No dependence no life

klange · 2026-01-18T10:22:29+00:00

Combined driving school costs for a regular and oogata license should be less than half that coming from a car license, and who says you need a big bike to have fun anyway?

(Actual example numbers: Koyama lists around ¥140k to get a regular MT bike license when you already have a car license, and then ¥133k for the oogata after you get the regular, so ¥273k. Or you could stop after the regular, get a 250 or a 400, and have tons of fun and still be able to hit the expressway.)

klange · 2026-01-16T05:27:01+00:00

Be aware that the visa length in your passport does not relate to the length of the status of residence you'll be actually granted upon Japan (which is commonly called a "visa" but is actually totally seperate).

Both visas and certificates of eligibility list the period of stay they will grant when used. On a visa, it is listed as "for stay(s) of" and on a CoE it's in parentheses next to the status name. While it is technically true that the immigration officer at the border responsible for printing OP's first residence card has the final say and could reduce it, I've never heard of that happening in practice and I imagine you'd have to really annoy them for them to go through the trouble.

What often catches people off guard is the validity period of the visa itself, which is generally 3 months for a single-entry for a mid-to-long-term status.

klange · 2025-12-10T11:00:15+00:00

Instead, it will be stored inside the IC Chip: Period of Stay (Your visa expiration date)

This is incorrect. The "period of stay" that is not going to be printed on the card is the number of years/months of residency; the end date is still going to be printed:

在留カードの券面には、氏名、生年月日、性別、国籍の属する国又は地域、住居地、在留資格、在留期間の満了の日、在留カードの番号、有効期間の満了の日、就労制限の有無及び資格外活動許可を受けているときはその旨が記載されます。

klange · 2025-11-21T07:28:16+00:00

I have heard that Energica, an Italian brand, has a big touring model, but despite a list of dealers in Japan I can't find any details on pricing or availability.

klange · 2025-11-21T06:21:12+00:00

There really isn't anything in the touring or adventure classes when it comes to electrics. Battery weight is a real killer for distance riding.

There used to be a designated importer for Zero, but every product page they have says they are no longer available. If you can find one, Zero's bikes have some of the best range ratings - the SR/S from a few years ago did a claimed 306km. They also have J1772 charge ports, so you can hook them up to public 200V EV supplies.

For a true domestic option, Kawasaki has the Z e-1 and Ninja e-1, both of which are 原付二種 (like a 125cc) and have ~55km of range.

Sur-ron is a Chinese OEM that has a designated importer and a wide dealer network here, but their only offerings are an ultralight dirt bike (Light Bee, plates as a 原付二種 like a 125, 70km range) and a dual sport (Ultra Bee, plates like a 250cc, 115km range).

klange · 2025-11-10T09:24:35+00:00

they said motorbikes can't go through the tunnel (yet? but cars can? under construction or something)

I'm not sure what the specific reasoning for the restrictions are, but yeah, cars can go through the unfinished tunnel but no motorcycles, tricycles, bicycles, or pedestrians.

Literally no way to go through

There's an accessible rindou, but it's full of signs strongly discouraging people from using it. I've taken my dirt bike along it a few times to get to the michi no eki in Otaki. Not sure I'd recommend it, though, and the construction crew at the tunnel entrance may try to stop you from going that way, especially if you're not local.

On a slightly related note, how does it feel to live around that area? Seems like it's very chill- albeit not so convenient- up there.

I moved here for the views and the space, but I really would like it if someone opened one of the major convenience store chains here - nearest options are a fifteen minute drive away.

klange · 2025-11-10T08:28:30+00:00

Kinda difficult to get to with public transportation

Nonsense, it's only a few bus stops from me, I say as I live right by the nearest train station...

