoi Hana?

Kat Callahan > Xagor
07/17/2014 at 22:57

Manjoume Fumi, yes. I'm a pretty big fan.

story645 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 22:57

driving in some of the oldest quarters in Japan (such as a hot springs town I recently visited) pretty much reduces me to tears

That's how my mom feels about various European countries. She won't even drive into walled cities if she can help it after some pretty harrowing experiences in Spain.

ETA: And the parking thing is one of my many reasons for not bothering with a car since I live in Manhattan. It would probably cost almost as much as my rent.

jariten1781 > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 23:01

Yep, but there are quite a few sailors that marry a local and end up permanently moving there when they get out of the service.

Your boy, BJR > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 23:02

Lets say I want to move to japan. Let's say I decide to bring my own car. Let's say my car is a '92 Cadillac DeVille SLAB. How would my car ownership experience in Japan go?

Kinja'd!!!

thebigbossyboss > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 23:02

Good article. I am now tempted to try this just for the hell of it. I drove in Nigeria. It's easy to get (illegally) behind the wheel in Nigeria. At least Japan has halfway decent driver education. Judging by Nigerian traffic, they don't have any drivers ed.

Xagor > Kat Callahan
07/17/2014 at 23:06

Shame it didn't do well enough for them to ever adapt more of it into an anime.

Kat Callahan > Xagor
07/17/2014 at 23:12

Yeah, but the manga is amazing. DVD sales were too poor to justify a second season. :/

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Your boy, BJR
07/18/2014 at 00:09

For anything under or equal to 4.5 liters, $199 or so for road tax. 4.6 and above, $220+. Shaken is a cruel and unusual mistress.

jtly > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 00:37

Great article! Just a small correction: I believe it's "eminent domain" rather than "imminent domain."

Kat Callahan > jtly
07/18/2014 at 00:39

Good point.

nolanArchLord > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 01:10

Come to Bangkok and you'll see truly awful traffic is like.

Kat Callahan > nolanArchLord
07/18/2014 at 01:12

I was supposed to go this summer, but it isn't panning out.

Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 03:16

And nothing about the traffic signal system they use there?

Then again, our infrastructure is bound to confuse foreigners. :B Flashing Yellow Ball/Permissive left, etc...

PS9 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 04:16

How do the poor in Japan survive beneath all this? Public transportation is probably lightyears ahead of where I'm at (here in florida, everything 100 miles away from everything else, if you don't have a car FUCK YOU. If you do have a car FUCK YOU TOO, because insurance is a mandatory state enforce requirement and will be 10% of your monthly income no matter who you pick grrrrrr...)

I'm assuming moped licenses are easier to get? That would be helpful if so.

Cé hé sin > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 05:32

You have to take your test in a manual vehicle to be able to drive a manual in Japan?

You know this is common in much of the world, right? I was surprised to discover that Americans can take a test in an automatic and drive seemingly anything afterwards.

Kat Callahan > Cé hé sin
07/18/2014 at 05:54

Yes, you do.

And no I didn't. You want me to blow your mind further? I got my license in Texas at 15... And I never took a driving test at all. Written only. Of course, I had gone to driving school and had many hours of instructor led driving.

Cé hé sin > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 06:07

And now you know why US driving licences can't be exchanged for EU ones unlike those of many other countries! If you ever come to Ireland you begin from scratch again.

Actually, you don't because you now have a Japanese one and they're OK because they actually do tests there.

T_Beermonster > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 06:59

I've got to say reading that it did mostly seem like same-old same-old except for the tolls and really cheap petrol (62p per litre!). Presumably we have the reciprocal agreements with Japan because we have have similar test requirements and drive on the same side of the road.

kirakira > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:00

I am never renting a car when I go back to Japan! Not worth the hassle and traffic especially the toll roads.

Brian Ashcraft > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:02

There is a simple solution: BUY A SUBARU.

under196 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:09

but these are all the same problems as driving in europe

djmt1 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:13

It is weird how similar the whole car experience is in Japan and the UK.We both drive on the left. We both have overly difficult learning experiences. We both have cheap used car prices but ludicrous running costs. We both have small roads and bad congestion.

