Japan is renowned for being one of the world’s safest places to drive, with an impressive 4.8 fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, per year.
That’s less than half that of the US, where the number of deaths is 11.6 per 100,000 people, per year. This is partly down to the nature of the Japanese people, and partly because of the many hurdles and detours that prospective drivers need to negotiate before they are given the right to drive.
One American journalist found out it’s even harder if you’re a foreigner, as the system will apparently try to throw everything at you to make you fail. Jacob M. Schlesinger wrote about his experience and efforts to get a Japanese license in this TheWallStreetJournal / JapanRealTime article.
He reported to having to “make seven trips to locations around the city over two months, spending about $600,” though he did concede that Canadians and Europeans will have it easier on this front, as the process for them is more streamlined.
That was merely the start of his endeavor, which according to statistics, ends in failure first time round for around 65 percent of all Americans that attempt it.
For an alternate take on the problem of driving in Japan as a foreigner, check out the video posted below.
By Andrei Nedelea
Story References: Autoblog.com