Getting a License in Japan

Last few months I have been going for drives every now and then, went to Izu, Minakami, Yokohama, and a few other places around Tokyo. Actually, you gotta get out of Tokyo if you really wanna drive fast cause here in Tokyo you cant just push the accelerator much as there are traffic jams at almost every intersections; and highways are no different. Nothing like driving at 100 kms/hour with loud music, something I used to a lot in India. Have been enjoing so much that last month I decided that I need to get a car. So went to Nissan showroom near my house, asked Rieko to accompany just to help understand the technicalities and the language.

After spending a couple of hours, we decided that Nissan Serena will be the best choice as that was the only family car that suites me and my budget. So it was all good, we decided I gonna get a license in a month and will be behind the wheels by September.

And this is where Japan is so different from India. In India, it takes years to afford a car and takes not more than a week to get a license. It took our family almost 20 years to afford a car and once we had it, it took a week for me to get a license. But here in Japan, I believe getting a license is probably the most difficult thing, remember when I was in APU, there was a girl, Wakako, who got her license and everyone was like Omedetto, and I was wondering if it was such a big deal, after all its just a driving license, and now after so many years when I went for a driving test myself, I know exactly what it means to get a driving license.

Went to Japan Automobile Federation, got my Indian license translated. And went to driving school here in Shinagawa. And it was all good, gave an aptitude test, and an eye test and color blindness test, it took a couple of hours and I was out. They gave me a date for the driving test which was a week later. Went there again and I had this instructor who looked so nice and had all these aisatsus. He took me to the car, he sat inside and asked me to get in the car. I just jumped in and was ready to drive, but then here he goes, “konkai wa chotto zannen nagara shippai shitan desu ga” and something I couldn’t understand. Those words reminded me of APU days, when after almost every semester my Japanese teacher used to tell me “ Aman san konkai was shippai desu ga, tsugi ganbatte kudasai, Aman san nara zettai dekuri to omoimasu”. But then I look at the positive side of it, if I would have learnt Japanese back then, I wouldn’t have ever got into Cisco. Getting into Cisco was probably one of the best decisions I ever made.

Back to the point, I asked him why did I fail. Apparently I had to look under the car if kids or some cops or cats dogs or someone was playing, sitting or sleeping. Just couldn’t believe he said that, why will a cop be under my car, or kid or whoever. But then he just gave me a smile and said tsugi ganbatte kudasai.

Went straight to Rieko's clinic, told her about it and was expecting some sympathy from her but she just couldn’t stop laughing, felt insulted. For her, it was just a bit too funny that I failed even before I could get in the car. My next test is on 2^nd September, am all prepared for it.

My first experience was pretty bad but then guess this is the reason why the number of accidents here in Japan are way too less as compared to India. In India anybody who wants to drive can driver, can get a license – age now bar. So all in all, no complaints, infact its good that I failed, have learnt that those small things aren’t really small.