These are great things to keep in mind for when I end up visiting Japan someday. Fortunately I've had experience with driving on the left and on narrow roads when I've rented a car twice in the UK. I found that after the first hour (less than that during the second trip) that it became more natural.
Hi Chris. Great video on driving in Japan. I believe this will help ease some of the anxieties people have about driving in Japan. Those toll booths are very confusing indeed. Thanks for sharing and take care.
I've been to Japan and wouldn't drive there. I'm too chicken. Even walking around Tokyo is confusing. If you're used to streets in a grid fashion and street address numbers numbered sequentially, forget it. I needed to figure out the general direction I wanted to go and hope for the best.
Man, you are right about how crazy the drivers are through the windy mountain roads! I went on a trip through the mountains of Yamagata with a friend of my homestay family, and the father was driving so fast through each turn, the tires would screech loudly! I thought I was going to die!😱😆
I bought my car in Japan, spent about one month exploring the mountains before I imported it home - I was also one of those fast people lol it's just different there
I have been waiting for you to make this video. Thank you for it! It was really informative but I think it might have convinced me not to drive in Japan although I would LOVE to explore freely the countryside.
Not all trains and buses are available everywhere in Japan but i wouldn't rent a vehicle wider than 70 inches. Trying to drive the Shin-Tomei Expressway on a Kei Car is an adventure itself
I’m driving in Japan right now. I have an off-road modded Jimny so it’s a little tricky being a manual. However, I don’t understand their signals. Luckily I’m following a guide to the trails, but I was hoping you knew what that red with the green arrows meant. We went right through it and it tripped me out.
Means green for only the direction it's pointing in. You can think of it this way: What would a normal person do if a green arrow appears but you are NOT ALLOWED to drive?! That would not make *any* sense! 🙂 From which country are you? If you are US citizen, why does it not trip you out to drive right on every signal which is red and it's not strictly forbidden? This is a waaaaay more confusing rule to have and not intuitive at all **especially** for a foreigner.
For me it’s the overall poor civil engineering that goes into the Japanese transportation infrastructure. Going into Tokyo there’s a major expressway that merges with three other major expressways over about a 50 meter distance. Another example is a tunnel that doesn’t allow motorcycles under a certain size, but it’s impossible to read the sign until you’re at a point where you have no choice but to enter the tunnel. This kind of infrastructure (combined with poor driver education) causes an insane number of accidents on the road, and is my biggest concern when driving around the country.
@@NaituwanYIt’s looks easier, but honestly you need a good skill to avoid usual vehicles and cross the large roads. There is many rude and scary driving motorbike riders in this country, so I don’t recommend it.
As an American myself, most Americans are idiots, when I got my commercial driver's license, the most difficult thing was realizing how dumb everyone else is... Especially other truck drivers...
Coming from Australia driving is a breeze in Japan. So much so that the two days we rented a car to go to Mount Fuji is the best part of the trip for me. Shopping and walking around and navigating Tokyo metro stations is so tiring that when I jumped in the rental car at Shinjuku it was like heaven. What took me a bit of getting used to is nobody stick to the speed limits. Just speed 10+ km/h. It’s okay. My first time driving in Japan or indeed anywhere outside Australia and I’ve gotten lost in the narrowest streets in Kamakura, a traffic jam in a tunnel in Tokyo and circling around Shinjuku station a few times to find the car park entrance to return the car. People in downtown Tokyo drive so gently it feels like they’re P platers back home. People on freeways however are a bit more aggressive. Anyone thinking of driving in Japan I say give it a go. You’ll get to see so much more than if you’re just taking rail and bus.
Thanks for the video. This is super scary stuff. Another video I saw showed how most accidents in Japan involve pedestrians, bicycles, and motorbikes in crowded areas. I could totally see myself hitting someone in these situations. I think that we'll stick to public transportation and taxis...
I was in Japan 2022 December I rented a car for 3 days but the thing I hate most is parking all parking in Japanese language + there parking lots are complicated.
i was nervous about ETC, but nevermind them just get toll ticket and pay by cash at the exit(some with toll staff some with self service machine booth.) also study the road using google street calmed me down before hitting the road.
I drove in Japan over a year ago. Drove a Civic Type R and it was the size of a Honda Accord in Japan navigating through small streets. If you rent a car in Japan ALWAYS RENT THE ETC CARD, you will go through several tolls that you will have too much change if you didn't rent one. Parking is very difficult to find and some parking lots are so small that you should've rented a Kei car. Also if you drive in Tokyo Expressway it's $20 for entry for a normal car.
@@YellowProductions that’s actually my problem .I don’t know how to park in reverse 🥲.Even if the car has reverse parking camera. I had CA driver’s lic.,and now Japanese one.Scary to park.
