When we first came to Japan nearly 12 years ago we were able to use our UK driving licenses to apply for Japanese ones. The system here is quite complex but seeks to reward good behaviour on the roads. The first licence you get is a has a blue stripe and lasts for 3 years. If during that time you are very good and get no points on your licence you then get a gold stripe one which lasts for 5 years. 1-3 points on your licence will also get you a 5 year one, but only with a blue stripe. And if you have more that you only get a 3 year blue one again. A notice comes in the post that your licence will expire and you have two months to renew. In Otaru we just went to the local police station, but in Sapporo there are 3 designated places you can go. This morning Lorna went to renew hers. The place was due to open at 8:45 but even though she arrived before then, the place was already teeming with people. You queue to hand in your posted form and confirm there are no changes. Then you get a form which you go and fill in and then queue at the next place to pay the fee. For this you get stamps which you go and stick on to another form and seal them with your personal seal. Then another queue for an eye test before going upstairs to hand all your forms in. Once they're all checked you are called to go into another room and have your photo taken. Then finally you can go for your lecture. Attendance at a lecture is compulsory, but here's where the benefit of being good comes in. If you're getting a gold licence you only have to sit through a 30 minute lecture. A blue 5 year licence means a one hour lecture, with 2 hours for the 3 year one. Having said that, the man giving the lecture this morning may only have spoken for 30 minutes but he was so fast that he must have crammed in at least 45 minutes' worth of material. The lecture consists of statistics to show that whereas our are used to be the worst for deaths on the road it is now the second worst in the country, accompanied by lots of photos of recent accidents with advice on how to avoid them. To summarise the 30 minutes: wear a seatbelt, drive slowly and watch out for other drivers. But it was all delivered to a complex powerpoint and accompanied by 2 books of over 100 pages each which you are then to read at home. All of this was completed in just over an hour, and at the end of it you walk out with your sparkling new licence and the knowledge of your reward being that you don't have to go back for another 5 years.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
licensed to drive
When we first came to Japan nearly 12 years ago we were able to use our UK driving licenses to apply for Japanese ones. The system here is quite complex but seeks to reward good behaviour on the roads. The first licence you get is a has a blue stripe and lasts for 3 years. If during that time you are very good and get no points on your licence you then get a gold stripe one which lasts for 5 years. 1-3 points on your licence will also get you a 5 year one, but only with a blue stripe. And if you have more that you only get a 3 year blue one again. A notice comes in the post that your licence will expire and you have two months to renew. In Otaru we just went to the local police station, but in Sapporo there are 3 designated places you can go. This morning Lorna went to renew hers. The place was due to open at 8:45 but even though she arrived before then, the place was already teeming with people. You queue to hand in your posted form and confirm there are no changes. Then you get a form which you go and fill in and then queue at the next place to pay the fee. For this you get stamps which you go and stick on to another form and seal them with your personal seal. Then another queue for an eye test before going upstairs to hand all your forms in. Once they're all checked you are called to go into another room and have your photo taken. Then finally you can go for your lecture. Attendance at a lecture is compulsory, but here's where the benefit of being good comes in. If you're getting a gold licence you only have to sit through a 30 minute lecture. A blue 5 year licence means a one hour lecture, with 2 hours for the 3 year one. Having said that, the man giving the lecture this morning may only have spoken for 30 minutes but he was so fast that he must have crammed in at least 45 minutes' worth of material. The lecture consists of statistics to show that whereas our are used to be the worst for deaths on the road it is now the second worst in the country, accompanied by lots of photos of recent accidents with advice on how to avoid them. To summarise the 30 minutes: wear a seatbelt, drive slowly and watch out for other drivers. But it was all delivered to a complex powerpoint and accompanied by 2 books of over 100 pages each which you are then to read at home. All of this was completed in just over an hour, and at the end of it you walk out with your sparkling new licence and the knowledge of your reward being that you don't have to go back for another 5 years.
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