I'm sure you all know that Driving Camp is cheaper than going to school. However, during summer and spring vacations, the fees can be expensive, costing over 300,000 yen.
Even so, you can keep costs down by carefully adjusting the time you enroll and coming up with a plan to use! In this article, we will introduce four elements to keep costs down for a Driving Camp. By the time you finish reading, you will have a clear idea of which school you want to go to, when to enroll, and what plan to use.

[1] Prices vary greatly depending on the season!

First of all, please take a look at this chart that shows the annual price trends for Driving Camp.

This is based on the price setting of Matsuki Driving School Yamagata School, and shows the yearly price trends for Regular Automatic with a shared room and three meals plan for men.

1.The cheapest time of the year is the low season.

In the graph above, the orange area represents the so-called "off-season," the cheapest time of the year.
Compared to the most expensive summer vacation fee of 300,000 yen, you can get your license for just over 100,000 yen cheaper.
It may be difficult for university students and other students to enroll at this time due to class schedules, but such a low price is very attractive, so if you can spare a block of time for about two weeks, we highly recommend enrolling at this time!

2. Winter vacation is the cheapest among long vacations for students!

In the diagram above, the brown areas represent long student vacation periods, which represent the seasonality of driving training camps across the country.
First, take a look at this chart comparing the average tuition fees for each long holiday: spring, summer, and winter.

Needless to say, applications flood in during the long spring and summer holidays and fees soar, but even during these long holidays you can enroll at a very low price during the winter vacation, which is close to the price of the off-season.
There are a few things to keep in mind when attending driver's license training camps during the winter break, such as the enrollment date if students want to graduate during the winter break.
The enrollment dates are very limited each year due to reasons such as the closure of license centers at the end of the year, and for 2019-2020 they are as follows:

For AT

Enrollment: December 21st (Saturday) → Graduation: January 4th (Saturday)

For MT

Enrollment: December 19th (Thursday) → Graduation: January 4th (Saturday)

Reservations will be available from around mid-September, but since there are only a limited number of admission dates, reservations will naturally be inundated and will fill up quickly, so we strongly recommend making reservations early.

This article has more details about winter vacation driver's license training camps, so be sure to check it out if you're thinking of going!
"Must-see for students! The best value winter vacation Driving Camp! [2019-2020]"

3.Aim for the cheapest times during spring break and summer vacation!

In conclusion, the training camp fees during long vacations are in a heap as shown in the figure below, so it would be best to aim for the beginning or end of the vacation.

Here we have picked out the spring and summer breaks for university students, when prices are the most expensive.
As you can see, even during peak seasons, fees vary depending on when you enroll.
There is a difference of about 30,000 yen between the prices: top price > shoulder price > off price, and you can see that the off price is about 60,000 yen cheaper than the top price.

At the boundary between the top fee and the shoulder fee, the first day of enrollment for the shoulder fee,
At the boundary between the off-price and shoulder-price, the last day of enrollment for the off-price​
As such, reservations tend to fill up quickly on the cheaper enrollment dates at the borderline, so if you're interested, we recommend applying early.

Here are my recommended starting dates!

The off-season rates do not overlap with long student holidays, so they are very cheap even during busy periods.
If your classes (tests) end early or your new semester classes start late, make sure you enroll at the border between the off-campus rate and the shoulder rate!

Even during the busy summer and spring vacation seasons, you can save as much as 30,000 yen by shifting your enrollment by one day.

When should I make a reservation?

During busy periods, reservations flood in and cheap driving schools or those with good facilities fill up quickly, so if you are thinking of taking a driving license training camp during a long holiday, make sure to apply at least 4 months in advance from the date you want to enroll!
If you apply early, not only will you be able to secure a cheaper plan and school, but you will also be eligible for an early bird discount that will reduce the plan fee by about 5,000 yen.
*Please note that some schools may not have this option.

