About Transportation in Tokushima     Public Transportations We have a railway system (JR Shikoku) and local/express bus systems in Tokushima. Railway　　　　JR Shikoku: Koutoku Line, Mugi Line, Tokushima Line Local Bus　　　Inbound Local Bus Service: Tokushima Bus, Tokushima City Bus, Naruto City Bus, Komatsushima City Bus 　　　　　　　　　Outbound Express Bus Service: Tokushima Bus, Shikoku Traffic, JR Shikoku Bus About JR Shikoku　　At JR Tokushima Station, you can get on a train on Koutoku Line, Mugi Line and Tokushima Line. 　　・ Koutoku Line (From JR Tokushima St. to the North: Takamatsu Station) 　　・ Mugi Line　(From JR Tokushima St. to the South: Mugi Station) 　　・ Tokushima Line (From JR Tokushima St. to the West: Awa-ikeda Station) 　　　　As for fares and time table, please check on the Official HP of JR Shikoku (Japanese only). About Local/Express Bus Systems Inbound Local Bus Services Tokushima Bus, Tokushima City Bus, Naruto City Bus and Komatsushima City Bus are available for inbound transportation in Tokushima. Access to the bus services are available at the bus terminal in front of the JR Tokushima St. As for fares and time table, please checkTokushima Bus NAVI. Outbound Express Bus Services For outbound trip from Tokushima, Tokushima Bus, Shikoku Traffic, JR Shikoku Bus provide express bus services. You can get on all of the express buses (to Kyoto, Osaka and Tokyo) at the bus terminal in front of the JR Tokushima Station. 　　・ For detail information, please click here. Driver's License and Insurance　　　Click here to see how to react to traffic accident How to Acquire Driver's License In order to drive in Japan, you must have either a Japanese driving licence, or an International Driving Licence as defined by the Geneva Convention. To get a Japanese driving licence, you can either get a foreign licence transferred to a Japanese licence, or you can take the test to get a new Japanese licence. (1) International Driving Licence An International Driving Licence, as defined by the Geneva Convention, can be used only for one year from the date of its issue or for one year from the date of original entry into Japan - whichever period is shorter. (2) Transferring a Foreign Driving Licence to a Japanese Driving Licence If you hold a driving licence issued in a foreign country, you can get a Japanese driving licence by presenting your licence and other documents, taking an aptitude test, and proving that you have the appropriate knowledge and skills to drive in Japan. Conditions: You must have lived in the country in which you obtained your driving licence for at least three months after obtaining your licence Your driving licence must be currently valid Required documents: Passport (you must be able to prove you lived in the country in which you obtained your driving licence for at least three months after obtaining your licence, so if this is not clear from your current passport, bring the old one too) Alien Registration Card Valid foreign driving licence A Japanese translation of your foreign driving licence (you can obtain a translation of your driving licence for ¥3,000 from the Japan Automobile Federation, JAF)*Translations can also be obtained from a government office, embassy, or consulate of the country where the licence was issued. One photograph (taken within the last 6 months; size 3cm×2.4cm) Charge: test fee ¥2,400, processing fee ¥1,750 Note: If your licence is from one of 20 specified countries (Australia, Belgium, etc) you are exempt from having to take a driving test. If your licence is from any other country, including China, you must take a theory test and a driving skills test. The theory test may be taken in any of these six languages: English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, or Persian. You can purchase a copy of the booklet "Rules of the Road", which explains the laws about driving in Japan, from JAF. (¥1,010, available in the six languages listed above) (3) Getting a Japanese Driving Licence as a First-Time Licence Procedure: Generally, you should attend a driving school to study driving theory and practical driving skills before obtaining a licence. A course of driving lessons costs approximately ¥300,000, but there is an additional fee if you do not complete the course within the set number of hours. To obtain your licence, you must pass an aptitude test, a theory test and a practical driving test. The theory test is currently available in English, Korean and Chinese (published by JAF) as well as Japanese. Once a driving licence is obtained, it must be renewed every five years. Any change of address must be registered with the police. (4) Contact Details of Relevant Organizations Tokushima Prefecture Driving Licence Center　　(MAP) Yokei 1-ban-chi, Oobara-cho, Tokushima-city 770-8012 Tel: 088-662-0561 (How to Get to the Center) Take a Tokushima City Bus bound for Omiko from bus stand number 4, and get off at Jidousha-shikenjou-mae bus stop. Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) 1-4-32, Shin-Minami-Fukushima, Tokushima-city 770-0867 Tel: 088-625-6511 Automobile Insurance When you own an automobile, you need to 　　・To Enroll Insurance 　　・To Register your vehicle 　　・To Take Periodical Vehicle Checkups (1) Driver's Insurance In Japan, we have two different types of insurance (i.e., mandatory and optional insurance) and every driver is required to enroll at least the mandatory driver's insurance. Although the mandatory insurance can cover some portion of damage, it is strongly advised to have another insurance (i.e, optional insurance) for your security. Mandatory Automobile Third Party Liability Insurance Automobile third party liability insurance is mandatory under the law. Anybody who owns a motor vehicle or motorbike must have this insurance policy. Optional Insurance Additional insurance is not mandatory, however due to the very high costs of compensation if a traffic accident occurs, nearly all Japanese drivers are enrolled in optional insurance policies. There are many insurance companies, and they can provide various policies offering different amounts of compensation payments. It is strongly advised that you enroll in optional insurance in addition to the mandatory insurance. (2) Registering the Sale of a Vehicle Procedure: When a vehicle is bought, sold or passed on to a new owner, procedures must be carried out to register the vehicle in the name of the new owner. Usually the second hand car dealer will carry out the registration procedure. In the case of a private transaction (e.g. giving or selling a vehicle to a friend) this procedure must be carried out at the Tokushima Land Transport Bureau. Required documents: application form payment form vehicle insurance documents personal seal and verification documents (of both the old and new owners;　issued within the last 3 months) official deed of transfer registered personal seal certificate of ownership of garage / parking space Contact: Tokushima Land Transport Bureau 1-1 Oujin Industrial Estate, Oujin-cho, Tokushima City 771-1154 Tel: 088-641-4811 (3) Taking Periodical Vehicle Checkups Any owner of automobile (more than 250cc) has to take this Periodical Vehicle Checkups for the safety of their vehicles. For newly purchased vehicle, you should take the checkup after three years and take another checkups every two years. For used vehicles, you should take the checkups every two years. 　　* Driving the vehicle without checkup certificate is not allowed in Japan. 　　* If you drive a vehicle without a checkup certificate, you will be fined. Using Bicycles in Tokushima Bicycle Theft Prevention Registration To use a bicycle, Bicycle Crime-Prevention Registration is required by law. The objective of this system is to alleviate such problems in everyday life such as frequent bicycle theft and the obstruction of stolen bicycles that are left near the station. When you purchase a bicycle, registration is completed at the retail shop for a fee of ¥500 Registration Procedure 　　・ Fill out an application form at a bicycle shop 　　・ Pay 500 yen (Registration Fee) 　　・ Put the sticker on your bicycle 　　　* You also need to do the same registration for the bicycle you got from your friend. 　　　* You can do the registration at the bicycle nearby or at the nearest police station. 　　　* If you use an unregistered bicycle, you may be arrested. Bicycle Parking Lots (around JR Tokushima Station) Bicycle Parking is allowed only in the Designated Areas around JR Tokushima Station. When you park your bicycle around JR Tokushima Station, please check the bicycle parking lots on the following map and park your bicycle in the designated areas. Please remember NOT to leave/park your bicycle in other areas. If you park your bicycle in the area where bicycle parking is not prohibited: Your bicycle is towed to Tokushima City Bicycle Storage Lot 　　Tokushima City Bicycle Storage Lot: 　　3-66-1 Minami Shouwa-cho, Tokushima-shi. TEL: 088-626-0995 You need to pay 1,500 yen to reclaim your bicycle. Bicycle Parking Areas around the Station JR Station Bicycle Parking Lot　　TEL: 088-652-6661 This parking lot is open from 5:30 am to 22:30 pm. Since the entrance gate to the parking lot is closed from 22:30 pm to 5:30 am, you cannot get your bicycle back during the time. Following is the list of parking fees at the parking lot: Categories Parking Time Fee/Bicycle For Temporary Parking Less than 1 Hour Free 1-24 Hours 100 yen Over 24 Hours 100 yen/24 hours For Periodical Parking Students 1 Month 940 yen 3 Months 2,820 yen 6 Months 5,640 yen Other than Students 1 Month 1,880 yen 3 Months 5,640 yen 6 Months 11,280 yen Other Private Bicycle Parking Lots AMICO Bicycle Parking Lot: 088-621-4423 Eguchi Bicycle Parking Lot: 088-653-6441 JR Building Bicycle Parking Lot: 088-656-3100