To get my license, I hired a company that specializes in helping foreigners with the process. The cost was over $1500 US, which was shocking but turned out to be worth it to avoid many hassles. They took my California license and had it translated, and they explained to me that in order to convert my license and avoid the very long and difficult process to get a license from scratch, I needed to demonstrate at least one year of experience in the U.S. of driving. You would think that would be easy, but in fact because I went to Mexico so much in the few years before moving to Tokyo, and because there are no re-entry stamps back to the U.S., I couldn't prove this easily. Luckily, I had my old passport and my old driver licenses back to 1997 and my clean driving record report from the State of California, and with all that information I was able to demonstrate that I was licensed and had not left the US in the year 2004, which gave me the one year I needed.
On the first day, my consultant and I went to the Samezu Driving Center, where everyone in Tokyo must go to get their license, and presented ourselves to the counter on the second floor where the conversions are handled. My consultant handled all the complicated explanations about my driving record, and my documentation was examined closely and then eventually I was given an application form, took my photo, passed an eye exam, and took a computer-based knowledge test with 10 questions. I answered 9 correct, which was good enough to get me to the next level, and after paying a fee we went to an office where we made an appointment for the driving test. It sounds simple, but we were scurrying all over that building and I'm really glad I had someone showing me the way.
The next day, my consultant and I met at the driving center again. On Saturdays, the center allows people to come practice on the driving course, so we rented a car and drove the course six times while she gave me all the pointers and tips and told me everything the examiner would ask. The driving course for the license conversion is much simpler and shorter than for the full driving exam, and I didn't have to park or go out on public roads. But I did have to negotiate some very tight turns, so I was glad to have the practice.
A week later, the morning after I got back from Shanghai, I left home early and met my consultant once again at the driving center. If you arrive even one minute late for your test, you are shut out and have to reschedule, and after all this investment of time I didn't want to mess that up! We were put into a group 15 people who were all having their licenses converted. Most were foreigners, but there were a few Japanese who had obtained their license overseas. We were shepherded into a tiny room next to the course, where we sat on benches in order and the examiner looked at our paperwork and then gave a very serious lecture about the test and the course and the rules in Japan. He was dressed in a typical Japanese uniform - vaguely police-like with a hat and white gloves. I was number 14, so there would be some waiting for me. All 15 people had to go through the testing before any of us could leave, so it didn't really matter which number I was assigned. No one else had a consultant, and in fact most people had no idea that you could hire someone to help. I also guessed that most of those people wouldn't spend the money on a consultant either.
So as the testing went on, the group became quite talkative, and it turned out that most people were there taking the test or the second or third time after failing, and they were all anxious and scared of the examiner. So each time someone came back they would ask questions, and when someone failed and had to come right back to the room, everyone commiserated. Finally, it was nearly my turn. I had to first sit in the back seat for Number 13's test. The woman was so scared and nervous that she jerked and yanked and I started feeling carsick. But amazingly, she passed. So it was finally my turn, and I remembered all the tips and instructions and went through the course perfectly. The only comment from the examiner was that he thought I was a bit fast through the tight turns, even though I was going only about 15 kph. Yay!
You would think that would be the end of it, but no, we had to troop back to the second floor and wait 90 minutes for the data of all the passers to be entered into the computer. And then we got another piece of paper with a number on it, and we had to go downstairs, take a photo, then up to the third floor to wait for the card to be produced, which took about 45 minutes. And then, finally, my shiny new license was ready!
During these two long days of waiting at the driver center, I got to know my consultant, Yoko, quite well, and it was a pleasure to chat with her about her work and her family. We are nearly the same age, and she has two children the same age as my two younger kids. But she does the consulting thing only part time in order to maintain her English skills, and is otherwise a typical Japanese housewife. But I learned that we share a family interest in camping and she drives a Jeep Wrangler 4WD, certainly an unusual car for Japan. She was very professional and very competent and a great driving instructor. And I learned that she has helped hundreds of people convert their licenses, and they all pass on the first try.
