In Japan you drive on the left, with the steering wheel on the right, and roundabouts go clockwise. At junctions without signs or road markings, traffic from your left goes first, even from a small side street.
Watch for fixed and mobile cameras, and for unmarked camera cars.
The most important first.
Stop before every railway crossing, at the stop line if there is one. Look both ways and listen for trains, then cross. This applies even when the barriers are up and no alarm is sounding. The only exception is a crossing with its own traffic lights showing that you can go.
Japan's stop sign is a red triangle pointing down, with 止まれ (tomare) in white. Newer signs also say STOP. Stop completely at the line and check both ways. Police enforce this strictly.
A red light means stop for every direction, including left turns. Only a green arrow lets you go, and only the way it points.
Since 1 September 2026, the default limit on roads without a centre line, lane lines or a central barrier is 30 km/h. Roads with them stay at 60 km/h unless signposted.
Do not drive after drinking any alcohol, and do not drive with a hangover. Anyone who lends you the car, gives you alcohol when you are going to drive, or asks to ride with you after you have been drinking can also be punished.
Japan does not accept IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention, or card and smartphone IDPs. Drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan need an official Japanese translation of their licence instead.
Approach pedestrian crossings at a speed that lets you stop. If anyone is crossing or about to cross, stop before the crossing and let them go. If a vehicle has stopped at a crossing, stop before you pass it.
At a junction without lights or signs, give way to vehicles coming from your left. If the other road is a priority road or clearly wider, it goes first whichever side it is on. A road whose centre line runs through the junction counts as a priority road.
Go clockwise and give way to traffic already on the roundabout, which comes from your right.
When you turn right, oncoming vehicles going straight or turning left go first. Wait with your indicator on until they and any pedestrians have passed.
Since 1 April 2026, if you cannot leave enough space when passing a cyclist, you must slow to a speed that is safe for the gap. JAF recommends at least 1.5 metres, or crawling speed. Breaking the rule costs ¥7,000 and 2 points. Do not cross a solid yellow centre line to get past a cyclist. Slow down and pass within your lane.
A solid yellow centre line means you must not cross into the opposite lane to overtake.
After any accident, call the police on 110, even if nobody is hurt. If someone is injured, give first aid and call an ambulance on 119.
On motorways, overtaking on the left is banned. Keep to the left-hand lane unless you're overtaking. Keep to the leftmost lane. On roads with three or more lanes in your direction, you may use any lane except the rightmost one, depending on your speed.
Most bus lanes apply from 7:30 to 9:00 and from 17:30 to 19:00 on weekdays, and some routes have other hours. They do not apply at weekends, on public holidays or on 2 and 3 January. During those hours, only buses and the other vehicles shown on the signs may use them. Where: Main roads in Naha, Urasoe and Ginowan, including parts of Route 58, Route 29, Route 222, Route 329, Route 330 and Kokusai Street. Fine: About ¥6,000 to ¥7,000. Some bus lanes are coloured green, but not all, so read the signs. You may move into a bus lane to turn left only when you are close to the junction.
Most expressways charge a toll based on distance. You pay at toll gates in cash, by credit card or with an ETC card. Toll lanes with a green sign take cash and credit cards. Lanes with a purple sign are for ETC cards. Hire companies can supply an ETC card. The tolls are settled when you return the car.
Where no sign says otherwise, in kilometres per hour.
The app animates all 7 junctions for Japan, including the ones above.
Open it in the appStop completely at the stop line before the junction.
Drive slowly enough to stop immediately, as a guide 10 km/h or less.
The road ahead has priority.
Maximum speed in km/h.
No entry for vehicles from this direction, usually the exit of a one-way street.
Traffic may only go in the direction of the arrow.
No vehicles, including bicycles.
Closed to everyone, including pedestrians.
There is a railway crossing ahead.
Marks a pedestrian crossing.
Do not cross into the right side of the road to overtake. With the 追越し禁止 plate, do not overtake at all.
Road for pedestrians only. Vehicles are not permitted.
Fixed speed cameras, called Orbis, usually have warning signs 1 to 3 km before them. Portable cameras on residential roads and school routes, and police speed traps, usually do not.
オービス (Orbis), loop coil type
Looks like: A camera unit beside or above the road, usually behind wire mesh. Three sensor loops are buried in the road, and the spot is marked with white lines or notched grooves in the road surface.
Catches: Speeding.
It does not transmit, so ordinary radar detectors cannot sense it.
オービス (Orbis), radar type
Looks like: A camera on the central reserve or the roadside, with a radar antenna about 10 metres ahead of it over the road.
Catches: Speeding.
Used where loops are hard to install, such as busy roads.
