Recently, I got a driver’s license in Ibaraki, Japan. I am pleased to report that I got it after passing the driving test on my first attempt. The whole process was a little stressful. I’d like to outline my experience for anyone else who plans on getting a Japanese driver’s license. This was the process that I went through.

First, I would like to mention that this guide was essential to my success. Without it, there was no way that I would have passed the driving test on my first attempt. A friend of ours who also passed on her first attempt highly recommended that I read it cover to cover.

Driver’s License Translation at Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF)

The first step in the process was getting a Japanese translation of my California driver’s license. I did this at the local branch of the Japanese Automobile Federation (JAF) which seemed like a watered down version of AAA in the US. They had roadside service, driver training, and special discounts among other things.

In typical fashion, the local branch was only open from 10:00 to 17:00 Monday through Friday. Luckily for us it was a short 15 minute bike ride from my school. I was able to make it after work and just before closing. When I arrived, I gave them all the information they needed, paid the ¥3,000 fee, and was told that I could pick it up the next day. Which I did.

Residence Certificate At City Hall

Next on the list was getting a residence certificate or juuminhyou (住民票) at Mito City Hall. Mito City Hall was open from 8:30 to 17:15 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, & Friday. I got off at 16:40 and Mito City Hall was a bit far, so it was unlikely that I would make it before closing. Fortunately, Mito City Hall was open until 19:00 on Wednesdays. I went to Mito City Hall and asked for the juuminhyou (住民票). I filled out a form, provided by residence card for verification, paid a ¥300 fee, and was provided with the certificate a short time later.

Note: We highly recommend getting an international driving permit before coming to Japan. Having the international driving permit allowed us to rent a car in Japan twice. Both times were great practice and gave me valuable experience driving on the left side of the road and navigating Japan’s many narrow streets. Even if you don’t plan on getting your license it is definitely nice to have.

Mito Ibaraki Prefecture Driver’s License Center

For the test, there was no reservation system. I just showed up at the licensing center in Ibaraki town which was just east of Aeon Town. It was a 25 minute bike ride from our place. The guidebook says that Window 14 was open from 9:00 to 10:00. I got there at 8:45 and there were already six people that had been processed. So, I feel they were taking applications even earlier.

My experience was a bit of a train wreck. When I got to the counter the first time, I showed the person my paperwork. He handed me an application and a Covid questionnaire and circled the sections I was supposed to complete. They then asked me if I could speak Japanese. I answered honestly and said I speak a little Japanese. To which the worker said that I couldn’t continue until I came back with someone who spoke Japanese.

He proceeded to hand me back my paperwork. I was pretty shocked at this point, I definitely had not planned for or expected this to happen. I told myself that I didn’t come all the way over here to be turned away. So, I handed him back the papers and said that I seemed to have forgotten, I can speak Japanese. He seemed a little surprised and asked if I was sure, to which I said absolutely.

He took my paperwork back, and looked through it before handing it back to me. I was told me to complete the application and Covid questionnaire. I went off to the side area to fill them out. Next, I went to the payment window (which was almost directly across from window #14) and purchased ¥2,400 worth of stamps. Afterwards, I went back to the counter for a second time.

Pictures Fiasco

He looked through my application and questionnaire and then notified me that my pictures were too large. I asked him if he had any scissors I could borrow and he set me up in a loop of deception. He said go outside in the entry area. I didn’t see any around the entry area, so I asked several other staff members. They said that I should ask the people at Window 14 which I had just done.

After a couple minutes of getting the run around, I ran over to the Family Mart across the street. I bought a pair of scissors and some onigiri for lunch. Upon returning I went back and forth with the person at Window 14 until my photos were finally the correct size. The only problem was that my face in the original photo was too large and by the time the photo was the correct size, my chin and ears had been cut off. The guy at Window 14 tossed them back at me and said they were no good. He told me to go to the photo center.

Photo Center

The photo center was located in the next building over. For a cost of ¥800 I got my photo taken and cut to the right size. The lady was kind enough to glue it to my application as well. I went back and they processed my application with little to no fuss. I was given a number and asked to wait for a while with the other foreigners taking the test.

Moral of the story was bring pictures that were the correct size. The guide says 3 cm x 2.4 cm. The pictures were really small. Bring some scissors and glue if you are unsure about the size of your pictures.

A little while later, someone came out and began calling our numbers one by one. We went to a separate window and did a one on one short interview with a staff member. Some of the questions included when I got my license, what kind of course I took, how long the course was, what did the driving test entail, how long the driving test was, among other things. Afterwards, we were asked to sit back down in the waiting area.

Japanese Driver’s License Written Test

Some time later, someone came out and called all of our numbers. There were around 12 of us in total. We were led to a separate room and given a written traffic test in English. There were 10 true or false questions and we needed to get at least 7 of them correct to pass. Some of the questions were a little unclear to me. However, I was told to not overthink it, so I answered them with a safety first mindset. After we finished, we were asked to go back to the waiting area and wait for the results.

A short time later, they came back and gave us the results. A majority of us passed, but unfortunately a couple people did not. They were given back their documents and were able to schedule a new time to come back.

Japanese Driver’s License Vision Test

Those of us that passed headed to the other side of the building to take a vision test. We took turns identifying different colors and which portion of the “circle was open”. Everyone passed that portion and we were led outside to a waiting room.

Walking The Course

We are told we can walk the course from 12:00 to 12:50. The testing starts at 13:00. Getting the onigiri for lunch proved to be a good move. I was able to eat a quick onigiri and start walking the course at 12:00. If I hadn’t gotten the onigiri beforehand, I would have had to go get lunch. That would have taken away precious time to walk the course. In total I was able to walk the whole course twice. I made sure to hold my arms out and pretend like I was actually holding the steering wheel. I did pretend signals and looked over my shoulder when making turns. Close attention was made to insure followed the guides step by step instructions. I finished up with a couple of minutes to spare and took a short break inside the waiting room.

Japanese Driver’s License Driving Test

There were 8 of us to take the driving portion of the test. We were split up into groups of 2 and taken to the cars used for the test. They looked like the typical Japanese taxi. To start, I was in the backseat and the other applicant took the test first. We got off to a rocky start, everything that was mentioned in guidebook, this applicant did the exact opposite. We got through about 2/3 of the course when the instructor told us to go back early.

I switched out and took over at the wheel. I started out without any issues. In the first turn we had to go under 10 km/hr. I would explain it as an uncomfortably slow speed. Slow to the point where I could get out and speed walk faster than we were driving. The rest of the course was pretty standard. Having practiced driving before and having walked the course a couple of times, I felt comfortable. For the crank turns and S-turns, I just took it slow and made wide turns. We finished up and the instructor said that I did a very good job. He motioned to his co-worker that I had passed, and he rushed over to come get me.

Post Driving Test Procedure

I was led back inside and asked to get another ¥2,050 worth of stamps. Next, I purchased the stamps and headed back to window 14. I was told it would take about an hour to process all the paperwork and get the license card ready. I went back to the waiting area.

A short while later I was taken upstairs to get my photo taken for the driver’s license. Afterwards, I headed back downstairs and waited for a while.

Some time later they came back with my new driver’s license, passport, and residents card.

The whole process spanned from 8:45 to 14:30. To my knowledge I was the only foreigner to pass the driving test that day.

I hope my experience can help anyone who plans on getting a Japanese driver’s license in Ibaraki Prefecture.

Next step is Buying a Used Car.

More to Come…