If you live in Nagoya itself, you do not need much in the way of a car or scooter to get around-a bicycle would likely be more than sufficient.\u00a0 For those times when it is just a little too far, the public transportation system is pretty convenient and will generally get you anywhere you need to go.<\/p>\n
There are times, even in Nagoya, when a scooter is convenient, such as when lugging a weeks\u2019 worth of groceries home on the subway, but if you live outside of the city or far from the subway lines, a\u00a0 scooter can make a huge difference in your quality of life, and the good news is; getting a 50cc, or smaller scooter-only license is fairly painless.<\/p>\n
If getting licensed to drive a car is your aim, this is not the article for you, but you can find more information on that subject at Japan Drivers License<\/a>. If\u00a0you are already licensed to drive a “regular car,” the standard driving license in Japan, you are already licensed to ride a scooter of the size discussed in this article; 50cc or less. Congratulations, you are now free to move about the country on your scooter.<\/p>\n If that is not the case, you will need to get licensed to ride a scooter.<\/p>\n For Japanese law purposes, a scooter is a two-wheeled vehicle with an engine size of less than 50cc.<\/strong> Anything else is a motorcycle, and you need a separate license that is much harder and more expensive to get to ride one. The “large scooters” you see cruising the streets are not classified as scooters, but rather “automatic transmission motorcycles,” and you require a special license.<\/p>\n Getting a 50cc engine or below scooter license requires roughly 10,000 yen and about half a day of your time.<\/p>\n Getting a motorcycle license<\/a>\u00a0will cost 10x that amount to start with and increases in increments of time and money based on engine size.<\/p>\n To start with, you must take a written test at the Hirabari Driving Center. The test is not especially difficult, but a passing grade is 90% or better.\u00a0 The translations might be a little rough but understandable. The best way to prepare for this exam is to read \u201cRules of the Road,\u201d available from the Japan Auto Federation<\/a>.<\/p>\n After passing the test, you will be taken to a classroom for the indoor portion of the Safe Driving Course. It is conducted in Japanese. Just nod and smile; they will probably assume you do not understand, but it won’t matter, this is not a graded exercise, and as long as you stay awake, you should be OK.<\/p>\n After the class, you will be taken to a driving course for the outdoor portion of the Safe Driving Course, which is 2 hours and introduces you to the scooter’s basics: how to use the kickstand, start it, accelerate, brake, etc. After the class, you will get your license if you have managed not to hurt yourself or others.<\/p>\n Eligibility <\/strong><\/p>\n Required Tests<\/strong><\/p>\n Required Items<\/strong><\/p>\n Fees Required<\/strong><\/p>\n N.B. Heisei 27 = 2015, Heisei 28 = 2016, Heisei 29 = 2017, Heisei 30 = 2018\u3001Heisei 31 = 2019<\/p>\n Good luck, and happy motoring!<\/p>\n Photo by Bert 2332<\/a>, CC BY 2.0<\/a>, via Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you live in Nagoya itself, you do not need much in the way of a car or scooter to get around-a bicycle would likely be more than sufficient.\u00a0 For those times when it is just a little too far, the public transportation system is pretty convenient and will generally get you anywhere you need […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[123,42],"tags":[83,78,124,79,125,126],"class_list":["post-1773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese-law","category-nagoya-2","tag-aichi-prefecture","tag-cars-and-driving","tag-drivers-licence","tag-driving","tag-scooter","tag-transportation"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\tGetting Your Scooter License in Nagoya, Aichi<\/h2>\n
Requirements for Riding a 50cc Scooter<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Procedures at the license center<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n(Ask for \u201cGentsuki menkyo shinsei-sho\u201d \/ \u539f\u4ed8\u514d\u8a31\u7533\u8acb\u66f8)<\/li>\n
\n(If it is the first time to get a Japanese driver\u2019s license, go to Window #14 instead.)
\nYou may request an \u201cEnglish test\u201d here. (the form needs to be written in Japanese, so you may need someone with you to assist with this)<\/li>\n
\nIf you pass: Your test number will appear on the results board. Go to window #11 and purchase the safety lecture \/ \u539f\u4ed8\u8b1b\u7fd2\u6599 (4,500 yen) and license issuing \/ \u4ea4\u4ed8\u624b\u6570\u6599 (2,050 yen) forms<\/li>\n\n
![Bert 2332<\/a>,](\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Honda_Super_Cub_with_Okamoti.jpg\"){kind=link}