Japan parking and stopping rules: a quick reference
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A short stop can still count as parking (駐車). Waiting continuously for passengers or cargo can be parking even with the driver present. Leaving the vehicle so that you cannot drive it away immediately also counts, however brief the stop. Stopping (停車) means a stop that does not meet the legal definition of parking.
Source Kanagawa Prefectural Police — definitions of parking and stopping (in Japanese)
Where parking or stopping is prohibited
| Place | Distance | Prohibition |
|---|---|---|
| Intersection or road corner | Inside an intersection; within 5 m of its edge or a road corner | No stopping or parking |
| Pedestrian or bicycle crossing | On the crossing and within 5 m before/after its edges | No stopping or parking |
| Railway crossing | On the crossing and within 10 m before/after its edges | No stopping or parking |
| Vehicle entrance to a garage or car park | Within 3 m | No parking |
| Fire hydrant | Within 5 m | No parking |
Source Aichi Prefectural Police — places where parking is prohibited (in Japanese)
“No parking” does not mean that every brief stop is allowed: a no-stopping sign or another restriction can also apply. The parking definition excludes passenger boarding/alighting and loading/unloading lasting no more than five minutes, but leaving the vehicle unable to move it immediately still counts as parking.
Source Aichi Prefectural Police — places where parking is prohibited (in Japanese) · Kanagawa Prefectural Police — definitions of parking and stopping (in Japanese)
From there you carry two separate lists. Places where both are prohibited — within 5 metres of an intersection or of a pedestrian crossing, within 10 metres of a level crossing — and places where only parking is prohibited, such as within 3 metres of a garage entrance or within 5 metres of a fire hydrant.
Memorising the distances is the fastest route to the marks, but attaching each entry to the reason behind it is what keeps them straight under time pressure. Crossings and intersections are kept clear so that drivers and people on foot can see each other in time. Level crossings are kept clear so that no vehicle is ever waiting on the track. Hydrants and the entrances that fire equipment uses are kept clear so the fire service can actually reach them. A question that looks like arithmetic usually reduces to whether the spot you have chosen is one of those.
Keep the distance and the type of prohibition together when reviewing these rules. The five questions below cover it.
The five questions
You may neither stop nor park within 5 metres of a pedestrian crossing.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer True
Explanation Within 5 m of a crossing both stopping and parking are forbidden, so that drivers' and pedestrians' views are not blocked.
Basis in law 道路交通法 第44条 / Road Traffic Act Art. 44
You are allowed to stop briefly (though not park) within 5 metres of an intersection in order to let a passenger out.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer False
Explanation False. Within 5 m of an intersection BOTH stopping and parking are prohibited — a brief drop-off is not allowed there.
Basis in law 道路交通法 第44条 / Road Traffic Act Art. 44
Parking is prohibited within 5 metres of a fire hydrant.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer True
Explanation Parking (駐車) is banned within 5 m of a fire hydrant so it stays accessible in an emergency. (Brief stopping for boarding may differ, but do not park there.)
Basis in law 道路交通法 第45条 / Road Traffic Act Art. 45
Stopping and parking are both prohibited within 5 metres of a road corner (a sharp bend).
Show the answer and explanation
Answer True
Explanation A road corner is a designated no-stopping/no-parking place (within 5 m) because a stopped vehicle there blocks sightlines.
Basis in law 道路交通法 第44条 / Road Traffic Act Art. 44
On a one-way street you may stop or park anywhere on either side, as you like.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer False
Explanation False. One-way streets still have no-stopping/no-parking places and method rules; you cannot park freely.
Basis in law 道路交通法 第44条・第45条