Driving licence importance

[nicklar]

In my town when the question of a car came up they indicated they didn't want me drive. They also didn't want me to ride my bike in winter nor to my visit schools which lay along a winding coastal road. I guess they were just very risk averse. I didn't mind catching trains or buses and the grocery store was within walking distance (even in winter). So I got by fine. As far as I know my successors haven't been able to have cars either. So bottom line is that I wouldn't sweat it too much. It's just another number in a big long roll of the dice.

[word]

Jeeze, people. Get your drivers' licenses. Just do it. You're adults, ffs. JET aside, god knows you might need it someday.

Having a driver's license means that more boards of education could possibly hire you. If you have to visit multiple schools a week all over a prefecture, that could involve a lot of travel time, and there may not be adequate public transportation that could take you to each in a timely manner.

Have you ever heard of someone saying things like they are 50 miles away from the closest Walmart or 10 miles from the grocery store? That very well could be your situation out in the inaka ( 田舎 or Rural area). If you don't drive, you can't get to work, you can't get groceries, etc. As such, driving is quite an important skill to have. Even if you are in a larger area with better public transportation options, a car can still make your life a ton easier, imagine trying to haul a load of stuff from a Costco or Ikea trip back to your apartment or house via train or bus.

WORD.

Nice to see someone on here talking some sense...

I'm going to go for it and try to get one just in case. Always good to have anyway.

word

In the inaka you can still try to get a bike, so the only difference I see is in the distance they can have you travel. Up to 10km commute on a bike isn't that much of challenge... unless of course it's in the middle of summer, then I imagine it will suck.

lol

Wait, what I meant was... LOL!

Yeah, it's not that much of a challenge unless it's in the middle of the summer... or in the middle of the winter... or if it's raining... or if it's snowing... or if there are any mountains or hills in the area... or if there are narrow, winding roads overrun with giant construction trucks and half-blind 121-year-old farmers driving kei trucks.

In other words, if you're in Japan, a long bike commute is gonna suck so hard for the vast majority of the time.

I believe I read somewhere on this forum from miami_coordinator that the driving question comes into consideration for alternates. They might skip over someone who says they're unwilling to drive if they have a placement opening that requires driving? Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about this at all hurting your chances.

Nobody can say definitively that it won't hurt your chances. If you're a JET screener, and you have two otherwise relatively identical candidates, but one can drive, and the other cannot...

therefore I'd have to ask for a placement change or ultimately drop out of the programme.

You take the placement you're offered, or you don't go. I've never heard of exceptions to this, but if there are then it's for sure not because the applicant can't afford a car.

word

I can speak from experience that my placement REQUIRES a car. Sure, I could get to work and back without one -- I'm only 3 km from my further away school. But the nearest grocery store is 45 km away and on the other side of two large mountains. There is a bus that runs on weekends twice a day in each direction, so I suppose technically it would be possible to make do without a car... but it is highly unlikely. Especially considering that I have monthly meetings in which I have an hour between when my classes end and when the meeting starts -- couldn't make that 45 km trip in that time on a bike and the bus doesn't run then.

Not to stress anyone out. I think what it boils down to is that marking on your application that you are able and willing to drive gives them a better idea of if you will be able to work well in a placement like mine. Super rural placements usually require driving. More urban placements don't as much. Also, biking 10 km in the middle of summer would suck... but so would biking 10 km in the middle of winter with a meter of snow all around you and ice under your tires. It's doable, but there are some inaka placements where it is simply practical to get a car.

For those thinking about getting a license -- if you've never driven a car before, don't rush out to get a license now. If you have a learner's permit (like I think the OP does?) then it might be worth getting a full license. Just not if you overreach that 3 month mark.... if you come to Japan with a license that has less than 3 months on it, you will be able to use your international drivers permit just fine for the first year, and then when you take the Japanese drivers test... you'll have to pay close to US$2000 for driving classes as well as the test, whereas if you have those three months before you come, you only have to pay for the test (something like US$30-60). It makes a big difference. Past that though, I don't think it really makes a big difference.

