Only in Japan Go — Transcripts
Summaries + full diarized transcripts
2017-11-07 · Ep 98 · 25m

Japanese Drivers License Course Test Result Shinagawa Tokyo

TokyoJapanese driver's license exchangeDriving testManual transmissionJapanese bureaucracy
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Summary

Japanese Drivers License Course Test Result Shinagawa Tokyo

Overview

In this candid live-stream recap, John Daub shares the results of his first attempt at the Japanese practical driving examination at the Shimazu Driving Center in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Having spent weeks preparing—including memorizing the course layout from Google Earth and extensive mental rehearsal—John chose to test for a kirikae gaikan (外免切替, license exchange from a foreign license) on a manual transmission vehicle. The outcome: a narrow failure. Despite passing the S-curves, safety checks, and crank turns flawlessly, John struggled with the unfamiliar gear shift feel of the test car, accidentally shifting into fifth gear twice instead of third. He provides an unusually detailed breakdown of the entire process: registration, waiting times, the strict procedures, the car itself, and the brutal pass rates—estimated at just 20%, with zero passing for manual transmission in his group. The next available test slot is five weeks away on December 14th.

Highlights

  • 00:00 John stands outside Shimazu Driving Center immediately after failing his first practical driving exam attempt for manual transmission license exchange.

  • 00:32 He reveals his preparation strategy: taking a Google Earth screenshot of the course, printing it, tracing it repeatedly, and memorizing it mentally so he could close his eyes and navigate by memory.

  • 00:58 The shocking statistics: approximately 35 people in the room, only about 20% passed overall, and zero people passed for manual transmission in John's group.

  • 01:28 John describes the first applicant in front of him—a candidate so demonstrably unprepared that he held the steering wheel at 5 and 7 o'clock instead of 10 and 2, failing within the first 10–15 seconds.

  • 03:45 John explains the two color-coded rows: green for manual transmission (front), red for automatic transmission (back), with six to seven candidates per group.

  • 04:52 Key test components: anzen kakkunin (safety checks), handbrake procedures, gear shifting, braking control at speed, pedestrian crossings, and the absence of railroad tracks or slopes on this particular course.

  • 06:56 John's meticulous pre-drive checklist: walk around the car for inspection, enter, close door, lock, adjust seat, adjust mirrors, handbrake up, shift to neutral, foot on brake and clutch, start engine, release handbrake, shift to first, signal right, safety check.

  • 10:23 The critical failure point: the test car had a buttery-smooth gear shift completely different from the heavy-shifting practice car at his driving school. John couldn't feel whether gears were engaged, leading to accidental fifth-gear shifts instead of third.

  • 14:03 The S-curves and kuranku (クランク, 90-degree crank turns) went perfectly—John notes the test course has much lower curbs than practice, making it easy to accidentally mount them.

  • 18:44 The scheduling reality: no available test dates for the rest of November; next available slot is December 14th—five weeks away.

  • 21:53 John recommends Musashi Sakai Driving School (near Kichijoji on the Chuo Line): ¥10,000 entry fee plus ¥5,000 per lesson. He also plans to contact Kiki Driving School, which practices on the actual Shimazu test course.

Timeline / Chapters

[00:00 – 00:31] Introduction and location establishment. John is live outside Shimazu Driving Center in Shinagawa. He announces he failed but came very close. Sets the tone for a detailed breakdown.

[00:32 – 01:04] Preparation backstory. John explains his Google Earth course-tracing method and how he memorized the layout. Notes he arrived early hoping to walk the course, but that is not permitted.

[01:04 – 01:38] Preparation technique details. He describes practicing the memorized course with eyes closed, running through it mentally. Observes that everyone else appeared unprepared and most were failing.

[01:39 – 02:10] Pass rate observations. Estimates 35 people present, roughly 20% pass rate, zero manual transmission passes in his group. Notes his group was the second group tested.

[02:10 – 02:43] The previous candidate. John describes the applicant before him who failed immediately due to improper hand position on the steering wheel (5 and 7 position) and inability to operate the vehicle properly. Mentions the examiner's frustration.

[02:43 – 03:13] Scheduling and check-in process. John arrived at 11:45 for a 12:50 test session. He was the first to arrive, checked in, and waited in room two. Notes the room was filled entirely with foreign applicants, primarily Chinese nationals.

[03:13 – 03:45] Room configuration and test introduction. The head instructor gives a standardized speech apologizing to repeat test-takers and explaining all rules again for first-timers. John finds this portion genuinely useful.