TwinCharged - Is Now UK Opponaut > under196
07/18/2014 at 08:15

Uh, I don't remember having to prove that I have a place to park a car when I lived in Ireland.

kirakira > Brian Ashcraft
07/18/2014 at 08:17

Also don't forget insurance! Sony Sonpo and AXA advertise too much!

Roli > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:19

5. It is all about drifting at high speeds on empty highways at night, with cops that can't keep up, while hot babes in 8" heels dance in the background.

Everything I know about cars in Japan I learned from Tokyo Drift.

Jesus_Phish > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:19

It's the same in Ireland. If you pass your test in an automatic car they put a code on your license saying you're only allowed drive automatic cars. If you pass it in a manual you can drive either.

The entire process to learning to drive in Japan sounds similar to Ireland. It's expensive, schools will teach you how to try pass the test, but you'll still probably fail a couple of times anyway when you do the driving part of the test on actual roads with actual other road users and pedestrians. I just passed my test yesterday after 3 previous failures (two driving, one mechanical because a light on the car stopped working just before the test) and I've probably spent easily over a grand on lessons and taking the tests.

How do they do it in Texas? You seriously just take a written test and that's it?

Yuni Kitadai > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:19

inner city parking in Tokyo is about $500 a month. Parking tickets are about $120 and towing is about $300. drunk driving loses your license and max 5 years in the slammer, $10,000 fine and you will lose your job. losing your license because of parking tickets was possible even if you had paid the fine, because of points deduction system until a few years ago. Don't ask how I know this... But hey I live an hour from Tokyo and I have 2 cars and a scooter. One is a mini the other a Chrysler town and country. Proud to be a Jalop!

Jesus_Phish > Cé hé sin
07/18/2014 at 08:21

I was surprised reading everything the OP said about the tests because it sounds just like how we do it here in Ireland. I can't imagine just taking a written test and then holding a full license.

oilcovereddaddy1 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:22

My wife and I were thinking about going to Japan in a year or so to teach english, and we were thinking if it would be worth it to have our vehicle shipped over there (it's new), but now I'm thinking fuck that. Does not seem worth the hassle, especially since I got around just fine without one a few years ago in Japan. Thanks for this article! It was a great read and very informative.

Vracktal > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:22

Good to know my Brit license gets me an automatic shortcut around all of this if I ever go to Japan. 8'D

WreckWren > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:24

I'd ask you to do an Australia feature, but you'd commit suicide.

BATC42 > Jesus_Phish
07/18/2014 at 08:25

Same here in France. And we get our fair share of traps and stupid stuff too. I remember having to parallel park in a spot where they were no cars around....

V40R > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:26

So, there's a chance I might get stationed in Okinawa next year. Does anyone know if and how that's different for driving than mainland Japan?

Drew > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:32

Went to college in FW (go Frogs) and was roommates with a guy who picked up his hardship out of Longview at 14. But at that age, kids are working on farms and hauling stuff around the countryside, so it's a boon for their folks to have them driving. And shoot, out west of Midland, you could veer off the road at 80 and not stop until you hit the Rio Grande.

Excellent article - I'd love to visit Japan one day.

Jolteon > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:33

Well that kind of ruined my dreams. Reality check is always good though.

StevenG > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:35

1 is a good thing, not a bad thing. Getting a license should be hard, very hard.

We need to go to this model.

Fl1ngstam > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:37

I have many happy memories of driving in Japan, probably because I only ever did it at weekends. Driving into Tokyo very early on a Sunday morning is the only way to avoid the traffic, and it's quite spooky when you do. The streets look quite different when they're not clogged with traffic.

Of course, I did get stuck in traffic (never assume you can leave the Suzuka circuit after a MotoGP race and just get home - it's a 4 hour queue just to get from the circuit to the Expressway, and it's not very far). However, I drove on some amazing roads, set my brakes on fire descending Mt Fuji, and generally had a blast every time I went out.

