Japan on an Italian Licence — IDP Required + Driving on the Left

For Italian visitors, the licence answer comes with a firm condition: you can drive in Japan, but you must carry an International Driving Permit alongside your Italian licence — the licence on its own is not accepted. The good news is that Italy issues the 1949 Geneva Convention IDP that Japan recognises, so a standard Italian IDP is the right document. Get it before you fly; you cannot obtain a valid one once in Japan.

The first real adjustment is the side of the road. Italy drives on the right and Japan drives on the left. It is a genuine switch — you keep left, junctions feel reversed, and the danger window is your first hour. Pick up the car somewhere calm rather than central Tokyo, and stay deliberate until left-hand driving stops fighting your instincts.

The second is alcohol, and Japan is strict in a way that surprises European visitors. The limit is 0.03 BAC, below Italy’s 0.05, but the real point is the penalties: heavy fines, the genuine possibility of imprisonment, and consequences that can extend to passengers and to whoever supplied the car or the drink. There is no social tolerance for “one drink”, so treat driving days as completely dry.

Beyond that, Japan is an easy place to drive. Roads are excellent and well signed, though signage is often in kanji, so offline maps with Latin script earn their keep. Limits are modest — 40 km/h in towns, 60 on rural roads and 100 on expressways — and the expressway tolls are expensive, so budget for them. Speed cameras are widespread; a typical minor speeding fine is around JPY 9,000 (≈ €55). Fuel runs near $1.35 a litre and the emergency number is 110.

For the full ruleset, see the Japan driving guide, confirm your IDP is the right type with the Driving Permit Checker, and gauge any penalty with the Speeding Fine Calculator.