[Sangetsu]

When you take your test, you will have to inspect the car. You will have to look at the front, back, both sides, and underneath. You will also have to look over shoulder before opening and closing the door. Whether you do this in real life or not is irrelevant, it must be done when you take the test.

All instructions from the proctor are given in Japanese, so you'll need to know at least enough Japanese to get through the test.

Rarely do foreigners who convert their foreign licenses to a Japanese license pass on the first try. At some license centers foreigners are never allowed to pass after the first try. It takes an average of 3 tries for a foreigner to pass.

This policy may be due to the fact that you must pay 2500 yen or so each time you take the driving test, the more times it takes you to pass, the more money the license center makes. I felt very fortunate to pass on my second attempt, of the 12 or so people who were testing with me that day, only 2 others passed, and the other 2 were Japanese who were converting American licenses. Both of them were failed on their first attempt as well.