Japan for German Drivers — Why Your IDP Won't Work & You Need a JAF Translation

This is the corridor where the usual advice fails. A German driver instinctively packs an International Driving Permit for any long-haul trip — but Japan will not accept it. Japan only recognises the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP, and Germany, like most of the EU, issues the newer 1968 Vienna Convention permit. The two aren’t interchangeable. Show up with a German IDP and you are, technically, not licensed to drive.

What you actually need: an official Japanese translation

The route that works is your German licence plus an official Japanese translation of it. The accepted issuer is the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) — you can order the translation by post from Germany before you fly, or collect it in person at a JAF counter after you land (Narita and the major cities have offices). The German embassy and ADAC can also produce a translation Japan recognises. Carry the translation clipped to the original licence; one without the other is no good. Because this is an unusual setup, run it through the Driving Permit Checker before you commit to a rental.

Then there’s the side of the road

Once the paperwork is sorted, the driving itself flips. Japan drives on the left, the mirror image of home. The wheel is on the right, roundabouts turn the other way, and your overtaking instinct points you into the wrong lane. Add that many Japanese cars swap the indicator and wiper stalks, so your first few turns will set the wipers going. Spend half an hour in a quiet car park before you head into traffic — it genuinely takes only a couple of hours to feel natural, but those first minutes are where mistakes happen.

Slower roads, stricter alcohol than home

Japanese speed limits sit well below German ones: 100 km/h is the expressway maximum, rural roads 60, towns 40 — the Autobahn pace has no place here, and expressways are tolled and camera-monitored. The alcohol rule is far harsher than Germany’s relaxed culture allows: the legal limit is 0.03, but Japan effectively enforces zero, and passengers who let an over-the-limit person drive can be penalised too. Don’t drink at all if the car is yours that evening.

The only legally required item is a warning triangle, petrol runs around $1.35/litre, and the emergency number is 110 for police, 119 for ambulance and fire. Full speed tables and city notes are on the Japan driving guide.