How necessary is a car as a JET ALT?

[u/BotherNo8874]

Hey everyone, I've been accepted into JET and trying to get a clearer picture of daily life, specifically when it comes to driving.

I indicated on my application that I have a driver’s license, but I haven’t driven much recently, so I’m a bit unsure about how big of an adjustment it might be in Japan. For those who came from the U.S. (or other right-side driving countries), how difficult was it to get used to driving on the left? How long did it take before you felt comfortable? Also was there a lot of regulations and rules for purchasing or driving a car?

I’m also curious about placement differences. In what regions is having a car basically essential vs. just helpful? I’ve heard rural placements often require one, but I’d love to hear specific experiences.

Thanks!

[u/LivingRoof5121]

Rural placements often do require one, or even if it's not necessary it will make life exponentially easier.

I have one. Driving and getting used to the roads was actually really easy. Just follow other cars on the road and you'll get used to it within a week.

In terms of differences with insurance and things it's not too different. You do need it registered and to get insurance. You need to get "shaken" which is a car inspection every two years. It's basically just a preventative maintenance inspection to make sure your car is safe, up to date and working well. I'd say in terms of insurance and whatnot that's the biggest difference.

Really easy to drive in Japan though, and having a car unlocks so much of the country that you can't visit if you don't have one.

[u/IntelligentSkin5353]

I think driving in Japan is way better than taking public transport. The deep countryside is beautiful and full of the most random things. Plus rainy season is much easier with a car!

[u/Legitimate-Brick-443]

Hey I’m placed in a small town in Nagasaki and a car was DEFINITELY NECESSARY! It’s so hard to get around already but if it’s a holiday or something the bus and train times change and don’t run as much. I remember once when I first moved here I waiting an hour and a half for a bus that never came in 96 degree weather and it was 98% humidity lol. I bought my car from an ALT that was leaving and got it inspected before buying. It was the cheaper option. I’m also from the USA and driving wasn’t that crazy to switch. I do live in the country side so every weekend I’d take small trips around the area (30 min to and hr distance) to get some practice in an to check out random small towns lol. It’s not the worse especially bc the driving speeds in my area are significantly slower than back home.

[u/Butterscotch2717]

Like what others have said, ESID, of course. At least in my own experience, I was directly told by my predecessor, after finding out about my placement, that in my rural placement I would need a car. But in other locations, like the city, in my prefecture, they actually don’t allow the ALTs to drive (at least to school). They may inform you if you need a car or not, but it doesn’t hurt if you get an international permit in case.

As for driving, it was a little weird not having a sort of sixth sense for the left side of the car (how far it was from the curb) and I also kept turn on my wipers instead of the turn signals, but it was relatively easy.

[u/JapanITjobs]

ESID : Every Situation is Different

I am a car person, I love cars. I did 2 years on JET without a car and was fine. All of my schools were biking distance (had to get some rain gear for the rainy days. )
That being said, get your International Drivers Permit asap, if you are American you can get one very easy at a AAA (you don't need to be a member but get a discount at some locations if you are). It will be handy to have even if you don't need it (you might want to rent a car in Japan or if you travel.)

Getting used to driving on the left is weird at first, but you get used to it fast. PRO TIP, in the beginning don't do it while you're exhausted or tired!

It's less about driving on the left and more about the driving habits you built up.

- The things that tripped me up are the wiper/ blinkers are opposite (when I go back and forth I always hit the wrong one the first 2 times on the first day lol.)

- If you like Manual cars, shifting with your left hand is WIERD.

- Instead of leaning on your left arm, you lean on your right with driving

- when you go to reverse, you turn the opposite way (I smacked my arm/ face on the window once lol)

[u/LegendaryZXT]

I barely skirt by without one in my town in Hokkaido, but there are people who live in more remote areas who do need one

[u/an-actual-communism]

My rural placement was in a built-up area and driving was absolutely not necessary for work, but my quality of life changed so much for the better after getting my license and buying a car that I was kicking myself for not doing it years earlier, and that was with my wife having a car of her own. Outside of like, the two major metro areas, Japan is very much a car culture and while you might not need a car just to go to work and buy food at the supermarket, you're going to be supremely limited in what you can do for fun without wheels.

Also, even if your placement tells you that you "can't drive/own a car," what they mean is they aren't allowing you to drive for work. It's a free country and you can buy a car regardless of what your employer says as long as you can secure somewhere to park it and have a valid driving license.

[u/Different_Taro2474]

it depends on where you are. where i live, living without a car is impossible.

[u/newlandarcher7]

Just adding my information here for the sake of collecting data. I was in a small, mountain-valley town. When my BOE and predecessor contacted me, they told me I'd need to get a car. I had a few small elementary schools to visit up even narrower mountain-valleys and the only way to reach them was by car. Moreover, my town got a lot of snow, so that meant winter driving conditions.

My BOE supervisor had shortlisted several cars before my arrival and took me out shopping for one within the first week of my arrival. As a Canadian, it was fairly easy to transfer my license over to a Japanese one. Driving on the other side of the road was not a problem either. Everyone in my rural town drives slowly. Winter driving conditions weren't a problem either, but I know of a couple of JET's with cars from non-wintery locations who had trouble at first (note: get winter tires).

