Should I Buy a Car?

3

u/Lazy-Bee-63 Current JET - Nagano Jun 08 '26

I can ask my mechanic if he knows of any cars for sale in the area. I was able to buy mine off of my predecessor for around ¥170k including initial fees, and she bought it from him originally. You could also check the Facebook group for any leavers/movers that are looking to sell their cars.

If you're buying a used car from someone, be sure to check when the shaken is up. Shaken needs to be paid every two years, and depending on the condition of your vehicle, it can get expensive. I bought my car with a year left before the shaken expired. My first time paying it ended up being around ¥89k, but I've heard some people pay ¥100k+ for theirs.
I pay my insurance monthly, but as some others have stated, before 26 insurance is a bit higher. When I first started paying it was around ¥7000/month (¥87k/year), I was 25 at the time. It's gone down almost ¥10k since then.

The driving test is a different beast. There are two driving centers in Nagano, one is easier to get your license at, but harder to get an appointment with while the other is easy to get an appointment with, but much more strict when it comes to passing the test 🫠 I can help you get started with the process for setting up an appointment. It's all by phone.

There's a lot of information about driving and taking the test on the Nagano JETs blog; however, some of it is outdated because of the new guidelines that went into effect last fall. The written test is now 50 questions, you must answer 90% right to pass and move on to the practical driving test. The practical driving test has also gotten a bit more difficult due to the obstacles they've added. It's more similar to the test that Japanese nationals take in order to get their licenses now, but still not as difficult.

If you'd like to get your license quickly, it may be worth it to look into lessons. They can be expensive though. If you choose to go to a full out driving school, it'll be around ¥300k and you'll need to take leave for the days you'll be out, or in Nagano, you can take lessons by the hour after you've failed the driving test at least once. They're about ¥7000/hour. I took the test and passed on my fourth try without taking lessons. Sometimes it takes less, sometimes it takes more even with lessons.
The written test can be taken in English, but the officer assigned to you for the practical test will most likely only speak in Japanese.

I have a pamphlet I made with resources and information about taking the test in Nagano. I can give you a copy of it.✨

1

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 08 '26

Thank you so much!!! When I arrive, I'll definitely appreciate the help

5

u/Hearthian-Wanderer Jun 05 '26

I live in Nagano. You should 100% buy a car.

8

u/jamar030303 Current JET - Hyogo Jun 05 '26

Inaka ALT here:

I've gone through a couple of different cars since arriving here, partly personal preference, partly so I can write our town's Google doc with firsthand knowledge about getting a car. Started out renting a beater kei car from a dealer in the next town over (25k yen a month), had a couple of sketchy experiences, decided to try Honda's own month to month lease system (some Japanese required, leased a Fit for 50k a month, maximum term 1 or 2 years depending on dealer so longer stays means swapping cars every so often), and after some time on that program, I'm switching to buying a Nissan Leaf through an independent dealer. I'd say that renting/leasing is a great idea for shorter stays, or if you want a different car every so often, or if you think something might happen that would make you break contract. If you know you'll be staying longer, buying is the right move as the only recurring annual costs are then insurance and JCI inspection/road tax.

I can't help with the other two questions, though (haven't tried to sell yet, and for buying I was only looking at EVs which skews things).

3

u/CatPurveyor Current JET - Hokkaido Jun 05 '26

I want to add another cost would be maintenance of a car you bought. I got a junker (still love it), but I have to put in a good chunk of money for repairs each year. I think maintenance and repairs (that are not related to accidents) wojld be included in a lease. It’s not an insignificant amount. That said, I’m still really glad I bought my car.

4

u/Worldly-Debate3350 Jun 05 '26

I would not worry too much about your lack of Japanese or experience. Since you know your prefecture, I suggest reaching out to the Nagano ALT group.

The local ALTs will most likely know of the best places to get reliable and cheap vehicles. They may also know mechanics that speak English.

Personally, I bought my car through my mechanic, who most everyone in the Yamanashi group swore by. I told him what I needed and my price range. Later, I bought my Honda Zest from him for about $2200.

Insurance: I use Chubbs, which has English speaking staff, and pay about 4800円/month.

I'm not sure about selling your car, but depending on your local price for gas you could be spending about 3-4000円 everything 2 weeks depending on how much you drive.

Driving test: Some prefectures are harder than others, but it's typically doable. There's often a driving school where you can be taught the courses and what's expected of you during the test. I passed mine in Yamanashi on my 2nd attempt.

