To all students looking for Driving Camp at a low price. Are you feeling depressed and thinking, “I heard that Driving Camp are cheap, but they aren’t?” In fact, the training camp fees during peak hours can be as expensive as or even more expensive than commuting lessons. However, if you use the secret technique introduced only here, you can participate in the training camp much cheaper than any other student. Please refer to it.

1. Four techniques to make it cheaper and the pitfalls of "cheapest 150,000 yen"

There are four main ways to apply for Driving Camp cheaply:

[1] If you have a regular car license, choose "AT only" and for the room plan, choose "shared room/ Self Cook."

An ``AT only'' license is about 15,000 yen cheaper than a MT car. In addition, the ``shared room/ Self Cook'' has the lowest price among the many room types.

[2] Use the campaign

Each application site offers original discounts such as "Guru Discount", "Student Discount", "Early Discount", etc. It is also possible to use them together, so check it out.

[3] Aim for shoulder fees

Aim for shoulder fees
There are times when prices drop significantly, especially during the spring and summer holidays when there is a rush of applications. If you aim here, you can participate in the training camp at a cheaper price than anyone else.

[4] Use the “off-season temporary return plan”

The last resort is to split the training camp into two sessions during the off-season.

Pitfalls of frequently seen advertisements “lowest price 150,000 yen”

The advertisement says, "The lowest price is 150,000 yen!", but you should know that it is almost impossible to participate at this price. This price is set during school and work periods such as April to June and September to November. Therefore, it is quite difficult for students to participate at this price.

Let's discuss each technique in detail.

2. "Automatic transmission only" and "Shared room/ Self Cook" are essential conditions

Different schools have different plans for the same Driving Camp. If you want to keep the price low, you need to combine them to get the lowest price. Let's look at it in detail.

If you have a regular car license, choose "AT limited car"

Since the number of days of training and accommodation is less than that of a MT car, it is about 15,000 yen cheaper. In the past, manual transmission cars were the mainstream, but now automatic transmission cars are sufficient unless there is a special reason. In fact, MT cars accounted for 1.5% of domestic passenger car sales, while AT cars accounted for 98.5% (2016).

Select “shared room/ Self Cook”

The cheapest plans are generally the ``shared room plan,'' where multiple people stay in one room, and the ``self Self Cook'' where you prepare your own meals. (However, please note that if you eat out all the time with Self Cook, it will end up being more expensive than the plan with meals.) With this plan, multiple people and people you are meeting for the first time will spend time in the same room, so you want to meet new people at the training camp. It's perfect for people who want to join together or alone and want to make friends. Also, if you invite friends to join, you can have a shared room exclusively for them. On the other hand, when living together, there may be troubles due to being careful of others or having different lifestyles, so it is important to have a firm understanding of what is suitable for you and what is not suitable for you.

3. Average discount of about 5,000 yen by using the campaign

Be sure to check out campaigns such as "Early Bird Discount," "Guru Discount," and "Student Discount," as they offer an average discount of 5,000 yen. Let's take a look at the reservation site ``Hyakuen de Ace'' as an example.

"Early Bird Discount": 5,000 yen cash back if you apply 2 months before your enrollment date.
“Student Discount”: For a limited time only, if you bring your student ID, you will get 3,000 yen cash back.
"Group Discount": Up to 5,000 yen cash back when 2-3 or more people apply.

Source: https://menkyodeace.jp/discount.html

These three discounts are offered by all reservation sites, but some offer their own discounts in addition to these. It is also possible to use discounts, so be sure to check on the website where you are making your reservation.

So how much cheaper will it be if these essential conditions are met? Let's run a simulation using the reservation site `` Driving Camp Station'' as an example of applying to ``Nakajo Driving School'' in Niigata Prefecture.

If you enroll in early February (peak period) and are on a generally expensive plan

・ Regular Manual, hotel plan (single), enrollment on February 5th: 399,600 yen tax incl.
However, even if you only meet two of the requirements,

・ Regular Automatic, shared room plan, enrollment on February 7th: 340,200 yen tax incl.
You can reduce the price to this extent. Furthermore, if you take advantage of the "Student Discount", "Group Discount", "Early Bird Discount", and the site's original "Naka-chan Discount", you can get a 20,000 yen discount, bringing the total price to 320,200 yen including tax incl., which is a saving of 79,400 yen.

Source: https://station.anl.jp/school/54630

4. If you aim for the "shoulder rate," you can get a significant discount from 390,000 yen to 230,000 yen even during spring break.

This is the only way for students (especially university students) to get a long vacation at a low price. "Shoulder charges" are charges immediately before and after the price changes.

The graph above shows price fluctuations during spring break at a certain driving school, and compared to the peak period in mid-February, prices are lower from late January to mid-March. This period is also a time when it is difficult for students to adjust their schedules, such as due to regular exams or just before the new semester, so there tends to be fewer applications. Therefore, the prices are also lower.

Typical times when shoulder charges are included

・Spring break: January 20th to January 31st, March 5th to March 15th
・Summer vacation: July 23rd to July 31st, September 5th to September 15th

It will be. If you enroll during this period, you can get a relatively low price even during the busy season. Let's take the "Driving Camp Station" and "Nakajo Driving School" as examples.

The prices introduced in 1.

・ Regular Automatic, shared room plan, enrollment on February 7th: 320,200 yen tax incl.
However, in early February, we are inundated with applications from students who have just started their spring break, so fees are the most expensive of the year. Therefore, no matter how hard we try to lower the fees, this amount will be the limit.
So, if we look at when prices start to drop during the same spring break,

・ Regular Automatic, shared room plan, enrollment on March 21 (earliest graduation date is April 3): 253,800 yen tax incl.
​The price is 233,800 yen when student discount, group discount, early bird discount, and mid-school discount are applied.

Source: https://station.anl.jp/school/54630

On average, university students' spring break lasts until early April, so even if you start school in mid-March, you can often graduate before school starts. If you aim to buy from mid-to-late March (early September for summer holidays) when prices start to drop, you can get much closer to the low prices you often hear about. (Incidentally, this price is unbelievable during peak hours.) With just a few tweaks during spring break, I was able to reduce the price by 165,800 yen, from 399,600 yen to 233,800 yen. However, it is also popular when prices start to drop. Training camp rates become available around October for spring break and around April for summer vacation, so make plans to apply during those times.

5. The last cheap way for students to get around is the "off-season temporary return home plan"

This is the last resort for students at off-season prices. The approximately two-week license training camp is divided into one-week sessions during the off-season. (Of course, the prices are off-season prices) This is a must-see not only for those who want to keep the price low, but also for those who are busy with part-time jobs or club activities and Driving Camp itself is difficult.
Let's refer to the "Yi license off-season temporary return plan".

・Nihonkai Driving School Regular A Plan: 216,000 yen tax incl. included)
During the off-season (10/1-1/18, 3/24-5/18), you can split the training camp into two sessions. Transportation costs for both round trips will be covered.

Source: http://www.untenmenkyo-yi.com/gassyuku/special/off_season.php

summary

This is how you can get Driving Camp cheaply. However, if you are too focused on the price, you may end up compromising on too many things, and you may not end up with the training camp life you had envisioned. Don't just focus on price, think carefully until you find a plan and school that makes sense to you.