WHAT SHOULD I BUY?
There are variety of vehicles available to drive in Japan. Cars of all sizes, motorcycles, and
scooters, each with different license rules, traffic rules and costs share the road. Deciding
what to buy depends on your needs. If you only need to get around town occasionally, you may want
a smaller car or scooter. If you want to take friends and explore Japan's roads, a larger, more
powerful car will suit you better. For regular commuters, it may come down to a simple preference.
Scooters
If you decide to drive a 50cc or less scooter (good for low-speed around-town driving in decent
weather), the buying process is somewhat easier (and much of the paperwork may be taken care of
by the scooter shop.) As for licensing, you can get a separate scooter license which is unrelated
to a regular driver's license. To get one, you are only required to take a paper test and a lesson;
no practical test. Please see the section on The Written Exam for more details.
Motorcycles
Note that for any motorcycle, you can only drive it in Japan with your International Driver's
Permit IF it is specified on it that you are allowed to on your home license. A plain car license
is not sufficient. There are two types of motorcycle licenses: Normal, for motorcycles over 50cc
up to 400 cc, and Large, for motorcycles 401 cc and over.
For exhaustive information on owning and driving scooters and motorbikes in Japan, read the Japan
Biker FAQ at
http://www.thejapanfaq.com/bikerfaq-toc.html.
Cars
As for cars, there are two main types:
- White-plate cars: These cars, recognizable by their white-colored license plate, are what
typical cars look like in most countries. White-plates are generally more spacious, safer, and
have more power that Yellow-plates. They are more expensive to buy and upkeep. A car does not
have to be particularly large to be a white plate, but it is always wider than a yellow-plate.
- Yellow-plate cars: These are narrow, around-town cars. There is not a lot of leg room or
trunk (boot) space. They barely make top speeds on an expressway and are not as safe. They are, however,
a lot cheaper to own and run.
Buying
You have two choices when purchasing a car. Either purchase from a dealer (new or used cars) or
from another person. The benefit to purchasing from a dealer is that the dealer will do a large
amount of the paperwork. Also, there is some assurance of quality. The benefit to purchasing from
another person is that the price is likely to be a lot cheaper. If you want to buy from another
person, but do not want to do the paperwork, you can hire a dealer or pay someone at the Land
Transport Office to do it for you.
The two basic things you have to do when you a buy a car are:
- Register the vehicle and transfer ownership
- Verify a parking space
These two steps involve a great deal of paperwork and complicated Japanese forms. Taking a
Japanese-speaker with you is practically a necessity if you cannot read or speak Japanese.
If you do not use a dealer, you will need the below (you may not need everything for a Yellow-Plate,
but you will need most of it):
Documents you need to buy a car:
- Alien Registration Card (gaikokujin torokushomeisho) or Alien Registration Completion
Certificate if your card has not been issued yet.
- Personal Seal (inkan or hanko)
- Personal Seal Certificate (inkan shomeisho) from your local public office.
- Parking Space Certificate (shako shomeisho) from the police station in the municipality
where you applied for alien registration. (This may not be needed in a rural area. See below on
how to get one.)
- Valid Driver's License (unten menkyo)
Documents you need to transfer a car:
All of the above as well as:
- Deed of Transfer (joto shomeisho)
- Personal Seal Certificate (inkan shomeisho) of the previous owner
- Alien Registration Card (or juminhyo if they are Japanese) of the
previous owner.
- Letter of Attorney (inin-jyo) stamped by previous owner if possible
- Compulsory Insurance Certificate (jibaiseki hoken-sho) from the previous owner (or,
if you are getting it for the first time, you can only do so once the shaken is in your
name, so do shaken first.)
- Shaken Inspection Certificate (shaken-sho) from the previous owner
- Proof of Payment of Automobile Tax (jidoushazei noufu shoumeisho) from previous owner (may not be needed)
How do I get proof of a parking space?
Find the person who is renting (or willing to rent) you a parking space within 2km of where you
live, often the landlord, building owner, real estate agent, building management company of the
building you live in, and ask for an official document showing that the space is yours. This
document is a Certificate of Permission for Use of Parking (hokan basho shodaku shomei) and
it must be stamped by the agent. Then go to the local police station and fill out an
application form as well as an application form for a badge (hyosho) so you can certify the
space. You have to draw two maps in a detailed manner: one of the area (including nearby landmarks)
and one of the parking space, including the space number if there is one, the dimensions
(in meters) of the spot and the width of any adjacent roads. This takes about a week to process.
Note that small / light cars may not need this certificate in less urban areas.
Bring all necessary documents to the local Land Transport Office (ikuun jimusho). If it is a
different Office than the car was previously registered in, then you will have to get new license
plates as well. If possible, go together with the previous owner, bringing all relevant items.
Note that the officials will be very, very particular about details. If you fill out a form wrong,
you will have to do it over or come in another day.
* * * Note that the Personal Seal Certificate (inkan shomeisho) is only valid for 3 months! If it has been longer than
that, for either the buyer or the seller, you need a new certificate (which may be difficult
if the seller has left the country.) * * *
If you purchase through a dealer, you generally need only your Personal Seal Certificate
and the Certificate of Permission for Use of Parking. They will take care of the rest.
The entire process may take up to 10 days for a White Plate (but may be done in a day if a
Yellow Plate.)
WHAT ARE THE COSTS OF BUYING?
Used cars are worthless without shaken. Period. If the car you are buying has less than a
year of shaken, it should be virtually free, unless it is fairly new and in very good
condition. The same logic applies when you are selling. If you have no shaken left and do
not get more, you might not be able to sell your car (or even give it away) and you will have to pay
a scrap dealer to take it off your hands which can cost 10,000 to 20,000 yen.
The prices below are what you can expect to pay for a car with full shaken (valid for 2 years;
3 years if brand new).