Gaimen50-question practice tests in the real exam formatWhat does 停車 (teisha) mean? Stopping vs parking in Japan
Updated: 2026-10
停車 (ていしゃ, teisha) means stopping: any halt of a vehicle that is not parking (駐車) (Road Traffic Act (道路交通法), Article 2, paragraph 1, item 19). Typical examples are stopping to let people on or off (regardless of time) and loading or unloading within 5 minutes. Under No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止), even this kind of stopping is banned.
Legal definition: whatever is not parking
The Act defines stopping as "a vehicle coming to a stop, other than parking". So first decide whether the stop fits the definition of parking (item 18); if it does not, it is stopping.
The parking definition excludes "stopping to load or unload goods for no more than 5 minutes" and "stopping to let people on or off". Short, non-continuous stops while the driver stays in the car, or can drive off at once, are also stopping.
Spelling and reading: 停車 (ていしゃ / teisha). It differs from 駐車 (ちゅうしゃ, parking) by one character, so always check whether a question says 「駐」 or 「停」.
Is it stopping? Examples
Use this table to classify common cases.
| Example | Stopping? |
|---|---|
| Dropping off a friend (took 10 minutes) | Stopping (time does not matter for passengers) |
| Loading goods for 3 minutes | Stopping |
| Loading goods for 10 minutes | Parking (over 5 minutes) |
| Waiting for a customer with the driver inside | Parking (waiting is a continuous stop) |
| Waiting at a red light or in a traffic jam | A stop required by law; not a violation even in no-stopping places |
Where even stopping is banned (駐停車禁止)
In these places you may neither stop nor park, except when stopping as required by law or by a police officer, or to prevent danger (Article 44). Only three places use 10 meters: railroad crossings, safety zones and bus stops.
| Place | Range |
|---|---|
| Section with a No Stopping or Parking sign/marking | Sign with two diagonal bars |
| Intersections, crosswalks, bicycle crossings, railroad crossings, streetcar tracks, near hilltops, steep slopes, tunnels | The place itself |
| Edges of intersections, road corners | Within 5 m |
| Before and after crosswalks and bicycle crossings | Within 5 m |
| Before and after railroad crossings (踏切) | Within 10 m |
| Left side of a safety zone (安全地帯) and before/after it | Within 10 m |
| Bus or streetcar stop sign (post) | Within 10 m (during service hours only) |
How to stop, and test traps
When stopping to let people on or off or to load goods, keep as close to the left edge of the road as possible without obstructing traffic (Article 47(1)). Do not enter a side strip (路側帯) 0.75 m wide or less; if it is a single white line and wider, you may enter but must leave at least 0.75 m on your left.
Common False statements: "In a no-stopping-or-parking place you may stop to let people off" (that is stopping, so no); "loading within 10 minutes is stopping" (5 minutes); "no stopping or parking within 5 m of a bus stop" (10 m, during service hours).
Master stopping vs parking in your language
Since October 2025 the knowledge test has 50 True/False questions in 30 minutes; you need 45 correct. The stopping/parking distinction underpins every parking question. menkyopass lets you practice with English explanations (the first mock test and three topics are free).
Practice questions using this term
- Where this sign is posted, not only parking but also stopping is prohibited.
- Even where this sign is posted, you may stop to let people get on or off.
- You must not stop or park at an intersection or within 10 meters of its edges.
- You must not stop or park at a railroad crossing or within 5 meters before and after its edges.
- You must not stop or park within 5 meters of a bus stop sign (post) during the bus service hours.
- You must not stop or park on the left side of a safety zone or within 10 meters before and after it.
- Stopping for up to 10 minutes to load or unload goods counts as stopping, not parking.
- On a road with a narrow side strip 0.75 meters wide or less, you must move into the side strip when you stop or park.
- At night, whenever you stop or park on a road, you must turn on your hazard lights, even in a place that street lighting makes visible from 50 meters behind.
- Inside a tunnel, you may stop or park only when vehicle traffic lanes are provided.
FAQ
Q. Can I drop someone off in a No Stopping or Parking area?
A. No. Letting people on or off is stopping, and stopping is banned there. You may stop only in a No Parking (駐車禁止) area.
Q. How long can loading take and still count as stopping?
A. Up to 5 minutes. Over 5 minutes it becomes parking.
Q. Is stopping on a crosswalk at a red light a stopping violation?
A. A stop made to obey a signal is a stop required by law, so the no-stopping rule does not apply. But if you might get stuck on the crosswalk, you must not enter it in the first place.