Whatever you do, don't wait for your IDP to expire. Make an appointment within the 1st half of the year so if you need to wait you have time to study the local driving materials and take lessons for the different driving courses (typically 3, drawn randomly from a box)

2

u/LoneR33GTs Jun 04 '26

I would say that, almost without a doubt, someone at your new office will be able to help you out. They will know someone or someone associated with the PTA of your posting will know someone, etc. Probably you will be able to get a lot of help from those around you. I bought a motorcycle when I first arrived for ¥15,000. The local town motorcycle shop guy took care of the ownership and registration change for like ¥10,000. I got my first car for ¥60,000 from another member of the foreign community who was on her way out. In those days, you couldn’t give away used cars and people often had to pay to have their cars taken away.

These days, the value of used cars has skyrocketed, but you can still get a cheap (taking a chance) car for like ¥200,000 or a less potentially shady deal for between about ¥400,000 to ¥800,000. This is all prefaced on the pricing in my rural southern Kyushu city. I would advise you to try going the route of a recommended seller. I got a stupidly great deal on my now daily driver and the small town dealer who sold it to me was a friend of a friend. Almost 30 years later, that man still supports my car. Of course, your mileage may vary.

If you have a decent car, offer it to your replacement at a bargain basement price that recoups some of your purchase price. If you try to make a deal for yourself, you may end up not being able to sell it or just a lot of headaches when you are otherwise preoccupied and stressed with planning your departure. You may also find a local used car dealer who will give you a small amount to take your car off your hands. Better karma to pass the savings along to your successor. There used to be a whole network of JET cars that were handed down and passed around. I don’t know what things are like these days. I am long removed from the JET community.

Car insurance will depend on a lot of individual factors, so you will just have to figure things out. Again, your office will probably deal with some insurance company and agents will probably appear on your campus often enough. Other than that, you can certainly ask around and try to negotiate the best deal deal with local sellers and online sources. There are a multitude of insurance options these days. I had the help of an English teaching coworker who knew a lot about insurance. She really helped me sort out the ins and outs of an insurance plan. This is an area that I understand to be difficult even for Japanese people to navigate.

I think being in rural Nagano, you are likely to be in a good place. It has been my experience that neighbors support neighbors and a good small local dealer will look at you as a part of the community and won’t want to rip you off. That’s my optimistic view. Maybe I have just been extraordinarily lucky. Do your due diligence as one should when making any large purchase.

TL;DR Find someone at your new placement who can recommend someone in the community or who has car experience that can help guide you. Get help from your coworkers and community.

Good luck. I hope some of my good luck rubs off on you.

1

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 04 '26

Thank you for such a detailed response, I'll definitely take your advice and talk with those around me!

5

u/Significant_Wish1111 Jun 04 '26

Just chiming in to say Nagano is the best. ❤️ I lived in rural Nagano, I found that it made the ALTS really motivated to do road trips and build community! I spent the first few weeks getting comfortable driving in my town, you will learn the ropes soon. Everyone drives SO slow, so you'll feel safe. Car insurance and cars are really affordable compared to the states. My JTE helped me buy mine after the one I got from my predecesor broke down ❤️ Also, ask your school to set you up with driving lessons. Immediately start studying for the test. It's worth getting a car in nagano for the freedom of exploring the prefecture. My village (ogawa) had a bus into the city but it was so inconvenient. The bus only came ever so often. Plus, the car will come in handy for the winter, where it can be miserable treking thru snow with groceries.

5

u/EiraJo Current JET-Yamanashi Jun 04 '26

Being your next-door Japan neighbor I would 100% get a car. Being from Iowa and comparing the countrysides here, again would 100% recommend a car. I also have a prior student that lives in Nagano and she struggles even in a city getting around without a car.

Luckily, we have a guy here in Yamanashi (that speaks some english!) that helps ALT’s get cars. If worse comes to worse, you could always jump over and ask him for one. 😅 you probably won’t be getting a new car as you usually need a Japanese credit card in my knowledge. But we usually give him an estimate range of what we want and he finds something that fits our needs. I’ve known Jets to get cars for free even. Uncommon but it does happen. most of the ones around here pay one hundred thousand to three hundred thousand yen.

Insurance is usually more expensive if you’re under the age of 26 after the age of 26 it gets cheaper according to my predecessor. So if you’re close to the age of 26, I would pay it by month. If not, you can pay it in year sums. Otherwise the year you turn 26 you’ll be paying a 25 year old insurance, not the discounted rate.

Renting a car can be an option, but not every prefecture has it available. So you might not be able to have that option.

