What the licence process looks like in outline
Foreign residents who want to drive long term usually go through a conversion procedure at a prefectural driving licence centre, called an unten menkyo shikenjō or unten menkyo sentā. Described in general terms, it involves booking a slot, bringing your foreign licence with a translation, showing residence documents, taking an eyesight and aptitude check, and in many cases a knowledge test and a practical driving test. Beyond that outline nothing here is a rule you should rely on.
The specifics differ by prefecture, by the country that issued your licence and by your own history, and they are revised from time to time. Confirm what applies to you with the licence centre itself and with your embassy or consulate, which is also where questions about translations of a home-country licence are usually answered. Treat this post as language preparation for the visit, not as a description of the requirements.
Counter phrases for the licence centre
| Japanese | Romaji | When you use it |
|---|---|---|
| 外国の免許を切り替えたいのですが。 | Gaikoku no menkyo o kirikaetai no desu ga. | Opening line at the reception desk |
| 予約が必要ですか？ | Yoyaku ga hitsuyō desu ka? | Before you travel, or on arrival |
| 必要な書類を教えてください。 | Hitsuyō na shorui o oshiete kudasai. | Asking what to bring |
| 翻訳文はどこでもらえますか？ | Honyakubun wa doko de moraemasu ka? | Asking where a translation is obtained |
| 書類はこれで足りますか？ | Shorui wa kore de tarimasu ka? | Checking your folder is complete |
| 今日は何をしますか？ | Kyō wa nani o shimasu ka? | Asking what happens at today's visit |
| 次はどこに行けばいいですか？ | Tsugi wa doko ni ikeba ii desu ka? | Moving between windows and rooms |
| どのくらい時間がかかりますか？ | Dono kurai jikan ga kakarimasu ka? | Planning the rest of your day |
| やさしい日本語でお願いできますか？ | Yasashii Nihongo de onegai dekimasu ka? | Asking for simpler Japanese |
| 番号札を取ってください。 | Bangōfuda o totte kudasai. | Staff line: take a numbered ticket |
| あちらの窓口へどうぞ。 | Achira no madoguchi e dōzo. | Staff line: go to that window |
| お名前をお呼びします。 | Onamae o oyobi shimasu. | Staff line: we will call your name |
Counter Japanese is short and repetitive, which is good news. The staff member wants to move you to the next stage, so answers come as single words and gestures, and pointing at a document while asking kore de ii desu ka is entirely normal behaviour rather than a sign of poor Japanese.
Take a notebook. When a staff member names the next room or the next document, write it down in kana immediately, because you will be repeating that word to someone else within minutes.
The written test and the eyesight check
The knowledge test and the eyesight check are the parts most people worry about, and both have their own small vocabulary. The eyesight check, shiryoku kensa, typically involves reading a shape and saying which side is open, so the four direction words are the entire spoken content. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, bring them and say so, since a condition may be recorded on the licence.
For the knowledge test, gakka shiken, ask early which languages are offered at that centre and how the questions are presented, because the answer varies by prefecture and can change. Whatever the language, the vocabulary of results is the same: gōkaku for a pass and fugōkaku for a fail, plus the question about whether and when you may sit it again.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 視力検査はどこでしますか？ | Shiryoku kensa wa doko de shimasu ka? | Where is the eyesight check done? |
| 眼鏡をかけてもいいですか？ | Megane o kakete mo ii desu ka? | May I wear my glasses? |
| コンタクトをしています。 | Kontakuto o shite imasu. | I am wearing contact lenses. |
| 右が開いています。 | Migi ga aite imasu. | The right side is open. |
| 上です。／下です。 | Ue desu. / Shita desu. | It is the top. / It is the bottom. |
| 学科試験は何語で受けられますか？ | Gakka shiken wa nani-go de ukeraremasu ka? | In which languages can I take the knowledge test? |
| 技能試験もありますか？ | Ginō shiken mo arimasu ka? | Is there a practical test as well? |
| 合格しました。 | Gōkaku shimashita. | I passed. |
| 不合格でした。もう一度受けられますか？ | Fugōkaku deshita. Mō ichido ukeraremasu ka? | I failed. May I take it again? |
| 次の予約を取りたいです。 | Tsugi no yoyaku o toritai desu. | I would like to book the next appointment. |
Road signs and the words on them
Japanese road signs mix international symbols with kanji text, and the kanji half is where a foreign driver loses information. The good news is that the same twenty or so words repeat on every road in the country. Read them once as a set and you will recognise them at speed, which is the only way sign reading is any use.
