Guides
Plain-English guides to Japan's provisional licence exam and the foreign-licence conversion test — the rules, the pass mark, and what changed in 2025.
Stopping Distance in Japan: Reaction Distance + Braking Distance
Stopping distance equals reaction (free-running) distance plus braking distance. Double your speed and the braking distance and impact force become four times greater, not twice. All the numbers the Japanese written test asks for, with the rule each one comes from.
Entering a Japanese Expressway: Acceleration Lane and Minimum Speed
When entering an expressway, if an acceleration lane is provided you must use it, accelerate enough, and merge without obstructing traffic already on the main carriageway. The minimum speed on an expressway main carriageway is 50 km/h. Every rule here is tied to its article.
Overtaking and Lane Rules in Japan: Where It Is Banned, and How
In Japan you overtake on the right, never on a bend, and never within 30 m of an intersection or a crossing. The two no-overtaking signs mean different things, a yellow lane line may not be crossed, and left turns start from the left edge. Every rule tied to its article.
Japanese Signs That Mean the Opposite of What You Assume: Crosswind, End of Restriction, Minimum Speed
Six Japanese signs and road markings that foreign drivers routinely read backwards — the crosswind warning, the "End" plate, the minimum speed sign, no parking vs no stopping, signs named after the roadside instead of the duty, and the green arrow.
Japanese Driving Licence Types, Validity and Renewal — and What Happens If It Expires
Japan divides licences into Class 1, Class 2 and provisional (karimen). Here is what each class covers, which vehicle a regular licence lets you drive, how long a licence lasts, when the renewal window opens, and what happens if you miss it.
Pedestrians, Bicycles and Sidewalks in Japan: The Rules That Decide Right and Wrong
When you may drive across a footpath, whether a moped may use the sidewalk, what to do when the car ahead has stopped at a crossing, the duty toward white canes and guide dogs, when diagonal crossing is legal, and whether you must stop at an intersection with no stop sign.
Japan Licence Conversion (Gaimen Kirikae) Written Test: Complete Guide
Converting a foreign driving licence in Japan now means a 50-question written test with a 90% pass mark. Here's the format, the documents, the fees, and how the October 2025 reform changed everything.
Why 57% Now Fail: The New 50-Question Rule Explained
Since October 2025, the licence-conversion knowledge test in Japan is 50 questions with a 90% pass mark, and the pass rate dropped from 92.5% to 42.8%. Here's exactly what changed and how to pass it.
Karimen Test in English: Format, Pass Line, and Where to Take It
The karimen (provisional licence) written test in Japan is 50 true/false questions with a 90% pass mark, and it can be taken in English in many prefectures. Here is the format, the fee, and where to sit it.
The Trickiest Karimen Questions (and How to Not Fall for Them)
The karimen and licence-conversion written test is true/false, and it is built to catch you with absolute words, tiny numbers, and definitions. Here are the traps that fail people, with the actual law.
Japanese Road Signs on the Written Test: The 5 Types Explained
Japan has five families of road sign — regulatory, instruction, warning, guide, and supplementary. Learn what each colour and shape means and which ones the karimen and conversion test asks about.
Honmen vs Karimen: What Is the Difference Between the Two Tests?
Karimen is the provisional-licence stage; honmen is the full-licence stage. They differ in question count, points, and time. Here is how each written test is built — and where licence conversion fits.
Licence Conversion Documents and Fees: What You Need, and Why It Varies by Prefecture
Foreign-licence conversion in Japan needs your licence, passports, residence card, a jūminhyō, and a certified translation. Fees are set per prefecture. Here is the checklist and what to verify locally.
What Languages Can You Take the Driving Test in, in Japan?
The written (gakka) test is offered in multiple languages — about 20 in Tokyo, including English — but availability is set per prefecture. Here is what to expect for the written and the practical test.
Glossary →
Plain-English definitions of the key terms on Japan's driving test — what they mean, how they appear on the exam, and the exact law behind each one.