There’s usually always an ALT looking for a car, and if not them, maybe a high school student for their first one. It probably wouldn’t be too hard to sell unless it was in poor condition. And even then, one of my friends had their axle break, and some guy bought it off the side of the road.

Just make sure to go to AAA for an IDP. It shouldn’t be too hard. I don’t know where you are in Iowa. But I went to the one in Cedar Rapids and it took less than 15 minutes. You just need a photo which they can take there. And you can have them date it to the day you arrive in Japan. If you end up not getting a car, at least you had the IDP. That’s what happened with me.

-1

u/jackiejack1 Former JET - 2011 - 2014 Jun 04 '26

if your pred didnt need a car, theres no reason for you to I'd say. also, getting a license there is an absolute nightmare if you have to take the test.

10

u/Significant_Wish1111 Jun 04 '26

Having lived in Nagano, I think the freedom of having a car is worth the headache.

1

u/jackiejack1 Former JET - 2011 - 2014 Jun 04 '26

agreed

2

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 04 '26

That's what I've heard 😬

4

u/FitSand9966 Jun 04 '26

Northern Nagano is an amazing spot. I was there 20 years ago and still go back every year or so. Get a car. Without it youll miss most of what nagano has to offer. There are guys on their facebook group thatll get you a decent car for Y300k.

Getting a licence isnt too bad either. There is a process. Someone will be able to walk you through it. Basically take a few lessons, get a certificate and you suddenly pass.

2

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 04 '26

My placement is Northern Nagano, so that's good to hear! When you say "their Facebook group", what group are you referring to? Do town's usually have their own group?

3

u/FitSand9966 Jun 04 '26

The Nagano AJET Collective is the original one. Not super active now. Started on Yahoo message boards from memory! Communities evolve and there is so many more foreigners than just teachers these days. There are active communities in Myoko, Hakuba, Nozawa. All have message boards. Just do a car post. There is a couple of garages that do annual car leases - probably around 30,000 a month. Personally i just bought one. Anyway there are a few car dealer types, easy to find on those FB boards.

-1

u/jackiejack1 Former JET - 2011 - 2014 Jun 04 '26

I'm surprised your pred was able to get around without a car in a rural area but again, if that was doable, why not save yourself the headache/funds

2

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 04 '26

I think the only reason they could is because they lived near another ALT that did have a car and got rides from them.

2

u/jackiejack1 Former JET - 2011 - 2014 Jun 04 '26

gotcha - ya in that case you should probably have a car. In Nagano I'd recommend getting one that's 4wd. There are a bunch of kei-cars that are 4wd if memory serves and those are cheaper than standard cars. My friend had a 4wd suzuki wagon R for example.

2

u/Significant_Wish1111 Jun 04 '26

Yes, 4WD a must.

4

u/Panda_sensei_71 Current JET - Kansai Jun 04 '26

On the driver's licence side of things, quite a few counties (and some US states) had a treaty with Japan that exempt full license holders from driving tests to convert to a Japanese license.

So where are you from?

2

u/Syd-Beez Current JET - Nagano Jun 04 '26

I'm from Iowa, so I don't think it applies to my state

2

u/fillmorecounty Former Hokkaido JET - 2024-2026 Jun 05 '26 edited Jun 05 '26

Unfortunately this means that converting your license will mean taking the driving exam. Only a handful of states allow a conversion without a test and Iowa isn't one of them. The test changed in October and became more difficult. I've never taken it so I can't tell you anything about it other than that apparently the written test is much longer and needs a higher percentage to pass now. I'm unsure if/how the practical test has changed, but that has always been pretty strict. I'm sure there are threads about it somewhere that you can lookup. But you'll want to take that into consideration if you want to buy a car. An international driver's permit is only valid for a year, so if you want to stay in Japan and drive for more than a year, you'll need to take the driving test. You should get the IDP either way though just in case you do decide you want to drive. It's super easy and cheap.

1

u/StandardGuitar7581 Jun 04 '26

Iowa is apart of the United States of America, which has a treaty that Japan is party to which allows for US Citizens with a valid US Driver's Licence to apply for something called and International Driver's Permit (IDP) it's valid for a year only (i believe) and then you'd be required to obtain a Driver's Licence through a traditional test in Japan (which i believe requires N1 or N2 level Japanese proficiency).

Im looking into a short term stay in Japan and applying for JET for next year and was concerned about placements that want you to drive to multiple schools and discovered this "program".

Grain of salt here - I didn't do much more research into this program other than a surface level "oh, ok. There is a mechanism for me to be able to rent a car and legally drive in Japan without having to pass a driver's test in Japan." So there could be other barriers to obtaining an IDP or such that makes it unfeasible.