[03:45 – 04:18] Test components. No railroad tracks or slope on this course (unlike others). Focus is on basics: anzen kakkunin (safety checks), handbrake, gear shifting, braking from speed, pedestrian crossings.

[04:18 – 04:52] Group structure. Seven candidates per group. John was number six, meaning significant waiting time while numbers one through five took their turns.

[04:52 – 05:58] Watching others fail. Detailed observation of candidate number five's catastrophic failure: wrong hand position, inability to shift gears, inability to brake properly. Failed within 10–15 seconds.

[05:58 – 06:30] John's turn approaches. Number five pulls in, receives his yellow failure slip. Number four exits the back seat to the driver's seat. John prepares himself mentally.

[06:30 – 07:07] The transition moment. John does his own vehicle inspection before entering. Adjusts the seat and mirrors to account for the previous driver leaving the seat far back.

[07:07 – 07:40] John's pre-drive procedure. Performs the full checklist: door, close, lock, seat adjustment, mirror adjustment, handbrake check (up), neutral, foot on brake and clutch, engine start, release handbrake, first gear, signal right, safety check. Exits onto the course.

[07:40 – 08:44] Course navigation begins. John describes the car's buttery-smooth gear shift contrasting sharply with his practice car's heavy shift. He immediately feels disoriented about whether gears are properly engaged.

[08:44 – 09:21] The instructor. John notes the examiner's frustration from the preceding failures. Describes the driving center as a clean, institutional facility for Tokyo residents taking the license exchange exam.

[09:21 – 10:23] Critical errors begin. John accidentally shifts into fifth gear instead of third. Remains calm, shifts back to third. Continues the course, properly stopping at a pedestrian crossing and checking left and right.

[10:23 – 11:28] Continued driving challenges. Trouble finding second gear, can't feel the engagement. John describes the crosswalk, another straightaway, and continued difficulty with the unfamiliar transmission.

[11:28 – 12:31] Second critical error. Attempts to shift into third gear for the speed test, accidentally enters fifth again. Maintains composure, shifts back, completes the course with proper pedestrian checks.

[12:31 – 13:32] The S-curves and crank turns. These go perfectly—John had memorized the course perfectly. The test course has thinner curbs than practice, making them easy to accidentally cross.

[13:32 – 14:33] Final leg. John navigates the kuranku (クランク, 90-degree crank turns) flawlessly. Notes the instructor was likely waiting for him to demonstrate proper speed and gear control on the straightaway, which he failed to do cleanly.

[14:33 – 15:34] The decisive moment. John misses third gear again on the acceleration section, goes into fifth. Smiles and waves it off, knowing it's likely over. Continues with proper pedestrian checks.

[15:34 – 16:08] Course deviation. Instead of cutting through the center intersection as expected, the instructor tells John to go straight back to the starting point—signaling the test is terminated.

[16:08 – 17:08] Debriefing. The instructor briefly notes John had "problems on the straightaway." John acknowledges it. Everything else apparently went well enough not to be mentioned. The test is over.

[17:08 – 17:41] Assessment. John reflects that the main issue was the unfamiliar car feel. The practice car required heavy, deliberate shifts; the test car was too smooth. This threw off his timing entirely.

[17:41 – 18:12] Next steps. John receives his test card with reservation information. He'll need to schedule the next attempt. Mentions using ICOCA for the train ride home.

[18:12 – 19:14] Scheduling reality check. The next available test date in Tokyo is December 14th—five weeks away. In rural prefectures, tests can sometimes be scheduled within days.

[19:14 – 20:19] Course mapping resources. John demonstrates the course screenshot from Google Earth, showing the course layout. Criticizes the official low-resolution course diagram provided by the center, likening it to mimeograph quality.

[20:19 – 21:23] Waiting experience. Due to being number six, John waited nearly 45 minutes from the official 12:50 start time to his actual driving turn. Observes the Chinese-speaking candidates seemed unconcerned despite low pass rates.

[21:23 – 22:24] Mental preparation. John describes his visualization exercises during the long wait—imagining himself making turns, performing signals, executing safety checks.

[21:53 – 22:55] Driving school recommendations. Musashi Sakai Driving School on the Chuo Line (¥10,000 entry, ¥5,000/lesson). Mentions Kiki Driving School for practicing on the actual Shimazu test course (monthly classes, may be full).

[22:55 – 23:26] Emotional reflection. John expresses pride in how close he came. Regrets not leaving with the license, but acknowledges the Japanese test is extremely strict and requires significant preparation investment.

[23:26 – 24:02] Departure and surroundings. John walks to Samezu Station. Notes the area is essentially a ghost town, with nearly all pedestrians heading to the driving center. Mentions businesses that cater to those who fail.