Having said all that, I cheated a bit by having a UK Driving Licence, parking organised by my company (although I did have to visit the Police Station to go through the hoops of parking registration), and someone to help me buy a car. Once I was done, I shipped the car back to the UK and drove it over here for a bit. Exporting involves another mountain of paperwork, but I bypassed a lot of it by meeting a Kiwi car sales facilitator at a railway station and handing him my car keys, the car, and a large wad of cash. Only in Japan would this seem like a fair and reasonable way to do business.

I would recommend anyone to try driving if they get to stay in Japan. You just have to treat it like the luxury it is and make the most of every opportunity. Commuting by car is one of the dumbest things you could do (unless you live in the middle of nowhere and work close to there), so save it for special occasions. It's worth it!

Kinja'd!!!

xtrappedunderricex > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:38

so is the process of getting a license there and the cost of maintenance set up that way to deter people from driving and use public transportation instead, or is it just an archaic process that no one has bothered updating?

StevenG > PS9
07/18/2014 at 08:40

Of course insurance is mandatory. The alternative would be you crashing into someone and you not paying. If you claim to be able to pay without insurance, then fill out the forms for that. You only have to be able to prove a net worth of $40k and when you get into an accident you will lose that.

StevenG > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:42

There are no old neighborhoods in any of those states. Trying driving in an old European city, meaning at least 500 years old. There were not even settlers in the area that is now Atlanta 200 years ago.

PS9 > StevenG
07/18/2014 at 08:43

That's not how Florida law works. You HAVE to buy the insurance, it doesn't matter if you can cover accident damages yourself or not. Since the insurance cartel in this state knows they have a captive group of buyers, they pretty much charge whatever the fuck they want to for it, because it's that or no license.

CrymeLord > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:44

I would have loved an example of why the driver's test is so hard. Or are you in danger of losing your license if you reveal anything about the test?

KKMacLeod > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:44

So many of the housing properties had concrete walls that went right to the road. Even at corners. They have to put mirrors at intersections just to see around them.

Pandalulz > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:45

On the other hand, here in Georgia, I had to take a quick test around a parking lot course and pass a written test, but I didn't actually have to have any formal training before any of those things occurred. If anyone knows my mother, they know she's the last person who should be teaching anyone how to drive.

Pretty sure they've changed that since the 90s. Thank goodness.

StevenG > PS9
07/18/2014 at 08:45

The state of Florida disagrees with you.

http://www.flhsmv.gov/ddl/frfaqself_…

Note that for this purpose the State does not count your primary residence as part of your net worth.

Pandalulz > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:47

Nowhere do you mention the panic attack EVERY SINGLE TIME I made a left turn, absolutely certain I was going to die, just to sigh in relief when I realized it's just a US right turn. :P

keithasutherland > Cé hé sin
07/18/2014 at 08:49

Australian here - I just got my license nearly 2 years ago (at the ripe old age of 29 yay me!) and yes, I learned in an automatic and therefore I was only able to take the license test for an automatic car and I am only licensed to drive auto. For manual I would have to take another test, preferably after learning with an instructor.

I also had to have red P plates for the first 12 months of driving and have now proceeded to a three year stint on green P's (welcome to Victoria...) I will be a fully licensed driver with no restrictions in 2015.

At least I was over 25 and didn't have to log 125 hours of supervised driving on my Learner's permit. I still managed to rack up 50 with my instructor but that was because I wanted to learn properly and pass the test the first time. It cost a ton, but it was worth it.

kckempf > Chrono
07/18/2014 at 08:49

I've enjoyed my time in places where you can walk, but that's entirely in America, where you can get away with a lot more before having to pay. Boston is a pretty good walking city and while it's not entirely car-friendly it's a lot easier than it seems.

I'm in Schenectady now and it's not quite entirely walkable (you need a car to get to a supermarket, for instance) you can do most of what you need on foot. Things are much better when you drive because you want to, not because you have to.

