If you are preparing to take the Japanese driver’s license exam, or if you are already driving in Japan and are not familiar with the street and highway signs in Japan. In this article, we will look at various Japanese traffic signs and signals for you to compare with the Brazilian ones.
Just like in Brazil and the rest of the world, Japan has 3 types of signs: regulatory, warning, and indication. They are a bit different from the Brazilian ones, but both follow an international standard. In this article, we will show a photo with all the signs from each category, and I will highlight and talk about some, while others are obvious and do not need explanation.
It is worth noting that Japan uses ground traffic signals in addition to signs. You can find speed limits, stop signs, and various other information on the ground. Cyclists and pedestrians must also obey the traffic laws of Japan because they are subject to fines. Be very careful because the laws and punishments in Japan are severe and keep everyone in line.
Table of Contents
Japanese Regulatory Signs
The regulatory signs (規制標識 – kiseihyoushiki) are intended to inform users about conditions, prohibitions, obligations, or restrictions on the use of the road.
The Japanese stop sign is a red triangle pointing down with the text tomare (止まれ) which means stop. Prohibition signs are round with white backgrounds, red borders, and blue pictograms. Mandatory instruction signs are round with blue backgrounds and white pictograms.
通行止め (301) – Road Closed to All – No entry – Indicates that no one can pass through here, not even pedestrians. The second sign states that entry is closed to vehicles. The red sign indicates only no entry for vehicles. Be careful not to confuse the no entry sign with the Brazilian customs sign, which is somewhat similar.
The no stopping or no parking signs may have a number indicating the times when stopping or parking is prohibited. Remember that stopping in Japan is for a maximum of 5 minutes and the driver must be inside the car.
Notice the 2 signs that say joko (徐行) which means slow and slow down. The first sign advises you to drive slowly at a speed that allows you to stop if necessary. The second sign has another sign underneath that indicates mandatory preference. In the last sign, we have the famous tomare which means mandatory stop.
The blue signs with arrows usually show mandatory and permitted directions. There are other blue signs that are missing or are rare, but all indicate something you should follow or do.
Warning Signs – Caution Signs
Warning signs do not need much explanation; they serve to alert something that is going to happen or may happen on the road. Things like strange curves, animals, and others. They alert users to potentially dangerous conditions, obstacles, or restrictions existing on or adjacent to the road, indicating the nature of these situations ahead, whether they are permanent or temporary. These traffic signals are usually found 30-200 meters ahead of the warning and require your attention.
Japanese warning signs or caution signs (警戒標識 – Keikai hyōshiki) are in the same format, yellow and diamond-shaped. However, some Japanese warning signs are different and deserve special mention. We can observe that the only difference in some Japanese signs is that the animals or people depicted on them are facing the opposite direction, because traffic there is on the other side.
The exclamation point indicates other unspecified dangers. We can also note that the signs indicate specific animals such as rabbits, monkeys, and raccoons. There is a sign to indicate dangerous wind gusts (third from the second column). The second sign from the first column shows the danger of falling rocks. The last sign indicates that the area is slippery.
Other Traffic Signals in Japan
The indication signs in Japanese are called shiji hyoushiki (指示標識) and can be literally translated as instruction markers. They come in various shapes and are usually blue.
Different shields indicate the route or name of the road. Common routes usually have a blue shield, while expressways have a green shield. In Japan, there are pedestrian crossings that allow cyclists to pass along with pedestrians, while in Brazil we need to get off the bike.
There are other signs with information about intersections, cities, neighborhoods, train stations, and even escalators.
Auxiliary Labels (Hojo hyoushiki – 補助標識) – In Japan, some signs may come with an auxiliary label. These are rectangular white signs with specific information.
Pay attention to some words found on these auxiliary signs:
- ここから- koko kara – From here;
- ここまで – koko made – Until here;
- 停 – Ideogram that means stop (not the verb);
- 終点 – shuuten – Final point;
- 始点 – shiten – Starting point;
- 注意 – chuui – Caution, attention, care
- 入口 – iriguchi – Entrance
- 出口 – deguchi – Exit
Remember to always drive on the left side of the road, whether on a bicycle or in a car. The right side of the road is for pedestrians, so be careful with them. Watch out for signs that play tricks; they hide in hard-to-see places.
Thank you for reading our article; I hope you now have a basic understanding of the traffic signs and signals in Japan. If you have any signs or important information, you can add them in the comments. We appreciate shares and comments.
Transferring Your Driver’s License to Japan
The only option, if you are living in Japan, is to redo all the tests and obtain a new license. This process is simplified if you already have a Brazilian driver’s license. You only need to retake the theoretical and practical exams.
To facilitate this process, Kirizawa has created an online course to obtain your driver’s license in Japan. A course at a much more affordable price than paying for lessons or interpreters. If you want to know the details, just access the link in the button below:
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