What a License Is
Note: This article is part of a series about getting a license. See the rest here.
A car isn’t just an engine, some doors, and a windshield; that’s what a car needs. Not what a car is. What a car really is, is freedom, as a wise pirate once pointed out. In our lives and time, it’s the freedom to calculate the cost of gas and tolls against the fares levied by public transportation, the freedom to get lost in the winding nonsensical backroads; it’s the freedom to go where and when we choose, not bound by the bus route or train schedule. Such freedom is important to many a member of the JET community.
But this freedom comes at a price, not only in sometimes bearing the role of the sober driver, but also in obtaining the driver’s license. This process is a bit of an annoyance for some, and a huge pain in the ass for others. It will depend largely on what country you hail from.
JETs from all countries will have to submit the paperwork to get their license translated, but American JETs will suffer the fate of taking the “practical†driving test, most likely multiple times. The reason for this (I think) is an annoying little glitch with the way our licenses are issued in the States, that is, by state. Within the US, you can use a Kentucky license just as well in California as you can in Florida, but it’s written in the Constitution that states may not treat with other countries as individual entities. That means Kentucky can’t talk with Japan, only the whole US can. So your Kentucky license can’t just be adapted the way an Australian license can.
It is a little ridiculous, though, to drive around a country for a year, and then suddenly be pronounced unfit for driving. Especially if you have driven yourself to Akashi for the road test and are turned away as a failure, only to drive yourself back home again… But I’m getting ahead of myself.
If you have just signed up for a second year, and have been using an International Driving Permit thus far, you might want to start thinking about getting your Japanese license. If you are American, South African, or Jamaican, you might want to start working on the process now, so you can avoid (or at least minimalize) that awkward (terrible) period of time between when your international permit runs out and when you manage to pass the driving test and finally gain your freedom once and for all.
To begin the process, you first need to get your license translated into English, so you can take both this translation and your license to the Akashi driving center for your written test.
To get your license translated, you have two options. One is to go to JAF and have them do it. The Himeji office location can be found here: http://g.co/maps/6gy9p. Another option is to do this by mail, if you can’t get to the office. Fill out the form you will find at the Hyogo Times website under resources for JETs (also available at the bottom of this article), and send in all the requisite material, including fees and postage by registered mail. If you go to the office you can pick up a road rules book, which isn’t strictly necessary. If you happen to have one of the old JET Diaries lying around, you’ll find a section in the back with some helpful images of signs and the like if you are concerned about the written test.
But you need not be overly concerned about the written test. It consists of 10 questions, all fairly straightforward and in not-so-great English, and all true-false or multiple choice. Don’t confuse yourself; this is not the GRE. It’s not a trick question, it really is that obvious. You must get a 70% to pass the written test in order to take the road test. There is some possibility that you will be allowed to attempt the road test that very day, but more likely you will be asked to make an appointment so you can make a special trip.
You can get a lot of great information at the AJET site (http://www.hyogoajet.net/wiki/Getting_a_License) about these steps, but if you are an American JET, I would suggest starting this process sometime in March for best results. In the April issue, we’ll have more detailed information on Akashi, the test, and how to prepare for it!
(Links provided by Ryan Parker, mail-in form from Ryan Beckman. And in case you want to know the real quote from Jack Sparrow, it’s here: “Wherever we want to go, we go. That’s what a ship is, you know. It’s not just a keel and a hull and sails; that’s what a ship needs. Not what a ship is. What the Black Pearl really is, is freedom.â€)