Straw Hat > Jesus_Phish
07/18/2014 at 08:51

In most of the US it's just a written test. Consider, though, that in the US private transportation is all but essential for most people to get just about anywhere. When I lived in Japan I could very, very easily get by without a car. Living in the midwest it would be all but impossible unless I lived in an area with bus transportation(which still sucks where I live).

fuckitiamdone > Crest
07/18/2014 at 08:52

My husband, who has driven everywhere including India, refuses to drive in Tokyo because the streets have no names.

Jesus_Phish > Straw Hat
07/18/2014 at 08:54

The same can be said of rural Ireland and probably most of Britain though. Public transportation outside of the cities is next to non-existent and of what little exists you're talking about hours between services.

Z4M > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:55

Wow, this all sounds like it really sucks. One thing though, 4$ a gallon is pretty standard here in Texas, so it seems like japan isn't stupid expensive in that regard.

fuckitiamdone > kincai28
07/18/2014 at 08:55

Japan is fantastic, but be warned the Tokyo metro-subway-train system is the "5th circle of Hell."

ED9man2 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 08:58

I wish the U.S. was like Japan, I'd gladly speed the extra money to weed out all the idiots on the road.

kanadanmajava1 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:06

This was useful info. I have thinking about visiting Japan and without thinking much I just assumed that my driving license would have good in Japan too.

It seems that I temporarily fix the issue with 14 euro and 3380 yen.

I had a nice plan that I would travel to Japan and find myself suitable car. Then I would use it for couple of weeks and finally send it back to my country in a shipping container. I haven't yet found out if it is actually possible. In my country foreigner can buy a car and use it but for example in Italy it isn't possible.

Any ideas if this would work?

Yeah, It's probably easier just to rent a car and use for searching a suitable car to take home...

Zhesty > Brian Ashcraft
07/18/2014 at 09:07

Brian, I can see you in one of these.

Kinja'd!!!

dmat > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:09

what about the motorcycles and stuff regarding licenses for those, come on #2wheelsbad

It's > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:17

Brit living in Fukuoka for the past 6 years. I hate driving in Japan. Red lights are seemingly optional here. Barely a day goes by where I don't witness something dangerous. be it, kids laid on the dashboard of a moving car, a guy reading a book whilst overtaking me on the highway (toll road), guy driving with new-born perched on steering wheel, 90% of road users on their phones/watching TV. etc. etc. Madness. The UK was never that bad. I witnessed more accidents in my first two weeks on the road than I did in 10 years of driving back home.

Seriously, if the Japanese government used red light cameras the national debt would be paid in full by the end of next year.

I did just get a free mitsumori (estimate) for my shaken on a 2007 Mitsubishi Colt. 60000 yen! Not bad, eh?

Apart from that, it's alright here.

Brian Ashcraft > Zhesty
07/18/2014 at 09:17

I got three kids. We'd never fit! T_T

Greyevo > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:18

I've heard speed cameras are installed every couple miles on the highway in Korea. That does not sound like fun.

Zhesty > Brian Ashcraft
07/18/2014 at 09:18

Challenge met.

Kinja'd!!!

Ender > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:20

Japan sucks in general. Horrible country.

dmat > PS9
07/18/2014 at 09:20

I live in louisiana, our insurance rates can be pretty high b/c of high amount of uninsured drivers. motorcycle insurance is however damn cheap. right now my monthly insurance is $12.65 a month (liability only). inspection runs like $10 a year, registration $40 every 4 years. pretty cheap overall in my opinion.

Fatee > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:24

Jokes on you! I"m from Canada and I bought a Pulsar GTI-R over there and drove it for 3 months I was there before paying a measly $500 for half a shipping container back to Canada :D

Louisjab > Cé hé sin
07/18/2014 at 09:25

I'm Canadian (I got my license in Quebec 16 years ago) and our license covers both manual and automatic. And it still is like that now. I had a manual car, but I did the driving test with an automatic transmission, because that's one less thing to worry about. Although I didn't try, according to your article, it should be simpler for me to get a license in Japan.