2. Choose the cheapest plan based on car type, meals, and room!

The self-catering shared room plan, which I will explain below, costs around 70,000 to 80,000 yen more than the most expensive hotel single room plan with three meals included, depending on the school.
The shared room Self Cook is very popular due to its low price and fills up early, so if you apply just before starting school, you may find that only a single room in the hotel is available and you end up paying a lot of money for nothing...so if you want to keep costs down, we recommend making your reservation as early as possible!
As an example, based on the pricing structure of Matsuki Driving School Nagai branch, we will compare the single plan with three meals included and the shared room Self Cook when obtaining Regular Automatic.

In this way, the shared room Self Cook is 75,000 yen cheaper.

1. Rates are different for AT and MT

Due to the difference in structure between AT and MT vehicles, the training time is generally longer for MT vehicles, and the fee is approximately 15,000 yen higher.
In other words, if you want to get your driver's license cheaply, AT is the way to go!
By the way, 99% of new car sales in the Japanese market are AT.
In everyday life, you won't have any problems with just an automatic transmission license.

2. Prices vary depending on accommodation and meal selection.

meal plan

Self-catering <Three meals included, save about 20,000 to 30,000 yen!
*In most cases, even with Self Cook lunch is included.

With Self Cook you will have to buy ingredients from convenience stores or supermarkets, or eat out, so it may end up costing more than the three-meal plan unless you plan your food expenses carefully, so you need to be careful. However, in terms of simple plan prices, the difference in meal plan alone makes it nearly 30,000 yen cheaper.
The driver's license training camp lasts for about two weeks, so it might be a good idea to use this opportunity to get into the habit of cooking for yourself.

Accommodation/room type

Accommodations: Affiliated facilities < Directly managed facilities approximately 30,000 to 50,000 cheaper!

There are 1) accommodations directly managed by the driving school, and 2) accommodations that are affiliated with the school, such as hotels and inns.
① is close to the driving school and the fee is cheap
②The facilities are often good, and you can also enjoy meals and hot springs.
Some of the benefits include:

Room type

Single < Twin < Triple < Shared room will be about 30,000 to 50,000 cheaper!

Sharing a room with strangers usually involves sharing it with 3-4 people, which may make you feel nervous at first, but if you look at it positively, it can also be an opportunity to create a whole new community.
I think one of the biggest attractions of a driver's license training camp is sharing a room with strangers!

3. Check the warranty details as well.

Guaranteed until graduation <Limited time guarantee: Approximately 20,000 yen cheaper!

What is the guarantee at the license training camp?

If you fail an exam or certification, you may not be able to graduate even after the scheduled number of training days has passed.
Generally, there is a fee for each class (each time) of "Driving Lessons supplementary lessons" or "retaking the test," and if "extended accommodation" is required, there is a fee for each night, so if you are worried about your lessons, we recommend that you take out a guarantee.
Although the guarantee until graduation is a little more expensive than the standard time guarantee, it gives you peace of mind knowing that there will be no additional charges even if you end up staying an extra night.

[3] Get even cheaper prices with group, early bird, and student discounts!

There is an "early bird discount" that applies to early applications, a "group discount" that applies to groups of two or more people, and a "student discount" that is exclusive to students. If you combine all three, you can save about 15,000 yen.
The number of people for whom group discounts apply and whether they can be used in combination vary depending on the school, so you should check this in advance.

[4] Services and benefits vary depending on the application window

There are two ways to apply for Driving Camp: you can apply directly to the driving school, or you can apply through a website or cooperative affiliated with the driving school.
The benefits of applying through this window include a lowest price guarantee and various benefits and services depending on the window.

What is the lowest price guarantee?

For example, if you make a reservation from site A, which has a lowest price guarantee, and there is a site B that offers a plan with the same content as the driver's license plan but at a lower price, the price you paid for the reservation on site A will be the difference between the lower price on site B.
The difference will be discounted or refunded.

[5] Summary

What did you think?
To get the lowest price possible for Driving Camp it is important to choose the right time and plan accordingly, but be careful as if you do not plan your use of the guarantees and meal plans carefully, it may actually end up being more expensive than other plans!