English Winter Driving in Japan: Snow Tires, Chains, and Regional Rules
Japan's image abroad often centers on Tokyo's neon streets or Kyoto's temples, but a huge portion of the country — Hokka...
English
English English Japan’s Expressway Tolls and ETC Cards: A Visitor’s Guide
Pull up to your first Japanese expressway toll gate as a visitor, and you'll notice something immediately: most cars are...
English Renting vs. Buying a Car in Japan as a Foreign Resident
Moving to Japan raises an obvious practical question for anyone used to driving regularly back home: should you buy a ca...
English Shaken Explained: Japan’s Mandatory Vehicle Inspection System
If you own a car in Japan, or you're researching Japan's reputation for exceptionally well-maintained used cars, you'll ...
English Getting a Japanese Driver’s License as a Foreigner: IDP vs. License Conversion
Whether you're visiting Japan for a few weeks, settling in for a work assignment, or moving permanently, at some point y...
English Registering an Imported Japanese Car in the US, UK, and Australia: Key Differences
Clearing customs is only half the journey when you import a car from Japan — the other half is convincing your own count...
English What “Repaired Car (R)” Means on a Japanese Auction Sheet, and Should You Avoid It?
Scroll far enough through Japanese auction listings and eventually you'll find a car you love at a price that seems too ...
English Best Japanese Kei Trucks for Import: Honda Acty, Suzuki Carry, Daihatsu Hijet Compared
Once you decide a kei truck is the right tool for your farm, property, or small business, the next question is which one...
English How to Import a Right-Hand-Drive Car into a Left-Hand-Drive Country
One question comes up constantly among first-time JDM buyers, usually somewhere around the moment they realize every Jap...
English JDM Auction Grades Explained: What “Grade 4” or “Grade 3.5” Really Means
Scroll through any batch of Japanese auction listings and you'll see the same small cluster of numbers over and over: 3....
English Using a Japanese Car Export Agent: What They Do and How Much They Charge
Your export agent is arguably the single most important relationship in the entire process of buying a car from Japan. T...
English USS vs. TAA vs. HAA Kobe: Comparing Japan’s Biggest Auto Auction Houses
Once you start browsing listings through a Japanese export agent, you'll quickly notice the same handful of auction hous...
English Shipping a Car from Japan: RoRo vs. Container — Costs and Timelines
Once your Japanese auction win has cleared de-registration and your export paperwork is in order, there's one more major...
English Common Scams and Pitfalls When Buying a Car from Japan
The overwhelming majority of car exports from Japan are handled by legitimate, professional companies with real offices,...
English Japan’s Export Certificate and De-registration Process Explained
Somewhere in the middle of every successful Japanese car import sits a document that most overseas buyers never actually...
English The Real Cost of Importing a Car from Japan (Full Cost Breakdown)
Nothing derails a first-time JDM import faster than sticker shock after the fact. Buyers routinely win an auction for wh...
English Kei Cars 101: What They Are and Why They’re Booming Overseas
Drive through almost any Japanese neighborhood and you'll notice them everywhere: boxy, upright little cars and trucks w...
English The US 25-Year Import Rule: Which JDM Cars Are Legal to Import Right Now
Ask anyone in the JDM import community about "the 25-year rule" and you'll get an immediate, knowing nod — it's the sing...
English How to Read a Japanese Auction Sheet (Grades & Inspection Codes Explained)
If you've ever looked at a Japanese auction sheet for the first time, you know the feeling: a small grid of Japanese han...
English How to Buy a Used Car from Japan: A Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Auto Auctions
Japan's used car market is famous around the world for one simple reason: quality. Thanks to strict maintenance culture,...