We Bought a Car!

We’re finally, reliably, mobile! Sort of. There have been hiccups, but I’ll get there. First, I’d like to talk about about the journey from simply being people living in Japan to actual car owners.

The Beginning

Owning a car in Japan isn’t assured. In fact, had we decided to take root in Tokyo, we probably wouldn’t even have need for a car – but that wouldn’t have stopped us from trying. Things are different up in Hokkaido, though: It’s much more open, and the northernmost Shinkansen stop is (currently) in Hakodate, so it takes nearly as long by train to get from Hakodate to Sapporo as it does by car. We have our local tram, but it has far fewer destinations than we’d like, and doesn’t allow for quick getaways at the drop of a hat. A car affords us a sense of liberty; the ability to head to Niseko or Wakkanai or even Sendai as we see fit. For us, it wasn’t a question of “if,” but “when?”

The Translation Process

The path to car ownership begins with a Japanese driver’s license. When Seri and I left the states, we made sure to get a pair of international driver’s licenses from our local AAA branch. These granted us limited ability to get around by renting cars and driving cars lent to us by willing, gracious family members (thanks, Uncle Toshi!).

Even though we had our international driver’s licenses, as well as our official California licenses, Japan wouldn’t let us get a Japanese driver’s license (unten menkyo) without a fight. See, for whatever reason, Japan doesn’t recognize most international licenses as “good enough” to get behind the wheel of a car out here. Consider it hubris or just being overly cautious, but there are only 2 states in our Union – Maryland and Washington – whose bearers are deemed worthy without additional testing.

Applying to get a license didn’t actually start at Japan’s DMV (called a menkyo sentaa). Instead, we headed to a place called the Japan Auto Federation (JAF), which is kind of like AAA. We needed to get our licenses translated into Japanese so the DMV would even give us the time of day. If I recall correctly, we’d already gone to the town hall to procure various documents verifying our identities, so this step wasn’t very difficult – it just took time.

After the translation process, which only took about 20 minutes, we received a document which would allow the DMV to verify that we, indeed, had driver’s licenses from California.

Submission

The next step was one of the most annoying, mainly because of the amount of time it took. We’d need to take our newly translated licenses, along with an application form, to the menkyo sentaa (I’ll just call it the DMV from now on) so we could schedule a date to take our driving exams. Seri called ahead to make sure they were able to accommodate us, and things seemed to go smoothly. A man greeted us and verified all of the various forms we’d prepared. He questioned a couple of them, noting that he’d have to check to make sure they would be considered valid by the governing authorities (even though we’d gone through official channels for all of them already), and told us he’d get back to us.

I’d like to take a moment to review the time frame here.

We went to JAF in either late March or early April. The trip to the DMV happened shortly thereafter, in early April. We’d let the coordinator at the DMV know that we’d be going to Hawaii later that month, but that we’d be available by phone and that he should feel free to call us to let us know the status of our application. Because it had been a few weeks without any correspondence, we decided to call from Hawaii and check on the progress. They told us it was going as planned, but that they weren’t done yet. That was, at that point, about 3 weeks after we’d delivered our paperwork. Was there something the matter, or were there were any questions we could answer? No, there was not, and no, there were not. I quipped to Seri that they’d either forgotten about us, or hoped we’d forget about them and would go away. Fat chance.

Once we got home from Hawaii in early May, we called again to ask about the status of our application. They stammered a bit and seemed to have forgotten our application, which was super annoying after that amount of time. Miraculously (yeah right), 3 days later, they informed us that everything was good and that we could schedule an appointment for our tests.

Practice Sessions

It had been suggested that we schedule at least one practice session before taking the driving exam. We’d heard a number of times that Japan can be quite strict when it comes to the test, so booking a pair of one-hour lessons seemed like a good idea.

In Hakodate – and I assume in other cities as well – the driving exam’s course is a closed course, attached to the DMV. I was a bit relieved by this, since it meant not having to worry about the variability of other drivers on the road, and their potential to impact my results.