[24:02 – 24:32] Test rules reminder. Explains why no in-car footage was captured: phones must be off, no recording, no eating, strict silence rules in the waiting room.

[24:32 – 25:04] Journey home. John discusses taking the local train, transferring at Shinagawa Station. Expresses optimism despite the setback, planning to use the super chat donations for ramen.

[25:04 – 25:35] Gratitude and next attempt. John thanks viewers for their support, attributes his close result partly to their energy. Promises to return for the second attempt on December 14th, joking he'll need a Fukushima trip to meet someone new.

[25:35 – 25:29] Closing. John heads home without a license but with valuable experience.

Japan Travel Tips

  • Test Availability in Tokyo: Tokyo's driving test centers book up months in advance. The next available slot after November 7th was December 14th—a five-week gap. If you're flexible with location, rural prefectures often have next-day availability.
  • Pre-Practice the Specific Course: The Shimazu Driving Center in Shinagawa has three courses (A, B, and C). Study the course layout on Google Earth before your test. Memorize arrow directions, turn points, S-curves, and crank sections.
  • Know the Car You'll Drive: The test car may feel completely different from your practice car. If possible, practice with a school that uses similar vehicles to the test center. The difference between a heavy-shift and smooth-shift transmission can cost you the test.
  • Arrive Extremely Early: John arrived 65 minutes before his scheduled test time and was the first person there. Use this time to mentally prepare and observe the facility.
  • Reserve Your Test Slot Months Ahead: John booked his test over a month in advance. Given the limited daily slots (approximately 18 candidates per session), don't wait until the last minute.
  • Manual Transmission Significantly Harder: Zero people in John's manual transmission group passed. Automatic transmission has a higher pass rate. Consider this when deciding which license to pursue.
  • Pay for Professional Lessons: Musashi Sakai Driving School charges ¥10,000 entry plus ¥5,000 per lesson. Kiki Driving School offers practice on the actual test course. This investment may be the difference between passing and failing.
  • Bring All Required Documents: You'll need your foreign license, translation (if applicable), resident registration card, and any other documents specified. The staff will verify everything before you enter the testing room.
  • Phone and Electronics Must Be Off: No recording, no phone use, no eating in the waiting room. Respect the strict rules or risk disqualification.

Japanese Language & Culture Notes

  • Kirikae Gaikan (外免切替): The process of converting a foreign driver's license to a Japanese license. Foreign nationals who hold valid licenses from their home countries can take a practical driving test to obtain a Japanese license rather than starting from scratch.

  • Anzen Kakkunin (安全確認): Safety confirmation checks. Before moving the car, drivers must visually check mirrors, blind spots, and surrounding traffic to ensure it is safe to proceed.

  • Kuranku (クランク): A Japanese driving term borrowed from the German "Kurbel" (crank). It refers to a sharp 90-degree turn, typically used in driving test courses to assess low-speed maneuvering ability.

  • S-Sen (S字): S-curves—continuous winding curves that test smooth steering control and vehicle positioning at low to medium speeds.

  • Dokuritsu Shiken (獨立試験): The practical driving exam, literally "independent test." Unlike written tests which have multiple dates, practical test slots are extremely limited.

  • Shatā (スターター): The starter button or mechanism used to start the vehicle engine during the pre-drive checklist.

  • Nerikēshon (ニュートラル): Neutral gear position. In the pre-drive sequence, the car must be in neutral before starting the engine.

  • Handobureeki (ハンドブレーキ): Handbrake (parking brake). The handbrake must be confirmed in the "up" (engaged) position during the initial vehicle check.

  • Test Culture: Japanese driving tests prioritize absolute adherence to procedure and rules over driving skill. The examiner is assessing whether you will be a safe, rule-compliant driver in Japan's often chaotic traffic environment.

  • Waiting Room Etiquette: Absolute silence is required. Phones off. No eating. No recording. The atmosphere is tense and formal.

Food & Drink Guide

  • Ramen (ラーメン): John mentions treating himself to a "really big bowl of ramen" using Super Chat donations after the failed test. While no specific ramen shop is featured, ramen is the quintessential post-adversity comfort food in Japan. A bowl in Tokyo typically costs ¥700–¥1,200 depending on the establishment.

People

  • John Daub: The host and sole narrator. An American who has lived in Japan for over 30 years, attempting to exchange his foreign driver's license for a Japanese license with manual transmission privileges. Despite failing, he demonstrated thorough preparation, mental composure under pressure, and a positive attitude about the setback. His driving skills were clearly strong—the S-curves and crank turns were flawless—but the unfamiliar transmission feel in the test car cost him the test.

