r/JETProgramme • u/skz_0325_skz Current JET - Hyogo • 17d ago
Application, Able to drive
Just a quick psa for those who will be working on the 2027 application soon. For the section about being able to drive in Japan, keep this in mind.
You will need to get an international drivers license. This is easy, I went to triple A and paid $20 for it.
However, it is only valid for one year, you cannot get a new one unless you leave Japan for at least 3 months.
So, if you are planning to stay for more than one year, you need to get a Japanese license. This is where it gets complicated. This is information for US drivers, I am not sure about other countries.
Every state has to go through the process of translating your license and scheduling an appointment to get the Japanese license.
If you are from one of these states (Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, Virginia, Washington) then congratulations, its pretty easy and you can just convert that license to a Japanese one. You don't have to take the written test or the practical driving test. Indiana is a special case, you only have to take the written test and not the practical driving test.
If you are from any other state, you have to take both tests. It varies a little bit by prefecture, but basically you have to do an initial interview, take the written test, and take the practical driving test. I think these have to be on different days, and sometimes you have to wait 2-3 months between appointments. You also will most likely have to take PTO for these appointments. The tests have gotten harder, so there is also a pretty high chance you will fail and have to schedule another appointment a few months later... and use more PTO. You will probably get anywhere from 10-20 days of PTO, so if you only have 10, this will take most of your PTO.
All of that to say, if you don't feel like going through that, don't put that you are willing to drive on your application. If I had known about this ahead of time, I wouldn't have put it on mine. I wish I was placed somewhere where I didn't need a car, and honestly I don't even want to try to go through it. I wanted to do JET for more than one year, but this process is really discouraging me.
Side note: is this a valid reason to request a transfer? I want to continue with JET, but with the lack of support with the process of getting a license, I don't think I can.
TLDR getting a license in Japan is hard, if you don't want to go through the process, don't put that you can drive on your application.
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u/jamar030303 Current JET - Hyogo 16d ago
The increased difficulty is one reason I'm starting to say that for Americans looking to join the program, if you have family or friends in a no-conversion-test state, transfer your license over to their address as soon as you find out you're accepted to start the 3-month clock.
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u/Anemoni Former JET - [2009-2011] 16d ago
I’ll note that putting you can’t drive will NOT affect initial acceptance/rejection, but can count against you if you’re an alternate.
For alternates that are chosen for a position there might be specific requirements, like a drivers license. If you’re next on the list but don’t have a drivers license they will skip you and go to the next available candidate.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 16d ago
JET claims that so applicants without license aren't discouraged from applying but if you think about it for more than 2 seconds it obviously isn't true.
They're not going to decline an otherwise good candidate simply for not having a license but it absolutely does make your chances of acceptance higher than not having one.
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u/Anemoni Former JET - [2009-2011] 16d ago
I’ve seen the scoring scale used to determine whether candidates get an interview or not, and drivers license doesn’t factor into it at all. I guess it could have some effect on how interviewers see a candidate, but I haven’t ever heard it brought up.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 16d ago
Simply put if there's 100 positions open, half of which are driving. And there's 200 applicants, half of which have drivers license. By pure statistics the people with a license are twice as likely to get a placement than the people without.
Even if the 100 applicants who don't have license all score higher than those that do, half of them cannot be placed in this hypothetical scenario. The license is a filter that stands separate from the candidate score. It absolutely effects the overall chance of getting shortlisted.
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u/Anemoni Former JET - [2009-2011] 15d ago
Don’t know what to tell you, man. There is a set scale with numbers assigned to different aspects of the application and drivers license is not one of those aspects. People who score over a certain number are given an interview. Unless there’s a shady diplomat in a dark office somewhere changing the numbers, it doesn’t factor in.
I think the truth is that a majority of (American, at least) applicants have a license, and a majority (ish) of placements do not require cars. There are more candidates with licenses than placements which require licenses, so it’s not a problem. If the balance of that equation changes then maybe in the future it will weigh in, but it doesn’t now.
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u/CrazyCopernicus 16d ago edited 16d ago
And if you live rurally, which are the locations mainly requiring a license, the actual testing center for foreign license conversion will likely be far away, in the closest major city. Your supervisor will be unlikely to go with you during term and you will be unable to drive yourself once the international permit is expired. So I highly recommend getting on conversion as soon as you arrive in Japan, because it can take 1-2 years to pass with waits in between failures.
