A two-week driving Driving Camp is a great way to make friends and maybe even meet someone of the opposite sex.
However, in reality, there are many participants who were enthusiastic about participating but ended up regretting their decision.
This is because there are several essential conditions to meet in order to meet someone at Driving Camp, and many people attend the camp without knowing them.
Here, the author, who actually participated in and investigated Driving Camp, will give specific details about the encounters that take place at such Driving Camp, important conditions for participating, and ways to interact with a variety of people while you're there.
Once you have finished reading this, you will be able to eliminate any concerns you may have about participating and be able to live a training camp experience without any regrets.

[1] The reality of meeting people at Driving Camp

1. Men and women actually meet! What are the surprising results revealed from the statistics?

To put it bluntly, there are encounters in the field!

A survey of 1,358 license holders, both male and female, showed that 12.1% of men in their 20s and 14.1% of women in their 20s met at a driving school and started dating. (Reference: https://sirabee.com/2015/04/10/25544/)
If you apply this rate to a class of about 40 students, such as your high school class, you will be surprised to find that there are two or three couples in the class just two weeks after enrollment! This figure also shows the percentage of students who successfully developed into relationships, so the number of people who have reached the previous stage of "being good friends" increases dramatically. Meeting people at Driving Camp is not at all uncommon.

2. Some people end up getting married! Actual experiences on site

Now, actually Yahoo! Let's take a look at the local stories posted on Chiebukuro.

``Since the training period was short, we became friends and started dating after graduation.''

Source: Yahoo! wisdom bag

"Both men and women lived under the same roof, so we were able to get along normally. Several couples even formed."

Source: Yahoo! wisdom bag

``My friend took it for a training camp, and apparently they all went to the beach together.''

Source: Yahoo! wisdom bag

What all the above experiences have in common is that it is easy to make friends with people you have never met locally. The reason will be explained later, but many people naturally develop relationships out of such situations. In fact, when I participated, I met some people who I had met there and became good friends within a few days, and even met them after the graduation ceremony. Additionally, some of my friends developed relationships with people they met locally and even got married.

3. Is it actually a treasure trove of encounters? ! Why are so many couples born with Driving Camp?

In fact, the environment of Driving Camp is very favorable from the perspective of meeting people, and it is easy for couples to form. For example, "people with the same goals gather together,"​ ​"living in an unfamiliar place," "sharing experiences such as passing a test or failing at driving for the first time," etc. There are other reasons, but these characteristics create various effects, including the "suspension bridge effect," and participants develop a strong sense of camaraderie with other participants.
So, even if you meet someone for the first time during the training camp, you will be recognized as a fellow student attending the same driving school, not a stranger. And because you are in the same environment and struggling, it is easy to talk and become friends.

4. It's a waste to just meet men and women! What kinds of encounters can only be made with Driving Camp?

During the camp, you will have many opportunities to interact with people you would not normally meet.
Even if you are all from the same university, conversations with people from different universities or places of origin are fresh and fun. On the other hand, if you meet people from the same area in a distant location, you can build relationships that will continue even after you graduate.
Of course, students are not the only participants. There are also working adults who participate in Driving Camp, so it is unique to the Driving Camp that you can make friends with people in the industry that you would not normally meet. I met and became friends with a former host there, and interacting with him as he told me his knowledge and behind-the-scenes stories that only a former host can have, was a whole new and fun experience. In fact, it is said that the comedy duo "Viking," which won the King of Conte competition in 2012, was formed through Driving Camp, so there is no telling what kind of encounters you will have there.

5. No encounters...To avoid having a training camp with regrets

Now let me start with the conclusion. If you are looking for a new encounter with Driving Camp,

1. during busy season
2. Alone
3. Participate in training camp with AT plan

I recommend doing it!
何故かというと、たとえあなたがどれだけ社交性に優れた人であったとしても、最低限の条件を外してしまうと、そもそもの交流する相手がいなくなってしまう場合があるからです。

The following chapter lists detailed reasons and other items to be careful about, so please understand them and choose a school you will not regret.

