Go to the 2nd Floor.
Go up the stairs to the 2nd floor of the building. There, you will see a block of waiting room chairs of orange plastic and other garish colours.
Go to "Door A" and ring the doorbell.
The chairs face away from a row of numbered windows. Being a non-Japanese resident, you have a special "window" which is actually a door marked A. Strangely, this door never opened. but anyway, go towards the door with the large A sigh above it.
Just to the left of the door is a small doorbell. This is the doorbell you ring to get attention. A clerk may come through another door with a clipboard.
Write your name on the clipboard
People will be helped in the order that they sign the clipboard. Unfortunately for me, I had come at 8:30 that morning and was told to wait until 1:00 after I signed my name. When I came back at 1:00 there were 5 names on the list. Luckily, whoever was next in line had to wait for me because my name was higher up on the list. I only waited 10 minutes to be served. Going earlier helps.
Wait to be called.
Follow the clerk into the interview room
You will be seated in the eye-testing room and asked some questions. Give the clerk all your documents and answer him if you speak Japanese. I believe that none of them speak any English.
They will make "photocopies" of your documents and go to great pains to check that you stayed in the country where your licence was issued for more than 3 months.
Wait up to one hour
While they "make photocopies" or whatever the heck they're doing for one hour. I assume that it was from deciphering the 20 faded stamps in my passport saying when I departed and arrived in my home country.
Double check while he fills in the application for you in Japanese
When he/she comes back, s/he'll fill in the application for you. Then ask you to sign that you've never had a run-in with the police, and that you're in good health.
Yay you're finished!
You'll be reminded again to bring
1) Your gaijin card
2)Your passport
3)Your original licence
4)The application he just filled out for you
Remember to bring them all on Day 2!
You can come any weekday to take the tests. The Driving Test section is closed on Saturdays and Sundays.
Click Next to go to the testing... Day 2