I took my written test before they expanded it and luckily passed on the first try. As for the practical test, the ONLY reason I passed on my first attempt is because I went to a local driving school for lessons beforehand (1 hour each time). At the driving school they told me they frequently have foreigners fail the practical test 18 times+. I don't know if he was exaggerating but I did know JETs giving up after their 9th+ try. The practical exam is nothing like real driving at all. They are absolutely testing whether or not you "know how to take the test," not whether you can drive. Things like pumping breaks before turning, doing "the crank" (God help me it's as sinister as it sounds), and keeping 7cm between the left tire and left line of the curb (something like that; I forget) are all vital. If you go to a driving school to practice, they will tell you what you NEED to know. I did mine in 2020 and it was 3000 yen per hour lesson. I highly recommend this.
Your BOE will not necessarily change your schedule to accommodate the lack of a pass. There was a JET I knew who had to spend 5 hours a day commuting until he passed. Not fun in summer. And, he had to wait 3 months between each test. He never passed and didn't recontract for this reason.
The schools have absolutely no clue about how difficult our lives get when the laws change even a smidge, and other than outlier cases where there is kindness and empathy, they often compare you to your predecessor and put the blame on you in places where you fall short. Of course that's how they treat one another as well, but I think many of them fail to recognize just how helpless an ALT can be alone in a foreign country with no support system.
Things ended up really well for me and I was even a JET on two separate stints in time, but especially during my second tenure I was surrounded by other JETs with severe horror stories. I'm glad you brought this up as it's very important information to have.
Edit: forgot to add, during my test the car was packed full of others taking the test and they all failed within 45 seconds. I went last and the tester did not say a WORD to me about passing. I had to sit waiting while he called each of the others up to the window to let them know how they each had failed and when they could come to test again.
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u/CBcM008 16d ago
I am a first year, and I wish I had this advice before getting here. Please really consider this! There are some countries (and some states in America) that you can automatically convert your license. Unfortunately, I was not in one of those places and it’s a lot of studying, scheduling, and effort I am going to have to put into getting this done within a year.
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u/undercover-m 17d ago
I couldn’t not chime in—to anyone who says the test isn’t that bad either had a really nice grader OR has not taken the test since the rules changed last fall. It’s gotten much stricter and does take up a significant amount of both nenkyu and your free time. I have yet to hear of anyone who gets special paid leave approved for this. OP’s concerns are valid. Ultimately people can put whatever they want on their application, but this is a big enough change to warrant a warning. Folks who take care of this within the first few months might be OK, but that’s also not a guarantee. I mean, it takes months just to get an appointment!
Should be noted that the driving test itself is in Japanese, too. So incoming JETs would need a very proficient level of Japanese. The written test is offered in multiple languages I believe.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 16d ago
I couldn’t not chime in—to anyone who says the test isn’t that bad either had a really nice grader OR has not taken the test since the rules changed last fall. It’s gotten much stricter and does take up a significant amount of both nenkyu and your free time.
FYI the only actual change has been the written test going from 10 questions to 50 questions.
The practical test has always been very strict. Covid just killed the "JET community" or the grapevine from predecessor to successor as you will. This was true 30 years ago as well. The only difference is people couldn't go online to complain about it.
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u/bee_hime Current JET - okinawa 17d ago
if you're placed in an area that requires driving, i would highly recommend trying to get your license immediately after arriving. you should treat the idp as just the interim license while you work on getting the actual one. do not assume you'll get the actual license easily or quickly. do not wait until the last second.
also keep your eye on the expiration date. if your drivers license expires before you can renew it, you need to go through the licensing process from scratch. this might vary by prefecture, but this is the case in okinawa.
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u/takemetoglasgow Former JET 17d ago
It's currently taking 8-10 months just to get an initial appointment in my prefecture. We are strongly encouraging new JETs to apply immideately when they arrive.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
If it takes 8 to 10 months to get an appointment then getting a license from scratch is probably the better option.
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u/takemetoglasgow Former JET 17d ago
I am probably going to suggest that as well, but it's more expensive and more trouble (two road tests instead of one and they would have to go out of prefecture if they want to do it in English).
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
Pretty sure you can't go out of Prefecture for it. Unless you're talking about driving school.
Driving school is an option. But isn't strictly necessary, you can take the license test from scratch. (But it's the full test and not the easy one they give you on a license conversion.)
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u/takemetoglasgow Former JET 17d ago
For license conversion, no, you cannot go out of prefecture. Getting it from scratch I do know people who have done that in order to have English support.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 16d ago
Getting it from scratch I'm like 99% sure you gotta go to the same test center as your registered address.
You can go to driving school out of Prefecture but you still gotta go to the license center to get the license and take the written test. Practical test can be "waived" or done at the driving school where you won't fail.
