I am a Belgian, and growing up in Belgium I learned that public transport barely comes according to schedule (and the punctuality of the trains is worsening every year apparently). As such most Belgians get their driver’s license from the moment they can. I am not a part of “most Belgians”. Truth to be told, while trains are a fantastic way of torture, I never had any complaints about buses. And for all short or middle-long distances I just used my bicycle, or even better, my feet. I was never really interested in cars or driving, and I never thought it necessary to go for a driver’s license.
That feeling even intensified when coming to Japan. Opposed to the situation in Belgium, public transport in Japan is a dream and it’s even possible to get to remote spots with trains and buses if you plan accordingly. On top that, living in the Osaka metropolis, there is really no use for a car in my daily life. So all that made that I never was in the possession of a license or a car.
But let’s be honest, if you love traveling like I do, you sometimes want to go to really remote places and for that a license is close to indispensable. And so I really regretted never getting it in Belgium, because for Belgians it’s rather easy to convert your Belgian permit into a Japanese one. Not everyone can make of use of such an advantage though. For example an American permit has no value in Japan, and so Americans need to take the tests in Japan again. For all those who might be needing it, I will write a bit about my experience of getting a driver’s license in Japan. I had to start from 0, but people with permits in their native country should check which rules apply to them first, as it could be a little bit different.
| PRICY |
So what is necessary before you even take the tests?
There weren’t many documents I had to bring along: the Juminhyo 住民票 (certificate of residence) and my Zairyu card 在留カード (residence card, or better known as Gaijin card) were the only ones. The first you can get at your city or district hall, the latter is something you should always carry with you.
An eye test was also mandatory, so don’t forget your glasses or contact lenses if you need those to see clearly.
But what it’s eventually all about is the money. I’m not sure about the cost in other countries, but I found the price pretty feisty. It varies from school to school, but expect a total amount between 300,000 and 350,000 yen and you won’t be far from the truth. This amount includes 31 hours of driving lessons, 23 hours of theoretic lessons and 3 hours of first aid instructions. It also includes the actual money you need to pay to take actual tests, but not the money to make your provisional license and actual license.
Wait a minute.
Did I say testS?
Yes I did.
| HOW MANY TESTS?? |
A lot of them! In Belgium you need to pass 1 theoretical tests and 1 actual driving test. In Japan things are never as simple.
The first goal when you are going for your license is the obtaining of a provisional license. To get this you need to pass a theoretical exam and a practical exam on the school premises (so not on the road with other cars). That makes 2 tests you might think, but you are wrong. It’s three.
At my school they actually made you pass a theoretical school exam before they let you take on the actual theoretical test. I suppose the reason for this is the same reason why universities’ entrance exams are difficult, but it’s fairly easy to graduate once you have passed those. The more students fail graduating, the worse this is for the image of the university. I think it’s the same for driving schools: the more students fail the actual exams, the worse people will think of the school.
So for the provisional license you need to take a
- Theoretical school exam (50 questions, you need 45 correct ones to pass). If you don’t pass you can’t proceed.
- Theoretical exam (50 questions, you need 45 correct ones to pass). If you succeed you get your provisional license.
- Practical exam (driving test on the school’s circuit). Without passing this test you cannot drive on the road.
For the actual driver’s license, you need to do all this again. In short, you need to take a
- Theoretical school exam (100 questions, you need 90 correct ones to pass). If you don’t pass you can’t proceed.
- Practical exam (driving on the road, parking, etc). If you pass this last test you are in the possession of your driver’s licence!
At least, that’s what you’d think! What you actually get is a certificate that you graduated driving school. With this certificate you have to go a government recognized driver's license examination center where you have to take a
And only if you succeed for this test you get your driver's license!- Theoretical exam (100 questions, you need 90 correct ones to pass).
| ACTUAL DRIVING |
I found the examiners very friendly and forgiving. They told me numerous times that they understand that nerves make you do stupid things on your exams that you usually wouldn’t do. They let you make one or two of such stupid mistakes, provided that they aren’t huge blunders like crossing a yellow line, speeding irresponsibly or ignoring a traffic light.
On top of that, there are a limited number of exam courses which are practiced over and over again so that by the time of your exam you feel rather comfortable on those routes.
The limited number of courses makes me wonder though if I’m really ready to hit the road. I only had 2 hours of highway driving and the rest of the time was mainly spent on the same roads. But the more you drive, the more experience. So let’s give that newly laminated card a stroll!
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Hello
ReplyDeleteOftewel op zijn Antwerps 'Goeie middag'
Oh so interesting to read and congrats with your license
All the best in discovering the remote parts of the wondrfull Japan by car
We are in the middle of our Japanese trip
Enjoyng the hospitality of a host family on the country side Hino
We did some visits by bike 🚲
Ann Ruelens
Note
I was part of the Hola Pola group of Annabelle
We had the pleasure to have dinner with you and your lovely wife down town Osaka end of July 2019
Thank you for your comment. It was nice meeting all of you too. It's always fun to talk in Dutch from time to time.
DeleteI hope you had a great time for the remainder of your Japanese trip. I was truly impressed by your schedule and plans and am looking myself into a trip to see the ama's at work!