Gasshuku menkyo in English is rare: camps take about 14 days for AT and include lodging and meals, but lectures are in Japanese. What foreigners need to know.
A driving camp (合宿免許, gasshuku menkyo) is a stay-in course at a designated driving school. An AT license takes about 14 days, and the price includes lessons, tests, lodging, meals and most travel. As of October 2026, camps don't teach lectures in English: booking agents use JLPT N3 Japanese as a guideline, though some schools offer English textbooks, English provisional tests or English-speaking instructors. After graduating you take the final written test at your home prefecture's license center, in English in many prefectures.
A driving camp (合宿免許, gasshuku menkyo) is a stay-in course at a designated driving school: you live there and finish an AT car license in about 14 days, with lessons, tests, lodging, meals and most travel in one price. Gasshuku menkyo fully in English is rare. Lectures are in Japanese, and booking agents use JLPT N3 as a guideline, though some schools add English textbooks, English provisional tests or English-speaking instructors. Details are as of October 2026.
You book through an agent or the school, travel to the school, and stay in its dorm or a partner hotel until you graduate. i-drive says all required lessons of the official curriculum are scheduled back to back so you can finish quickly. Booking agent Mucho says a commuting school usually takes 2 to 3 months for an AT license; a camp takes about 2 weeks.
The course has two stages. Koyama Driving School gives the minimum for an AT license: 26 lectures and 31 hours of driving, each lesson 50 minutes per i-drive.
Graduating does not give you a license. Both Mucho and i-drive say you go home and take the final written test at the license center of the prefecture where your 住民票 (residence record) is registered.
Since April 2025, MT students train in AT cars through the graduation test, then take an MT lesson of at least 4 hours in the school grounds, JAF Mate reports. Those are minimums. If you fail a test, you stay longer. Mucho warns that the graduation date can move with test dates and your progress, so leave a few spare days before work or school.
Mucho and i-drive both describe a package price:
| Usually included | Usually extra |
|---|---|
| Admission, lectures, driving lessons, mock tests, driving tests | Provisional test fee: ¥1,800 per attempt (Mucho) |
| Lodging (dorm or hotel) | Provisional permit: ¥1,100 (Mucho) |
| Meals (some plans have none) | English textbooks (i-drive, Mucho) |
| Travel, up to a cap that depends on where you leave from | Extra nights if you fall behind (Ai-menkyo) |
Many plans also include a guarantee: extra driving lessons and retests are free until you graduate, within limits that vary by school and age. At Ibaraki Kennan, the guarantee does not cover the provisional written test, and after 3 fails you may be sent home to take it at your local license center at your own cost.
Season matters. i-drive says February, March, August and September are high season, about ¥100,000 more on average, and recommends April to July or October to January. For example, Ibaraki Kennan’s AT price in a dorm single room was ¥231,000 for a November 5, 2026 start and ¥297,000 for December 24, 2026, tax included.
More than most foreigners expect:
“English support” usually means some of these, school by school:
Ai-menkyo lists schools with an English provisional test across Japan, including Nasu and Ashikaga in Tochigi, Komatsu in Ishikawa, Hokuban in Hyogo and Shizuoka Kikukawa. It also warns that foreign-language staff may be absent on some days. Mucho says Ibaraki Kennan has English-speaking instructors. Compare these camps with commuting schools that do teach in English in our English driving schools comparison.
Mucho’s list for foreign students:
If your period of stay ends soon, deal with that first: see our visa renewal guide.
After graduation, you take your diploma to the license center of your 住民票 prefecture. Koyama says the diploma is valid for one year and the test has 95 true-or-false questions; you need more than 90 of 100 points.
Language depends on the prefecture. Saitama has offered the written tests for full and provisional licenses in 20 languages, including English, Vietnamese, Nepali, Tagalog, Indonesian, Hindi and Urdu, since August 30, 2024. Ai-menkyo notes some prefectures don’t offer all languages.
Osaka, as an example of fees and paperwork, books the test online only. Foreign nationals bring a 住民票 with all foreign-resident items issued within 6 months, the graduation certificate, provisional permit and a photo. The regular-car test fee is ¥1,900 and issuance ¥2,350.
| Agent | English help | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i-drive (ZIPLUS) | English phone line 050-1752-7445; also Vietnamese, Chinese, Nepali | Lowest-price refund if another site is cheaper; loans for foreigners need a full-time job and a term within your period of stay |
| 合宿免許ムーチョ！ (Mucho) | Call through someone who speaks Japanese, or use the web form | Only channel for Ibaraki Kennan and Tsuchiura Kita Inter; free cancellation up to 21 days before entry |
| 合宿免許アイランド (Ai-menkyo) | Japanese-language site with an English version | Publishes a table of schools with foreign-language provisional tests |
We don’t take commissions from any of them. Pick the one you can talk to, and compare the total for the same school and entry date.
If you hold a license from home and stayed 3 months in that country after it was issued, converting it (外免切替) is usually cheaper. Since October 2025 the conversion knowledge test has 50 questions with a 90% pass mark, which is harder than before. If you only need to drive for a few months, check whether you can use an international driving permit.
More guides: buying a car in Japan as a foreigner.
Not fully. Booking agents Mucho and Ai-menkyo say lectures are in Japanese. Some schools offer English textbooks and an English provisional test, and Ibaraki Kennan's operator says it has English-speaking instructors.
About 14 days for an AT license if you pass every test first time. MT takes a little longer; Ibaraki Kennan lists 15 days. Failing a test adds days.
Booking agent Ai-menkyo gives JLPT N3 or higher as a guideline. i-drive checks your Japanese by phone before confirming a booking.
i-drive says February, March, August and September are high season, with prices about ¥100,000 higher on average, and recommends April to July or October to January.
The final written test is at your prefecture's license center. Saitama, for example, has offered it in 20 languages including English since August 2024. Check your own prefecture's police page.
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Driving schools
Driving school in Japan in English: verified courses cost ¥367,280 to ¥572,000 for an AT license in Tokyo and Saitama. Camps from ¥231,000, mostly in Japanese.
Tax
Furusato nozei for foreigners works the same as for Japanese residents: pay tax in Japan, donate, pay ¥2,000 net. Limits, one-stop rules and leaving Japan.
Home internet
Home internet in Japan with English support: Sakura Fiber, GTN and Asahi Net vs SoftBank Hikari, NURO and 5G routers. Prices, install waits, cancel fees.