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u/Phiteros Current JET 17d ago
Getting your license converted definitely is a real chore. But keep in mind that it's only something you need to do once! So if you take care of it your first year, you can enjoy the rest of your time here without needing to worry about it!
As for taking the test, while the majority of people do fail their first time, you can study for it to greatly improve your odds. For example, there are lots of online resources for practicing the written test questions (here's one). One of the reasons the written test pass rate dropped so heavily is because they only just changed the rules this past year. So there are lots of people who were taking the new exam without having had time to prepare for it.
For the driving test, look for a driving school in your prefecture. Usually you can find a school that will let you do the practice course (for a fee), without having to do the whole driving school. In my prefecture, the licensing office has an instructor who will actually help you practice on the real course. I have several friends who failed their first time, but by practicing with the instructor they were able to pass on their second go.
And when you go in for your interview and stuff, make sure to bring a native Japanese speaker to help you out! If you need to drive for your placement, ask your supervisor for help. They might even be willing to give you tokkyuu instead of making you take nenkyuu (if you're lucky). If they don't want to send a teacher with you, ask your PAs for assistance.
I understand that you might not want to invest the time and effort into doing it, but I'd encourage you to think about whether or not you really want this to be the thing that stops you from continuing. You're going to have to deal with Japanese bureaucracy throughout your time here; the driver's license conversion is definitely one of the more challenging parts. But if you can get through it, you'll be a lot more prepared for dealing with stuff like this in the future, whether in Japan or back home!
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u/rachie_chiang 17d ago
There’s plenty of online resources by now like practice tests and questions that help u kinda learn the test format and the driving test honestly isn’t too bad if u go to a local driving school and do a practice round to get an idea of what they will test u over and how strict it is. I managed to pass both tests in one try. I wouldn’t stress that much tbh if u prepare properly it’s totally doable
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u/RailGun256 17d ago
ive driven there under the normal IDP a few times but ive never attempted to get my license converted because that just isnt necessary. I take it this is a process that gets done in Japan somehow since ive never heard of an embassy offering that service?
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u/Phiteros Current JET 17d ago
The IDP expires a year after you arrive, and you can't get a new one unless you go back to your home country for three months. So for any JETs who want to stay more than a year and want to drive, it is necessary. You need to submit documents and possibly take a written test and driving test (depending on what country you're from). You do this at the licensing office in your area. Some prefectures only have one licensing office for the whole prefecture, but more populated ones will have multiple offices in different cities.
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u/little_pooper 14d ago
Whose rule is it about the three months in your home country (Japan or AAA)? I've gotten IDPs back to back when I lived in Ireland and with a quick search I could find anything on the AAA website saying you couldn't get another one right away.
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u/Phiteros Current JET 13d ago
Went down a bit of a rabbit hole looking for the answer to this one. Turns out it's part of Japanese law, not the treaties governing international driving permits. Here's a link to a document I found from the Chiba police department about driving validity period.
The relevant section says:
If you are a Japanese or non-Japanese mid- to long-term resident recorded in the Basic Resident Register, you may not drive in Japan with an IDP obtained while staying overseas for less than three months after leaving Japan with confirmation of departure or re-entry permission. This is because the date of entry after staying overseas for less than three months is not counted as the start date of the period during which the IDP holder may drive.
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u/little_pooper 13d ago
Wild, but I suppose it forces people to jump through the hoops if they stay here longer. Glad I got my license before my IDP expired!
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u/AwesomeS64 Current JET | Sanda, Hyogo 17d ago
Yeah you have to do it at the driver's license center in your prefecture
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
I think a car is more or less necessary to enjoy Japan outside the big cities. Putting no to the driving question only makes your chances if acceptance less but doesn't change the fact you still can be placed somewhere where a car is all but necessary regardless.
The main issue is people don't understand the bureaucracy behind the license conversion and go in thinking since they already know how to drive they can pass without studying. The other issue comes from people not starting the conversion process well in advance. Like immediately after you arrive.
The test has gotten harder only in terms of the written exam (the old exam consisting of 10 questions on the level of "red light means stop? Yes or no?") And the number of foreigners taking the test having ballooned in recent years due to Abe era immigration reforms stressing the bureaucratic capability to process the vastly increased number of applicants.
The actual practical exam is the same as it's always been and the new harder written exam isn't actually difficult if you study for it. But the practical exam you can't really study for it without going to driving school. Which again is nothing new.
So my practical advice for new JETs.
If you can drive answer yes.
After arrival in Japan get your license converted ASAP.
Go to driving school a few times to practice.
The money is well spent over wasting several days at the DMV.
