Getting Started in Driving Experience Japan
Spawn, redeem, take a job, buy a kei or taxi, then learn Kyoto before Hakusan.
Driving Experience Japan drops you into a Kyoto-style plaza with other drivers, parked vans, and a HUD that does not explain itself. This first-hour guide is the path that stops new accounts from blowing code Yen on a limited car they cannot park. The game is free-to-play, online, and capped at six players per public server. RayshStudios launched it on 7 December 2023 and still marks it beta, so a shutdown can move a dealer overnight.
You do not need a supercar to start. You need the trophy, the briefcase, a cheap daily driver, and a sense of Kyoto streets. The Guides Hub lists the deeper pages. Use this one as the clock for the first sixty minutes.
Land at spawn and learn the plaza
Stand still for thirty seconds. The trophy on the left is codes. The briefcase is jobs. Later patches added phone tools on top of that pair. Two Hiace vans mark Lucky Box. Dealers fan out from the lot with in-game brands: Tokoma, Honard, Naisen, Densu, Starl, and Reaxus. Hidden dealers exist for ultra-rare Pagani-class cars. You will not need those lots today.
Walk the plaza once on foot so you can find spawn after a crash. Public servers stay small. If you host a private server, older notes documented /setmaxspawn up to 50 cars. That command is a private-host leftover, not a public-server cheat.
Look at traffic before you buy anything. Kyoto city is tight alleys, crossings, and NPCs. Kameoka village is the wider Kyoto map you visit later for Farmer. Hakusan touge is the Ishikawa mountain, not a city block. Hakodate is announced as a future map. The maps hub is the atlas once you leave spawn.
Redeem codes before you buy anything
Open the trophy, paste one string into Enter Code Here, and press Redeem. Codes are case-sensitive. Type them exactly. Newest official strings include DEJPSEPT2026, HAPPY10MVISITS, and ROADTO40KMEMBERS. Duplicate cars from codes auto-sell, so a car you already own still pays Yen. Full pictures of the window live on how to redeem codes. The live table sits on the codes hub. If a string fails, check expired codes before you assume a keyboard mix-up.
Do not spend the dump on a banner car. Bank it. The first purchase is a job tool, not a flex. If you want the payout math, jump to how to make Yen after this hour.
Take a taxi or delivery loop
Open the briefcase. Early accounts get Taxi and Delivery. Each completed stop pays around 400,000 Yen. Delivery is the cleaner teacher: follow the marker, park in the circle, leave. You learn street names without hunting fares. Taxi is the same loop with passenger flavor. The jobs hub lists both.
Farmer is the better long-term job, but it unlocks at level 25 on the Kameoka Kyoto map. Do not stand in Kameoka at level 4 waiting for a prompt. Details and why it beats early taxi sit in the Farmer job guide.
A job car does not need top speed. It needs to fit alleys, survive a curb, and restart after a flip. That is why kei, commercial, and taxi lots beat limited sports cars on day one.
Buy a cheap kei, van, or taxi
After two or three paid stops, shop used, kei, commercial, or taxi rows. The beginner cars tier list ranks daily drivers. Limited and bundle pieces belong on the limited cars list and the parent tier list. First-person feels best in convertibles and Honda-style sports cars. That is a later treat. Camera keys are on the controls guide: WASD to drive, first-person on the key to the right of P, or mouse scroll on some convertibles.
If Lucky Box tempts you, take the free roll at the two Hiace vans. The free box resets around 8pm JST. The paid box is 750,000 Yen with a 35-roll cap. Elite is Robux. Pity arrived in v1.1.5. Odds live on the Lucky Box tool. One free spin is part of the hour. A 35-roll binge is not.
Learn Kyoto, then Kameoka, then Hakusan
Stay in Kyoto city until you can find spawn, a dealer, and a job marker without opening the map every block. Expand to Kameoka when you want space and, later, Farmer. Hakusan is the mountain for drift and NightRace events, explained in the Hakusan touge guide. Treat it as a weekend road, not a first commute.
V1.3 also added kilometer rewards and level rewards. Those are background progress, not a reason to skip jobs. After a shutdown, skim the changelog and updates.
First-hour checklist
- Redeem every live code from the trophy, one string at a time.
- Run two or three delivery stops from the briefcase.
- Buy a cheap kei, van, or taxi. Skip limited lots.
- Roll the free Lucky Box once at the Hiace vans.
- Drive Kyoto until spawn, dealers, and job markers feel automatic.
- Bookmark Guides Hub and the Discord list so the next patch does not wipe your plan.
If you later poke at automation, read scripts and vehicle tools with a private-server mindset. DEJP is a six-player box. Drive like someone else is in the next lane. The official place page is linked from the wiki links hub. Come back to this checklist the next time you wipe an alt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers for Kyoto roads, Yen, and DEJP codes.
What should I do first in Driving Experience Japan?
Redeem codes, take a delivery or taxi job, then buy a cheap car from the beginner tier list.
Where do I redeem DEJP codes?
Trophy icon on the left, then Enter Code Here. Step-by-step shots are on how to redeem. Newest strings include DEJPSEPT2026.
Should I buy a limited car with code Yen?
No. Bank the pile, run jobs, and read how to make Yen before you touch limited cars.
When do I unlock Farmer?
Level 25, on the Kameoka Kyoto map. Full unlock notes are in the Farmer job guide.
When should I drive Hakusan?
After Kyoto feels automatic. Use the Hakusan touge guide for the hop, NightRace, and race events.
Is DEJP single-player?
No. Public servers hold six players. Controls, including first-person, are on the controls guide.