Step 2 - Take a 10 question driving test. (Very simple… mostly common sense… but worth browsing the rules-of-the-road book you can get from JAF.) If your application is accepted that morning, you’ll wait and wait, then take a 10 question written test somewhere around mid-afternoon. You’ll have 30 minutes to do the test. I finished in 3. The questions are mostly common sense and true or false. Here are a couple examples: Q: If you hear an ambulance and see the flashing lights behind you, you should continue driving as usual. Q: If you have taken sleeping pills or had a little alcohol but it hasn’t affected you, it is OK to drive. Q: If you are within 30 meters of a crosswalk it is ok to pass/overtake. Etc. The 7 of us who took the test that day all passed. They announce the results of the test just before closing at 5:00 pm, so be prepared to wait all afternoon. Bring a book.
Another decision - To take a practice lesson or not?
If your application has been accepted and you pass the written test they’ll give you the date for your practical driving exam. You can change the date of your test by calling them. If you want to reschedule the time of your practical exam, it may be a week or more before you can get another time. Also, they will give you a handout with information about weekend driving lessons. The lessons are on the actual driving course you’ll use (which I think is very important). The cost of one hour of lessons is 5,500 yen to rent a car and 2,000 yen for an instructor. You need to make a reservation 2 weeks in advance. (045-362-3468) Or, you can find a local driving school that also offers classes on this course. I did that since I could schedule a session immediately. The school was "Futamatagawa Driving School" (045-391-1341). It cost 9,000 yen plus entrance fee for the school of 5,000 yen. I did a 50 minute lesson on the actual course.
*Unasked for advice - It seems that taking a lesson greatly enhances your chances of passing the test on the first go. I have a lot of driving experience and consider myself a good driver (who doesn't?) so I wondered whether to take a lesson or not. In retrospect, taking a class on the actual course probably saved me from a couple wasted days at the license center trying and retrying the actual test. I’m pretty sure that if I’d failed the course before taking the lessons, I’d be scratching my head wondering what I did wrong. The test has several rather unnatural (or even counterintuitive) situations that you'll likely not navigate properly if you haven’t gotten the ‘tip sheet’ from an instructor who knows exactly what the testers are looking for. So, my advice would definitely be, TAKE A PRACTICE LESSON ON THE ACTUAL COURSE. The lessons are good confidence builders and help you to know exactly what to do at each situation that would otherwise be ambiguous.