As extensive and convenient as the trains can be in Japan, many parts of the country can only be experienced by car or motorcycle, and even in well-connected Tokyo, driving can save you from constantly worrying about train schedules, transfers, and confusing exits, or relying on expensive taxis. In a country with such a rich car and motorcycle culture, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself if you never get a chance to experience the open road in the Lland of the Rrising Ssun.
Being able to drive in Japan enhances the experience of living here, and while there are few reasons not to give it a try, some challenges can deter would-be drivers. Whether it’s knowing the rules of the road, understanding road signs or preparing to obtain your Japanese driver’s license, the road to getting on the road might not always be easy. This is where Musashisakai Driving School comes in!
Open year-round and operating until 9pm on weekdays, Musashisakai Driving School has been serving students since 1960, and has become the most popular driving school in Tokyo in recent years. Just a 5-minute walk from Musashi-Sakai Station on the JR Chuo Line, this driving school also offers free shuttle buses from Kichijoji and Mitaka stations. With its convenient location, flexible hours, English courses and support and unique values, Musashisakai Driving School undoubtedly offers one of the best driving school experiences in Tokyo.
Mission and Philosophy
One area where Musashisakai Driving school differentiates itself from the competition is in its core values. With a philosophy of “Mutual Respect and Mutual Prosperity,” Musashisakai Driving School focuses on hospitality, always asking how they can better serve students. As a forward-looking school, Musashisakai Driving School also understands the challenges of the future. For example, even with the rise of self-driving cars in the next few decades, knowing the rules of the road will still be important for everyone’s safety and teaching students how to drive will remain a priority.
In line with their philosophy, Musashisakai Driving School also supports various organizations through hosting events and donating to charitable organizations. This school prides itself on serving its students and larger community wherever possible.
Features:
English Support
Musashisakai Driving School provides support for English-speaking students with English-speaking Instructors and receptionists. Online courses to learn the rules of the road in Japan that include English subtitles are also available. Moreover, students can be as young as 16 years old for standard motorcycle courses, making this school a great choice for students at international schools as well as college students and adults of all experience levels.
The IT-VIP Course
Musashisakai Driving School also features the unique IT-VIP course, which includes many benefits. IT-VIP students can make reservations online and are given priority when it comes to changes or additions made to schedules. Some other features include choice of instructors, access to the exclusive IT-VIP Lounge, same-day cancellations free of charge, one to one instruction and a test pass guarantee, which offers free lessons in the rare case that students do not pass their driving test.
IT-VIP Lounge
Inside school
Comments from Staff:
What really sets Musashisakai Driving School apart from other schools and makes it such a special place is the people. Lama Tsering and Tomoe Inomata, two dedicated instructors, have agreed to share their backgrounds, experiences and why they became instructors at Musashisakai Driving School. These comments from the instructors are followed by a special message from Chairman of the Board Isamu Takahashi.
Instructor Lama Tsering
Instructor Lama Tsering
My name is Lama Tsering and I am from Nepal. In my country, Nepali is the official language for daily conversation, but I grew up in an environment where English education was emphasized since my school days. As a result, I’ve wanted English to be a big part of my life since I was a child. My mother encouraged me to come to Japan, and I visited after doing plenty of research on my own.
I had an interest in Japanese cars, and while I had heard about the Japanese driver’s license system from an acquaintance, I was not confident in my Japanese. Luckily, I was introduced to a driving school that had English instruction. When I first went to the school, I found that many foreign nationals were enrolled, but only a few instructors could teach in English. This made it difficult to set appointments while enrolled in the necessary technical and academic lessons.
Eventually, I obtained my driver’s license in Japan, but it took a long time and I had to ask many questions to understand the different nuances of the language even when the course was delivered in English. After obtaining my license, I became a little more familiar with Japanese while working and studying at a Japanese language school. As I began to better understand the language, I remembered a foreign visitor to Japan who had the same problem as me but wanted to actively contribute to Japanese society.
Fortunately, I have no problem with driving or interacting with people and jumped into the driving school industry because I thought it would be a challenge and a great chance to use English. I now live in Tokyo with my family, but there are still many foreign nationals enrolled in all sorts of driving schools. I am sure that many of them are struggling with the nuances of the language, just as I did when I first came to Japan several years ago. I will do my best to provide support so that they can operate cars safely, just as I was carefully taught and supported in the past.
In the IT-VIP course, there are other Japanese staff members who lead the course in English. We work together every day to provide the best driving school experience, and we are looking forward to seeing your smiling faces.
Instructor Tomoe Inomata
Instructor Tomoe Inomata
Hello everyone, my name is Tomoe Inomata, a member of the IT-VIP team, I am mainly in charge of the regular car course. We are excited to see so many foreign nationals enrolling in the IT-VIP course in recent years, and I would like to share some of my experience overseas with those trying to obtain a driver’s license in Japan.
I have been interested in English since my school days and left for New York while working part time to enroll in a language school. At that time, my language skills were almost nonexistent; when I asked for a blanket on the plane during the flight, I received a bucket! Still, I took the initiative at that language school and was proactive in taking part in conversations. Before I knew it, I had made many friends.
On days off, I visited museums and art galleries and went sightseeing in the area, but I was confused by many differences, including the difference between traffic in Japan and New York. I sometimes felt confused and anxious, and even fell into a state of depression.
To this day, I am grateful for the kindness of the local residents who helped me when I had the courage to tell them of my problems.
Now, as a driving instructor, I have chances to use English, although I must admit that my English is still not perfect. Even so, I communicate with each person, listen carefully to what they want to say and what they want to hear, and support them in obtaining a driver’s license, even if it takes time.
Of course, our school is not only for foreigners, but Japanese as well, and we are most encouraged when we see students of any background working hard to improve their skills. The moment when we share success stories, no matter how small or large, or share a high five or the moment when excitement transcends culture, language and race, makes my life worth living.
As a member of the IT-VIP team, I am sincerely looking forward to meeting you all as soon as possible.
Isamu Takahashi, Chairman of the Board
Message from Chairman of the Board Isamu Takahashi
We are always asking ourselves, “What can we do for our customers?” and we are constantly improving our driving school for our customers, making it “a place of memories for a lifetime” and supporting them in obtaining a driver’s license.
At Musashisakai Driving School, we believe in “Arigato Management,” and as we actively express our gratitude to our customers, we often hear “Arigato” from our customers as well. For us, there are no words that make us happier. These words give us the energy to provide service that will satisfy our customers even more, leading us to create new services. As a result, we have received high praise from our customers for our English lessons and online courses.
Thanks to you, Musashisakai Driving School has been rooted in Musashino for 63 years, and we have recently become the most popular driving school in Tokyo. We value the trust that has been built up over our long history, and all of our employees will continue to work together to help you obtain your driver’s license in the future.
We will continue to pursue employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, and contribution to the local community based on our management philosophy of ” Mutual Respect and Mutual Prosperity,” and grow into a company that can be of further service to you. We look forward to your continued support.
Isamu Takahashi, Chairman of the Board
If you’re looking to start your driving school journey, you can contact Musashisakai Driving School via the information provided below:
Musashisakai Driving School
2-chōme-6-43 Sakai, Musashino, Tokyo 180-0022
Phone: 0120-156-343
Musashisakai Driving School https://musasisakai-ds.co.jp/plan/special/
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