DRIVE SCAPE JAPAN
Planning & rental advice
Get answers about booking, prices, coverage and equipment before collection and return.
17 guides
Car Rental in Kanagawa: Odawara and Yokohama Compared
Compare 12 rental branches at Odawara and Yokohama stations: pickup access, opening hours, one-way returns and reference rates for Hakone, Shonan and Miura.
Child Seats in Japanese Rental Cars: Fees, Sizes and Booking Rules
Compare child-seat fees at nine Japanese rental companies, size guidelines, passenger limits, advance reservations and the checks to make before departure.
ETC Cards for Rental Cars in Japan: Fees, Booking and Toll Payments
Compare ETC card fees at nine rental companies, distinguish the card from the reader, and check overseas booking rules, toll payments, passes and one-way returns.
Japan Car Rental Documents: ID and Payment Rules at Nine Companies
Compare pickup documents, credit cards, cash and identity checks at nine Japanese rental companies, with overseas booking rules and requirements for every driver.
Japan Rental Car Accidents and Breakdowns: Contacts, NOC and Costs
What to do after a rental-car accident or breakdown in Japan, with contacts at nine companies, NOC, punctures, lost keys, parking violations and damage checks.
Japan Rental Car Cancellation Fees: Nine Companies, Deadlines and Refunds
Compare cancellation deadlines, percentages and caps at nine Japanese rental companies, with booking-channel differences, worked examples, no-shows and early-return refunds.
Japan Rental Car Sizes: Passengers, Suitcases and Golf Bags Compared
Compare luggage estimates at Times, Orix, JR Eki and Nippon, with carry-on dimensions, seating assumptions, child-seat limits and 10-seat vehicle requirements.
Odawara Station Car Rental: 7 Branches Compared
Compare seven rental branches at Odawara Station for Hakone and Izu, with west- and east-exit pickup directions, Toyota counter details, closing times and reference rates.
Refuelling a Rental Car in Japan: Full-Tank Returns and Nine Companies’ Rules
Compare full-tank return rules, receipts and fuel charges at nine Japanese rental companies, including Times’ formula, Toyota hybrid settlement and Guts’ fixed fees.
Rental Car CDW and NOC in Japan: Fees and Cover at Nine Companies
Compare CDW, NOC waivers and protection fees at nine Japanese rental companies, including exclusions, driver eligibility and Japanese personal motor insurance.
Yokohama Station Car Rental: 5 Branches Compared
Compare five rental branches at Yokohama Station: west- and east-exit access, opening hours, car-park height limits, return MAPCODEs and branch-specific One's rates.
Best Car Rental Companies in Japan: 9 Compared by Price, Full Cover and Airport
Nine Japanese rental companies compared on compact-car rates for 12 and 24 hours and the total with cover that removes the excess and NOC, with the best pick for the cheapest rental, full cover, airport pickup and new drivers, plus IDP, English booking and ETC notes for visitors.
Japan Winter Road Closures 2026–27: Mountain Road Closing and Reopening Dates
Closing and planned reopening dates for Japan's mountain roads in winter 2026–27, earliest first: Mt. Norikura, Shiga-Kusatsu Road, Zao Echo Line, Bandai-Azuma Skyline, Kamikochi, Venus Line and more, with roads whose dates are not yet announced.
Renting a Car at Haneda, Narita or Kansai Airport: Pickup and Return
Where the Toyota, Nippon, ORIX, Times and Nissan counters are at Haneda, Narita and Kansai airports, how long the shuttle to the store takes, closing times, documents, ETC cards, child seats and how early to return the car.
JDM Car Rental in Tokyo: 7 Places to Rent a GT-R or Supra
Seven companies that let visitors drive a Japanese performance car in or near Tokyo, from day rentals to lead-car tours, with published prices, age limits, deposits, pickup points and what your license needs.
Driving in Japan on a Foreign License: IDP or Translation
Can you drive in Japan on a US, UK or Australian license? Only with a 1949 Geneva international driving permit. Licenses from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan need an official Japanese translation instead. How long each lasts, where to get it and what to carry.
JDM Self-Drive and Daikoku Tours in Tokyo: 7 Compared
Seven Daikoku PA and JDM car tours from Tokyo, booked on the operators' own sites and grouped as passenger rides, self-drive tours and a van tour, with per-car or per-person prices, cars, start points, durations and what each operator says if Daikoku is closed.