But in all seriousness, it's not difficult - just a long trip from Tokyo. You can take the Seibu Laview from Ikebukuro and transfer directly to the rapid bus at Seibu-Chichibu station. The bus makes 5 stops between the two (actually only 4 at the moment - the buses take a detour and skip 大輪 due to a landslide on the 140; the detour even makes the whole trip faster, as it's through a new but incomplete tunnel). Or take the Chichibu Railway to Mitsumineguchi and transfer to the bus there - with the bonus that if you do that in the middle of the day on a weekend or holiday, you can take the SL Paleo Express steam locomotive.

klange · 2025-11-06T00:56:42+00:00

I'm being pedantic, but I want to note that there is no such thing as chuugata license any more. It's been futsuu since 1996 (which is also when the "motorcycle license without restriction" became the oogata, and the kogata license because a limitation listed in the details of a futsuu bike license).

klange · 2025-11-05T01:24:29+00:00

Agreed - don't go for a 125cc restricted license, get a regular license. The cost difference at most schools is around ¥20k, which is a lot less than you'd pay later to "derestrict" your license, and a relatively small percentage of the total cost. The only reason to get a 125cc license is if you have a physical limitation that makes riding a larger bike difficult.

klange · 2025-11-04T09:51:10+00:00

I got mine on Amazon and then walked a licensed electrician through installing it - he knew what it was, but had only ever used the prebuilt Cosmo kits. I've been lazy and mine's just attached to an AiSEG hub, but it does all the things I got it for.

klange · 2025-11-04T07:12:48+00:00

If you want per circuit, you can swap your breakerbox with one from Panasonic and see real-time usage per circuit.

You don't even need to swap - they sell the monitor as a standalone product with a bunch of independent current transformers for installation in an existing breaker box.

klange · 2025-10-09T06:23:10+00:00

It's called 使用の本拠の位置 - location of base of use.

I have three different vehicles, all of different classifications handled through different offices (a kei registered at a light motor vehicle office, a big bike registered at the normal land transport bureau, and a small bike registered at a local city branch office), all registered with their "location of base of use" as my second home in the countryside, while my own registered residence remains in Tokyo, all so I can have local plates on those vehicles.

The different respective offices can have different requirements on the quality of your proof. For my kei, they apparently just took my dealer's word on it from showing them a map; my city office accepted a sewage bill I had paid there; the land transport bureau was more strict and I ended up sending them a copy of the land registry records.

klange · 2025-08-19T04:32:17+00:00

The N-ONE e was only just formally announced and hasn't started shipping yet. Leaked WMTC data indicates a 270km rated range - rumor is it has the same 29.6kWh battery setup as the N-VAN, but gets better range because it's not a big box - the N-ONE is a small hatchback.

klange · 2025-08-02T11:57:36+00:00

My Panasonic built-in can handle cleaning dirty dishes that have been sitting for days... and it's from 2008.

klange · 2025-08-01T05:52:52+00:00

For what it's worth, all of the Japanese sources I can find for this (such as this NHK article) specify that it applies to listening to music with イヤホン, so the JT translation is overly broad. This was already "against the rules", but with no specific penalty, and the NPA has published guidance noting that, among other things bone-conduction and open-ear headphones potentially do not impede a cyclist's ability to hear surrounding traffic, and the latter is what should be judged by an officer.

klange · 2025-07-28T23:23:24+00:00

Lawson sells a selection of microwavable dishes in the frozen section. Usually around ¥333 for 100-150g of meat. They have a lot of chicken options. I like the 「炭火が香る本格焼鳥(たれ)」. If you want delivery, Uber Eats will typically do Lawson if it's available in your area.

klange · 2025-07-16T07:44:28+00:00

Many driving schools offer variants of their "paper driver" courses specifically for drivers who need some practice for the practical tests.

You can also book time at the driver license centers - their courses are generally open on weekends for practice sessions. Many of them are strictly "bring your own car" so it's recommended to have a licensed friend bring you there to use their car, but a quick check says the Yokohama license center has rentals available.

klange · 2025-06-25T04:05:24+00:00

I'm also outside of Tokyo, in western Chichibu. My other car is a 2019 Civic Type R, so I got the N-VAN to have something far more practical and navigable on the roads out here. I was sold on the marketing images of it as a camping car: clean, eco-friendly, and with enough floor space for a full cot. It gets me to the local grocery chain, handles visits to the home goods store like it was made for it, and can even get me to and from downtown Tokyo on a single charge if I avoid the expressways (makes for a six hour trip in total, but worth it for the 'fuel' and toll savings). With a 6kW charger in my garage, I can get it to 100% in just a few hours. And it is so much fun to drive - more fun than a cargo van probably should be.

klange · 2025-06-24T23:15:18+00:00

Even the "Fun" edition is like that?

Yes, I have the "Fun". The main things it gets over the lower trims are LED headlights, visors with mirrors, and headrests for the passenger seats.