Key Takeaways

  1. The Test Car Is the Wild Card: John's driving was technically excellent—the S-curves and crank turns were perfect—but the unfamiliar, overly smooth gear shift in the test car led to two critical errors that ended his chances. Future test-takers should practice with vehicles that have light, precise gear shifts.

  2. Memorize the Course Completely: John's method of printing a Google Earth screenshot and mentally tracing the course allowed him to focus entirely on driving mechanics rather than navigation. This is essential—you should know every turn, arrow, and stop point before entering the car.

  3. Tokyo's System Is Overwhelmed: With only about 18 test slots per day and demand from millions of foreign residents in the Tokyo metro area, slots book out months in advance. Rural prefectures offer faster scheduling if you're willing to travel.

  4. The Procedure Is As Important As Driving: The pre-drive checklist, signal timing, safety checks at every stop—all are scored independently. Strong driving cannot compensate for skipped procedures.

  5. Mental Preparation Matters: John used visualization techniques during his 45-minute wait, running through the entire course mentally. This kept him calm and focused when his number was called.

  6. 80% Failure Rate Is Normal: Don't be discouraged by initial failures. The vast majority of candidates fail on their first attempt. Persistence, additional practice, and learning from each attempt are expected parts of the process.

Notable Quotes

00:00 John Daub: "Behind me is the Shimazu Driving Center in Shinagawa. And I finished the practical exam. That's the driving exam that you're required to take in order to get a license for Kirikai Gaimen, which is what I'm doing. A license exchange. Yeah. I failed."

01:04 John Daub: "I took an app that I have on my iPhone, and I traced out the course, and I closed my eyes, and I kept doing it and doing it in my head until I could close my eyes and just trace it by memory."

09:52 John Daub: "He didn't do any of the steps that you needed to get into the car, which is open the door, sit down, close the door, lock the door. Okay, handbrake check. Okay, it's up. All right, you following this? This is how strict it is."

11:58 John Daub: "It was like buttery smooth, and I didn't know if I was in or not. All right? I don't know if you've driven a stick shift, but I don't know if I'm in gear or not in gear."

12:31 John Daub: "And then I was like, oh, my God. Okay, wait. Don't panic. It's not over. All right? And I shifted back into third, and then I braked."

18:12 John Daub: "If I was in another prefecture in the countryside, I'd probably be able to take this the day after tomorrow. Not in Tokyo. Five weeks later."

19:45 John Daub: "They give you these really small maps that look like mimeographs. Do you remember that if you were born in the 19th century, 1970s, you probably had the mimeographs before the copy machines?"

25:04 John Daub: "I don't feel that bad. You know, I'm always gonna be pretty happy. It's not a big deal to fail. The experience was good because I knew exactly what I have to do."

25:35 John Daub: "I know a lot of people were cheering me on. I felt that energy, and that's probably the reason why I got as close as I did, maybe because of you."

Related Topics

  • Japanese driver's license application process and requirements
  • License exchange procedures for foreign residents in Japan
  • Japanese driving schools and test preparation
  • Tokyo bureaucracy and appointment systems
  • Manual transmission driving in Japan
  • Japanese traffic laws and regulations
  • Resident registration and Japanese administrative procedures

Search Tags

#only-in-japan-go #japanesedriverslicense #shinagawa #drivingtest #manualtransmission #kirikaegaikan #外免切替 #shimazu #drivinglicenseexchange #tokyodrivingtest #onlyinjapango #japanbureaucracy #japanesetraffic #drivingschool #musashisakai #tokyolife #foreignlicenseinjapan #japantravel #tokyotravel

Full Transcript

00:00 John Daub: We're live. Yeah. Behind me is the Shimazu Driving Center in Shinagawa. And I finished the practical exam. That's the driving exam that you're required to take in order to get a license for Kirikai Gaimen, which is what I'm doing. A license exchange. Yeah. I failed. I failed. It was close, though. You know, let me break. I'm gonna break down for you the process and let you know what happened. Those who are tuning in now, complete and utter failure.

00:32 John Daub: No, I wouldn't say utter failure. It was. There are some good things that came out of it, and I'm gonna get into more details with it. This is the course. Okay. Do you see what I'm holding up here? I went into Google Maps, Google Earth. I took a screenshot of the course, and then when you get in there, you know what course you're gonna get. They don't tell you in advance. There's a thing on the Internet that if you get there early, you can walk the course.

