One of the things we don’t think about much in the United States is driving. Either you drive or you don’t. In most instances, Americans like driving and it is a rite of passage for a teenager to finally get their driver’s license. The days have passed long ago of “drive-in movies” where you could drive and watch a movie with your girlfriend all within the comfort of your automobile. Driving a car for an American teenager mostly meant freedom. Freedom to go where you wanted without having to ask your parents or someone else to take you.
In Japan, things are a little bit different. In Japan, getting a driver’s license is expensive, costing upwards to $4,000 for driving school. In Japan, the legal age to get a driver’s license is 18 years old. In the United States the legal age is 16 years old.
As a practical matter in most places of the United States it’s necessary to be able to drive. The mass transit and public transportation is either non-existent or not efficient enough to rely on without frustration on a daily basis. In contrast, Japan may arguably have one of the best public transportation systems in the world. As a result, it is a much more common and practical option to choose not to drive in Japan than it is in the United States.
If you’re a Beatles fan you are sure to have heard the song “Paperback Writer” but have you ever heard the phrase “Paper Driver”? In Japan, the term “paper driver” applies to individuals who have a driver’s license (the “paper” to drive) but actually do not drive at all.
As stated earlier, in Japan many teens take the driving lessons and take the exam to get the license upon turning eighteen. After passing the driver’s exam, a license is issued and is primarily used as an identification card rather than for actual driving.
There are many common sense reasons for being a “paper driver”. For instance, it is impractical to buy a car if you never use it. If you live in most urban areas of Japan you don’t really need a car. The buses, trains, and subways run on time and get you everywhere you need to go without driving and are very convenient. No need to worry about car payments. No need to worry about the price of gas or car maintenance costs. No need to worry about parking fees. No need to sit in traffic. Basically, it’s a pretty easy decision not to drive if you don’t have to.
As a result there are many Japanese with driver’s licenses who are “paper drivers”, that is to say, they are licensed on paper but have little experience actually driving. If the time comes where they actually need to drive there are many Japanese who have a driver’s license that take a driver’s lessons refresher course (for a much more affordable fee than regular drivers school) just to get familiar with driving before hitting the road for real.
It would be a funny and interesting conversation starter to ask your Japanese girlfriend if she is a “paper driver” or can actually drive. If she is a “paper driver” or does not have a driver’s license at all (which is not at all uncommon in Japan) you will need to drive her around Hawaii. In the case where she actually does have a driver’s license it may still be uncomfortable for her to actually drive if she hasn’t any experience driving. This would be a great opportunity for you to offer to take her driving around some empty parking lots or what not just to get familiar again with it. It could be a lot of fun ...or it could be totally nerve racking for you depending on how good a driver she is so use your best judgment!
Interestingly enough, if you were to go to Japan and have a Hawaii driver’s license it is very easy to get an international driver’s license. But alas, you may have difficulty reading signs written in Japanese. It may also be strange to find yourself driving on the opposite side of the road and not knowing the local speed limits. Now you are a “paper driver” in Japan! Your Japanese girlfriend can help you greatly by being your Japanese driving guide in Japan if you insist on driving. This could also be a lot of fun if you are up for it, or it could be nerve wracking! But not to worry, in Japan you there is always excellent public transportation as an option.
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