Renting and Driving a Car in Japan: A Beginner's Guide!

Renting a car in Japan was a great idea we had while preparing for our second trip to the Land of the Rising Sun. Is it complicated to rent a car? Is it difficult to drive in Japan? We'll tell you all about it! Here is our experience and tips for you to go on a road trip in Japan.

If you're planning a trip to Japan and want to get around easily, I strongly recommend booking your car rental in Japan at least a few weeks before your departure (ideally 1 to 2 months in advance for the best rates). Personally, I use the site RentalCars, which allows you to compare rental prices from different companies based on your travel dates. You just need to enter your travel dates in Japan, and RentalCars will give you the best options available for your car rental in Japan.

That was the first reaction we got when we talked about our project with others:

The predictions were grim: people imagined us lost in the countryside or even at the bottom of a ravine. So, what was the outcome? Well, as we expected, everything went smoothly. In fact, it went exceptionally well! The Japanese are just as nice on foot as they are behind the wheel: their kindness and politeness surprised us throughout this road trip. They drive calmly, without rushing or honking... even in big cities!

As for driving on the left side or using an automatic car, it wasn't our first time... but it was the first time we combined the two. No issues on that front; it's a matter of getting used to it, which happens pretty quickly once you're there.

And finally, the question that comes up most often: how do you navigate on Japanese roads? Very simple: with a GPS! The rental car was equipped with a GPS, but I admit it wasn't straightforward to figure out which button to push, because even though the interface was set to English just before we got in, the buttons all around the GPS were in Japanese characters. Most of the time, this GPS did its job well, but we had a few moments of despair: one slip of a finger accidentally changes the language, a destination that doesn't match what we're looking for, an incomplete address... And we blessed our Pocket Wifi (which I had already mentioned, and which was very helpful during our first train trip). With internet accessible everywhere and a smartphone, we were able to use Google Maps to help us navigate back to the right path.

In short, no, renting a car in Japan is not a crazy idea! It's perfectly doable, much easier than one might think, and it allows you to discover different landscapes and regions in Japan that are hard to reach by public transport. I will talk about our itinerary, discoveries, and favorites in this article.

Renting a car in Japan is not something to improvise! The first thing to do is to get your driver's license translated into Japanese. An international driver's license is of no use here: you absolutely need a certified translation. While it's possible to do this on-site, it's not advisable because the process is long and very bureaucratic.

On the other hand, doing this from home is easy! We went through the agency Vivre le Japon, which we remembered fondly from our first trip: we used them to obtain our Japan Rail Pass and to rent a house in Kyoto. Once again, we were very satisfied: it was easy and quick, and the document was sent directly to us by mail.

For long-term stays The process is different for a trip or a long-term stay of more than a year. In the first case, you can handle the translation of your driver's license yourself, without going through an agency like we did, by getting it translated through the Japan Automobile Federation (J.A.F.). And in the case of a stay lasting more than a year, you will need to obtain a Japanese driver's license during your first year on-site from the driving license bureau in the prefecture where you reside. More information can be found on the J.A.F. website, as well as from the Japanese embassy in France, in Belgium, in Switzerland, and in Canada.

Renting a scooter or a motorcycle If you wish to rent a scooter or motorcycle, you will also need your appropriate driver's license translated into Japanese.

Mario Kart IRL If you want to experience real-life Mario Kart, dressed as your favorite plumber in the bustling streets of Tokyo, it's possible! But you will still need to have your driver's license translated, which makes sense since the karts drive on actual roads amid daily traffic.

For the car rental, Vivre le Japon took care of everything for us. Once we arrived at the Nissan agency in Nara to pick up our rental car, everything was ready! This travel agency has a comprehensive FAQ on their website about car rentals in Japan and some pretty cool explanatory videos, so feel free to check it out.

For those who might still be too anxious to take the plunge and rent a car, this agency offers a service equivalent to its > (which we tested by renting the house in Kyoto, which were very helpful when François had to go to the hospital): the >, which offers telephone assistance in Japan, in French or English, to help in case of issues, provide advice on routes or good practices in a parking lot or gas station...

