I have a driver license what is valid for five years inside Japan. However, the international driver license is valid just one year, so I have to apply that one every year. Actually, I applied for an international driver licence three weeks ago. I got a this one last week.
In Japan, there is a lot of good public transportation, like a railways and bus service. In USA, actually there are some public transportation in down town, but county side has the lack of efficient public transportation. We need a car in most area in USA, I think.