Saturday, June 23, 2012

Getting a Japanese Driver's License - part 1 of (?)

Obtaining a driver's license in Japan is neither easy nor convenient.  In my prefecture there is only one place to go to apply for a license, the city of Sendai (2 hours away by car or 2.5 hours away by bus).  I remember complaining that the DMV was too far away in Massachusetts, and it was only 30 minutes away...  Of course, the Sendai equivalent of the DMV (the Miyagi Prefecture Driver's License Test Center) is only open on weekdays during working hours so I'll have to take at least two days off to go there if I'm extremely lucky.

Why two days?  Well:

1.  The first day you go you aren't allowed to take any sort of assessment, you are there to fill out the paperwork and sign up for your practical test.  If you ask me, having this as an online form (or even as a form that could be sent in by mail) would make more sense.

2.  The second time you go you take a 10 question, multiple-choice "rules of the road" quiz (luckily offered in English), have an eye exam, and have a go at the driving test.

3.  Once you fail the practical test, you re-signup to take it again.

4.  Repeat steps 2-3 as necessary until you pass (the only difference is that you don't have to take the multiple-choice quiz again).

Now you know why this post is "part 1 of (?)."  Of all the JETs I know, I have heard of only two who passed on their first try (one of whom was my roommate who passed last week).  Most JETs take the test three or four times before passing.

It's times like these that I wish I were Canadian.  Natalie (one of the JETs from Kesennuma) didn't have to take the practical exam at all since Japan and Canada have an agreement where it's much easier for Japanese people to get Canadian licenses and vice versa.  So, Natalie still had to go to Sendai to fill out the paperwork (about 3 hours away from Kesennuma), and she had to take the eye exam,  but after that she was done.  Please, America, arrange a similar agreement with Japan!  Or even just Massachusetts and Japan!

Anyway, the only license requirement I've fulfilled so far is that I got an official translation of my US license from the JAF (Japan Automobile Federation - they are similar to America's AAA).  I decided to spend the additional 380 yen and send it in the mail instead of going to them in person (spending 3,380 yen in total ~$42).  I probably saved a lot of time doing it that way since their Sendai office is a long walk away from the nearest bus stop.  What I received in return was a sheet of paper translating the key components of my license like name, state, date of birth, and the type of vehicles I'm allowed to drive.  Aren't most of those pretty obvious just from looking at the license though?  They basically just "translated" words from English to katakana; Massachusetts became マサチューセッツ (Masachuusettsu), and America became アメリカ (Amerika).

Now that I think of it, I guess I have fulfilled one other requirement- getting a license-sized photograph taken.  This is actually much easier to obtain than a similar photo in the US.  I simply went to an automated photo-booth that can take license or passport-sized photos.  The photo-booth was even located within Minamisanriku, not far away from Hashi middle school.  It was very convenient.  My picture came out pretty well but it doesn't matter because, paradoxically, it won't be used as a license photo.  The photo will simply be used for identification purposes and will be attached to the forms I fill out in Sendai.  When I finally pass the practical exam they will take their own photo of me which will appear on my license.  Well, there goes another 700 yen... I did get nine photos out of it though, maybe I'll get to keep the ones that aren't used...

I'm beginning to seriously worry about the driving test since whether you pass or fail seems so random and it has the potential to waste so much of my time.  Even though it is called a "practical" driving test, I have heard others say that it doesn't measure your practical driving ability, just your ability to follow testing procedures.  The test occurs on a closed course and you must use one of their vehicles (all retired taxis which are much larger than my k-car).  The course contains some difficult situations that hardly ever appear in real life, the most difficult of which is probably the "crank."  The crank consists of two 90 degree turns on a narrow stretch of road and also has high curbs and hanging poles that simulate walls.  Bumping a curve is allowed up to three times, though if you go all the way over one or if you tap one of the poles then you automatically fail. 

Like I said, I still haven't taken the test yet but I am strongly considering taking a couple of hour-long lessons at a nearby driving school just to mentally prepare myself for it.  If you want to know more about the procedures, then have a look at this hilarious forum post from a JET in Tokyo.

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