HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Curious and wondering if those who have been there, done that before can advise of the pitfalls and possibilities. If someone was coming on a working holiday visa could they purchase a car in Japan? If so, licence requirements? Is it just an international licence? Other things I should know? Link to post Share on other sites
gozaimaas 61 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 I had a thread on this in around feb or march if you want to have a search for it. The general vibe of the thread was its not worth your time or $ but if you have a parking spot available to you which you probably will that makes it a whole lot easier. Link to post Share on other sites
gozaimaas 61 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 international license is all that is required and it is available through your local motor association eg.NRMA and is valid for 1 year. It cost me $44 Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Thanks Goz! I thought I would be reasonably simple because a mate did it a few years back. I just wasn't sure if the car was bought in a residents name or not (he had a mate living there who looked after the car when he wasn't around). Probably won't bother, but good to know. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 You'll need your inkan shomeisho and chushajo mitorizu..,,,, after that I can't remember as it's been a while and we just have a guy do it for us. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 From when we looked into buying a car: A) driver's license proof of parking C) regular visa (not tourist) D) proof of driving at least 1 year after getting license in the issuing country. There may have been something else, like loan guarantor or something. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Mmmm.. So maybe not so simple. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 It's Japan. Very few things are that involve bureaucracy. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 No...not so easy, if at all even possible on a tourist Visa as MIJ mentioned. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 I'll ask my mates wife tomorrow how he did it. May have been a handshake deal with his resident friend. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 how can you prove you've been driving for at least a year in your home country? To change licences over, I thought it was a minimum of 3 months driving in your home country Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 how can you prove you've been driving for at least a year in your home country? To change licences over, I thought it was a minimum of 3 months driving in your home country Don't they have the date you acquired your licence on it?Havent looked at mine recently. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 yeah.....but that doesn't prove that you were in your country and driving around for that year. Link to post Share on other sites
HelperElfMissy 42 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 True. That'd be hard to prove. 2nd bearcub had to log x number of hours over 6 months to get his licence - 3 of those months he was in Japan not driving, practically had to re-teach him everything when he got back. Link to post Share on other sites
Alexander L 80 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 like stereo full blast, windows down, elbow out, ciggie in mouth. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 They look at your driver's license and compare it against your passports to prove it. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 so really only means length of time from passing to entering Japan.......not actually driving Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 MB who'd you buy your place through? If it's one of the major real estate companies in town they'll be able to assist you with everything you need. They've will have done it plenty of times for other owners. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 so really only means length of time from passing to entering Japan.......not actually driving Not even Japan. Ok, um let me rephrase it. You have to show you have completed one FULL year of driving in your home country after obtaining your license. The onus is on you to prove it - so no passport, no license. Link to post Share on other sites
Tubby Beaver 209 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Yeah but what I'm saying is that it's only the length of time.......there's no way for them to check if you've actually been driving. So you could pass your test then not drive for another year, come to Japan and show them your passport and licence and get a Japanese one.......right? Link to post Share on other sites
Go Native 70 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 That's right tubby. No one really care that much about it though. It's just a formality, just a thing they have to tick off on the paperwork. Link to post Share on other sites
RobBright 35 Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Yeah but what I'm saying is that it's only the length of time.......there's no way for them to check if you've actually been driving. So you could pass your test then not drive for another year, come to Japan and show them your passport and licence and get a Japanese one.......right? Yep, thats right. And if you're British, and some other countries, you don't even need to take a test. Link to post Share on other sites
Thundercat 60 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 To get my drivers license I only had to prove that I had a valid license issued in my home country three months before arriving in Japan. However, I had an expired license and a certified translated drivers abstract showing when I was first issued my license and that worked fine. Also, no test, only had to watch a video, answer some really strange questions, and wait around for them to process my photo... Link to post Share on other sites
Slippery Jim 65 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Of course, Tubs. In fact I know more than one person in Japan with perfect ``driving records'' and GOLD licenses -- because they haven't actually driven a car in 30 years! This would be a fairly unusual species, however, of individuals living in an environment (such as Tokyo) where public transportation is so readily available and reliable that there's really no need to own a car and fairly strong incentives (cost, especially) NOT to. Link to post Share on other sites
Chriselle 158 Posted December 12, 2012 Share Posted December 12, 2012 Exactly the same situation for me as Black Mountain. I did take pleasure in watching my American friends take the driving test, fail and take it again while all I had to do was the 5 minute interview and watch the same video as BM. Link to post Share on other sites
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