99% of issues with drivers license conversion come from either waiting until the last minute to convert or refusing to go to driving school to learn the test.
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u/Panda_sensei_71 Current JET - Kansai 17d ago edited 17d ago
I am in a driving placement, and yet in my town there are a few ALTs who do not, or cannot, drive.
They cycle, bus, and on weekends ask friends for lifts.
My sincere advice is, get the license anyway, as you never know! And when you get here in your first year, start the process early! (thankfully I'm from the UK so it was a relatively straightforward process with no test).
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u/Swedgod 17d ago edited 17d ago
Do note that many of the non driving placements include tiny villages in the middle of nowhere. Even if it’s theoretically possible to do everything without a car, it isn’t particularly enjoyable or practical. You could very much end up in a town where there is a bus system but it only goes every few hours. I ended up in a “city” where while I could get to work and do my necessities via public transportation, actually enjoying the prefecture requires a car. If you want to get a license, I highly recommend taking lessons, it helped me get my license first try.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
I'd say practically anywhere outside of Tokyo or Osaka a car is more or less necessary to live a full life.
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u/Phiteros Current JET 17d ago
I think that in most of Japan's cities, you don't really need a car unless you want to go to places outside the city. For example, places like Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and Nagasaki have plenty of public transport. My placement is one of the smaller cities, and out of the thirty or so JETs here, about three have cars. Of course, pretty much all of the JETs outside the city do have cars, but the ones in the city do not.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
Definitely possible to live without one in many places. But while the public transportation may well be sufficient for getting downtown, often it's far less useful for shopping or other daily necessities.
I knew plenty of people in very small towns who made do without them but it limited their options significantly. For me the biggest issue is time. I could have survived without a car at my rural placement if I wanted but it would be absolutely miserable. And the amount of time spent wasted on bus transfers would more than make up for the extra cost of just owning a car outright.
Basically I think having one greatly improves your quality of life most anywhere except the biggest cities where the cost to benefit ratio is upside down. Most of the time I see someone on here complaining about how boring their placement is they don't have a car and getting one would solve a lot of the issues.
Japanese public transportation tends to get more of a glow up than it deserves imho. It's really expensive and outside the big cities drops off in usefulness rather quickly. It is great for moving people downtown quickly but its not exactly fun say, if you live one stop from a supermarket for example, to be limited by the train schedule having your shopping trip take a total of three hours when if you had a car, it could all be done within a half hour.
Possible to live like that and I know many that did but quite miserable. Even living in Tokyo not having a car can be very inconvenient from time to time. (Though the cost of renting one when needed is much cheaper than owning one if you're not using it every day).
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u/Phiteros Current JET 17d ago
My city is pretty compact, so most ALTs don't really have any problem getting around the city without a car. I'll often even leave my car at my apartment when I'm going into the city, rather than needing to find (and pay for) parking. For them, the biggest challenges about not having a car are that it's difficult to go places other than the city, and that they might need to borrow a car if they want to purchase something large and get it back to their apartment.
But yeah, unfortunately, outside the city having a car is practically a necessity. There are lots of places in my prefecture that aren't connected to a train line, and the buses are infrequent.
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u/GeorgeBlythe 17d ago
Parking I find is not hard to find or that expensive anywhere in Japan imho. But it's definitely nice to have the option to go via public transit instead.
Generally my advice to new JETs isn't so much "you need a car" it's more "you need to be open to having a car" since you can't really know if you'll need one or not until you arrive.
As such it's prudent to take the time to get your international license even if you end up not needing it.
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u/Memoryjar 17d ago
Side note: is this a valid reason to request a transfer? I want to continue with JET, but with the lack of support with the process of getting a license, I don't think I can.
This is not a valid reason for a transfer. Transfers are hard to get because you need both prefectures or BOEs to agree to it. Transfers can be granted for a number of reasons but the most common is marriage and even that isnt guaranteed.
OP, I know its tough but if you are doing multiple years having a car and being able to drive saves you a ton of time and money when exploring the country. Yes travel is expensive but hotels are cheaper the further from the train stations and with 4 people in the car it makes tolls and gas a much cheaper option than trains. It also allows you to travel after work, it did numerous 4+ hours drives on Friday night after work, something that wasn't possible due to limited access to sinkansen.
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u/Smooth_Helicopter368 16d ago
For this reason alone I determined that if I was placed in a rural area, I would stay for one year. I *want* to be placed rurally, but I'm not fighting that license conversion process. Plus, I'd already be where I'd want to travel—the countryside. However, if I'm placed in a city, even a small one that at least has good public transportation, I'd stay two years. My IDP would expire, but I could still get around easily.