[2] The important thing is to choose a driving school! 6 conditions to avoid failure at the application stage

1. What you should choose is an AT license and a plan that includes meals.

If you are looking to meet someone, choose an automatic transmission license plan that includes meals.
This is because 80% of women who obtain a regular driver's license obtain an automatic transmission license! (Reference: https://gakumado.mynavi.jp/freshers/articles/11562) Inevitably, most of the participants in MT courses are men, so it is not suitable for those looking to meet women.
In addition, by choosing a plan that includes meals, you can increase the opportunities to interact with other participants. Everyone is relaxed during meals, so it is easier to talk to them than when you are at the driving school. There are other benefits to talking during meals, so please also see the relevant section in Chapter [3].

2. Avoid off-peak seasons and choose a large school with many people.

In order to meet good people, choose a time and school where you can meet as many people as possible. This is because the kind of people you meet locally is ultimately a matter of luck. In the case of off-season or small schools, there are cases in which there are no other students entering the school on the same day. If that happens, the chances of meeting someone locally will of course be very limited. If you are looking to meet someone with Driving Camp, this condition is also a must!

3. Choose a school that has tourist spots and play areas inside and outside the driving school.

In order to create opportunities to deepen friendships with people you have made friends with locally, choose a school that has a place on or around the school where you can enjoy your off time. There are limits to just talking when you meet during free time during lessons. You want to avoid the tragedy of being able to talk to someone you're interested in, only to end up not being able to find an opportunity to get to know them because you don't have a place to invite them to spend time with.

4. Select the school where the welcome party and sightseeing tour will be held

Choose a school that offers a reception or sightseeing tour to give you an opportunity to bond with other participants. If you don't actively seek out new people during the training camp, your relationships will not expand. In university classes, even if there is someone you're interested in in the same classroom, if you don't try to make contact with them, you basically won't make any progress. The situation is no different at driving schools. However, these events naturally give you the opportunity to interact with other participants. Also, people who refuse to interact with other participants are likely not to attend these social events, so you can meet people who are willing to interact.

5. Choose a unisex accommodation with meals included.

If you're looking to meet someone of the opposite sex, choose a co-ed plan that includes meals.
Generally, boys and girls live on separate floors within the dormitory, but if they are in the same dormitory, they can interact with each other on their way to school or during meals.
Depending on when you enroll and the school, it may be difficult to specify the accommodation you will use, but it is a good idea to find out in advance what type of accommodation the school has.

6. Is it okay to participate alone? What are the realities and benefits of solo participation?

To cut to the chase, the ideal number of participants for meeting people on site is one person!
The biggest reason is that you are not tied to existing friendships. Living in a training camp with close friends is of course fun. However, there are cases where you are tied to those relationships and do not get the chance to meet new people.
Another advantage of participating alone is that you can have some time to yourself during the camp. If you share a room with a friend or have a shared room plan, it can be very difficult to have some private time during the camp, which many people find annoying.

The reality of single-person participation is that the proportion of single-person participation is actually the highest among the number of participants in Driving Camp. (Reference: https://www.kyosyujyo.co.jp/Column/115.html) Of course, there are more participants in a group, so the number of people on site may be higher. However, please keep in mind that participating alone is not uncommon.

[3] Off to school! Six things to keep in mind when you start school

1. The battle starts from the first day! Don't miss the biggest opportunity

In fact, the best chance to meet people on the ground is the first day. On the first day of enrollment, you will often feel confused and have a hard time because you will suddenly be driving for the first time or your schedule will be busier than you expected. In the midst of this, you may not have time to interact with other participants due to fatigue. However, you should not miss this first day. Just as you will have a hard time, other participants will have the same experience. If you talk to people who enrolled on the same day during free time in the lesson, you will be able to have a lively conversation because you are in the same situation. Just ask them, "Where are you from?" Everyone is feeling lonely on the first day, so they should be happy to help you.
Also, local groups tend to form surprisingly quickly, and may be formed by the third day or so. If you start taking action on the first day, you may be able to become the center of such a group.

