Discover the most important driving rules to know before hitting the road in Japan. Learn about the unique driving laws and practices that will help you adjust to driving on Japanese roads.

Why a driver's licence translation is mandatory in Japan ?

For French, German, Belgian, Swiss, Taiwanese and Slovenian driver's licence holder the International Driving Permit is not accepted by the Japanese authorities.

It is mandatory to request a translation of your driver's license from the JAF - Japan Automobile Federation. DrivinJapan.com and its License Translation Service will take care of these administrative procedures for you. Save time and request your driver's license translation for Japan.

For motorcycles, the French B license allows driving of 125cc on Japanese territory. However, it is necessary to obtain a certificate in both French and Japanese. The request should be made to the consular section of the French embassy in Tokyo.

In Japan, people drive on the left-hand side of the road

Just like in England or New Zealand, the steering wheel is located on the right-hand side. But don't let that scare you. It may be unsettling at first, but you'll get used to it very quickly

The vast majority of cars in Japan have automatic transmissions

This makes driving easy and enjoyable. Here's a guide: P stands for 'PARKING' (necessary when the car is parked), D stands for 'DRIVE' (used to start the vehicle), and N stands for 'NEUTRAL' (which is neutral gear).

Driving in Japan is slow

The maximum speed limit in cities is 40 km/h, and on highways it ranges from 80 to 100 km/h. On other types of roads, the speed limit is between 30 and 60 km/h. There are frequent checks (police cars, radars, etc.) on Japanese roads, and fines can be very high. So be careful not to step on the gas pedal too hard

Japanese highways

Japanese highways are certainly among the most pleasant in the world. They are clean, and there are many rest areas with supermarkets, shops, and restaurants. However, tolls are very frequent and extremely expensive (around 16 euros for a journey of about 3 hours). If you rent a vehicle, don't forget to take the ETC card. This is a prepaid card that is usually offered by the rental company