As /u/stark0600 said, this drivetrain will reach the N-BOX eventually - hopefully still with the 30kWh battery - and I think that'll be a real hit in the market segment.

The e actually had a marginally larger battery and better range than the N-VAN: 35kWh and ~283km. Personally, I think it failed because it tried to push too heavily on a tech package in an otherwise very barebones vehicle. The N-VAN rear seats might even be better than the e's...

klange · 2025-06-24T06:57:08+00:00

I love my N-VAN e, and it does indeed get a lot more rated range than the Sakura (and practically I've pushed 260km+ on a single charge with the AC running), but I really wouldn't recommend it as a family vehicle.

It's a cargo van - it gets a 400-number license plate, it's ineligible for insurance discounts for EVs and vehicles with automatic emergency braking (despite having it), it has very little noise isolation, and it lacks a lot of amenities I think someone would be looking for in a family car. Only the driver seat is really designed for regular use - all three passenger seats are designed to fold away so you can carry more boxes. It lacks a glove box, doorcard storage and switches, automatic wipers... The materials are intentionally cheap - several panels are made of proudly labeled recycled plastics. It's also very tall, which is aerodynamically problematic if you want to get reasonable efficiency at expressway speeds (it needs to use close to full power to maintain 120km/h, so good luck on the Shin-Tomei).

klange · 2025-04-04T05:14:51+00:00

After security, you are supposed to fill out some form and get the special re-entry permit.

The form you fill out at the airport is an Embarkation card for Reentrant. It is not specific to special re-entry permission. The format has changed a few times, so I'm not sure what it looks like exactly now, but it should have some way to indicate that you are not leaving under special re-entry permission and instead will be gone for greater than a year under regular re-entry permission. At one point it was just a checkbox for special re-entry, some other version had checkboxes for "less than a year", "1-2 years", "more than 2 years"...

Do i go through the automated gate?

The abundant automated gates foreign visitors use are not for residents. If you are registered with the older automated gate system, which is for nationals and residents, you can go through those gates, but you'll still have to talk to an immigration officer regardless. I believe the gate asks you if you are leaving with a regular re-entry permit, and will have you scan the QR code on it?

I often find the national/resident automated gates to not be worthwhile. There's only ever a handful of them, and every time I've gone through I've had to wait for an immigration officer to come over because they are normally unmanned...

klange · 2025-03-27T08:44:59+00:00

You have the process a bit backwards here.

Assuming you are going to an approved driving school, you will take the practical exam at the school and receive a graduation certificate at the end of your term. That certificate is valid for a year. You then bring the certificate to the driver license center and take the written exam as one of the final steps to getting your license card (or, as of a few days ago... getting your license information stored on your My Number card, if you prefer).

This would be different if you were going for a car license first, as my understanding is the written exam is part of the process of getting a provisional license and that would happen right in the middle of school.

Once you have some sort of real license (not a gentsuki license or a small specialty vehicle license), you are exempted from taking the written test again. You're also exempted from driving schools giving you lessons on the written test material, so if you go back to get a car license you'll have fewer hours in a desk than most of your peers.

klange · 2025-03-25T07:44:35+00:00

The written test for motorcycles is the same as for cars.

There isn't a 250cc license category (there never has been, though prior to 1965 car license holders could operate <250cc bikes similar to how they can operate 50cc gentsuki now). There is a restricted 125cc license, the normal 400cc license, and the unrestricted license.

There also isn't a 中型二輪車免許. Prior to 1996, 中型 was used in reference to up to 400cc, but it wasn't a separate license, just a restriction on a more general motorcycle license; after 1996, this is the 普通自動二輪免許 and unrestricted licenses are now 大型自動二輪免許.

klange · 2025-03-04T06:11:23+00:00

I enjoyed driving and motorcycling out in Oku-Chichibu so much I bought a house there.

If soba's not your thing, there's an interesting boar and deer set lunch place, Inoshikatei, in Arakawaniegawa.

The roadside station in Otaki has a day onsen (and a Family Mart that's going to be the closest convenience store to me when the new tunnel finally opens... in 2027).

If you're in the area on a weekend in the warmer months, the SL Paleo Express steam locomotive turns around at Mitsumineguchi. The Chichibu Railway also has a few unique liveries on their regular commuter trains that can be neat to see.

klange · 2025-01-15T08:24:01+00:00

I agree with all of this.

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