but i couldnt do my driving test cos it was full. so i have to go there again next 2 weeks.

but i have been wondering where my original application form is..
i just have the copy of it right now.
do you guys remember whether they took your original application form after you made an appointment to the driving test?

im so nervous about the driving test, bcos nobody said its easy.

thanks for your advices.

any other advice?

The first thing they did was interview me about my driving history and asked a lot of details about the process I went through to get my initial license 23 years ago. I am still not sure what the purpose of that was.

Second was the 10 questions. They were mostly easy but the English translations weren’t the best so I missed 1 question. I think you are allowed to miss 3.

They do a vision test. I am blind in one eye so to pass the test, I had to pass a field of vision test to see how far left and right my vision goes when focusing straight ahead. I don’t know if they normally do that test, but they did for me and I passed it with no problem.

For the actual driving portion, they gave me a map and told me I had to memorize the route. The test facilitator does not tell you where to go. During the test, he is completely silent and you are supposed to remember the route by yourself.

Before taking the test, the facilitator actually drives you through the course once and tells you exactly what you have to do to pass the test. His instructions are all in Japanese though so if you are not fluent, you should have someone along to translate. In my case, my wife rode with us and she translated everything the guy said. The test is more about whether you do everything he says to do and less about actual driving ability so if you can’t understand what he is saying, you will probably not pass. In my case, he was happy (actually shocked) that I did nearly everything he said so he gave me a pass.

A week before my test, I did go to the driving center and practiced on the actual course. This proved to be essential for me as it gave me a chance to practice the very tight S curves and L curves. Without that practice, I would not have been able to pass.

Anyway — thank you Jeffrey for this page and this information. It was very helpful.

1) About the “beach ball dot”–,,,”you’ll want to just graze it on the smooth arc of path from the rightmost lane of the road you’re turning from to the leftmost lane of the road you’re turning onto.” Not quite able to picture what you mean by the “smooth arc of path” and onwards. Do you mean that one stays to the right of it, just grazing the edge?

Yes, Susan, stay to the right of the paint. Don’t go over the paint, nor stray far from it.

2) What does “shuffle-shuffle” kind of movement mean? Today, when driving with a friend, I asked her to watch me closely and when I crossed my arms when making a long turn, she said I shouldn’t do that.

Imagine turning to the left. At some point in turning the wheel to the left you’ll want to reposition your hands. In doing this, do not let go with the left hand, cross the right, to reclutch the handle and continue the turn. Rather, loosen your grip with the right hand slightly and slide it right to the normal position on the wheel, then while holding with your right hand, loosen the grip with your left hand and slide to the top of the wheel. You can then turn the wheel further to the left. Rinse and repeat. The point is that you always keep two hands on the wheel. They like to see that.

3) As you said, in many places, you can’t actually see if traffic is coming if you stop at the line. Now, if I stop at the line and can’t see and then move up and then see someone and stop again, will this be a problem?

I don’t know how the test-takers will view it, but unless you hear otherwise, I’d do what you think is safest.

4) What kind of car do you test in? I drive one of these super tiny cheap cars and I’m afraid that if I’m driving a bigger car, or even a different car, I’ll have trouble gauging distances as well in turning.

They use a non-descript sedan similar to the Toyota Crown model used by most taxi companies. Very plane, but larger than a kei. Since they’ll likely fail you several times no matter what, you’ll get some time in it during the first runs. If your area is the same as here, you can also take the sample test from a private company ahead of time. That’s how I got most of my information, from having spent 6,000 yen or whatever it was for my hour of instruction. Was well worth it. —Jeffrey

Okay, know I’m trying to get a lot of mileage out of this nice free info–sorry if I asked too many questions!

Thanks again for what you’ve given. It’s been a real help!

Susan

thanks for the info!

Dave

I’ve heard 10 questions. But I took the scooter license and it was 48 questions. Any ideas?

thanks.
robert