Comments on: How to get a Japanese driver’s license http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-get-japanese-drivers-license.html reinventing web 3.0 Thu, 17 May 2012 10:46:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Desire Nini http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-get-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-932 Desire Nini Wed, 19 Oct 2011 07:27:31 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2007/10/how-to-get-a-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-932 lol found your website when searching for different floor tiles, dont know how that happened! lol found your website when searching for different floor tiles, dont know how that happened!

]]> By: Karl Henrik Falck http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-get-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-664 Karl Henrik Falck Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:54:54 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2007/10/how-to-get-a-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-664 Thanks for the info, anonymous!<br /><br />Do JAF translate from any language? I find it hard to believe they have that many translators there... or is it just English and possible other major languages?<br /><br />Thanks for the update on the ARC and certificate thing. That sure wasn't needed when I did it, but the policies regarding us unwanted foreigners is getting tougher. I had to show my ARC to get my driver's license renewed the other day to prove my status of residence... so I guess you can't keep your Japanese driver's license if you happen to live outside the country during the interval when you're supposed to renew. Seems very unfair, but I guess there's no point expecting anything else. Thanks for the info, anonymous!

Do JAF translate from any language? I find it hard to believe they have that many translators there… or is it just English and possible other major languages?

Thanks for the update on the ARC and certificate thing. That sure wasn't needed when I did it, but the policies regarding us unwanted foreigners is getting tougher. I had to show my ARC to get my driver's license renewed the other day to prove my status of residence… so I guess you can't keep your Japanese driver's license if you happen to live outside the country during the interval when you're supposed to renew. Seems very unfair, but I guess there's no point expecting anything else.

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-get-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-663 Anonymous Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:42:55 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2007/10/how-to-get-a-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-663 I tried to do this today in Saitama (Konosu), and I'd like to add the following to this post:<br /><br />* If you can't be bothered trying to find out when and where your embassy might translate your home country's driver's license, or if you don't want to wait for the embassy's translation day, JAF (the Tokyo office is in Hamamatsucho) will do this for you for 3000 yen. It takes around 30 minutes.<br /><br />* You'll also need your Alien Registration Card at the driver's license office. But that's obvious, since if you're in Japan without it and you're a foreigner, you have a much bigger problem than not having a driver's license. Or you will if the police catch you, at least.<br /><br />* Not so obvious: you'll also need to bring a Certificate of Alien Resident Registration (gaikokujin touroku genpyou) from the Alien Registration counter at the ward or city office in which you live. This cost me 200 yen from my city, and it took them about 5 minutes to make it, but not knowing in advance I needed it wasted a day. Be warned, too: the driver's license office are going to keep this. You don't get it back.<br /><br />* The cost was only 2,400 yen. I tried to do this today in Saitama (Konosu), and I'd like to add the following to this post:

* If you can't be bothered trying to find out when and where your embassy might translate your home country's driver's license, or if you don't want to wait for the embassy's translation day, JAF (the Tokyo office is in Hamamatsucho) will do this for you for 3000 yen. It takes around 30 minutes.

* You'll also need your Alien Registration Card at the driver's license office. But that's obvious, since if you're in Japan without it and you're a foreigner, you have a much bigger problem than not having a driver's license. Or you will if the police catch you, at least.

* Not so obvious: you'll also need to bring a Certificate of Alien Resident Registration (gaikokujin touroku genpyou) from the Alien Registration counter at the ward or city office in which you live. This cost me 200 yen from my city, and it took them about 5 minutes to make it, but not knowing in advance I needed it wasted a day. Be warned, too: the driver's license office are going to keep this. You don't get it back.

* The cost was only 2,400 yen.

]]> By: Anonymous http://henrikfalck.com/blog/2007/10/how-to-get-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-592 Anonymous Wed, 17 Dec 2008 03:33:00 +0000 http://henrikfalck.com/blog2/2007/10/how-to-get-a-japanese-drivers-license.html#comment-592 I am a U.S. citizen with a Korean driver license and was able to swap it for a Japanese one... it only took me 40 minutes start to finish. Well, I did make an appointment and did the exchange in a smaller city. I am a U.S. citizen with a Korean driver license and was able to swap it for a Japanese one… it only took me 40 minutes start to finish. Well, I did make an appointment and did the exchange in a smaller city.

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