I Thought I’d Have an Automatic-Only License for Life

About a year and a half ago, I had the automatic-only restriction removed from my driver’s license. When I got my license at 18, I thought, “I’ll never drive a manual, so an automatic-only license is all I need.” I never imagined the day would come when I’d change my mind. The reason I finally went for it was simple:

“My husband was going to buy a 981 Boxster GTS with a manual transmission.”

“Driving a manual is way more fun! You have to get your license unrestricted before it’s delivered!” my husband kept insisting. I held out until the last possible moment, saying, “No way, no way,” but his enthusiasm eventually won me over. I discovered that a driving school near our home offered lessons to remove the automatic-only restriction (though apparently not all driving schools offer them) and reluctantly signed up.

No Classroom Lessons—Just Behind-the-Wheel Training

At the driving school I chose, removing the restriction cost ¥57,000 for four hours of lessons and a test. All four hours were behind the wheel. I’d assumed we’d start with a classroom lesson on the theory of using the clutch before moving on to practical training. Instead, I was told to study the details on my own.

Booking lessons was another challenge. Very few people apply to remove an automatic-only restriction, so there weren’t many available time slots. I remember how much harder it was than I’d expected to juggle work, driving school, and life with a two-year-old.

Still, once I’d committed, I wanted to take it seriously and pass on my first try without paying for extra lessons. I studied the textbook ahead of time and brought indoor shoes to make driving easier, feeling fully prepared for my first day.

But then—

I was so nervous about driving a manual for the first time that everything I’d learned from the textbook vanished from my mind.

“Keep that clutch pressed right down, okay? When you stop, press the clutch and the brake together, or you’ll stall,” the instructor told me. Then I’d take my foot off the clutch and get told off.

“If the car sounds like it’s struggling, shift gears,” he said. I had no idea when to change gears, so I got told off for that, too.

Naturally, I stalled over and over. I couldn’t get going before the traffic light turned red again, and at the railway crossing I’d rev the engine—“Vrooom!”—but still couldn’t pull away because I couldn’t get my foot off the clutch. By the end of that first hour, I was completely exhausted.

Then, somehow, things started to click during my fifth hour (I had to take an extra lesson, so I gave up on passing in the minimum time). I took the test after my sixth hour and, to my delight, passed.

I Worked Hard to Remove the Restriction—but…

So, have I driven a manual since then?

…Not at all. (-_-)

The only manual I’d driven was the driving school’s Toyota Comfort, with its light, easy clutch. The first time I got into my husband’s Boxster, I was stunned by how heavy the clutch was. It was so stiff I thought, “Is this a workout at the gym?” My leg felt like it was about to cramp, and I just couldn’t bring myself to drive it. I’ve only driven it about five times so far.

My husband drives us to somewhere quiet, then we switch seats and I spend about ten minutes going around in circles in first, second, and third gear. That’s about it. (LOL)

At the start of the year, I declared, “This is the year I finally learn to drive a manual!” But will that day really come? No, I shouldn’t give up. I went to the trouble of removing the automatic-only restriction, so I need to keep at it! That’s my renewed resolve these days.

I later wrote an article outlining the full process of removing the automatic-only restriction from a driver’s license.

AT限定解除 ー 教習所への申込みから試験合格までの道のりをまとめてみた