2. Take action no matter what! Don't spend your days just waiting

The most important thing when looking for a new partner is to take action. As mentioned in [2]-4, even if you have a crush on someone in your university class, the relationship won't progress unless you actively try to contact them. You won't be able to expand your circle of contacts if you just wait for them to talk to you. Please be conscious of taking the initiative to talk to them yourself.
As mentioned earlier, groups are formed quickly. Also, people who are already satisfied with being part of such groups do not actively seek new interactions. Even if you are not brave enough to try to start a conversation, try not to give off an aura that makes it difficult to talk to others, so that you do not find yourself left alone without realizing it.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the people around you are not complete strangers. They are your peers who attend the same driving school.

3. Don't have a topic to talk about? What are the topics to talk about when meeting someone for the first time?

To be honest, the best topic to talk about when meeting someone for the first time is "travel."
In an experiment conducted at the Edinburgh International University in the UK, 50 men and women who met for the first time were asked to talk about several different topics. The topic that was most likely to result in couples was "travel".
Since the topic is far from private, it is easy for the person being asked to respond and the conversation is easy to get going. Also, traveling brings up positive memories. The joy and other emotions of those times are recalled, so the conversation is also imaged as being fun.
If you are taking part in Driving Camp during a long vacation, be sure to talk about your travels during that vacation.

4. Opportunities are available even after the lessons are over! Use meal time effectively (luncheon technique)

In fact, just having a meal together can make the other person like you more.
There is something called the Luncheon Technique, discovered by American psychologist Gregory Razlan, which states that by talking with someone over a meal, you can make that person have a good impression and feelings about you.
This comes from something called the "principle of association," and while we won't go into the details of the process here, the positive feelings you get from eating will lead to a better impression of the people you are eating with, ultimately increasing how much you are liked by them.

It is often used as a negotiation method in actual business, so there is no reason not to take advantage of it. Don't miss out on the opportunities you can get when you're not studying!

5. I want to deepen our friendship! What is a great opportunity to get closer to someone you care about (moral licensing)?

If you want to take a step closer to someone you like, we recommend the day you pass your provisional license test.
The provisional driving test is the first test that all participants face. If they don't pass, they will have to stay longer, so participants start preparing desperately for the test a few days before the test and are consumed with anxiety until the results are announced.
So when you pass, everyone feels a sense of relief. This is your biggest chance. You also feel a similar sense of relief when you finish a test. At times like these, a phenomenon called moral licensing is at work. Simply put, "doing good things makes you want to do bad things." It's the same phenomenon as when you're on a diet and you think, "I worked out today, so it's okay to eat a little bit of sweets."
It is thought that people who did not approve of having fun during their exam preparation period are more likely to fall into this phenomenon, so this is a chance to close the gap with people with whom you have had little contact until now.

6. How to increase the favorability of people with whom you have a hard time getting a chance to talk (Ziance effect)

If you're having trouble finding a chance to talk to someone you're interested in, start by getting noticed by them.
As mentioned in [1]-1, just being in the same driving school makes the participants feel a sense of camaraderie with each other. This is due to the environment of Driving Camp, but there is also something called the Zajonc effect at work.
This is also known as the mere exposure effect, which means that the more opportunities you have to come into contact with the same person or thing, the more likely you are to like that person or thing. You may have seen the same commercial many times and developed an affinity for it.
By applying this technique, you can naturally increase the other person's favorability as you meet them many times at the driving school. If you find it difficult to talk to someone you meet for the first time, start by saying a simple greeting or trying to catch their eye. And don't forget that you will eventually have to make direct contact.

summary

How was that. If you have read this far, I hope that you have an understanding of things like choosing a driving school and what to keep in mind while on-site. When it comes to meeting people through Driving Camp the battle begins even before you arrive. Pay attention to the items introduced in this article and make sure to have a license training camp that you won't regret!