| Sign word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 止まれ | Tomare | Stop |
| 徐行 | Jokō | Slow down |
| 一時停止 | Ichiji teishi | Come to a complete stop |
| 一方通行 | Ippō tsūkō | One way |
| 進入禁止 | Shinnyū kinshi | No entry |
| 通行止め | Tsūkōdome | Road closed |
| 駐車禁止 | Chūsha kinshi | No parking |
| 駐停車禁止 | Chūteisha kinshi | No stopping or parking |
| 追越し禁止 | Oikoshi kinshi | No overtaking |
| 右折禁止 | Usetsu kinshi | No right turn |
| 最高速度 | Saikō sokudo | Maximum speed |
| 踏切あり | Fumikiri ari | Level crossing ahead |
| 工事中 | Kōjichū | Roadworks |
| 片側交互通行 | Katagawa kōgo tsūkō | Alternating single-lane traffic |
| 合流注意 | Gōryū chūi | Merging traffic, take care |
| 落石注意 | Rakuseki chūi | Falling rocks |
| スリップ注意 | Surippu chūi | Slippery surface |
| 歩行者専用 | Hokōsha sen'yō | Pedestrians only |
| この先 | Kono saki | Ahead, further on |
| 迂回 | Ukai | Detour |
| 出口 | Deguchi | Exit |
| 入口 | Iriguchi | Entrance |
| 料金所 | Ryōkinjo | Toll gate |
| 自転車横断帯 | Jitensha ōdantai | Bicycle crossing |
Two patterns do most of the work. Kinshi means prohibited and attaches to whatever comes before it, so once you know chūsha is parking, chūsha kinshi needs no separate learning. Chūi means take care and works the same way, warning about the thing named in front of it. Learn the noun and the two suffixes carry it.
Directions from a passenger or a device
Navigation instructions come at you fast, whether from a passenger or from the car's navi. They are built from a small set of verbs in the te-form request pattern, plus counters for how many signals or corners to pass. Practise them as the listener, since the skill you need is understanding at speed rather than producing.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この道をまっすぐ行ってください。 | Kono michi o massugu itte kudasai. | Go straight along this road. |
| 次の信号を右に曲がってください。 | Tsugi no shingō o migi ni magatte kudasai. | Turn right at the next set of lights. |
| 二つ目の角を左です。 | Futatsume no kado o hidari desu. | It is left at the second corner. |
| 左車線に入ってください。 | Hidari shasen ni haitte kudasai. | Move into the left lane. |
| そこで止めてください。 | Soko de tomete kudasai. | Stop there, please. |
| もう少しゆっくり走ってください。 | Mō sukoshi yukkuri hashitte kudasai. | Please drive a little more slowly. |
| 道を間違えました。 | Michi o machigaemashita. | I have taken the wrong road. |
| Uターンできますか？ | U-tān dekimasu ka? | Can I make a U-turn here? |
| この先渋滞です。 | Kono saki jūtai desu. | There is a traffic jam ahead. |
| ナビの案内に従います。 | Nabi no annai ni shitagaimasu. | I will follow the navigation system. |
| ここは狭いので気をつけて。 | Koko wa semai node ki o tsukete. | It is narrow here, so take care. (casual) |
At the petrol station
Petrol stations come in two kinds. A full-service station sends an attendant to the car, and you answer three quick questions: which fuel, how much, and how you are paying. A self-service station, marked serufu, has a touch screen that asks the same three questions in Japanese, so the same words appear whether a person or a machine is asking.