John M > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:27

When I lived in Japan over a decade ago, the place where I lived included a parking space, but I never got a car and never used it. A Japanese co-worker even offered me a car for free if I wanted to pay the shaken to keep it, and I declined. As tempting as it was to want to drive something unavailable in the United States (for example, a Skyline), it was less than a 10 minute walk to the train station and Tokyo has a fantastic public transportation system, so I really never needed to drive anywhere.

Having seen taxi drivers scrape up the side of their cars driving through the neighborhood and having experienced driving on the left-hand side of the road during a brief trip to Australia (as an American, I'm used to driving on the right, so it was like learning how to drive all over again), it was probably for the best that I never bothered to get a car or drive in Japan. To this day, I remain in awe of the guy who backed the moving truck down our street. I still have no idea how he made the turn without knocking a wall over.

Moonshadow Kati aka Lady Locksmith > Chrono
07/18/2014 at 09:27

Then you got the reference correctly, because that guy's real name is Piccolo (or something else, depending if you see him as half of Piccolo or a separate entity), and Kami is a title literally meaning "God." I didn't realize that until a DBZ Wiki binge a few years ago. =)

Starlionblue > Chrono
07/18/2014 at 09:29

I live in a city/territory where over 90% of trips are with public transport. I have also lived in the LA Area. I am astounded at the difference on more or less a daily basis. I'd still rather live in Hong Kong though. I can read a book on the bus/train/subway/tram. :)

Starlionblue > jariten1781
07/18/2014 at 09:29

You more or less described the HK test. It's all about going through the motions diligently.

Margatroid > Your boy, BJR
07/18/2014 at 09:30

Assuming that you live in the US, you'll have to pay a lot more in taxes than you're used to!

Besides that, with online shopping you'd be able to buy any replacement parts you need from the US yourself, which will save a lot of hassle. Keep it in good condition and learn exactly what they test in the shaken inspection, and you'd be good to go.

Either that, or find a mechanic that specialises in American cars - although you won't find many in central Tokyo, there are more Chevy Astros, Cadillac Escalades and Lincoln Continentals rolling around the less populated areas than you'd expect! Privately importing foreign cars is legally perfectly fine in Japan.

John M > Chrono
07/18/2014 at 09:30

Tokyo is actually an amazing city to live in without a car. The public transportation system is fantastic (the trains run on time and are clean). I lived in Tokyo and never felt I was missing anything because I didn't have a car (even though I did have a parking space for one where I was living). I used to love simply walking around Tokyo.

As added bonus to difficulty driving in Tokyo, most of the streets in Tokyo have no names, they aren't straight and don't cross at right angles, and the addresses are not linear.

comnting > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:30

I am leaving Japan soon, but I've been thinking the next time I come back I'd like to get a license. My thinking is that it would be nice to be able to rent a car for travel. Definitely the trains are the way to go for commuting, or anything in the city. But taking trains long distance is pretty expensive, even normal tokkyu, much less shinkansen. And since I'm married, if we go together we pay twice as much. Renting a car is probably cheaper for trips like that. And if you rent you avoid the cost and hassle of ownership (and parking; I think a space in my apartment building in the Tama area is more than 10,000 yen/mo).

greenarcher02 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:34

Aren't bicycles big in Japan and... are actually better modes of transportation? Or that's just a delusion we made up?

jennifer2015 > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:37

Robot Unicorn Attack

http://robotunicornattack.us

Upon loading up the game and probably startling Google Chrome itself with the absurdness of what I was playing, the word disappointment temporarily fell out of my vocabulary because after even 30 seconds of playing my head was filled with rainbows, amazement, and awe at how simultaneously simple and entertaining the experience was. Aside from the frightening array of colours that would distress even the hardiest of retinas, everything about this game is unbelievably simple and easy to grasp. Taking the fact that you are a mechanical unicorn as given, you are thrown into a bubblegum world of fantasy and sparkle which, upon witnessing it with your own eyes, will make you understand what those Skittles talk about when they bang on about "tasting the rainbow". As a robot unicorn, your job is to simply run endlessly across terrain, jumping intermittently when the ground beneath you ends and landing on the next platform. The jumps become increasingly difficult as you progress, with terrain and giant star-shaped obstacles getting in your way.

