Driving in the US on a Japanese Licence — You Switch Sides and Need an IDP

Japanese drivers arrive in the United States with two clear jobs: get the right document before leaving home, and rewire which side of the road feels safe. Neither is hard if you plan, but skip either and the trip gets stressful fast.

Left becomes right

Japan drives on the left; the US drives on the right. After years of left-hand habit, the danger is not the highway but the small moments — easing out of a parking lot, taking a roundabout that now turns the opposite way, or glancing the wrong way at a quiet junction. You’ll sit on the left of the car and keep to the right of the road, and the instinct to drift back left after a turn takes a day to fade. Start somewhere empty, say the direction out loud, and treat right-on-red — legal in most states after a full stop — as a new rule to learn, not assume.

The permit is not optional

Because the Japanese licence is printed in Japanese script rather than the Roman alphabet, you should carry an International Driving Permit. Japan issues the 1949 Geneva version, which the US recognises; arrange it through a Japanese police station or JAF before departure, because there is no way to get one after you land. Keep the IDP, the original licence and your passport together — rental firms and officers will want the original alongside the translation. Confirm the validity window for your state via the US driving guide and the Driving Permit Checker.

Speed in miles, alcohol higher than home

US signs are in miles per hour, so read them carefully: roughly 25 mph (40 km/h) in towns, 55 mph (88 km/h) on rural roads, and 65–75 mph (104–120 km/h) on interstates — marginally faster than Japan’s expressways but state-dependent. A speeding ticket usually costs USD 50–200; the Speeding Fine Calculator gives a quick estimate. The drink-drive limit is 0.08 in most states, looser than Japan’s strict 0.03, but American DUI enforcement means arrest, not a fine, so keep alcohol out of the equation. Petrol is around $0.95/litre and the emergency number is 911.