Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 my mate just changed his UK licence over to a Japanese one, he forged a few letters from his University to "prove" that he had been in the UK for the last 3 months.....they swallowed it as well and issued him the licence Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Actually, it doesn't have to be for the 'last 3 months' just that you have three months driving experience in your home country and that you have a valid license. When I wanted to change my license from a Canadian one to a Japanese one my Canadian license had actually expired... so, the next time I was home I renewed my license in Canada (was only there about 10 days) and got a drivers abstract saying when I got my first license and that worked fine. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 BM's got it right, it's 90 days driving in the jurisdiction of your license (although for us yanks, anywhere in the u.s. works, doesn't have to be your licensed state). Link to post Share on other sites
Error404 0 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Originally Posted By: sunrise no infringements so it should be straightforward. I've never been able to figure out the speeding thing. So they do have speed cameras here. And 'stealth' too! Driving on the shutoko no-one is going 60, but I've never seen a cop chasing anyone.... I have seen a fair few police with radar guns. And on the expressways there's a fair few undercover cops doing their thing. Always good to have people going faster than you. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Originally Posted By: Error404 Always good to have people going faster than you. Yeah I love them! I'll let them get 500m to 1km ahead of me and sit on the same speed they are. If you notice them suddenly brake you have plenty of time to react and not get caught yourself. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Unless, of course, they're being waved in by the cop with the big flag, a kilometer down the road from the one hiding in the weeds with the radar gun Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 LOL, not far from where I live there is a section of highway that often have police doing just that... one guy with a radar gun up the hill a bit and a bunch of cops 1 or 2 kms down the road waving people over... followed by a bunch of cops on motorcycles. Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 Never seen that sort of thing up here in Hokkaido. Doubt they have the manpower! Link to post Share on other sites
muikabochi 208 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Seen that here in Muikamachi. Dude with radar gun in a place you only see when you've almost gone past, then someone stopping people a bit further down the road..... Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 I've no longer got 130,000 yen that swears it happens! Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Originally Posted By: Slippery Jim I've no longer got 130,000 yen that swears it happens! Does that mean you have been caught? Link to post Share on other sites
big-will 7 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 130K!? What exactly for Jim? Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 I found the location of a big cop shop about 10 min drive away, so that's where I'll wind up going - though I haven't received any renewal mail yet and it's due on the 23rd... Might have to call them up if I don't get anything soon. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 You should have definitely gotten something by now... it's a postcard rather than a letter. I lost mine when I went but it wasn't a problem at all. Just show them your current almost expired license and they'll work it out easily enough! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Nailed twice (well, actually a few more times but these were the two biggies), one for 50,000 and once for 80,000 (lost license for two months and had to go to bad-boy classes twice that second time). That was a long while back, though. I've calmed down quite a bit since. Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted October 8, 2010 Author Share Posted October 8, 2010 Thanks Black Mountain, I'll do that. Yowch SJ, those fines are nasty! Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Indeed they were! Probably worse now. Glad to have slowed down a bit. Link to post Share on other sites
bobby12 0 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Where does the money go from speeding tickets? It must cost a lot to pay 8 cops to catch speeders, but I guess it is very cost effective because they can catch people pretty much without pause. At least 90% of people go more then 10% over the speed limit on the highway. Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Both times I was nailed there were at least 10 others stopped. Police use expressway parking areas as corrals and nab dozens of cars. Almost every year during the seasonal ``driving safety campaigns'' some high police official gets caught either speeding or driving under the influence, and I must admit to always feeling somewhat avenged. Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Share Posted October 23, 2010 Update - turns out that as a first time renewer I had to go to a license office and sit thru a 2 hour lecture including a 20 min (or so) video. I sneakily wore my stealth in-ear phones connected to hidden iTouch which made it more bearable, though there were points where I felt like I wasn't going to be able to stay awake! Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 is the lecture in english or Japanese?? Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted October 23, 2010 Share Posted October 23, 2010 Japanese... but don't worry, most of the Japanese people are sleeping through the lecture as well! It doesn't seem to matter what language it's in!! Link to post Share on other sites
SKI 15 Posted October 24, 2010 Share Posted October 24, 2010 When I went I think I was the one paying the most attention. It was all quite funny actually apart from having to spend so much time on it. Link to post Share on other sites
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