When the practice instructor arrived, I was a bit taken aback: She was at least 70 years old, and told us she’d been an instructor for over 50 years! She drove the car around the course for one lap to give us an idea of what would be required of us (I was comforted to find out that the test would follow the exact line we practiced during our lessons), then she and Seri switched seats for an hour.

I’m not used to Japanese people being very direct. I’m sure in educational and workplace settings it’s different, but I don’t really experience those over here. I can’t tell you how many times I heard the instructor tell Seri she was doing something wrong, though. And that’s not a sleight at Seri; there were just so many things to consider! “Make sure you look here.” “Put your turn signal on here, now here.” “When you exit the turn, hug the curb.” “Unwind the wheel completely before exiting this turn.” “You should be in second gear here. Now third, here." After the hour, I was dizzy with rules and considerations, and worried we’d have no chance during our tests.

My lesson was actually immediately before our test, a few days after Seri’s lesson. We weren’t able to combine the two lessons due to scheduling issues, so I opted to go second. My lesson was in a car with an automatic transmission versus Seri’s in a manual (Japan has separate licenses for automatics and manuals), so I felt a bit less overwhelmed and more able to focus than if I’d’ve had to remember gear shifting sequences while hoping to not stall the car. Although I felt like I did an OK job, our instructor’s overall recommendation was that we, “could use more lessons.” It felt disheartening after everything we’d already had to endure, but we persevered.

The Written Test

Coincidentally, another American was taking the test that day as well. An English teacher from Portland, she and her husband had moved out here a year ago and settled on the island of Okushiri, off the western coast of Hokkaido. Unfortunately for them, the closest DMV was Hakodate, a 6-hour trip from their home, including a lengthy ferry ride and multiple bus transfers. The idea of her failing her exam and having to take it again on a later date was a difficult scenario to consider.

Before we got to the driving exam, we had to take a written test. This consisted of 10 questions, translated into broken English, with varying degrees of trickiness woven through them. Trying to parse whether or not a double negative existed for a specific reason (i.e., to catch us off-guard) versus if it was just poorly translated was difficult, but we did our best.

After the tests had been graded, we were told we’d all scored 100% (70% was passing), and could move onto the driving exam.

The Driving Exam

Our driving instructor hung around – whether to support us or point and laugh in an “I told you so” manner if we were to fail, I wasn’t sure – through what was the most stressful part of the afternoon. The woman from Portland went first, and I sat in the back seat of the car waiting my turn. She navigated the course slowly and deliberately, while the proctor silently observed and took notes. After her exam, I moved into the front seat while she moved over to become a passenger in Seri’s car. I didn’t know it at the time, but I’d later find out the reason was because male proctors aren’t allowed to be alone in a car with a woman taking an exam; another person must be present for… security, I suppose. Japan.

My exam went without incident, although at one point I tried breaking the ice by quipping about the size of the (tiny) mirrors or something equally as stupid. I’m not sure if he just didn’t understand me or if he’s just so professional that he’d never crack a smile at my obviously hilarious joke, like the Japanese equivalent of the Queen’s Guard, but I took it as a sign that I should just shut up and drive.

After parking, my instructor came over to me to point out that I’d parked about 2 feet short of where she’d told me I should park, rubbing it in my face that I should book another hour-long session with her to better my spatial awareness with a car I’d never driven before, I suppose. After reading so many horror stories online about foreigners being failed over seemingly minor points, I felt glum. Now, all there was left to do was wait for our collective results.

The Results

Waiting for our results was excruciating. We passed the time by getting to know the American woman and her husband, learning a bit about Okushiri and how it’s so small that they don’t have a normal sized supermarket – their main source of groceries is basically an outsized 7-11, restocked weekly. Still, it sounds like an interesting place to visit, and we exchanged Line IDs to keep in touch so we can visit at a future date.

After what seemed like hours, the DMV employee came out to let us know that we’d all passed. A sense of relief washed over us as we went through the final motions, taking photos and signing for our new licenses. It was nearly closing time at that point, and I wondered if they’d just passed us all so that we’d get out of their hair. Whatever the case, I was fine with it. The worst part was over, and we could start hunting for a car!

