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You must not assume that laws and customs regarding driving a car are the same as that in your country. You should study the Japanese law before you start driving in Japan.
tama Below are some useful hints:
(1)
Drive on your left side of the road is obvious, but your body may respond differently when you are not conscious about it (if you used to drive on the right side of the road). So, go slow and be alert.
(2)
No turn on red traffic light unless clearly indicated by a green arrow to do so.
(3)
While law does not require full stopping when school bus is stopped for picking up/dropping off school children, common sense should be applied for.
(4)
Tolls on toll roads are very expensive so that you should not assume that driving would be the less expensive way to do your sightseeing trip in Japan. Parking cost is also outrageous. You may save your precious time by using a train for a long distance traveling, unless you want to experience terrible traffic congestion as part of your tour in Japan. In fact, packed train ride at peak hours can be a memorable experience for once.
This is a Japanese equivalent to the AAA (American Automobile Association). To become a member of the JAF, you pay 2,000 yen. Annual fee is 4,000yen. In case of an accident or a car trouble, they will provide services 24 hours a day at almost no cost for most services. If you plan to stay in Japan for relatively long period and own a car, becoming a member of the JAF might be a wise choice partially because they will be able to understand you in English on emergency calls and also towing service on a tollway is quite expensive in Japan.
tama Automobile insurance
This is a must if you own a car. The amount of money you will have to pay to compensate for what you might have caused in a traffic accident can be more than anyone can afford even if you were a millionaire. Below is a brief introduction to an auto-insurance system in Japan.
When you register an ownership of a car, it is mandatary to have an insurance coverage called 'Jidosha songai baishow sekinin hoken', or in short 'ji-buy-se-ki' meaning a mandatory insurance coverage. Without this coverage, you can not regiater your car ownership. This is the minimum coverage and is totally insufficient for most serious accidents.
It covers : (a) INJURY of other party : up to 1,200,000yen. (b) AFTER MEDICAL EFFECT of accident that occured after the accident : up to 40,000,000yen. (c) DEATH : up to 30,000,000yen with additional coverage for medical cost of 1,200,000yen.
This is NOT sufficent for most cases in Japan. The insurance premium for this depends on the type/size of the car. For a typical car for home use, see the following example. When you buy a car NEW, it will cost you 43,390yen for the first three years. After that period, 30,830yen per two years.When you buy an used car, the car should be under coverage of this insurance if the car has remaining period of 'sha-ken' which is the Japan Automobile Safety Certificate. If this certificate is not with the used car, you have to get the Japan Automobile Safety Certificate before you can register the ownership of the car.
Since this is not usually sufficient, you MUST get an independent insurance coverage to make sure that you can cover the expences to work out serious injuries on the other parties involved. Remember that 'Ji-buy-seki' insurance does NOT cover the driver neither his/her automobile. Shop around the insurance policy that suits you.
When you sell the automobile to other person, your 'ji-buy-se-ki' payment will be retured to you for the remaining period if any.
tama Buying a car
(1)
If you plan to drive through Tokyo and its vicinity, I would suggest a car with an automatic transmission. Traffic jam can be so bad, you will appreciate the automatic transmi-ssion, unless you want to exercise your left leg desperately.
(2)
Be aware of narrow Japanese roads. I would not recommend you to buy a big car like old American full size since you will experience all sorts of difficulties through narrow roads, parking space, etc. Stay significantly below, say, 200cm wide and 155cm tall car if you want to park your car without running around to find a parking that will accomodate your car.
(3)
Get the one with driver's seat on the right side like any Japanese cars in Japan. Remember that toll booths and parking meters will be on the right side of a car in Japan.
(4)
Do not assume that driving a used car is cheaper than driving a new car. There are cases that this might not apply. Due to the regulation that you should regularly (every one or two years for most cases) get safety inspection to have the "Motor vehicle inspection certificate" ( called ' sha-ken-show ' ) of your car validated. Cost for this can be rather high and, at some point, you would rather get rid of your old car and get a newer one.
(5) Buying a car requires quite a bit of paperwork.
(a)
'
Sha-ko-show-may' certificate:
You have to get a certificate that you do have a parking space for the car from a local police station. This involves an affidavit from the owner of the parking space (unless you own the space), map to find the parking space so that a police officer can go and check if you do have the parking space. It will take approximately a week to get the certificate.
(b)
Paperwork at the local land transport office, 'rick-uhn-kyock', for the transaction of the ownership. When you buy a car, either used or new, from an automobile dealer, they would do almost all the paperwork for you. However, if you would like to do all the paperwork yourself, which you have to do yourself in any case if you buy a car through a private deal, expect that you would be spending a lot of time running around to get all sorts of certificates, including a certificate of your residency, affidavit of your signature to be the real one from an embassy of your country. The latter can be substituted by your 'han-ko' (a personal stamp) certified by the local authority. You must get the 'han-ko' made for you since a mass produced 'han-ko, can not be used for it.
Do not expect that the office people for all these deal can understand you unless you speak Japanese well ( which may not be even sufficient).
Driver's license: 'untenmenkyo shou' related
Plaese visit the Tsukuba City Web page.
http://tsukubainfo.jp/Main/Driving
Changing to a Japanese driver's license (Ibaraki Menkyosho Center) (pdf)
Traffic Law explaind for drivers
Please visit the Ibaraki Prefectural Police Wep page.:
http://www.pref.ibaraki.jp/kenkei/02_koutsu/01_jikobousi/hourei/index.html
and PDF of Metropolitan Police Department
http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/foreign/traffic/traffic_safety.pdf
Car Rental
Try for example;
Okada Jidosha, Tel: 029-867-3202 / 4925 Oda, Tsukuba
Car over 1000cc 3,500yen/day, plus insurance cost 5,000yen (1 day - 31 days)
Car over 1000cc from 65,000yen to 70,000yen/month
* The charge includes Insurance cost
Car 660cc or under 60,000yen/month
* The charge includes Insurance
Word List
ohskapost.kek.jp 029-864-5123 (#5123)
updated on May 14, 2009 h.shiba