German Driver's License in Japan

Finally, my driver's license from Germany arrived yesterday. Unfortunately, during my preparation time in Germany, I didn't start the process of getting it translated in time. So, I left it in Germany and asked my parents to send it to ADAC for translation.

Driving in Japan with a German Driver's License

Actually, it's quite easy to get permission to drive in Japan with a German driver's license. Although you drive on the other side of the road here, you just need to have your license translated by official agencies. In Germany, there are two places for this: ADAC in Southern Bavaria and the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). Both cost around €80, which is quite expensive.

However, I found out in Japan that you can also do this locally for about €20. It's much cheaper, but I don't know anyone who has dared to navigate through this Japanese bureaucracy yet.

Why Drive in Japan?

Here in Fukuoka, I don't need a car because public transportation is more than satisfactory. Although buses sometimes run late (it seems traffic is a problem everywhere in the world), trains and subways remain punctual to the minute. It's also affordable as long as you stay within the region and don't plan long distances.

As soon as you want to visit destinations outside the city, train fares become dramatically more expensive. Even if it doesn't seem like much, you quickly pay €25 for a 1.5-hour train ride in one direction, and if you want to return, the same amount again. You would expect it to be cheaper with a coach, but not really! At least not if you don't plan these train rides well in advance. So, for weekend trips and day trips outside the city, there's really only one affordable option: renting a car and driving yourself. If you drive alone, you might end up with similar prices, maybe even a bit higher, but if you bring a couple of friends who share the cost with you, you can travel much more for the same price.

Renting a Car in Japan

I haven't rented a car yet, I've just done some research online about prices and how easy it is. Apparently, you need to reserve the car and it's best to discuss on-site when you want to have the car. Navigating the Japanese rental car websites is quite difficult if you can't read enough Japanese yet. Even with "Google Autotranslate," which translates the websites, you don't get far because it often forgets clickable buttons and only translates the text. And sometimes the sites don't even have text.

Plans for the Remaining Time in Fukuoka

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I'm currently exploring Fukuoka on foot and sometimes by bus or subway. I found it quite nice so far to get to know the size of the city by the meters walked and also to find small alleys and residential areas. But now I want to use the central location of Fukuoka on weekends, which is very northern on one of the four main islands (Kyūshū), but still offers many opportunities for trips to temples, mountains, hiking trails, forests, and islands in all directions. There are incredibly many possibilities in Japan, especially if you like to spend your money. But with less money available, you can still do most things if you plan well. So, I hope that I can take some great trips with my friends here in Japan and hopefully report back with new discoveries after each weekend.

So long!