2:52 for most Audi & BMW drivers, they won't have the issue with indicating turns as they rarely if ever signal a turn back home. 😉 I find the reason most North Americans are afraid to drive in Japan is due to their own lack of driving skill and I respect that so PLEASE DON'T make it seem easy for them when it's NOT EASY! In Japan the rules are much less forgiving than in the USA and Canada. Yes, I know that Mexico is part of North America but that's a whole other topic. In Japan, the fault in a collision is almost always placed higher on the larger of the two involved so driving a car, you really need to pay attention to the pedestrians, cyclists, scooters and motorcycles. Even if they ran out into the road, you still be part at fault. Yeah, try wrapping your litigious culture around that for a second. Also, don't even think of turning on the music and driving around like you're back home because you're NOT and you will be distracted. Don't make a left turn at a red light after coming to a stop. You have to wait for a green light or left arrow to make a left turn in Japan. If you think the Japanese are kind and patient with you as a foreigner so you'll be fine, be aware that the Japanese, not because of road rage, but because of bad habits, tailgate pretty much everywhere and when the inevitable happens, people die especially when there's a large truck involved in the mix. I am talking from nearly 30 years experience in Japan including 39 total years driving in North America, Japan, Europe, the Caribbean and South America. Here's a check list of things that if they make you unsure of, uncomfortable of or don't do back home, then DON'T drive in Japan. -- IF you stay, park or camp out in the passing lane (left lane on highways in right side traffic countries) because you don't see the need to keep right, DON'T DRIVE IN JAPAN. DON'T EVEN THINK of brake checking someone in Japan because you WILL BE CHARGED if it leads to any sort of traffic issues, collision, injury and/or death. Practically EVERY vehicle has a camera and if not, there are cameras EVERYWHERE in Japan. Police have a 99% conviction rate in Japan. -- IF you can't be bothered to study ALL the road signs types, i.e. no parking, no stopping, no u-turn, stop sign, etc., DON'T DRIVE IN JAPAN. -- IF you must drive around all the time with the music BLARING AS LOUD AS YOU CAN GET IT, please DON'T DRIVE IN JAPAN! -- IF you must do other things while driving, DON'T even think about driving in Japan because you'll end up being fined if you don't end up injuring or killing someone. Drinking and driving is even worse. When in doubt, use this rule, 24 hours from bottle to throttle. In other words, wait at least 24 hours from your last alcoholic drink until you get behind the wheel. If your were blind passed out drunk, give it two full days and consider your life choices a little better. -- IF you need a football field wide lane to drive in or get on the horn as soon as someone gets a millimetre into your lane, DON'T DRIVE IN JAPAN. The roads can get VERY NARROW and you'll need to read the traffic flow and know when to go first or wait. You can also very easily roll off the road and into a field which depending on the time of year maybe be flooded like now for rice planting. -- IF you're useless at backing a vehicle down a VERY NARROW road, DON'T DRIVE IN JAPAN. You'll need to do that at some point and the 'gutters' are open in a lot of places so you can drop a wheel or two into them and be stuck. If you're renting a car because you'll be going out into the inaka (countryside) be aware that gas stations may not be as easy to find and their hours very limited. The roads are paved but can be challenging and VERY dodgy by North American standards. Speaking of standards, light 'standards', telephone poles are concrete AND are placed sometimes right in your lane of travel so don't expect them to move which means you will need to cross into oncoming traffic sometimes. Overall, Japan is a very safe place to drive if you know how to drive and can leave your pride and attitude at home. Share the road, be kind to others and don't forget to wave a thank you to other drivers as you are let in or given way. 😊
Yes, good advice. The last paragraph is extremely important and may save your life or at least keep you out of jail and, believe me, you do not want to get on the wrong side of the law in this country. I've been driving for 60 years, have had a driving licence in 7 different countries and have lived and driven in Japan for the last 26 years.
Maybe a word of advice from a newbie on your channel: When commenting on the traffic lights and how they have the potential to confuse: Perhaps throw in an explanation. Because now, I AM confused. It would be good to have a closer look at something you have specifically selected to be "scary" - just my two cents
This video should be called: Why are Americans afraid to drive in Japan? :D Because as a European, I'm used to everything (except 1) in the video. We have different toll types, we have nameless roads, CURVED ROADS?!, small roads, mountain roads, left hand drive, right hand drive, signals to signal an upcoming signal. The only thing in your whole video I've never seen was the blue light of constructon workers.
Did you tell us what to do if you get multiple traffic light signal, like red light then green arrows to the left and right, like the one in your photo?
I found it pretty easy, even with the difficult parts, i adjusted pretty easily. But then again i did it on kyshu island which make it easier than mainland...... And its was a lot of fun..... Also with ETC thing, request it when you hire a car and when you return the car you can pay whatever you owe. Parking lots wasn't easy since reversing in isn't my forte, but camera on rear helped and for parking, its like meter parking in Australia except the ticket is the thingy is on the car space and you can't drive out until you pay (meter parking in Australia is ether ticket or number plate thingy in recent times)
NZ is where I first had to drive on the left side (being from Canada). But the difference is that besides the actual driving, the rest was easy because all the signage, parking instructions, etc. was in English.
I was already looking to import my sports car from Japan, I ended up going there and using it before purchasing. I spent 1 month traveling all around Tokyo and the surrounding mountains just having a great time. My top 3 experiences in life. I beat that car up on those mountain roads with some other drivers and hit some of the circuits as well. Oh for anyone wondering, it was two vehicles - a Mitsubishi Evo 6 and Porsche Cayman, both extremely built.