Getting the Car

At this point, I should note that our driving exam took place on July 1st, and that we started the process of getting our licenses in mid-March. So… it’d been a while.

With driver’s licenses in-hand, we started looking for a used car. We’d previously test driven a Subaru Levorg with Uncle Toshi a few months prior and enjoyed its size, capability, and amenities. It seemed well suited for trips to go snowboarding or to the further reaches of Hokkaido and Honshu alike. We found one that looked promising about 250 kilometers north of us, in a town called Tomakomai. Coincidentally, the branch manager at Tomakomai used to work at the Hakodate Subaru dealership and sold Uncle Toshi a Subaru, so they had an existing relationship.

The first step was to have the car driven to the Hakodate dealership. This happened in mid-July, and was an opportunity for us to look over the car and confirm that it had what we wanted. We weren’t able to test drive it because it wasn’t insured, but since we’d already driven one a few months prior, it wasn’t that big of a deal.

Uncle Toshi had previously told us that you don’t haggle for used cars in Japan. Haggling isn’t my strong suit anyway, but I thought it was a bit odd. Having said that, there was an item called ETC – similar to FasTrak in California – that was advertised in the listing that wasn’t in the car when we checked. Because of the omission, they said they’d install it for free, which usually costs about $300. They also gave us a set of barely used winter tires and said they’d replace the existing summer tires for free as well. Then they knocked off $1,000 from the asking price without prompting. Who could complain?

Once we’d confirmed we wanted the car, they set a date to purchase it. I had an upcoming trip to the states, so I wasn’t able to be there for that. It wasn’t anything I needed to be there for, so Seri took care of it on her own. At the end of the month, she went to Subaru to pay. But as with most other steps, we weren’t done yet.

See, when you buy a car over here, you have to prove to the city that you have a place to park it. It makes sense, but it adds one more step to an already lengthy process. After we forked over the money, an appointment was made with someone from the city of Hakodate who had to come out and confirm that we have a valid parking spot. Seri’s mom’s house has a space that suffices, although we’ll rarely, if ever, use it. Instead, we’re using a garage attached to a property we bought on behalf of Seri’s brother, just below our place.

Taking Delivery

Finally, on August 8th, five months after we began jumping through all of the hoops to acquire the car, it was ours. We drove off the lot and ran a few errands, and I felt a broader sense of freedom. The biggest hurdle we had to overcome since moving here had been cleared. I mean, we literally bought a house before we could buy a car. That’s how much of a pain it’s been.

But our excitement lasted only 24 hours before something happened… while driving around town, the check engine light came on. After everything we’d been through, it felt like a punch in the gut. To make things even worse, Japan has an annual event called Obon where the country basically shuts down. That meant we couldn’t even take our car to the dealership to get it fixed for a week after the issue occurred. We bought an OBD scanner that told us the issue was simply a faulty O2 sensor, and we determined that the car was still drivable. This was a good thing, because the dealership didn’t have a loaner to give us at the time. Still, we decided to take it easy and not drive too much.

When the dealership came back from vacation, we brought the car in to get it looked at. The part had to be ordered, which meant another 4 days of waiting, but once the part arrived, swapping it out took all of 30 minutes. Hooray! Complete success!

Except no. Again, just a day later – yesterday, in fact – while out to lunch, the light came on again. I felt cursed. Fortunately, the dealership was open that day and told us to come in to do an inspection. They determined that somehow the wiring harness had shorted out due to water (did this thing take a dip in the ocean at some point?!), and they’d need to wait another week to get the part. This time, however, a loaner was available, so we’re currently rocking a Subaru Chiffon while our car gets its (hopefully final) fixes applied. What an adventure.

It’s kind of incredible to think that, in America, you can literally walk onto a car lot and walk out with a car the same day. Things are just different over here. Some serve a purpose, such as the parking validation step, but others feel slow just to be slow, like no one wants to take action. Just something to get used to, I guess.