Licensed to Scoot
I started writing this entry nearly one month ago. I am able to conclude it at last, thanks to a delivery at 5 PM yesterday. And now, for the explanation of my secret “ninja camp” mission…I finally had it with the bicycles and did it. I now have a Japanese driver’s license that permits me to drive scooters. Not a full-out car license, but enough to zoom around on my oh-so-lovely new scooter. Here’s a brief explanation of the process that I went through to get to this point. Paperwork, tests, travel, and pictures follow if you read on.
On July 17th, I went to the local police station on Hakata and asked about the application process for a scooter license. I was told to gather some necessary items and bring cash when I was ready. So, I left and immediately went to a photo shop. (I had taken an American sized ID photo with me, and despite the fact that it was the size required for passports, etc, it would not do for the purposes of license application paperwork.) The pictures costed around ￥1050. No big deal. Then, I rode over to the town hall and asked for a form that basically duplicates all of the information on my Alien Registration Card – that costed around ￥200 and took all of 3 minutes to procure. Again, no big deal. I hit the bank on the way home and pulled out cash for the application, and I returned the following day.
To recap, I took the new ID photo, reprinted alien registration information, cash, my passport, and alien registration card to the police station. It took them about an hour to fill out all of the paperwork. This is not normal, I think. I have a weird name (that ends in a roman numeral), and I know that it can cause problems, so I walked them through it a few times and they made calls to confirm that they were doing things the right way. Like they say, it’s better to do it the right way the first time around than to do it quickly and wrong. Right – about ￥5600 later I had successfully applied. I hear that other folks have to wait for a postcard indicating from what day onward they may take the test, but I was told right then and there that I could take it as soon as the 5th of July. Yikes! I still had school.
I decided to take 2 days off this past week in order to head into Matsuyama and do the deed. Monday was a holiday, so I took Tuesday and Wednesday as paid leave. I was counting on failing the first time, and returning the next day knowing somewhat more about the test I’d be taking. (That turned out to be a silly assumption.) I made some calls to friends in Matsuyama and determined that I should actually crash at a hotel due to proximity and timetables dealing with the train station and buses to the licensing center. Also, it let me concentrate on studying and wake up ridiculously early without bothering anyone. I stayed at a reasonably not-so-crappy business hotel near Okaido in Matsuyama. Got in at about 5 PM on Monday night. Went to a coffee shop and opened the driver’s manual and read through half of it for the first time. Yes, I’m an idiot and waited until the last minute. Shut up. I got hungry, so I grabbed some food to go and took it back to my room. I finished the first book, taking superfluous notes with the pencil and eraser I bought at a Lawson’s in preparation for the test.
I conked out after finishing the driver’s manual and the yellow motorcycle manual – which made me sleepy because I don’t read Japanese very well. That was about 220 pages total, I think. Not too bad. I set the alarm for 5:20 and slept. I was out the door at 6 sharp, and a streetcar and bus ride later I was at the prefectural licensing center. Around 7:15 a security guard laughed at me, and I laughed too – he just mumbled “Geeze you’re early…hahaha…” I did that on purpose. I had an hour left before the front desk opened, so I studied the 7 weeks worth of practice tests that I neglected to do. I couldn’t read most of the kanji, so I only did the ones I could read, paying special attention to the picture questions since they are worth more. (The test consists of 46 true / false questions and 2 picture questions with 3 true / false options each. If you miss just one of the 3 for each picture question, you lose full points for the question. You must get 90% to pass.)
The desk opened, and I was the first to pass my paperwork through to the lady behind the counter. She gave me a number, told me which room to head to, and I was on my way. I kept going to room 32 on the third floor throughout the day. Started to feel like home base after a while. I was the first, so my desk was the closest to the front. Embarrassing. I studied for twenty minutes and by then the rest of the test-takers had gathered. There were 7 of us all together. A policeman came in and did a lightning-round review of the entire yellow motorcycle manual in an hour – an impressive feat. I’d read somewhere that what he says is important, so I took notes during this too, to his amusement. Then we started the test.
It’s timed, 30 minutes, so I watched the clock as I answered. I got lost on 3 or 4 questions, and when I’d completed the rest in only 11 minutes, I felt comfortable taking my time to analyze them. I was annoyed that the figures I’d memorized weren’t on the test at all. Alas. I answered as best as I could, and turned the test in. Then I went out to the front hall. The results were posted to an electronic bulletin board after about 30 minutes. Of the 7 test takers, 3 passed. To my astonishment, my number was on the screen. I passed! I headed back up to room 32 and started the next part of the day. We went downstairs, processed 2 more sheets of paperwork, paid our various fees and coerced “voluntary” donations (without which you do not receive a license), headed to the picture lab and had newer (CRAPPIER) pictures taken of us. I’m making a weird face. I guess DMV photos are the same in every country – it’s true what they say – when you resemble your picture, it’s time for a vacation. Then we had about an hour and forty-five minutes to wait.
I made friends with the other 2 successful applicants, Ai and Ayano, a high school student and a college student – both girls, and we decided to eat lunch together in the cafeteria. We waited where we were told after finishing, and we were taken out to a practice track, given gloves and helmets, and asked lots of questions while learning to ride. It was cool. We had a great teacher who was really kind about everything, and since there were only 3 of us, it went smoothly. After that we went back to room 32 and watched a 25 minute long video describing common accidents for people who drive scooters. As cheesy as it was – and it really was – it was quite helpful. Imagine that. Ha ha. We received one last lecture from a policeman about the point deduction system and its special application during your first year of driving. That was nice too, since I hadn’t heard about this set of rules. All went swimmingly, and we stood in a hallway, where an office worker brought us our new licenses on a tray. Then we were set free. I caught the bus after 4 and got back into Matsuyama around 5. Met up with Becky, went by Kinokuniya and bought 4 books (one of which is the last Harry Potter novel, which should arrive on my doorstep the day after it’s released). Then we went to an Indian place, ate the best salad EVER and some good na’an and curry. Yum. Then I crashed at the hotel, exhausted.
I awoke around 8:30, well rested from sleeping in. Since my errands in Matsuyama were already completed and I wasn’t going back to retake the test, I grabbed a Tazo Chai Latte from Starbucks (mostly cause we don’t have those anywhere near my island) and headed back to the station. I caught the train into Imabari, walked to the scooter store, and purchased a scooter. I’d been thinking about it for a long time, so I knew precisely what I wanted. I chose a brown and black Honda Today, added a widened cargo rack on the back and a normal basket up front, bought a helmet (XXL size…hahahaha) and scooter cover. They walked me through the paperwork for the tags, the insurance, the registration, and the purchase slips. They even personally escorted me to the city center to oversee the completion of that paperwork. It expedited the process for sure. We got the tags, I withdrew the money and paid, and we set a delivery date.
It arrived yesterday at 5 PM, and I had just enough time to zoom around the corner on it to test it out before going to the end-of-term drinking party. (NO I didn’t drive. Sheesh.) I plan on taking it for a spin this afternoon. Can’t wait for school to end. 
That’s my story, guys. June 18th to July 18th. Awesome.