The driving lessons are in Japanese, and they can cost far more than US$2000; I'd say that's a pretty low estimate. The driving lessons also take a fair amount of time. It is a huge difference. If it is possible for you to get your drivers' license within the next month or two, you should do it now.

As Jax said, there's no such thing as asking for a different placement. It doesn't happen. As for buying a car and paying for fuel -- the JET salary is more than enough to do both of those things. And buying a used car in Japan is far cheaper than it is anywhere else I've heard of. For example, I paid the equivalent of US$2000 for my car. It's in perfect running order and had a year and a half left on it's shaken (a bi-yearly check up for your car that can be rather expensive, but as long as you plan for it properly it's not a problem). As for the cost of fuel, first year JETs next year will be paid roughly $2500 a month. That is more than enough to buy a tank of gas every two weeks... or even every week. Yes, the cost of the car up front is difficult, but a lot of predecessors are willing to work out a payment scheme for their cars, and if you buy from a dealership, they also will usually work out a way you can pay in installment payments up to 6 months. It's certainly doable. The fuel expenses are considered part of your responsibilities as you are considered a professional adult -- all of your coworkers pay for their gas, so you should pay for yours as well, I promise the salary is more than enough to cover it.
That said, there are a few BoEs that will provide the ALT a car -- however, if that is the case, it may not be available for the ALT to use whenever he/she likes. So you might not be permitted to use it for grocery shopping but only to get to and from school. To me, my own vehicle seems more useful at that point than using a borrowed car.

(my emphasis) word

Well it is true that stating you have a license increases the chances of a rural placement which requires a car it does not guarantee it.

Source?

[Namisuke]

I was put in a rural placement where I didn't NEED a car, but I was limited without one. Even if you can get to work by foot, bike, or train, there will be many places you will want to go where those things can't take you. It also sucks to not have a car if you need to transport large items such as kerosene canisters. The inaka is a great place to start to learn how to drive in Japan as the population is generally smaller and there are fewer people on the road. Not everyone will need a car - people in the city of Akita don't usually get cars as they don't need them from day-to-day, but because most placements are rural or semi-rural, the chance of needing one will be greater. Get the international driving license just in case.

[AVN]

This also depends on what you consider rural and what is too rural for you. It also depends on your needs. You can survive in any tiny town without a car, there are many little old men and ladies who do just that. But it will limit what you can buy and how much you pay.

[SeaJay]

Okay the majority of everyone is to not freak out about this but now I'm slightly worried...and wondering why I was idiotic and said I didn't have a driver's license on the application, when I definitely do. What the hell was my thought process behind that?! Geez...

Do y'all think it would be possible if I get an interview to mention that I actually do have one?

[word]

Okay the majority of everyone is to not freak out about this but now I'm slightly worried...and wondering why I was idiotic and said I didn't have a driver's license on the application, when I definitely do. What the hell was my thought process behind that?! Geez...

Do y'all think it would be possible if I get an interview to mention that I actually do have one?

If they ask, let them know that you do, in fact, have a drivers' license and that you wouldn't mind driving, if necessary. If they ask why you didn't mention it on your app, just tell them that you got it recently.

If they don't ask, I wouldn't worry about it one way or the other, because if you try to bring it up, it will probably just be awkward.

"Oh, um, by the way, I know I said on my app that I didn't have a drivers' license, but I actually do!"



Props for having your drivers' license. Once you get here, you'll probably be glad you have it...

[melvincent]

It won't hurt to tell them that you actually do have a licence, however they will probably wonder why you said no in the first place. So make sure you give some sort of reason when you tell them. But like word said, if you bring it up and don't have a good reason as to why you said no it could lead to some awkwardness. I guess see how you feel in the interview and if you think it is necessary to bring it up.

[Jenita]

Just out of curiosity, do cars in Japan have manual or automatic gearboxes? I'm British, so happily I won't have to deal with driving on the other side of the road, but I'm wondering whether I'll be going around clawing at an invisible gearbox if I can only get an automatic.