01:04 John Daub: Wrong. You can't do that. So I got there really early, and I wasn't able to walk the course, which is something that I really wanted to do. Too bad. So all I could do was get in and take my screenshot out. And then when I found out I had course A, there are three courses that you get to pick. I'm doing manual transmission. I took an app that I have on my iPhone, and I traced out the course, and I closed my eyes, and I kept doing it and doing it in my head until I could close my eyes and just trace it by memory.

01:39 John Daub: And that really helped a lot. Nobody else was doing this, and I could tell everybody was failing. I think out of there must have been about 35 people in the room. I'd say, yeah, 20% passed. So 80% flunked for the manual transmission. Nobody passed. Okay. Nobody passed. In my group, everybody flunked, and I was the closest of the group. People failed before they even started. The guy. The guy in front of me. All right. Are you listening?

02:10 John Daub: The guy in front of me was so bad. I mean, this gave me sort of hope. I said, all right, he's gonna fail, so that'll make me look good, right? When you follow somebody who bombs. But if you follow someone who bombs, it also means that the audience is already kind of pissed off. So my instructor was not the happiest man in the world. No, he was not. He's a very strict, strict guy. Nice guy. I'm sure in his free time away from his work After a couple of drinks maybe, but not.

02:43 John Daub: Not in a car. Okay, so I'm gonna break it down for you in this live stream. My first attempt, what I learned, what I took away from this, what happened, and what I'm going to do now. Okay, So I came here, the exam. There's two sessions per day. The one that I reserved was at 1250. The other one is in the morning. I think it's around 8:50. And I came at 11:45. Okay. I was the first one there. Nobody else was in the room. I checked in.

03:13 John Daub: They told me to go to room number two. And I waited. And it's the same room. Everybody is a foreigner in the room. So there were no other Americans, no other North Americans, no other. No one guy who could have been European or North American, but everybody else was from China. I know because they were all speaking to one another. And I'm just. I was looking at them going, all right, so that's. This is the room. So finally it's 1250 and the exam's ready to start.

03:45 John Daub: And I'm sitting there in the front row because each row is separated. There's manual transmission in the front, which was green colored. And then red colored was automatic transmission. There was row one and row two, and there are six each. So that means there's about 20 people in the row. Yeah. And they started the exam. The instructor, head instructor started by saying that he apologizes for those who are taking it for the second time because the rules haven't changed.

04:18 John Daub: And he goes over every again. And for the first timers, please pay attention. He goes through all the rules. It's actually quite useful I found though, on the course there's no railroad tracks, which was odd because I'd studied that, and no slope to practice on. So usually you have to do your. The emergency brake and then show that you can continue on a slope without falling back. That wasn't on the test either. It was just the basics, which is, you know, that's actually a pretty good thing.

04:52 John Daub: Makes it simpler. Or it makes it that you are actually more focused on the basics. Meaning you have to do your anzen kakkunin, like your safety checks. You have to be. Have to practice that. You really have to be. Have that down. And I did. I'll tell you what the problem was in a second. Okay? So in each group there were six people. So I had to reserve the test over a month in advance. Okay. Tokyo is very crowded place, so each session, I guess there's only a limited number of people like 18, I think.

05:27 John Daub: So there were six in each row. Six in each group. And I was sorry, seven. Okay, seven. I was number six, which is not a bad thing. But it also means that you have to wait around. Means that you have to wait around. So while 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are going, I'm sort of waiting there. When they call my number, number six, I go and I walk onto the course, onto the side there, and I wait at the number where the car has pulled in to stop that driver.

05:58 John Daub: The driver. Thank you, Juju. There's a drive. There's a passenger who is number five. And number four was driving. So number four gets out, he gets his failure slip. You can see because the, the pink one is pass and the yellow one. The yellow one is fail and the pink ones pass. I forget what color did I have? I think I, well, I failed. Doesn't matter what color it is. So he got his failure slip. He walked out with his tail between his legs.

06:30 John Daub: The guy in the backseat, he goes into the front and I sort of talked to him before. He, he didn't look like the brightest light bulb in. The brightest light bulb on the street. He's kind of dim. A little bit dim. He didn't make it either. Well, join the club. So as I was going back, so the guy in the back seat, he, he actually made a mistake with the course. I guess he didn't study the course enough. So this is the thing, this is why you need to practice and do this in advance because if you don't have the course, then you're going to fail.

07:07 John Daub: It seems like everybody did something that was a no brainer and failed. Everybody who failed did it because there was a no brainer. Everybody who passed had gone to school and studied the course and the process. Alright, this is the first thing you need to know. All right, back to the course. Now I'm on, I'm on the Runway, the tarmac. Okay. I have to, I have to get into the passenger seat. And number five is driving. Now this guy, from the start you knew he was in trouble.

