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Renting a Car in Japan EVERYTHING You Need to Know (Our Full Guide)

Laurens & Laura

16,587 views

In this guide we're sharing everything you need to know about renting a car in Japan and why we think it's absolutely worth it. Renting a car can be a daunting task but after watching this guide to renting a car in Japan, you can drive safely and easily here!

RENTAL CAR LINKS
► International Website - Klook Car Rental: https://klook.tpx.lv/5zNUZRNo
► Japanese Website - Tabirai Japanese Car Rental: https://www.tabirai.net/

(Klook link is an affiliate link, if you make a purchase through here we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.)

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CHAPTERS
00:00 How To Rent a Car in Japan
00:35 Requirements to drive In Japan
01:27 Where to book a car
02:17 Must have Add-ons
04:05 Pick-up the car
05:06 Basics of driving in Japan
06:31 Parking the car
08:05 Taking Your Car on the Ferry
08:45 Japanese Gas Stations
10:08 Returning the Car

20 Comments

@yesandexplore Creator 5 months ago Pinned

Thanks for watching! Any questions? Let us know in the comments :)

@briannicholls2893 3 months ago (edited)

Pretty good video. Just a couple of extra points to remember. Tourists in Japan can usually only get data SIMs for their phones. This means that if you have breakdown or are in an accident, you won't be able to call the rental company. If you're lucky someone might lend you a phone, but don't bank on it. We found out the hard way when we were rear ended by another tourist. We now get an e-SIM for Japan, and keep our home SIM in the phone with roaming activated but data roaming disabled. This allows us to make calls in emergencies.
Also, stick with the majors for renting. Some smaller companies may offer cheaper prices, but often don't accept international driving permits. And lastly always check that there's a properly inflated spare tyre or a tyre inflater kit. We once had a puncture in Aomori, went to change the wheel and discovered that the spare was flat

@Mike3_6_9 13 days ago

Left side - small turn, Right Side - BIG TURN lol I'll remember that

@DubCouple30 5 months ago

We like driving in Japan!!! It is a great video. Very comprehensive and informative👍

@pieter1387 5 months ago

Very informative video. Thanks 👍

@CCCCSSYY 5 months ago

Very useful information 👍👍

@HawaiiJapan808 4 months ago

6:03 Atami with the Lawsons with best view :)

@Louiesssss 5 months ago

Such an easy guide!! Now I want to drive in Japan

@petervanackeren5227 5 months ago (edited)

I am from Belgium, a signatory to the 1968 Vienna convention. Since this is not recognized by Japan, a Belgian international driver' s license is not accepted (same for drivers from another 7 or 8 countries).
Solution : get an authorized Japanese translation of your International Driver's license ... there are Japanese service companies that facilitate this for a fee. Been there, done that last year, redid it this year

@ParabellumCollectables 5 months ago

Great timing for my trip in 2 weeks, the advice is very helpful and has validated my choices on my bookings. Have booked 3 cars through Klook and took the same path as you have advised and taken out the full insurance option. But you have to be careful though, as some companies on there only offer the basic insurance with large excess payments, and others really attractive rates but hit you with massive jumps in pricing to get the better policy.

@Extile00 2 months ago (edited)

You failed to mention what the total cost was for this trip. It's good to get a general idea.

@reo.incognito 5 months ago

You might have missed an important requirement. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've read that you need to have a stamp in your passport that shows for how long you are allowed to stay in Japan. Like the IDP, that is apparently also a case where "let's just see and try" won't work. The problem here is that if you use one of the automated kiosks that are in some airports, you will not get that stamp, so you will have to either avoid those kiosks altogether, or ask an immigration officer to put the stamp in your passport before you exit the border control area. Same thing goes for tax-free purchases, I believe.

@PoopChop 4 months ago

Thanks for the informative video! Your vids inspired me to plan my own Kyushu roadtrip in November! How long in advance do you suggest booking the rental car? I saw that toyota rental car only seems to allow you to rent 3 months in advance, but places like budget rental allows you to book farther out.

@HoneyLemon27 9 days ago (edited)

3:35 Can I know if the built-in GPS or Google Maps is better?

@ghodratmn 2 months ago

Did you always have to reverse park in the lots. It seems the norm but not sure if it is just advised or required? 😅

@SK-lt1so 11 days ago

Do they have “tap to pay” in most places?

@mrfarmer8895 1 month ago

May I ask a question regarding insurance: I tried to make a reservation through taibirai and it does seem to be cheaper - the insurance is a standard plan + noc compensation with no other options - is that the full insurance package you mentioned in the video? I notice on the actual car rental website e.g nissan rent a car has light plan / standard plan / full support plan so probably tabirai doesn't have the full one?

@spuzum45 4 months ago

First the say you are allowed some alcohol this is not true. It is illegal to have any alcohol. Be careful if you drink heavily the night before as you may have alcohol in your system the next morning. It is very strict in Japan so if you drink don’t drive. Also they didn’t mention it is customary to back into parking spots. Some places have signs requiring it.