Overall driving in Hokkaido is a lot easier compared to driving in Japan. However, I’m sure we all prefer to avoid being branded as a terrible tourist drivers and accidents.
These are the 11 main things you should know about and expect before driving here
- Drive on the left; your steering wheel will be on the right.
- Animals on the road, deer/foxes, are common.
- The speed limits in towns or cities range between 30-60km/hr. On the highways the speed limit is 100km/hr unless stated otherwise.
- Follow the colored arrows at traffic lights.
- Japanese people often drive through red lights.
- In cities there are A LOT OF ONE WAY STREETS.
- When turning right, give way to oncoming cars which are turning left.
- Drivers swerve or move into your lane often.
- Stop signs are different in Japan!!
- Children 6 years or under are required to sit in a booster or child seat and Seatbelts are required to be worn by law.
- The design of beginner / learner driver stickers and Senior stickers.
Drive on the left
Simple enough if your country does too. If not, it can be a bit weird at first so make sure to keep on your toes until you are used to it. The main dangers are when you are turning, as instead of turning left against the traffic, now when you turn right you will be against the traffic. Even if someone is honking behind you (which is extremely rare in Japan!) take the time you need to check the coast is clear.
This also means that generally the left lane is the slow lane, and the right lane is the passing lane on highways and freeways.
Animals on the road
Apart from crows, the most common animal I have seen “on” the roads are foxes. Even living inside the city it’s not uncommon to see them walking around or crossing the streets at night. You may see them on country roads too as well as the highways. Foxes are dangerous on the country or mountain roads as, many PEOPLE stop in the middle of the road to take pictures of them! So if you see someone stopped, make sure you slow down as they probably found a fox. And if you see one and there is no one behind you, sure slow down and take a picture, but if there are cars behind you put your hazard lights on, slow down only as much as you need to and just take a mental snapshot of the story.
Deer are the most dangerous as they are huge and heavy animals, crashing into them is never good. You will see them more outside in forest or mountainous areas. Rarely will you see them on roads surrounded by farms, however there is always a chance. They have been known to dart out in front of cars or across streets when least expected, so if you see one or some very close to the road, put your hazard lights on and slow down to a manageable speed in case one does decide to take a chance on the road.
I’ve never seen these myself, however there are also animals called “Tanuki” which in English we apparently say “raccoon dog”. I’ve heard they look similar to raccoons, and you will see warning signs about them when you drive in the forest areas.
Crows can be a fun animal to watch when they are on the road. They often drop or place nuts on the road and wait for cars to drive over them, breaking the shells open so they can eat the food inside. Amazingly smart animals. While waiting at a traffic light we actually watched one use the pedestrian crossing and walk from one side to the other as the pedestrian light shone green. It was very bizarre but quite funny.
Note on highways: Along the highways, you will see signs to watch out for deer and foxes. It depends which highway you are traveling on, however the more populated or used roads will have a much lower chance of seeing animals. I’ve never seen any animals traveling between Asahikawa and Sapporo along the highway. However, we did run into a fox crossing the highway after dark when we were traveling a bit further east, near Kamikawa, so you do need to be aware.
Speed Limits
For convenience purposes, these are rough translations: 30km/h –> 19mph II 40km/h –> 25mph II 50km/h –> 30mph II 60km/h –> 37mph II 70km/h –> 43mph II 80km/h –> 49pmh II 90 km/h –> 56mph II 100km/h –> 62mph
30km/h. You’ll see this sign when the roads are narrow. I wouldn’t advise going more than 40km/h in these areas, as they lack footpaths (sidewalks), so you will probably see local people walking on the sides of the roads, and occasionally children darting out onto the road to fetch a ball.
40km/h. You’ll see this sign in the downtown areas of the city where there are a lot of traffic lights (stoplights) or when the roads are fairly narrow but have footpaths. I would advise not going 60km/h in these areas, even if you are used to it in your home town. The reason is the traffic lights change frequently, and they only stay on orange for a short time, making it harder to react and stop in time. Personally I don’t drive over 50km/h in these areas.