07:40 John Daub: He didn't do any of the, any of the steps that you needed to get into the car, which is open the door, sit down, close the door, lock the door. Okay, handbrake check. Okay, it's up. All right, you following this? This is how strict it is. Okay, handbrake check. What's next? Okay, it's in reverse. So you put it into neutral. Put it into neutral. You put your foot on the brake. And then onto the clutch and then turn on the engine, push the handbrake down and push it into first gear.

08:14 John Daub: Signal to the right, and then do a safety check to make sure that the road is clear. Like, I have this sort of like burned into my mind. Okay? So he said, okay, let's go. And I could tell he was angry from the last guy. All right, this guy was angry from the last game. I'm already at the station. This is Sameizu station. Okay? Sameizu station is where you come for most people in Tokyo. There's also another course out in the countryside.

08:44 John Daub: But for majority of the people that come here, it's a brand new center. It's really. It's very clean and institutional looking. Okay, let's. Let's leave it there. So, alright, this guy, number five. Let's call him number five. Okay? Awful driver. From the start, he didn't. He kept on. He didn't know when to shift and he didn't know when. When to speed up. He didn't know how to brake. How do you know not how to break? He held the wheels like, like instead of 10 and 2, like everybody would in any test that you would take seriously.

09:21 John Daub: He held the wheels like at, like at. At 5 and 7. How long is your driving? Like this. Okay, that's like guaranteed fail right there. The fun is that the instructor, he just kept letting him go on. This guy failed in the first 10 seconds because he didn't even start it right. I'm just looking. I'm biting my lip and trying not to laugh because we have to stay humble, right? Because I'm going to be in that same situation as him the next turn.

09:52 John Daub: But I'm biting my lip and praying for the poor guy. Yeah, he failed in the first 10, 15 seconds. It was over. You start off and there's a straightaway and you have to pick up some speed here and get up to about 50km an hour and then pump the brakes and show that you have control of the car and make the turn around. He couldn't do that, so he came around. He came in and he took his beatings like a man. And that was it. Okay, so he pulls in wrong, of course.

10:23 John Daub: Didn't even signal or do anything. He knew he was gone. The guy tells me to come around, okay, I do that and you don't know when to start. The first thing you're supposed to do is go around the car and do a check of the car, but you don't know when the exam actually starts. But I Did that. Anyways, I went to the front. I didn't follow. He said, please step into the car. But before I did that, I did the check in the back and the check in the front and check in the back.

10:56 John Daub: And then I went into the driver's seat, and I did what I told you you have to do first. Close the door, lock the door. I adjusted the seat, but the guy put it back, way back. So I adjusted the mirror. Then I had to adjust the seat again and then adjust the mirror again because the length was. It was weird. This is a car that I'd never driven before, too, and this is why I failed. And then, yeah, I did that whole step, and then I signaled, and I went out.

11:28 John Daub: Okay, everything's good. I'm in first gear. I'm going around the curve, and I'm about to accelerate. And this gear shift is so, like. It's, like, weird. It's like it was set up to, like, make you fail. All right? It's like I shift into. I shift in the second. Okay, we're going pretty good. And he. The guy said, you know, be real kind. He's telling me, like, you're such. Cause like, I was doing it too strong. Shifting into the gear because I'm.

11:58 John Daub: The car that I practiced on at the driving center was really, really like, you had to shift that mother. Okay. He had to really shift it. And this car, Okay, I. It was, like, buttery smooth, and I didn't know if I was in or not. All right? I don't know if you've driven a stick shift, but I don't know if I'm in. If I'm in gear or not in gear. And then I shift in a second. I shift in the third, and I'm about to accelerate, except I accidentally shifted into fifth.

12:31 John Daub: And then I was like, oh, my God. Okay, wait. Don't panic. It's not over. All right? And I shifted back into third, and then I braked. And then I knew I probably lost points from that, but I went around this bend slow. There was a crosswalk, a pedestrian crossing. The guy before me didn't even slow down. I was biting my lip there, but I slowed down, and I looked left and right to make sure no kids were crossing or no one was going to be there.

13:01 John Daub: And then I sped up again. Another straightaway. I tried to hit it again, and then I had trouble finding the second gear. I pulled it down, and I didn't know if I was in or not. And I didn't feel like I was in and that was my biggest problem. I couldn't feel it out. I didn't get any time to feel the gear shift. So now that I know what I'm up against, I'm going to be able to do a better job of it. But. But the exam wasn't over. It still continued.

