[Tokyo edition] 6 best driving training schools for foreigners How to make a successful choice

In recent years, foreigners living long-term in Japan has increased. Together with this, the number of foreigners who want to get their Japanese driver’s license is also steadily increasing.

This is especially true in Osaka, where over 200,000 foreign nationals or about 10% of the total foreigners in Japan reside.

Here, we would like to introduce some governement registered driving schools, especially for these five countries; China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brazil, and Nepal, which have the largest number of foreigners residing in Japan.

It is not difficult for foreign nationals to obtain a driver’s license in Japan. With a license, you can enjou travelling around or just make your daily commute easier. You can use it effectively as an ID card, or you can switch to an international driver’s license and drive around the world.

In 2018, more than 1,500 foreign nationals obtained their Japanese driver’s licenses in Osaka Prefecture.

We hope that this article will help foreigners living in Osaka to get their licenses as well.

How to choose a Driving School that suits you

If you can find a driving school that suits you, getting a license is not that difficult. So how do you find the driving school that fits your needs?

Below are three articles that can help you.

① How to select a driving school

Next is the entrance to graduation flow of obtaining a license at a government registered driving school in an easy-to-understand manner.

② Driving School: Entrance to Graduation

Which one would you prefer? Here is a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of a driving camps and regular commute driving schools.

③ Driving Camp or Commute Driving School?

In Osaka, you can take the Written Tests in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Portuguese!

Currently, at the license center in Osaka prefecture, you can take the written tests in English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Portuguese. This is good news for foreigners. The reality is that there are very few prefectures in Japan that support so many languages.

We would definitely recommend attending driving camp in one of the neighboring prefecture.
This is because there are no driving camps in Osaka that can handle multiple languages, and attending driving camp is up to 100,000 yen cheaper compared to attending a regular commute driving school.

Now, let’s talk about the prices for a regular commute driving schools in Osaka Prefecture.

Unofficial Driving Schools（Commute Driving School）

As mentioned in a previous article, in Japan, there are generally very few people who get their licenses through unofficial driving schools. This is because all the written tests and driving tests are all taken at the license center. In addition, there is no guarantee for the total cost of obtaining a license. It is easy to get lured by low costs, but if you do not understand the seemingly cheap prices correctly, the total cost may exceed your expectations later and you may regret it, so be careful. We do not recommend unofficial driving schools on this site.

Certified Driving School (Commute Driving School)

In Japan, it is common to obtain a license at official driving schools. However, the fee is expensive for commute driving schools in urban areas. In addition, there are currently no driving schools in Osaka that offer driving training in multiple languages (English, Chinese, etc.).
Below, we will introduce some driving schools in Osaka Prefecture.

八戸の里ドライビングスクール（大阪府東大阪市）

Yaenosato Driving School (Higashi Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture)

A 5-minute walk from Yaenosato Station, open all year round and long business hours, the number of graduates is the largest at a driving school in Osaka Prefecture. Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. The temporary license written test and practice tests are available in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

• MT 320,610円（税込）
• AT 288,350円（税込）

関目自動車教習所（大阪市鶴見区）　

Sekime Automobile Training Center (Tsurumi Ward, Osaka City)

This is the largest driving school in Osaka city. They cater to a lot of license types, and they have 5 school buses. Driving training and classroom trainings are in Japanese only. The temporary license written test and practice tests are available in English and Chinese. Not recommended because the practice tests are only available in Japanese.

• MT 306,460円（税込）
• AT 292,050円（税込）

Official driving school recommended by JDL (Commute Driving School)

To be honest, there are no driving schools that we can recommend for those who are not good at Japanese.

Official driving camps recommended by JDL

If you have two weeks to spare, we recommend getting a license though a government designated driving camp. Especially from April to July, and October to December. There are many discounts and low season campaigns, so you can attend at a very reasonable price.

The rates listed below already include 2 weeks of accommodation, meals, transportation cost, and driving lessons.

滋賀県大津市 Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture
膳所自動車教習所 Zeze Driving School (Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. Karimenkyo Written tests: English, Chinese, Portuguese)
Easy access from Osaka and Kyoto, popular driving school for foreign nationals. This school gets fully booked quickly. We recommend applying early.

• MT267,300円（税込）
• AT 250,800円（税込）

京都府 Kyoto
京都うずまさ自動車教習所 Kyoto Uzumasa Driving School (Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. Karimenkyo Written tests: English, Chinese, Tagalog)
Learn how to drive while enjoying the beauty of Kyoto.  The accommodation is at a comfortable and nearby business hotel!

• MT272,800円（税込）
• AT 250,800円（税込）

兵庫県 Hyogo Prefecture
神戸ドライビングスクール Kobe Driving School (Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. Karimenkyo Written tests: English, Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese)
After a full day of driving and studying, relax at Arima Onsen. This is a popular driving school for women.

• MT261,800円（税込）
• AT 245,300円（税込）

岡山県 Okayama Prefecture
勝英自動車学校 Shouei Driving School(Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. Karimenkyo Written tests: English, Chinese, Portuguese, Vietnamese)
There is a free direct shuttle bus from Shin-Osaka Station to the school.

• MT234,300円（税込）
• AT 217,800円（税込）

岡山県 Okayama Prefecture
新見自動車教習所 Niimi Driving School (Driving training and classroom training are in Japanese only. Karimenkyo Written tests: English, Chinese, Portuguese)
It is a very popular driving school especially for Chinese and Vietnamese.

• MT223,300円（税込）
• AT 206,800円（税込）

Summary of driving schools recommended by JDL

Finally

How was it? Did you understand how to get the best license and how to choose a driving school?

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact JDL. We offer FREE consultation. JDL supports foreigners who want to get a driver’s license in Japan!

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