Wheel Get There Eventually

Posted on 11/01/2022 Last updated on 11/01/2022

Top photo: Demixさん on PhotoAC

The old saying of “wheel get there when we get there” is a funny one, but also apt for living abroad. And before you say anything, yes, I do know I used wheel and not we’ll. This is because this article is all about wheels and more specifically the route to mobility that many of us will have to go through.

When I first came here, I decided to walk everywhere and to use public transport when it was further out. This lasted about a year till I realized there was no trophy for walking 2.5 km each way every day just to get to work. All you got from it was sore feet and tired bones.

So the next option is one I recommend for every person who comes to Japan to work. This was to get myself a basic bicycle with a front and rear basket. This made food runs so much easier and cut my commute by a lot. Sure I wore through 2 sets of tires and blew out an inner tube the one time, but it was still worth it.

That all changed when I moved to a rural town and away from the very flat area of my previous city. This actually brought along aching knees and stiff backs, as now I had to regularly pedal my 1 speed bicycle up steep hills. So I decided to take the final step, one that I’ve been putting off because of the hoops involved.

As some of you might have guessed, this was to get a moped license. I went for the moped license purely because they are the easiest to get unless you are from one of the chosen countries that can just do a straight conversion. While I still plan to get my full license converted at a later time, this would involve many visits to a driving license center more than an hour away from my town.

As I mentioned there are many hoops that you’ll have to jump through to get even the moped license and so ill go through the steps that I had to for your entertainment. First I had to get my license translated and while it was easy to do, it still took a lot of time and a bit of money. Next I had to get photos taken and the first set was actually the right size and composition, except that it had the wrong background, so I had to go get another set.

Next I had to go to the town hall to get proof that I was registered in the prefecture (and no your residence card does not count for some reason). Finally with all this in hand I just needed to grab my residence car, drivers license, and all the passports that I had with me, and I could head to the driving license center. Only I couldn’t, and here is my first tip; go to the prefectural driving license center’s website and check their requirements, times they are open, when they process license conversions, procedures for the specific center, and anything else that they may have hidden there.

I can’t stress this step enough; in one area they may do the conversions every weekday, on others just certain days. They could take everyone that comes, or they only take a small number. They may have two sessions in a day, or they may split the process over two day. They may take walk-ins or they may require appointments.

My next tip is as follows; take someone with to interpret for you if you are not fluent in Japanese. Even if you are able to get through the process, they often have questions and sometimes they will refuse to proceed if you want to use a translation app or device.

The process itself is rather simple but time consuming, you submit the documents, they inspect them, ask you couple of questions, and then if that clears they administer the needed tests. The only thing is that it can take the whole day or the better part of two separate days to get it done.

But once all this is done, you are given your brand new license, and wit that a whole different side of Japan opens up to you. Now you are set to travel to the parts of Japan that aren’t easily accessible by bicycle or public transport.

Being mobile is as good for the soul as it is for the body, and Japan has amazing areas to visit. Sure a car or motorcycle would be better, but their parking also costs a lot. So for a budget conscious person, this is the better option.

That is why I recommend not following my example, don’t wait three years to get the moped license, try to get it as soon as possible. Sure an international driver’s license is good for the first year, but getting the local one before it expires will aid you in the long run.

Photo Credits:

Top photo: Demixさん on PhotoAC