50km/h. You’ll see this sign when the distance between the traffic lights becomes further and usually the roads will be a little wider in these areas. Most local people drive around 60km/h in these areas. I also do and I haven’t been pulled over (yet!) however you will probably get pulled over if you are driving around 70km/h or more.
70 or 80km/h. You’ll see these signs on the highways. Some people drive well over these limits, however a safe bet is to this number or 10km/h above this number but no more.
If there is no sign indicating the speed limit on a highway, then the limit is 100km/h. As above, you’ll see people driving 110km/h, 120km/h, occasionally faster. I’m the kind of person where, if I know the roads well and I feel confident and awake I might speed up to 110km/h, however I usually stay around 100km/h. I guess I just don’t have that need for speed.
Follow the arrows
To be honest, some intersections in Hokkaido are just confusing. 5 or 6 way intersections are not uncommon in Asahikawa which caused me a lot of confusion when I first started driving here. In NZ, there’s a red, yellow and green circle, and occasionally a right turning arrow. Here you’ll see the circles and sometimes a bunch of arrows to follow.
A general rule of thumb is, follow the arrows. If you want to go forward, diagonally left, or right and you see a green arrow in the same direction, you can go.
If you see a green circle, anybody can go in the direction that they like.
If in doubt, you can always just wait until the person behind you honks their horn. No harm done, and you know it’s safe to go!
And of course, if you see an orange or yellow circle, it means slow down.
Red means stop, unless you see a green arrow pointing in the direction you want to go.
Japanese people DRIVE through red lights
It’s insane; when you think about it at first. Why on earth would you do that?
Well, apart from the few who lose judgement or make mistakes, it’s mostly due to calculations. When the lights turn orange here, it will stay orange for 3 seconds. Then it will turn red. After it turns red, the next traffic lights will not turn green until another three seconds pass.
So in short, lots of people, especially if they are going over the speed limit, will pass through one or two seconds after it has changed to red, because they know it will take three seconds for the next set of lights to turn green.
In a different case, this also happens when people are piling up to turn right. After the light goes green, people edge closer to the middle of the intersection, kind of getting ready to turn. When there are no oncoming vehicles approaching, and no people or bicycles are using the pedestrian crossing, then it’s okay to turn right.
However, on a busy road, you will most likely have to wait until your set of traffic lights turn orange. After that, the oncoming cars will stop coming, although some people still dart through on the orange or red!! So now the people that are lining up in the middle of the road, waiting to turn can only start turning once the light has turned orange or has already turned red.
If you are waiting past the line or pedestrian crossing, in the middle of the intersection, PLEASE GO!! Turn right even if the lights have just turned red. I believe this is a gray area in the road system here. I haven’t seen anyone being pulled over for it, and if you wait in the middle of the intersection you will probably cause more trouble than if you go before the next set of lights turn green, or just after they have turned green.
BUT, if you still are behind the line or pedestrian crossing, just wait until the next time the lights turn green AND your next opportunity.
ONE WAY Streets
In cities like Asahikawa and Sapporo, there are quite a few one way streets. Of course, if you don’t know you don’t know. Usually Google Maps or your inbuilt car navigation system does a good job and can suggest routes that travel in the correct direction.
Be careful, if you see a blue sign with an arrow in only one direction, it means this is a one way street.
You might also see a sign like this, it means you are GOING THE WRONG WAY on a one way street.
If you notice all the cars are parked facing the same direction, that is also a good sign it is a one way street.
If you do manage to go the wrong way and notice oncoming cars, put your hazard lights on and pull over to the side as much as you can. Wait for them to pass and proceed with a three point (or five point if you need to!) turn to get you going in the opposite direction.
Turning right safely. You must wait for pedestrians and cyclists.
Anywhere you want to turn right, you have to wait for:
1. No more oncoming cars.
2. No pedestrians or cyclists.
After these conditions are met, you can turn.