Fuel names are worth memorising exactly. Regyurā is regular petrol, haioku is high octane, and keiyu is diesel. Mantan means fill the tank. If you are unsure which fuel your car takes, do not guess at the screen: ask the attendant, or check the label near the fuel cap before you touch anything.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| レギュラー満タンでお願いします。 | Regyurā mantan de onegai shimasu. | Regular, fill it up, please. |
| ハイオクを二千円分お願いします。 | Haioku o nisen-en-bun onegai shimasu. | Two thousand yen of high octane, please. |
| 軽油です。 | Keiyu desu. | It takes diesel. |
| 支払い方法は何になさいますか？ | Shiharai hōhō wa nani ni nasaimasu ka? | How would you like to pay? (staff line) |
| 現金でお願いします。 | Genkin de onegai shimasu. | Cash, please. |
| カードは使えますか？ | Kādo wa tsukaemasu ka? | Can I use a card? |
| 給油口を開けてください。 | Kyūyukō o akete kudasai. | Please open the fuel flap. (staff line) |
| 使い方を教えてください。 | Tsukaikata o oshiete kudasai. | Please show me how to use this. |
| セルフは初めてです。 | Serufu wa hajimete desu. | This is my first time at a self-service pump. |
| ゴミをお願いできますか？ | Gomi o onegai dekimasu ka? | Could you take the rubbish, please? |
| 空気圧も見てもらえますか？ | Kūkiatsu mo mite moraemasu ka? | Could you check the tyre pressure too? |
| レシートをください。 | Reshīto o kudasai. | A receipt, please. |
Parking and the machines that guard it
Coin car parks are everywhere and they run on machines rather than staff, which means reading rather than speaking. Mansha means full and kūsha means spaces available, and those two words on an illuminated sign decide whether you turn in. The payment machine is the seisanki, and it usually wants your bay number before it will tell you the charge.
Where there is an attendant, the exchange is short. Some car parks ask drivers to park nose-in, maemuki chūsha, usually where exhaust would otherwise blow toward a building. Long-term monthly parking is called tsukigime, and arrangements around vehicle storage vary by area, so ask the letting agent or the car park operator rather than assuming what applies.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 駐車場はどこですか？ | Chūshajō wa doko desu ka? | Where is the car park? |
| ここに停めてもいいですか？ | Koko ni tomete mo ii desu ka? | May I park here? |
| 何時間まで停められますか？ | Nan-jikan made tomeraremasu ka? | How many hours can I park for? |
| 料金はどうやって払いますか？ | Ryōkin wa dō yatte haraimasu ka? | How do I pay the charge? |
| 精算機はどこですか？ | Seisanki wa doko desu ka? | Where is the payment machine? |
| 何番に停めましたか？ | Nan-ban ni tomemashita ka? | Which bay did you park in? (staff line) |
| 前向きに駐車してください。 | Maemuki ni chūsha shite kudasai. | Please park nose-in. (staff line) |
| 駐車券をなくしました。 | Chūshaken o nakushimashita. | I have lost my parking ticket. |
| 満車です。少しお待ちください。 | Mansha desu. Sukoshi omachi kudasai. | We are full. Please wait a moment. (staff line) |
| バックで入れます。 | Bakku de iremasu. | I will reverse in. |
Tolls and expressway words
The expressway network, kōsoku dōro, is toll-based, and the gate lanes are separated by how you pay. An ETC lane reads a transponder in the car; the general lane, ippan rēn, is for everyone else. If you are driving a hire car, find out before you set off whether it carries an ETC card, because the answer decides which lane you approach at speed.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 高速に乗ります。 | Kōsoku ni norimasu. | We will get on the expressway. |
| ETCカードを持っていません。 | ETC kādo o motte imasen. | I do not have an ETC card. |
| 一般レーンはどちらですか？ | Ippan rēn wa dochira desu ka? | Which side is the general lane? |
| 通行券をお取りください。 | Tsūkōken o otori kudasai. | Please take a toll ticket. (staff line) |
| 料金はいくらですか？ | Ryōkin wa ikura desu ka? | How much is the toll? |
| 次のサービスエリアで休みましょう。 | Tsugi no sābisu eria de yasumimashō. | Let us take a break at the next service area. |
| 出口はまだですか？ | Deguchi wa mada desu ka? | Is the exit still some way off? |
| この先で降ります。 | Kono saki de orimasu. | I will come off up ahead. |
If the police stop you
A roadside check is usually brief and follows a script. An officer will ask for your licence and often the vehicle documents kept in the car, the shakenshō and the compulsory insurance certificate. Keep them together in one folder with your residence card so that the whole check takes a minute rather than five spent searching the glovebox.
