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Bicycles/Scooters:

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Bicycles are the most common form of transport amongst the students. All of the accommodation is within 5-7 minutes on a bicycle at most. The station, supermarkets and shops are all about the same distance or less. Some of the longer term students obtain motorized scooters, but bicycles are by far the more common.

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The area surrounding the Institute and most of the southern part of the city is fairly flat so its easy to get around. The Institute has a bicycle/scooter shelter next to Sakura House (adjoining the courtyard/basketball area) and there is also an area behind the Yamasa II building where bicycles can be parked.

Bicycles are fairly cheap to purchase or rent. There are a number of shops closeby that offer our students pretty good service.

If you wish to ride a scooter you'll need a license (even for a 50cc bike). This involves going to the Motor Registry at Hirabari (there are a lot of forms to fill in, long queues to join, all in all its more like a zoo than an efficient process), take and pass a knowledge test (in Japanese), pay the license fees and then do a practise course for about 2 hours. This is why its usually only the longer term students who obtain scooters.

HINT!

Even if you don't think you will drive in Japan, it is still worth obtaining an International Drivers Permit in your own country. If you have a motorcycle license, ensure that the details are included on the permit. It means that for up to one year you can ride or drive anything in Japan. Its very useful if you want to rent a car - renting a car may sound expensive, but if the cost of the rental is shared between 3 or 4 students then its a pretty cheap and flexible way to see the mountains and other hidden parts of Japan. If you come from Australia, the UK or any other country where you drive on the left hand side of the road, then you can also easily obtain a Japanese drivers license - as you won't need to do the test.

Car Parking:

Second hand cars are pretty cheap as cars in Japan don't have much of a re-sale value due to the "shaken" system. Some students obtain second hand cars for work or travel purposes - and parking is provided free at all of Yamasa's accommodation. You can drive to the Institute and park (also free), but ask Student Services for a parking permit first as even with the large carparks, space can be very limited.

To view full details of the facilities please click on the link buttons on the left hand side of this page.