13:32 John Daub: Okay, so, yeah, this is a manual. This is a manual transmission that I'm trying to get the license for. Alright? So I go around the bend and I already memorized the course in my mind. He doesn't have to tell me where to go. I already know, which makes it easy because instead of listening to him, I'm already focusing on the signals and when to signal far in advance. Okay? So I signal, I turn, I go in there and then we start the S curve.

14:03 John Daub: And the S curve is this perfect job. No problem whatsoever. The curbs are like this, are like this high. The ones I practice on at the core, at the driving center was like, like, I don't know, like 8cm off. So if you hit the curb, alright, you stop almost, you pretty much stop. Okay. You know, you hit a curb. These curbs are so thin, if you hit the curb, you're going over it and that's it. It's like you're set up to fail, okay. In a way.

14:33 John Daub: So the curves are really, really short, okay. So it's easy to drive over them. So if you hit it, you don't even know if you hit it until you're already over it. So that's something that you should keep in mind because the number five, he was over it. He, you know what, when he went into the next one, which is called the crank, it sounds like the clank. The way that the Japanese, Japanese instructor says it's a crank. It's 90 degree turns.

15:04 John Daub: Okay. And the, the number five, he just, he just did like, he just went straight over the curbs and like, that's an instant fail, you know, it was over. Yeah, I got in there, I, I did the crank. Crank. Just real slow in first gear. You get around there. Boom. Okay, turn right, turn left. Sorry, Turn right, turn right. Okay, I'm good. Another time. This is where I failed. This is also a place where I can speed up and show my control of the car.

15:34 John Daub: I wanted to get into third gear and get about 50 kilometers an hour. And I think he was waiting for me to do that to prove that I could do that because I didn't quite get it the first time. Okay, I missed the clutch, I missed the gear again. I couldn't feel Third gear. And I went into fifth again. And I didn't panic. I kind of smiled and waved it off. And I knew it was pretty. Pretty much over. I shifted back in a second and went around, looked left and right of the pedestrians.

16:08 John Daub: You got to finish with Grace. And then instead of taking a right, he told me to go straight. And then I knew that was over. I didn't know for sure, but I was. Yeah, you knew it was over. And because that's where the number five. That's where number five was told to go back as well. Ordinarily, I would cut through the intersection, which is in the middle. Let me pull out the course again. You know what? It's. It's not. Here's the course.

16:38 John Daub: Now you can see what I'm talking about, right? So instead of cutting through the middle again, through the intersection, I just went back to the point of origin, which is. Which is right here on the top. We start. Start here and finished there. And that's. That's what happened. He. He came. He didn't even explain what I did wrong. He just kind of said, yeah, you had problems with the straightaway. And I said, yeah, I admit it. I did.

17:08 John Daub: Everything else seemed okay because they didn't mention it. And then that was it. So I only needed to go. I just needed to go a little bit more. The hard parts are all done. So, yeah, I failed the first attempt of the Japanese license. Not badly, though. It was close. It was close. The only thing that you have to keep in mind is that the car you practice on, the car that you driven or the car that you know well, is probably not going to be the same feel as the car.

17:41 John Daub: You know, it's like cheating. It's like you're cheating on your wife or your girlfriend with another car. It just feels different. And this one was awful. So I'm not, you know, and this is supposed to be the car that all the taxi drivers use. So I don't know, maybe I should ask a taxi cab driver if I can borrow his car to practice for a little bit. Okay. So now I failed the test, and I'm walking out, and you have to make an appointment for the next one.

18:12 John Daub: You have a card? Do I have the card on me? Yeah, Here it is. This is a card. I don't want to show you the number. Looks like this. Here it is. So I get this card. This card has your reservation information on it, and you need your foreigner, your address, your registration card. So I gave him the card, and I looked on the registration Screen. And the next available date today is November 7th. Right. The next available time to take the test is December 14th.

18:44 John Daub: That was the first. There's nothing in the rest of November. If I was in another prefecture in the countryside, I'd probably be able to take this the day after tomorrow. Not in Tokyo five weeks later. So all the practice that I did at that driving school, I've got to redo it again or at least keep my skills sharp enough to take this test again. So, yeah, that's what happened. There's no real good map of the course here in Shinagawa.

19:14 John Daub: For anyone watching this as a reference, the best thing for you to do, there's three courses, okay. A, B and C. And if you go into Google Maps, Google, thank you very much for the super chats. I might be using that to go out and get like a really big bowl of ramen right now, man. So I went into Google Earth, Google Chats, and I did a screenshot of the course from space. This is the best map that you can possibly get. There's nothing else.