Note that, the people turning right often move LAST. For me, it was difficult to adjust and notice the pedestrians as I drove in NZ for a good 5 years before coming here; and in NZ the people turning right will go first, before pedestrians or oncoming cars. So, it was always safe to turn when the light is green. It’s not always so here, so it’s good to be aware and expect this.
Other drivers will come into your lane
This is not because they want to annoy you, it’s because they have too. There are two situations to look out for:
In Japan there aren’t really any carparks along the sides of the road. Technically drivers are not supposed to park along the sides of the road, however you will see many people stop and put hazard lights on. Maybe they are delivery trucks so they have to stop there, maybe they are just popping in and out of a shop so they are stopping temporarily, maybe they are a taxi waiting for a customer to arrive. When this happens, if there are two lanes the left lane will be partially if not fully occupied by a stationary vehicle. So drivers in the left lane have no choice but to move into the right lane. And drivers in the right lane will be bombarded by people that notice at the last minute and just swerve or edge into their lane.
TO PREVENT ANY ACCIDENTS:
- Keep an eye out for stationary vehicles. If you are in the left lane and you see one, pop your indicator on and head into the right lane. Once you pass it, indicate and head back into the left lane.
- If you are in the right lane, ensure you are not driving side by side anyone (speed up or slow down) and EXPECT them to come into your lane. You can edge a little to the right to give space usually, but obviously don’t go over the center line!
Scenario 2: There are also rarely lanes for people who are turning right. You will see people stopping in the middle of the street with their indicator on, waiting to turn right. It was really daunting for me the first time doing this, just waiting in the middle of the road to turn right, hoping no one behind me would hit me by accident! I have had no problems being the turning person as others are quite aware and will adjust to you. So make sure you adjust to others. We all hope to work together on the road to stay safe!
The same as the first scenario, keep an eye out for stationary vehicles in the right lane wanting to turn right. Because if you are in the right lane, you will need to switch to the left lane to pass them. Keep an eye on your blindspot. And if you are in the left lane, for sure people will come into your lane, so if you can make a little space for them and don’t drive side by side with other cars.
Stop Signs are different in Japan!!
Literally, it’s one of the only countries in the world where the stop signs look different.
As you can see, stop signs in Japan are an upside down triangle, whereas around the rest of the world they are hexagonal.
YOU WILL GET PULLED OVER if a police officer sees you go through a stop sign without stopping.
When you stop, you essentially have to stop twice. Stop once at the white line. As you stop here, you will notice that you cannot see anything left or right. So you have to edge forward a little bit before you can actually see clearly if there are oncoming cars. Then, stop the second time and judge when you can go.
The reason they put the stop line so far back is that it is hard to see around corners. Bicycles seemingly dart out of nowhere. Which is why it is imperative that you stop at the line, edge forward, then stop again. It’s frustrating at first, but would you rather take five seconds to stop twice or accidentally hit someone on a bicycle causing an injury on your vacation? I know what I prefer.
So why are the stop signs different? Apparently, many years ago they decided to copy Germany’s triangular stop sign as they thought it looked nice. Then Germany switched their style to follow the rest of the world. Then, Japan was worried people were so used to the triangular stop sign firstly it would cost a lot of money to change all the stop signs nationwide. Secondly, if they changed it there would be a lot of accidents as its people are very used to the triangular shaped stop sign. Now, it’s only Japanese people that are used to it and citizens from the rest of the world get confused!
Laws towards child seats and seat belts
It is now required by law that all passengers wear seat belts. So please wear your seat belts.
If you have a child or children with you at or below the age of 6, they are required to sit in a child or booster seat by law. When you are renting a car, make sure to clearly specify this and ensure you get the booster seat.
Driver stickers on the back of cars
As in most countries there are stickers to indicate beginner drivers and also senior drivers.
Beginner drivers will have an elongated V shaped sticker that is half yellow and half green.
Senior drivers will have a colorful clover like sticker.
There are two other stickers you might see, however they are less frequent.
This sticker is for people who cannot hear so well.
This sticker is for people who may have some sort of disability or handicap.