Hシステム and LHシステム (H and LH systems)
Looks like: A camera housing on a gantry over the road. Some H systems are paired with an electronic board that lights up 速度落とせ (slow down). LH systems use loops in the road marked with white lines, and some are inside tunnels.
Catches: Speeding.
The most common fixed type.
Every camera type in Japan, the warning signs and how fines reach you
| Licence from | Permit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Iceland | Required | You need an IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, the paper booklet (148 by 105 mm), carried with your home licence and passport. It must have a stamp in category B for cars. Card and smartphone IDPs are not valid. |
| the EU | Required | Most EU countries issue the 1949 Geneva IDP that Japan accepts. The exceptions are Germany, France and Belgium, whose drivers need an official Japanese translation instead, and Bulgaria, whose IDPs are not accepted. Latvia is not on the Tokyo police list of Geneva Convention countries, so Latvian drivers should check with the Japanese embassy first. |
| Switzerland, Germany, France, BE | Translation needed | IDPs from these countries are not valid in Japan. Carry your licence with an official Japanese translation from JAF, from your country's embassy or consulate in Japan, or for German licences from ADAC. Translations by other translators, even certified ones, are not accepted. Monaco and Taiwan licences use the same route. |
| BG | Not accepted | Bulgaria does not issue the Geneva-format IDP that Japan accepts, and Bulgarian licences are not on the list that can be used with a translation. |
| Japan | Not needed | A Japanese licence is valid. |
Most bus lanes apply from 7:30 to 9:00 and from 17:30 to 19:00 on weekdays, and some routes have other hours. They do not apply at weekends, on public holidays or on 2 and 3 January. During those hours, only buses and the other vehicles shown on the signs may use them. Where: Main roads in Naha, Urasoe and Ginowan, including parts of Route 58, Route 29, Route 222, Route 329, Route 330 and Kokusai Street. Fine: About ¥6,000 to ¥7,000.
Tip: Some bus lanes are coloured green, but not all, so read the signs. You may move into a bus lane to turn left only when you are close to the junction.
Most expressways charge a toll based on distance. You pay at toll gates in cash, by credit card or with an ETC card.
| At the pump | Means |
|---|---|
| 軽油 (keiyu) | Diesel. 軽 means light, but it is not fuel for kei (light) cars, which almost never have diesel engines. Easy to get wrong |
| ディーゼル (dīzeru) | Diesel. Some stations use this word instead of 軽油 to stop people misfuelling kei cars. Easy to get wrong |
Bus lanes on main roads in Naha, Urasoe and Ginowan, including Route 58 and Kokusai Street, mostly apply from 7:30 to 9:00 and from 17:30 to 19:00 on weekdays. Keep out of them during those hours unless the signs allow your vehicle.
The expressway in Okinawa is signposted at 80 km/h. Its toll booths take cash, and an ETC card from the hire company speeds things up.
Okinawa's limestone road surfaces can be slippery, especially after rain.
Free street parking is rare. Many coin car parks use locking plates that rise under the car.
The Hokkaido Expressway Pass covers expressway tolls in its area for 4 to 8 days, from ¥7,700 to ¥15,400 for an ordinary car. Hire the ETC card with the car.
In winter, winter tyres or snow chains are needed. A blue sign with a tyre in chains means chains are compulsory.
Tokyo's road traffic rules ban driving when you cannot hear the traffic around you, for example while listening to the radio through earphones.
Parking is hard to find and free street parking is rare. Plan to use car parks.
No. A red light means stop for every turn. Only a green arrow lets you go, in the direction it points.
A paper IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, with category B stamped for cars. Drivers with licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan need an official Japanese translation instead.
Up to one year from the day you arrive, or until your IDP or licence expires if that is sooner.
Unless a sign says otherwise, 60 km/h on ordinary roads with a centre line, 30 km/h on roads without one since 1 September 2026, and 100 km/h on national expressways. Some expressway sections are signposted 110 or 120 km/h.
Yes. Stop before every crossing, look both ways and listen, then cross. The only exception is a crossing with its own traffic lights showing that you can go.
Driving after any alcohol is illegal. The criminal threshold is 0.15 mg per litre of breath, about 0.03 per cent blood alcohol. Passengers and anyone who supplied the drink or the car can also be punished.
No. The nationwide pass is no longer sold. Regional passes for Hokkaido, Tohoku, San'in-Setouchi-Shikoku and Kyushu are available through hire companies, used with an ETC card.
A red triangle pointing down, with 止まれ (tomare) written in white. Newer ones also say STOP.
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The same guide, with only what's different from home.
Checked 15 October 2026. Official sources first.