[AVN]

Just out of curiosity, do cars in Japan have manual or automatic gearboxes? I'm British, so happily I won't have to deal with driving on the other side of the road, but I'm wondering whether I'll be going around clawing at an invisible gearbox if I can only get an automatic.

Most cars are automatic here but it is still possible to buy manuals. Though with a JET salary and lifestyle you'll probably not have tons of choice on the cars you buy unless you want to spend a great deal of time hunting.

[nicklar]

A lot of cars I've seen around my old part of Japan were manual due to the need for winter driving. However in Tokyo and elsewhere most seemed to be auto. So might depend on your placement.

[darlo]

Just out of curiosity, do cars in Japan have manual or automatic gearboxes? I'm British, so happily I won't have to deal with driving on the other side of the road, but I'm wondering whether I'll be going around clawing at an invisible gearbox if I can only get an automatic.

Most are auto, though (depending on where you are) manuals are obtainable. Thankfully I had the chance to use an automatic for a couple of weeks before I came over (even now I still feel for the phantom clutch ... thats what 10 years of driving manuals does, lol). The other bonus being a Brit is that it's easier for us to convert our licences to Japanese ones ... but there are plenty of threads on that already.

[purifythecolors]

Oh dear, I should have stayed out of this thread. I don't have a licence and given Ontario's three part process, I wouldn't be able to scramble and get one by the summer.

[word]

Far fewer than ten percent of Japanese cars sold have manual transmissions (percentages are similar to the US and Europe). They can be found, but odds are your pred will be attempting to sell you an automatic transmission vehicle, if, in fact, they own and are attempting to sell you a vehicle.

Most people in and near Tokyo do not actually own or drive cars (if one lives anywhere near Tokyo or any other major metropolitan area in Japan, one generally doesn't need a car, and owning one is a rather expensive luxury). Most of the MT vehicles sold in Japan are either performance cars or kei trucks (which are generally manufactured as cheaply as possible and do not possess any "luxury" add-ons (power windows, air conditioning, and automatic transmissions, among other things)). "Winter driving" has little bearing on the number of MT vehicles sold; obtaining a MT license in Japan is more difficult than obtaining an AT license, therefor, most people do not operate MT vehicles (additionally, virtually every AT vehicle sold can be operated at lower gears, and many AT vehicles possess electronically controlled four-wheel drive mechanisms--features designed to duplicate or surpass "winter driving" advantages offered by MT vehicles).

I live as far out in the inaka as is possible, and the vast (vast) majority of folks out here still drive automatic transmission vehicles (unless they're driving the aforementioned minimalist kei trucks).

[saidthemouse]

Get your driver's license now, while you can, and in plenty of time before you may be leaving for Japan. It'll at least allow you to get your IDP. If you're from pretty much anywhere besides the US, Brazil or China it will also allow you to easily get a Japanese license either when you get here or when your IDP expires, as long as you had it in your home country for 3 months. If you're from the States, you can at least have the IDP for a year before having to go through the fun, fun times of getting a Japanese license.

All of that being said, some schools will not allow you to drive. My husband's school doesn't allow ALTs to drive to work. We live 5 minutes by bike from his base school, but two days a week he's at other schools in the area, sometimes up to an hour away by bike, train and bus. I, on the other hand, didn't get my IDP before leaving. Might as well wait until his expires in a year, so one of us has a license...right? Nope. Not long after arriving, I got a job at an eikawa, and HAD to be able to drive. Much frantic mailing of paperwork and calls to family at home followed. I got my permit relatively quickly, but the first few weeks working without it were pretty unpleasant.

So yes, ESID, but you may not have much say in the matter. If a school's last ALT needed a car, they're going to request someone with a license.

tl;dr - Get your license now, and get your IDP before leaving for Japan.

[danicoro]

Having a licence is one thing, but I live in Canada, in a province that requires "new" drivers to have a learner's permit for one year, a "conditional" licence for two, and THEN after that three year "probation", we're afforded a real driver's licence. Can I get an IDP with only a learner's permit? If not, I can't see the justification in getting one before I leave, since I'll end up having to redo it anyway once I get back...