Brian Ashcraft > Zhesty
07/18/2014 at 09:38

(*^ ^*)

In all seriousness, getting a license here is a giant pain, as Kat points out, if you are changing from a U.S. license. It seems like they want to trick you into shelling out 3 thousand bucks for driving school or make you fail the test a whole buncha times. Once, I failed the license test because the instructor said I, and I quote, "turned the steering wheel funny." Um... Another time, I failed cos there was too much space between my car and the curb.

Here in Osaka, I found the written test to be a breeze. Like... It was ten questions. Shockingly simple questions. Like, what's this? It's...a stop sign. Great! The driving part of the test was the killer.

But! But! Once you get a license and a decent enough car, Japan is great fun. I love the highways and their little rest stops. I live near the mountains, and if you have a car that handles okay, the twisty roads are a good time. I love driving out into rice fields and farms or temples and shrines in the middle of nowhere. It's truly a blast—as the above article points out.

When I lived in Osaka City, driving was more stressful, but driving in most cities sucks (I guess?), so there you go!

Loden Voet > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:38

Same here in the Netherlands as well, getting your license requires usually around 30-50 one hour lessons @45 Euro before the teacher will start thinking about signing you up for the practical exam @I don't remember exactly but IIRC more than 100 Euro...Then apart from that there's also a theoretical exam which costs a further 40 or so Euro. If you don't pass the practical exam within a year of passing the theoretical, you'll have to take the latter again. Also the failure rate is quite substantial for both tests which means you'll be paying for a new one again. It's standard to go the stick shift route but you can get your license in an automatic if you are too uncomfortable with MTs or you have some kind of disability that prevents manual shifting, however, if you get the license that way 'of course' you're only licensed to drive automatics.

The cost of cars/car ownership is also made depressingly expensive here but I don't want to get into the specifics too much...let's just say a base Camaro V8 here starts at 106.195 Euro.

Margatroid > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:39

I've driven in central Tokyo, and having lived in the UK I'd just like to say that it isn't much worse than London at all when it comes to traffic, impatient drivers and narrow streets.

Also, a tip to anyone who's considering moving to Japan - there's more to the country than just Tokyo (and the Metropolitan Area in general), and a lot of it is really nice!

I may be biased since I have family there, but Hokkaido and the Tohoku region are good places to be - lots of greenery, very spacious and nice roads to drive (as long as you can handle snow in the winter), and there are plenty of job opportunities if you're near a larger city like Sapporo or Sendai. And the people are a a lot friendlier than in Tokyo!

Quade > Cé hé sin
07/18/2014 at 09:46

US driving test is a joke. Drive a little with your dad, read a book and memorize a couple things and you can pass. The written test is multiple guess. We just throw our kids to the wolves over here. Sink or swim. Then you have stupid parents buying their new driver's hot cars. My kids first car was an old cop car. Airbags, not particularly fast, big as a tank with enough room in the back seat for a threesome.

Quade > Satoshi "Zipang" Katsura
07/18/2014 at 09:49

I find it unlikely that an old caddy would be able to pass any foreign safety inspections. Like our license tests, our safety tests are a joke as well.

ratonbox > Kat Callahan
07/18/2014 at 09:52

Any difference from an Eastern European driving test? The rest sounds kind of the same, if you scale the taxes to the average individual income.

jariten1781 > V40R
07/18/2014 at 09:57

More scooters. They materialize out of nowhere, seriously. Less congested in general.

Spammo6 > PS9
07/18/2014 at 10:00

How much are you paying for insurance? And why wouldn't it be mandatory?