How to practise for the practical test in Tokyo
Every way to practise for the gaimen kirikae practical test at Samezu or Fuchu: the official course opening, driving schools on the test course, and rehearsing on your iPhone. Costs and catches.
Oybek
Took the practical test at Samezu and passed. Founder of DriveKata and MenkyoHub.jp.
Last checked: · 3 min read
Short answer
The Samezu and Fuchu courses open on some Saturdays and holidays for ¥2,200 an hour, but slots are almost impossible to book. Driving schools coach on the test course for about ¥18,000–¥27,000 an hour. DriveKata lets you rehearse an exact replica of Samezu Course B as often as you like.
On this page
The hard part of the practical test isn't driving. It is doing a fixed routine on a course you have barely seen, next to an examiner speaking Japanese. Here are the ways to practise in Tokyo, what each costs, and the catch with each.
1. The official course opening (コース開放)
The Tokyo police open the Samezu and Fuchu test courses to the public on some Saturdays and holidays. It is the cheapest way to drive the real thing, if you can get a slot.
| When | Saturdays and holidays, not every week; 1 hour per person per day |
| Slots | 9:45, 11:15, 13:30, 15:00 |
| Cost | ¥2,000 for the course + ¥200 insurance |
| Who | Tokyo residents, 17½ or older |
| You bring | Your own car (up to 4.9 m long and 1.8 m wide, with compulsory insurance) and a passenger who holds a license for that car with at least 3 years of driving |
| Booking | By phone, 03-6717-3086, weekdays 8:30–16:30, from one month ahead until the day before. The learner calls in person. Japanese only |
The catch: booking is almost impossible. The line is in Japanese and the slots fill up. You also need a car in Japan and a friend with three years of Japanese driving to sit beside you. Most people converting a license have neither.
2. A driving school on the test course
Several schools in Tokyo coach foreigners on the Samezu or Fuchu course itself. The school brings the car and the instructor. Expect to pay about ¥18,000–¥27,000 for an hour.
The catch: an hour goes fast. If you arrive without knowing the route, most of it goes on learning the map, not on polishing the checks.
3. Rehearsing on your iPhone
DriveKata is an exact replica of Samezu Course B, and you can drive it as many times as you like. You learn the map turn by turn and where each instruction comes. You also learn the routine the examiner scores at every point: mirror, signal and shoulder before a turn; a full stop, then left and right at a stop line; the railroad crossing routine.
The examiner's instructions play in Japanese, and each run is scored by deduction from 100. Before each checkpoint, a coach says what to check. After a mistake, it explains what went wrong.
How to combine them
A plan that makes every real hour count:
- Learn the route in DriveKata. Drive it until you know every turn before the examiner says it.
- Rehearse the checks until they are automatic. Points go on the routine, not the steering.
- Book a real hour with a school, or at the course opening if you get a slot. Spend it on the car, the kerbs and the crank.
- Run the Full exam the night before. Repeat it until you finish above 70 without help.
Frequently asked questions
Can I practise on the real Samezu course?
Yes, at the official course opening on some Saturdays and holidays. You need your own car, a passenger with at least 3 years of driving, a Tokyo address and a phone booking in Japanese. Slots are almost impossible to get.
How much is a driving-school lesson on the test course?
About ¥18,000 to ¥27,000 for an hour on the test course.
Can I pass without any practice?
Some experienced drivers do. But the national pass rate was 13.1% in October–December 2025 (NPA figures, reported by Nikkei). Many people lose points on procedure they were never shown, so rehearse the checks even if you drive every day.
Keep reading
How the practical test is scored: 100 points, 70 to pass, and the mistakes that end it
How the examiner scores the gaimen kirikae practical test, in plain English: deduction from 100, 70 to pass, and the mistakes that stop the test on the spot.
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Failed the practical test? What to do before the next attempt
Why good drivers fail the gaimen kirikae practical test, the retake rules, and how to use the time before your next slot. From someone who has taken it at Samezu.
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Walk into Samezu having driven it before.
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