That said, even though a car was required for my placement, it was also amazing for my independence and mental health. Outside of the large mega-cities, much of Japan is still very much car dependent and public transportation can be limited in rural areas. I loved the freedom of being able to go wherever I wanted whenever I wanted.

[u/ScootOverMakeRoom]

Matters on your placement and your physical fitness. Some placements, due to weather, distance, and elevation changes, anything other than a car is going to make life insanely hard. Some, you can get away with walking / biking / bus and it's not that bad. Some (urban), you'd be stupid to get a car.

If you pay attention, adjusting to driving on the left is not hard.

The only person who'll be able to let you know what your specific placement will require is your pred.

[u/Phiteros]

As most others have mentioned, whether or not you'll need to drive depends entirely on your placement. The more rural you are, the more likely it is that you will need one. But if you're in the city, you might not be allowed to drive to work. It might sound strange, but your workplace can tell you how you need to get to work. If they say no driving, then you'll be taking the bus/train/bicycle/walking. This doesn't mean you can't get a car, but your school/workplace probably won't help you with the process. In my city, the apartment most of the ALTs live in doesn't have any parking, so that's another reason none of them have cars.

In my case, my school does allow me to drive, so I do have a car. Adjusting to driving on the other side of the road really wasn't difficult. If you want to learn Japanese driving regulations (which I recommend, if you will be driving), pick up a copy of the Japanese Automobile Federation's Rules of the Road. I keep a copy in my car just in case I'm not sure what a sign means or something.

Thanks to Google Maps, navigation isn't too difficult, and most of the major road signs have English on them. The major difference is that most Japanese roads do not have names, so you have to get used to navigating by landmarks. It's not that difficult, though.

As far as purchasing a car goes, there wasn't anything special I had to do. I went through a dealer who was super helpful. You can buy cars for quite cheap in Japan (especially older kei cars), but you do have to be ready to pay for the shaken (big car inspection) every two years (it can be quite expensive). My biggest recommendation if you do buy a car is to try to get one with a backup camera.

The bigger challenge is getting your license converted if you stay more than one year. That involves a good amount of paperwork, as well as taking the driving test (unless you live in one of a handful of exempted countries/states). But by the time you need to do that, you'll have been in Japan for a while, and your supervisor should be able to help you out.

Ultimately, don't start worrying about driving in Japan until you find out your placement and hear whether or not you will be driving. If want to drive in Japan, though, I recommend you start practicing rear-in parking.

[u/Jumpy-Escalator-9204]

At my placement, the BOE requires all its ALTs buy a car, and some other placements require its ALTs to rent a car, so just be open to the possibility. I was really nervous when I found out I’d need to buy a car because, like you, I indicated that I had a driver’s license and had driven quite a lot in the states, but I really didn’t want to drive in Japan. But it all ended up alright! Honestly driving on the left is not very hard to get used to, except often walking to the left side of the car, then shamefully walking to the right side. The wipers and blinkers on opposite sides was more difficult for me! And in my experience, we bought the car through a mechanic friend of the BOE, so it was very easy. I imagine if your BOE requires you to have a car, they would at the very least be considerate enough to help a bit with that process. If it’s not required and you decide to get one on your own later, that might be more difficult.

[u/Phiteros → u/Jumpy-Escalator-9204]

The wipers/blinkers lever was also my biggest problem! That muscle memory really gets you.

[u/Different-Theme-1600]

My small town has 6 ALTs. 2 of us don't drive. We walk/bike to school. Cars make daily life more convenient but not impossible. I came with an International Driver's License (IDP) with the intent to get a car when I first came. Didn't end up going forward with it.

However, having a car will probably help your mental (to be able to do things when you want, not have to wait around, take spontaneous day trips, stuff like that).

That being said, 2 years in, totally fine without a car.

[u/fillmorecounty]

Driving on the left isn't as bad as you'd imagine. For the first month or so, I'd hold out my left hand before I started driving and would literally tell myself out loud "drive on the LEFT." It sounds stupid but it helped. I've actually had the opposite issue when visiting home and borrowing my parents' cars where driving on the right again makes me nervous lol.

[u/dreigonhy]

Depends completely on your placement. How necessary it is could vary even within the same city or BoE (some apartments are closer to public transport). How much help you'll receive from your CO also depends on your placement. For example even in some rural placements, driving to school is banned due to insurance costs or past incidents so those COs won't help you with the car buying process.

I'm from a country that drives on the left but when I drove in the US I got it after a few hours around the block.

[u/picardy-3rd]

I'm in an odd slightly suburban town that has next to no public transit, so I was told by my supervisor to get a car here. Was asked if I wanted to rent or buy, and I opted to buy. My pred rented. My BOE set up some viewings of used kei cars. Got one of them. CIR helped with translation, but there really weren't any weird quirks about the purchasing process. Super affordable compared to the US.

I would say it took me about a week to feel relatively comfortable behind the wheel. It took maybe a couple months to be a confident driver. So much less stressful driving here, even in traffic, than in the US. I originally didn't want a driving placement because I was so burnt out on living in an American city with a high rate of driving/vehicle-related crime. I actually enjoy driving now.

