Buy, sell, and own a car in Japan without the headache

We help foreigners find, buy, register, sell, and dispose of cars across Japan. Straight answers, no kickbacks, fluent in both the auction halls and the paperwork. If you've ever stood in a dealer's office wondering what you just signed — we exist for you.

Pick the level of help that matches your timeline, language confidence, and patience for the Japanese DMV. All five are buyer-pays — we never take dealer kickbacks. Ever.

Ways we help

• Self-Drive (free PDF) — Get the Self-Drive PDF in your inbox — checklists and paperwork path so you can run the buy yourself.
• Second Opinion Package — One hour with a pro before you sign. You bring up to 3 candidates, we give you the honest verdict. ¥15k credits toward upgrade.
• Co-Pilot — We find the car and handle Japan with you. Most people start here.
• Chauffeur — Front of the line, one inspection included, live help on paperwork day. Fee after a free car chat.
• Sell — Still worth money? We run a structured kaitori process so you're not stuck with one dealer's lowball.

From the guides

Buying a car in Japan as a foreigner is mostly paperwork. Here's the honest version.

What it actually costs, what trips most foreign buyers up, and when you should just hire help.

The sticker isn't the year. See what ownership actually costs

• Buying at Auction in Japan: What Individuals Need to Know — In order to get access to the auctions, you need a dealership license and an agreement with the auction house. Here's what the process actually looks like, what
• End of Life and Scrapping a Car in Japan — Every car in Japan reaches a point where the math stops working. The two-year sha-ken cycle forces a decision: pay ¥150,000-200,000 to keep it on the road, or l
• How Much Does It Actually Cost to Own a Car in Japan Every Year? — Owning a car in Japan is cheaper than most people think — but it's not as cheap as it looks from the sticker price alone.
• Juminhyo and Inkan: The Two Documents Every Car Buyer in Japan Needs — Two pieces of paper, both available at your local ward office on the same day, and between them they unlock every car purchase in Japan. Here's exactly what you
• Kei Car vs Regular Car in Japan: Which Is Right for You? — Kei cars used to be tin cans. They're not anymore. Here's the honest comparison — what they cost, what they can and can't do, and how to decide which one fits y
• Vehicle Inspection Checklist Japan: What to Look for Before You Buy a Used Car — A practical walkaround guide covering maintenance records, rust, auction sheets, test drives, and the single most overlooked step that separates a good purchase
• Driving License Japan Foreigner: What Nobody Tells You Before You Show Up — Converting your license in Japan looks simple on paper — until you're standing in a fluorescent-lit testing center parking lot, watching a driving instructor ma
• Dealer Negotiation Reality in Japan: What Actually Works — Japanese dealers rarely drop their sticker price, and when they do, it's usually a pre-baked discount they were planning to offer anyway. Here's what you can ac
• Why a 10-Year-Old Japanese Car with Only 10,000 km Is Still Cheap — In most countries, mileage drives resale value. In Japan, age does. Here's what the used market actually looks like — with 20 real Honda Fit listings pulled tod
• Japan's Two-Yearly Car Inspection and When Your Car Stops Being Worth the Sha-ken — A personal breakdown of why cheap used cars in Japan lose money faster than foreign buyers expect. The sha-ken cost is only half the trap—the other half is the
• How Much Should You Really Budget for a Used Car in Japan? — Most foreigners land in Japan thinking ¥500,000 will buy a safe used car. Here's the realistic budget floors — and why cheap cars usually cost more in the end.
• How Car Insurance Works in Japan, in English — Car insurance in Japan is legally simple and practically confusing. Two systems stack on top of each other — mandatory jibaiseki-hoken and voluntary nin'i-hoken

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