Getting a Driver's license in Japan as an "older" person

[jcherni]

I know the vast majority of Japanese people get their drivers license during college, and I assume most foreigners come to Japan with a license from their country and then renew here.

I didn't have a license when I came to Japan, and during college I was too poor to afford to get one here.
After starting working I didn't have time nor felt the necessity of having a car (a car is not that useful in Tokyo).
So I'm here as a 37yo without a driver's license.

But recently the work is going smooth, I have nice savings, so I'm thinking of getting a driver's license and eventually get a car or a bike (mostly as a hobby, but I do intend to get married and have kids someday...).

Are there any caveats in getting a drivers license being an older person than usual? Differences in prices of the driving school due to the age? etc.

[goran]

I know the vast majority of Japanese people get their drivers license during college, and I assume most foreigners come to Japan with a license from their country and then renew here.

I didn't have a license when I came to Japan, and during college I was too poor to afford to get one here.
After starting working I didn't have time nor felt the necessity of having a car (a car is not that useful in Tokyo).
So I'm here as a 37yo without a driver's license.

But recently the work is going smooth, I have nice savings, so I'm thinking of getting a driver's license and eventually get a car or a bike (mostly as a hobby, but I do intend to get married and have kids someday...).

Are there any caveats in getting a drivers license being an older person than usual? Differences in prices of the driving school due to the age? etc.

Got my driving license this year, here in Osaka, at the age of 31. First in my life.
No different treatment or pricing, compared to younger Japanese kids.

[RetireJapan]

I went to driving school to get my motorbike license and big bike license a few years ago. Enjoyed the process. It was pricy but the training was good.

[TJKansai]

I upgraded up my license from automatic only to manual. Just a driving test, nothing written.

I failed it once, took a 1 hour ride around a track with an instructor ¥7,000, and passed the second time.

The others getting tested the days I went were in the 30-50 age group too.

[jcherni]

Thank you people, I got more confident now.

[captainspoke]

Almost irrelevant to OP's question, but my birthday and renewal is in the autumn and I just got a renewal card. This is like 4-5 months in advance of the usual notice in the past.

As a now (much) older person--I'll be 71 in the fall--there's some added bureaucracy/steps for renewal. I don't think I'll need to do a dementia test, yet, but maybe next time?

[ClearAsMud]

I'll be 71 in the fall--there's some added bureaucracy/steps for renewal. I don't think I'll need to do a dementia test, yet, but maybe next time?

No dementia test yet -- that starts at 75 -- but you received the renewal notice earlier this time because you have a behind-the-wheel session as well as a test-and-lecture component to complete, and the combined course can only be taken at certain locations (driving schools and major licensing centers), so you're given time to book an appointment. You need to call the driving school yourself to make the appointment, as soon as possible because open slots are at a premium. You can't fail the course (you are simply issued a certificate of completion), but it costs around 6,000 yen to take. You then submit the certificate when you renew your license during the usual two-month period; you don't have to have taken the course before the renewal period starts, but you do have to complete it before actually renewing.

You appear to fall into a transitional stage regarding the validity of your renewed license. Basically, you can only renew your license for a period of three years after turning 70. However, the period between 70 and 71 is a transitional stage (probably having to do with the timing of test requirement for 75-year-olds), so that if you're 70 now, have a "gold license," and renew within a month of your 71st birthday, the license should be extended for four years rather than three. You would thus be taking the dementia test at the time of your next renewal.

Here's an easy-to-follow explanation in Japanese:
https://jiichanbaachan.com/knowledge/3847

And for what happens once you reach 75:
https://jiichanbaachan.com/knowledge/11514

[captainspoke]

...
No dementia test yet -- that starts at 75 -- ...

Hey, thanks for that, it confirms the flow chart on the mailing. It can't be as bad as a colonoscopy, which I also need to get scheduled...