19:45 John Daub: They give you these really small like before. It looks like something. Even before the copy machine came out, like mimeographs. Do you remember that if you were born in the 19th century, 1970s, you probably had the mimeographs before the copy machines, they would go like this. It was so hard to read it. It was definitely not high definition. It's probably like even worse than 480p. It's like 180p. The quality of the paper was. So I'm squinting just to see to trace the course of what course A has.

20:19 John Daub: I had this map. So once I'd memorized where the arrows were going on that map, I traced it on this map. Okay, this is the best thing that you can do. Ended up being like this. So I knew where all the turns were and I was ready mentally to do it. And because I was sixth, I had about. The test officially starts at 1250. They do an introduction and confirm all your paperwork. So that takes you about 20 minutes. So it's. It's 1:10 and then they're starting the test around 1:15.

20:52 John Daub: I had to sit there until about almost 2 o'. Clock. So it's about 30 minutes. Yeah. But by the time I started the test, it took me about 35 minutes before I walked onto the platform. In that dead time, I'm listening to a lot of people speaking Chinese. I might have picked up a few words. I don't know. They didn't seem too worried. They should have been because they fail miserably. All of them, I think two passed out of the group of like 15.

21:23 John Daub: But they didn't look like they were worried at all. But they should have been. I looked like I was worried because I kept walking out, stretching, keeping my body as relaxed as much as possible. Clearing my mind, trying to. Trying to take all the images I'd been processing on that map I showed you and closing my mind and trying to imagine myself making the turns and doing the signals and doing all the safety checks. What can I do now?

21:53 John Daub: So there's a couple of driving schools. Another one is called Kiki Driving School. This one I highly recommend. The one that I took in Musashi Sakai. That's on the Chuo Line near Kichijoji. From Shinjuku, go towards Kichijoji and it's a couple stops after Kichijoji. Musashi Sakai. They're pretty good. It's 100 about a Ichimango Sayena. About $150 for to enter into the school and 5,000 yen per lesson. I might take one more just as a refresher.

22:24 John Daub: And then there's this Kiki Driving School, which I highly recommend because you know where they do. You know where they do their practice runs on that course that it was just on. So I'm going to give them a call. But they only do it, I think once a month. So the classes might even be full or I might not be able to get on. It's worth the extra money to practice on. On the course because it's like visiting an old friend when you go there and to take the test.

22:55 John Daub: I want to go visit my old friend again. I don't want that instructor again unless he remembers that. I did a pretty good job that first time. I was close, you know, I'm proud of. I wanted to walk out with that license because I imagined myself reaching that goal and holding that license and doing a live stream going, you know. But you know, that's not the reality in Japan. This examination is extremely strict. You have to know the laws very well.

23:26 John Daub: There's no way for you to practice unless you pay. It's pay to play, no learner's permit or anything like that. I'm going in there again next time. Five weeks later with. I don't know, without having driven for five weeks. Unless I go to a school and pay to have another lesson. So I'm gonna go onto the train platform at Sameizu. There's really not that much here. When you come out of the Station. It looks like a ghost town. Everybody who's walking this way, 95% of them are going towards the driving school.

24:02 John Daub: And a lot of the businesses, there's little side businesses that do schools and stuff like this. I guess if you fail, they become predators. They prey on you after you. So I'm gonna call Kiki Driving School and see if they'll let me practice on this course. I'll put this on Instagram. How about that? Okay. If you want to see more of my epic fail, you're not allowed to eat in the room. You're not allowed to use your phone. It has to be off.

24:32 John Daub: You're not allowed to record anything. That's the reason why you didn't see me recording anything. Now I gotta make the long trip home, go onto the train. I have a ICOCA card, So I have to make this long trip home. I don't feel that bad. You know, I'm always gonna be pretty happy. It's not a big deal to fail. The experience was good because I knew exactly what I have to do. And if anything, as a result of this, I'm going to be a better driver on a course.

25:04 John Daub: I'm going to be the best course driver possible. There's the train to Shinagawa. This is a local stop, so you have to make a train, change trains at Shinagawa station, which is a headache, and find the local train, which is right here. Okay, so without further ado, thanks, everybody for the support. I. I know a lot of people were cheering me on. I felt that energy, and that's probably the reason why I got as close as I did, maybe because of you.

25:35 John Daub: So thanks again for everybody for supporting this this first try. I'll be back on for the second try, and we're gonna get this thing done. Fortunately, I'm gonna need the Fukushima shoot. But, hey, get to meet a new person, right? All right, see everybody. I'm on my way back home without a license.

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