Licensing Process. The average cost that all drivers spent in getting their license converted was \35,416.6. On average the entire process took 20.9 hours. Only half of the respondents were exempt from the practical driving exam. Of those who took the driving test, half took an average of 1.75 lessons before the exam itself. This survey did not look at other methods of preparation (talking with friends, searching the Internet, etc.) It took an average of 3 or 4 tries to pass the 2003 practical driving exam. The majority of all respondents did not have to miss or cancel class(es) for the conversion process, and CO's seemed to be supportive or at worst indifferent, but not hostile to the JETs' efforts. Overall, people rated their experience with Ino as "average" or below, with only two responding more positively.
Closing Thoughts. The license conversion process costs a lot, eats up vacation days, can inconvenience coworkers and friends, and is a potential stressor on something many Kochi JETs see as essential their well-being; the ability to drive. On balance, I would say that while being no fun and potentially very frustrating, going through the Japanese license conversion process is something people must try to take in stride. While around \40,000 and 5 day vacation is a lot to ask, it is much better than weeks of going to a special driving school and the hundreds of thousands of yen such courses would cost. Until there is diplomatic movement on licensing issues, all we can do is try to go to Ino having first armed ourselves to get the job done fast and as painlessly as possible. While it is important to express frustration and look into reducing hold-ups, it does little good to let anger spill over in a counterproductive way. Like they say, weather the pitcher hits the stone or the stone hits the pitcher, either way it turns out bad for the pitcher.
There does seem to be some effort on Ino's part to make the process less stressful. In late summer of 2003, people living in and around Nakamura could submit their documents for review (first step in the conversion process) on an appointed day in Nakamura, saving a round trip to Ino. People still had to go to Ino to pick up thier license or take the driving exam. Hopefully this service will be extended to other parts of Kochi as well.