Driving is every teen's dream all through the world. Whether you’re from Europe, US, Canada or in Japan, driving is an exciting experience for most. In urban Japan, taking your car out in the city or just around town becomes less of a thrill and more of a challenging chore due to roadway congestion much like downtown New York City or Manila Philippines. That is why most of those who need to get around town, will use a selective public transportation.Roads and rulesIn Japan, like most European countries, cars drive on the left side of the road and have the driver's seat and steering wheel on the right. Unlike some countries such as Canada, USA, and most parts of Australia, the required age for driving is 18 years unless approved by court for special cases. If going to Karaoke bars and getting 'tipsy' in Japan is your thing, think twice unless you’re going to use public transportation because like almost every other country, you’ll get arrested and no slap of the wrist will be given to you either. The chance of getting caught depends entirely on how tipsy you are but let’s face it, Japan is known for harsh punishments when it comes to drugs. You will have to go to Jail or have to go home a few days later, pay a Y400000 fine, potentially lose your license and above all endangering other people’s lives. Above all, if you know the driver is drunk, you can be arrested as well for knowingly endangering the roadways. So don’t do it and make sure the driver is not intoxicated!Test criteriaThere are certain aspects that must be met before trying out for a driving license, which are: good eye sight, hearing, ability to distinguish between colors, and good understanding of driving theory. If you want more than just a permit, you’ll need to perform well on a driver’s test and this test differs from place to place. Be warned however that some centers do not give driving instructions meaning that you are expected to have their course memorized. Unlike testing in North America, if you make any major mistakes, you fail immediately.Japanese Driving LicensesJapan has made agreements with more than twenty countries to ease the process of converting a valid foreign driving license into a Japanese one. Those countries include Austria, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. If you hold a valid driving license from one of the above countries, you can get a Japanese license without the need of taking any written or practical exams. All you need to do is go to the local license center with an official translation of your license, take an eye test and prove that, after obtaining your license, you have lived at least six months in the country where your license had been issued. If you have a driving license from a country, which has not concluded an agreement with Japan yet, such as the United States, China or Brazil, you will have to take a written and practical exam like any other Japanese citizen to obtain a Japanese driving license.It may seem like an odd thing to do, considering that a lot of Americans do move temporary or permanently to Japan, but the way that they figured out this agreement, Japan had to split the countries according to their driving safety record. The Japanese government feels that it is not necessary for those people from countries that have an equal or better safety record to take a written or driving test.Written TestThe written test is not very difficult for most people and consists of 10 True or False common sense questions. To pass, you must have a minimum score of 7 out of 10. The written test is also available in English however the test instruction session just prior to the test is only in Japanese depending on the city of your test center. The main thing to remember for this test is that in Japan 'X' (batsu) means No or False and 'O' (maru) means Yes or True. After you have done the test you will be provided with your results sometimes about 1 to 2 hours later. They will not tell you which questions you have answered wrong and you will only get a score. If you fail, you will have to come back on another day and apply for the test again.Practical TestFor a practical driving test you will need to set aside at least 2 days in order to obtain your license. On the first day you will need to arrive by a certain time to take the eye-sight and written test. If you pass them, you will then need to make an appointment for your practical test. For those interested, you’ll need to pass the written and eye-sight test before you can proceed to the practical exam.When taking the practical test, you should have in mind that the practical test isn’t so much a test of your driving ability but it's a test of your ability to navigate a set course in a proper manner. Sometimes the skills may overlap, sometimes they don't. It tests your ability to control the car, whether it is going fast or slow. It tests your ability to navigate very narrow sections of road. It’s a test to show that you're aware of any possible danger that could occur at any time, even if it is physically impossible.InspectionWhen your vehicle reaches three years old, it must have and inspection every two years to insure its safety. A sticker attached to the windshield indicates the time of the next vehicle inspection.Beating the frustrating experienceUnfortunately getting a driver's license in Japan is time consuming, and expensive. This means that you lose a full day's wage (and then some), plus the fees of processing paperwork and other taxes. Needless to say, getting your license in Japan is a frustrating experience and the passing rate in Nagoya is roughly 20% and 35% in Tokyo. This means that taking the test more than once may have to happen if you’re not prepared and as such, if you want to beat the biggest frustrating part of getting your license, be prepared!