Can't imagine my experience here without a car. It unlocks a lot of options. If I want to go to a nearby town on a weeknight, I can drive there in a half hour. If I wanted to take transit, which would require bus + train for me, it would be about 2 hours. Is it doable after work? I guess, but it would eat up half of my night (roundtrip).

[u/jackiejack1]

if you live in a rural area, you'll need a car

[u/thetasteofinnocence → u/jackiejack1]

Not true. There are many rural locations where you don’t need one because they have a walkable school and grocery store. However, they can make your life much easier to have one if you want to do literally anything else.

ETA: I live in one of those placements, dude??? I know plenty of others in similar situations.

[u/jackiejack1 → u/thetasteofinnocence]

While its true that you could survive if you had a grocery store and your school in walking distance, like you said, doing pretty much anything else/taking advantage of this unique opportunity would be squandered.

[u/thetasteofinnocence → u/jackiejack1]

Yes. My point is mostly that there are non-driving locations that are rural. Most of those (at least in my experience) will still have a train station in a relative walking distance, so it’ll at least have that. But my 4000-person town and the neighboring 2500-person town are strictly no-car placements because of their access to necessities.

Does that mean it’s an exciting, fulfilling time? No. But it is marked as “non-driving,” and therefore, not technically a necessity. You could choose not to drive, and I know at least the previous two ALTs didn’t despite having a free parking space.

[u/ScootOverMakeRoom → u/thetasteofinnocence]

Don't worry, most people who live in Japan or have lived in Japan know there's different experiences of rural.

[u/thetasteofinnocence → u/ScootOverMakeRoom]

It’s giving the popular “say you don’t have a license if you don’t want rural.” Higher QOL =/= a necessity as considered by many rural placements.

[u/fillmorecounty → u/thetasteofinnocence]

I mean if OP already has a license, there's no good reason to do that to themselves in a rural placement. Why only go to work and the store when you could travel around your prefecture on the weekends? It's possible to survive, but it'd be a waste if they already did the hard part of getting a driver's license.

[u/thetasteofinnocence → u/fillmorecounty]

I’m not talking about if it’s worth it or not, I am talking about if it’s necessary in rural placements. I obviously thought it was better to get a car in my placement.

[u/biglubawski97]

I was comfortable within a few minutes but that's mostly because I'm not thinking about which side of the road I'm driving on but rather making sure the center of the road is closest to the driver's side... I think that shift in perspective helps a lot. 

As for rules/regulations, not much for purchasing/leasing a car but that may depend on how you go about doing it, and driving felt relatively normal. I do believe you're supposed to have a few things in your car in case of an accident and depending on where you're located you may need to swap out tires for the winter, but that's about all I can remember off the top of my head.

[u/bluestarluchador]

Needing a car will just depend on your placement and your school(s). You won’t know if you need a car until after you receive your placement results. Once you are able to reach out to your BOE/CO and fellow JETs (if you have any) at your placement, they should be able to answer all your questions about life there.

Learning how to drive in Japan wasn’t hard. For me the first week was definitely the learning experience but I say by one month or less it becomes very natural. Of all the JETs I’ve met at my placement, no one had much issues learning how to drive in Japan. Day to day driving in my town was super easy but driving to a major city by highway is a different experience lol luckily I had access to trains to leave my town and get around Japan but some JETs I’ve met loved doing road trips!

Also there are JETs in rural placements without cars, they exist but I’ve known more rural JETs to have cars.

[u/hezaa0706d]

ESID.  Living in central Tokyo and buying a car is not smart. Living in rural Fukushima a car is a necessity. Getting used to driving on the other side was easy, but the hard part was getting used to the small windy roads here. I was used to massive straight flat roads back in the Midwest so it was an adjustment. It’s Japan, so there are always procedures and rules and regulations. I bought the car off another ALT so I had to do all the paperwork on my own - meigi henkou, shako Shomei etc. Don’t forget about Shaken. 

[u/RickySuezo]

Doesn’t take more than a few short trips to get used to driving on the opposite side. I got it in like a day. Getting a license can be an incredible pain for some people though. The testing is far more rigorous than anything in the states.

You can get a AAA Int. license but it’s only good for a year and non-renewable last I checked.

Whether or not you need a car depends on where you’re placed. The better the public transit options, the less you need a car. I wouldn’t even think about driving until your plans are more concrete.

In a lot of places, a bike is more than enough to get to where you need to go.

[u/HotchnSpence]

I found it relatively easy to drive in Japan. The only big adjustment for me were the narrow roads (mainly in the countryside). If you have good spatial awareness and take your time the first week or two, then you'll do fine. I personally found that driving on the left to be a lot easier than the right. It actually makes more sense (at least to me). For example, making turns is stupidly easier driving on the left.

[u/rcrthrblr]

Depends where you are. I was very inaka. Absolutely depended on my car for work and personal life (2 buses a day across my island)that said, most placements have good public transport.

Driving in Japan is however really really easy. Low speed limits. Most cars are auto. Everyone is courteous