When you arrive to pick up your rental car, don't forget to bring your reservation confirmation, your original driver's license and its translation, your passport, and the credit card with which you made the reservation or cash to pay.

Be sure to have both the translation of your license and your original driver's license and passport with you. In case of a police check, both will be requested.

Driving in a country where you do not understand the language, especially when it is indecipherable to our eyes, can be daunting. However, it's not as difficult as it seems. On major routes, signs are very often written in Japanese > and in >, our Latin characters.

Furthermore, nothing prevents you from learning a few road vocabulary words to help you get oriented:

On toll roads, do not take the ETC lane (electronic toll collection), marked with blue signs, but the normal lane, marked with green signs.

If you can avoid toll roads without extending your travel time too much, that can be a good idea, especially if it takes you on beautiful roads with a view of the sea, as we experienced in Wakayama. However, avoiding highways isn't always the best choice, especially between two cities during rush hour: we had a nightmarish 4-hour traffic jam instead of the planned 1 hour and 45 minutes between Wakayama and Nara on the last day.

Gas is relatively inexpensive, which is good news for a road trip budget. Some gas stations have attendants, while others are self-service. Some look like our gas pumps, while others have hoses that come down from the ceiling! Typically, rental cars require > gas (red handle). If you're unsure or stressed in front of a screen that is only in Japanese at a self-service pump, don't hesitate to ask for help.

Parking can be very complicated, especially in big cities. This is one reason we decided to start our road trip from Nara rather than from Tokyo or Kyoto. There are few parking spots, and they are often temporary (maximum 1 hour of parking) and/or paid... and expensive: Tokyo is one of the top 5 cities with the highest parking fees in the world. So we made sure to choose accommodations that had parking available and included in the nightly price to avoid aimlessly driving around.

The challenge of kanji signs was surmountable, partly thanks to translations directly on the signs in Latin characters on major roads, and partly due to our GPS. Ultimately, the signs that gave us the hardest time were those for our accommodations, particularly the one near Yunomine, where the name was only visible in Japanese characters from the outside. This is what happens when you go off the beaten path and into places less frequented by non-Japanese tourists... and it also adds spice to this adventure!

Clearly, renting a car in Japan is not cheap: in addition to the translation of the driver's license (about €65 through the agency), expect to pay around €50 per day for the rental. By comparison, with a one-week Japan Rail Pass, taking the train costs about €30 per day. Economically speaking, this isn't the most judicious choice. So, why rent a car? To get off the rails, discover Japan where no one goes, get lost among the mountains and lush hills, walk along a stream, reach a temple that no train goes to, discover villages that only Japanese people visit, taste new regional specialties... In short, there are plenty of reasons!

I'm delighted to have traveled part of Japan by train during our first trip: I think everyone should have the chance to try Japan's trains, from the amazing Shinkansen to the charming mountain trains of Hakone. For a first trip to Japan, I definitely recommend testing traveling by train! But if you are in Japan for a long enough trip, nothing prevents you from taking a break of a few days, for example, after a week of train travel or between two weeks of Japan Rail Pass, to do some off-the-beaten-path road-tripping.

This road trip in the Land of the Rising Sun filled my mind with sweet, beautiful, and colorful images. Images of verdant nature reminiscent of a Ghibli-themed imaginary world, made of bamboo, majestic trees, leaves so light you'd swear they were origami paper, waterfalls dramatically cascading from cliffs, serene streams making their way between large stones in light tones, scattered rocks in a calm and beautiful sea, winding paths playing hide and seek with the sun between the tree branches and the pillars of the torii gates... Images of villages with small wooden houses, featuring sliding doors, restaurants adorned with red paper lanterns wafting appetizing scents at any hour of the day...

These are images I cherish dearly, like a timeless connection that links me to Japan... Until our next trip!

In partnership with Vivre le Japon.

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