Answer plainly, do not argue at the roadside, and say early that your Japanese is limited if it is. Officers are used to slowing down and simplifying. If you genuinely do not understand something that matters, say so rather than nodding, and ask whether an interpreter or a written explanation is possible.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 免許証を見せてください。 | Menkyoshō o misete kudasai. | Show me your licence, please. (officer line) |
| はい、どうぞ。 | Hai, dōzo. | Yes, here you are. |
| 車検証もお願いします。 | Shakenshō mo onegai shimasu. | The vehicle inspection certificate too, please. (officer line) |
| 自賠責保険証もあります。 | Jibaiseki hokenshō mo arimasu. | I have the compulsory insurance certificate as well. |
| 在留カードも持っています。 | Zairyū kādo mo motte imasu. | I have my residence card with me too. |
| どちらから来ましたか？ | Dochira kara kimashita ka? | Where have you come from? (officer line) |
| お酒は飲んでいませんか？ | Osake wa nonde imasen ka? | You have not been drinking, have you? (officer line) |
| 飲んでいません。 | Nonde imasen. | I have not been drinking. |
| 日本語が少し分かります。ゆっくりお願いします。 | Nihongo ga sukoshi wakarimasu. Yukkuri onegai shimasu. | I understand a little Japanese. Slowly, please. |
| 何か問題がありましたか？ | Nani ka mondai ga arimashita ka? | Was there a problem? |
| すみません、気をつけます。 | Sumimasen, ki o tsukemasu. | I am sorry, I will be careful. |
After a minor accident
Even a small collision has a fixed order to it: check for injuries, make the scene safe, contact the police, and only then exchange details. What you must not do is settle privately at the roadside and drive away, because your insurer and any later claim will need an official record. Procedures and obligations vary, so follow the instructions of the police and your insurance company rather than a stranger's advice at the scene.
Practise these lines while calm. The whole point of a fixed phrase is that it survives a moment when your Japanese would otherwise disappear, and an accident is exactly that moment. Keep your insurance contact number in your phone under a name you can find with shaking hands.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大丈夫ですか？ | Daijōbu desu ka? | Are you all right? |
| 事故に遭いました。 | Jiko ni aimashita. | I have been in an accident. |
| けが人はいません。 | Kega-nin wa imasen. | Nobody is injured. |
| 救急車を呼んでください。 | Kyūkyūsha o yonde kudasai. | Please call an ambulance. |
| 警察を呼びます。 | Keisatsu o yobimasu. | I am going to call the police. |
| 車が動きません。 | Kuruma ga ugokimasen. | The car will not move. |
| 場所は東京駅の近くです。 | Basho wa Tōkyō-eki no chikaku desu. | The location is near Tokyo Station. |
| 連絡先を交換してもいいですか？ | Renrakusaki o kōkan shite mo ii desu ka? | May we exchange contact details? |
| 写真を撮ってもいいですか？ | Shashin o totte mo ii desu ka? | May I take photographs? |
| 保険会社に連絡します。 | Hoken-gaisha ni renraku shimasu. | I will contact my insurance company. |
| ドライブレコーダーの映像があります。 | Doraibu rekōdā no eizō ga arimasu. | I have dashcam footage. |
| この場で示談はしません。 | Kono ba de jidan wa shimasen. | I will not settle this privately here. |
A practice route before you drive
- Read twenty road signs aloud from photographs before you read them at fifty kilometres an hour.
- Rehearse the fuel sentence for your own car so the fuel type never has to be chosen in the moment.
- Walk into a coin car park on foot and read the payment machine's screen with no time pressure.
- Say the police-check sequence three times, handing over an imagined folder each time.
- Record the accident lines as a voice memo and listen to them once before a long drive.
- Confirm everything procedural with the licence centre, your insurer or your embassy, and treat the language here as preparation rather than permission.