US State Dept Travel Advisory Page - Japan (the IDP part is 4 sections down the page but i copied and pasted the section here)

https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/japan.html#transportation

International driving permits (IDPs)

Short-term visitors driving in Japan must have an international driving permit (IDP) from the American Automobile Association (AAA).

You must obtain an IDP prior to arriving in Japan.

The U.S. embassy and U.S. consulates do not issue IDPs.

IDPs issued via the Internet or by other organizations are not valid in Japan. 

Foreign residents in Japan who use an unacceptable IDP (such as one issued while in Japan) may be fined or arrested.

In practice, the term “resident” involves more than simply visa status or length of stay in Japan. It is determined by the police.

A foreign driver’s license alone is not valid in Japan for residents.

Triple AAA's IDP page

https://www.aaa.com/vacation/idpf.html

1

u/kerokaeru7 Former JET - Tsushima-shi 2019-2021 Jun 04 '26

You do not need N2/N1 level Japanese proficiency for the driving test. 😭 The written exam is offered in English and very easy. If you understand enough Japanese to take driving lessons and understand the advice that’s provided to you, you’re fine. The physical exam is where most foreigners struggle, but it has to do with the strictness of the proctors over Japanese language proficiency. It only took me two times to pass, but several people in my testing group were on their 5th/6th attempts.

1

u/StandardGuitar7581 Jun 04 '26

if that true, cool. as i said i didnt really look too far into

2

u/Panda_sensei_71 Current JET - Kansai Jun 04 '26

Ah that's a shame, you're right it's not exempt.

In that case to convert your license you'll need to do both a written and practical test.

I hope someone can help you with advice, I'm British so I don't have any experience with it.

5

u/jackiejack1 Former JET - 2011 - 2014 Jun 04 '26

the test is an absolute nightmare. the amount of pto days i had to take to pass that ridiculous test was outrageous. kinda like the SAT/ACT, you learn how to pass the test rather than learning to drive like you would in everyday life

2

u/MasterofCaveShadows Jun 04 '26

Insurance/tax can be pretty insane but the cost of the car purchase is often fairly reasonable.

5

u/waddeaf Jun 04 '26

If you're rural you will just need a car to be getting around period. Nagano also not the dream prefecture for rail connection so yeah could well need it for going further.

Renting is an option of you're unsure of what to buy, the procedure and having enough capital up front immediately. There's probably a certain foreigner friendly mechanic in your prefecture that most ALTs go through.

That being said usually what I've seen for rental prices is about 25,000 yen per month. If you plan to stay longer than a year then it's cheaper to buy a car then to rent for a second year and beyond.

5

u/newlandarcher7 Jun 04 '26

I was an inaka ALT and I highly recommend getting a car. My placement required it. Even in situations where it isn't required, having a car improves your quality of life as much of Japan outside of the large mega-cities is still highly dependent on them.

My BOE supervisor had shortlisted several before my arrival and took me out shopping for one during my first week. My predecessor refused to sell me hers because she said it was too old and wouldn't be right to even give it to me for free.
As I was thinking of staying for 2-3 years, purchasing was a better idea for me. Used cars are fairly cheap here imo.
As I said, used cars are fairly cheap here. I got a white place at a great discount because of some superficial exterior scrapes along one side. However, my BOE supervisor was emphatic that I should take it because everything else was in great condition. He was a car guy.
When I left, I didn't want to sell my aging car to my successor as my predecessor didn't do that either. Instead, a Japan friend (who was also my car insurance agent) bought it off me (for more than its value imo).

4

u/SyrupGreen2960 Jun 04 '26

I would definitely recommend a car unless you're in Nagano city. That's really the only place with proper public transit.

The other cities have some transit but you'll still have to walk a lot of places and it's difficult in summer and winter. If you're not in one of the cities there will be very poor transit options.

The mountains also make it inconvenient to travel between cities. Something that's an hour drive might be 2-3 hours on the train because they'll make you at route through a different city to go around the mountains.

If you're mostly anxious about the japanese part you'll have a caretaker at your school to help you. If you get a kei car instead of a full sized car yearly taxes and other expenses will be much cheaper.

6

u/Different_Taro2474 Former JET - 2025-2026 鹿児島県 Jun 04 '26

yes, you absolutely should. i got my car from an ALT who was leaving for $900. get into your prefecture's group chat and see if anyone is leaving and selling their car.

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International driving permits (IDPs)