Itami Airport (Osaka) Car Rental: 13 Companies Compared

Thirteen rental companies at Itami Airport: how to choose

Itami Airport, officially Osaka International Airport, has 13 rental companies at 14 locations. Five are in or beside the North Terminal: Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Times and Nissan. The other nine are outside the airport, and you reach them by shuttle after landing.

This page compares where each company is, how you get there, opening hours, one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Collecting the car at once: Toyota is right outside North Exit 1 (north side), Nippon is on 1F of the North Terminal, Orix is on 1F of the North Terminal annex, and Times is about a minute on foot from the terminal. Nissan has a counter at the rear of 1F of the North Terminal.
• Early or late: Carsta Itami Airport I-Park opens at 07:00 (returns from 06:00) and rents out until 21:30. Nico Nico Osaka Airport Mae closes at 21:00 and Orix at 20:30; the others are open 08:00–20:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Toyota and Orix accept returns at other branches (Toyota inside and outside the prefecture; Orix except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands). Times does not accept a car rented at another branch at its Osaka Airport branch.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, a compact for 24 hours is ¥4,500 at Carsta and ¥5,610 at Nico Nico. Toyota and Budget are cheapest of the major companies at ¥8,580. One's national rate table gives ¥4,400, but whether that applies at its Osaka Airport branch is not confirmed, so it is left out of the comparison.

Compare the 14 Itami Airport locations

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers identify the locations and are not a ranking.

Reference prices: standard rates at ten companies

This table takes each company's standard rate for a compact car, with the total for two days including basic collision damage waiver (CDW). These are regular-season, tax-inclusive rates before discounts, on a Japanese licence. MK, J Trip Car Rentals and Airport Rent-a-Car are not in the table.

• The 48-hour total is the first 24 hours, one additional day and two days of basic CDW. A dash means the company's rate table does not list that fee. Where basic CDW shows "Included", the rate already contains it. Extra hours, fuel, one-way fees and options such as child seats are not included.
• Most companies offer member or online discounts, so the booking screen is often cheaper than this table. Peak periods such as Golden Week, Obon and New Year cost more. Enter your dates and class for the actual price.
• Toyota has member discounts of 10% and 20%.
• Budget has a web member rate at 10% off.
• Times has member rates of up to 20% off.
• Nippon has a separate member rate table.
• Nissan's basic CDW is calculated on the Standard Plan at ¥1,650 a day.
• Orix has member discounts and a 5% web discount.
• Nico Nico's basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident.
• One's row is from its national rate table; whether it applies at its Osaka Airport branch is not confirmed.

Prices differ by licence. The table uses the Japanese-licence rate. On a foreign licence, Toyota C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each additional 24 hours, before optional cover; the Toyota row above uses the separate Japanese-licence rates of ¥8,580 and ¥7,260. For the other companies, get a quote for your own licence.

There are two routes. With an International Driving Permit, you need the booklet-type permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and you may drive for one year from the day you land in Japan or until one year after the permit was issued, whichever is earlier. With a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, you need the original licence with an official Japanese translation (for example from JAF), and you may drive for one year from the day you land or until the licence itself expires, whichever is earlier. On either route you need your passport, and it must show your landing date. If you are registered as a resident of Japan, a re-entry within three months of leaving does not start the period again. See driving in Japan on a foreign licence.

North Terminal counters and shuttle pickup points

How you reach the car depends on the company.

• Collect in or beside the North Terminal: Toyota (North Terminal office building 1F, right outside North Exit 1), Nippon (the counter on 1F of the North Terminal), Orix (go directly to the rental station on 1F of the North Terminal annex), Times (the North Terminal office building, about a minute on foot) and Nissan (the counter at the rear of 1F).
• Meet at Osaka Airport Station on the monorail: Budget asks you to phone after landing (give your flight number when you book, or contact the branch by the day before if it is not yet set) and meet at the shuttle space on 1F of the station (a free shuttle of 5–10 minutes). One's also asks you to phone after landing and go to the off-airport rental shuttle car park under the station; its free shuttle serves the airport and Hotarugaike Station.
• Walk from Osaka Airport Station: J-Net and Nico Nico Osaka Airport Mae are 10 minutes on foot from the station. J-Net sends a free shuttle if you phone after landing. Nico Nico Osaka Airport Mae's free shuttle runs at 08:45–19:45 on the 45th minute of each hour, and you must contact the branch by noon on the day before.
• Short shuttle from Osaka Airport Station: at Carsta Itami Airport I-Park, phone after landing and go to the rental shuttle car park (bus stop) on 1F of Osaka Airport Station; the free shuttle takes about a minute. It is for customers renting at the branch, and you must contact it beforehand.
• Book by the day before: Nico Nico Osaka Airport Toyoshima-minami runs a free shuttle for air travellers; book by the day before, and requests are taken 08:00–19:30.
• Phone after landing: MK, J Trip Car Rentals and Airport Rent-a-Car run free shuttles from the airport.
• Same-day outlet class: One's does not run a shuttle for same-day outlet-class bookings.

Ask MK, J Trip Car Rentals and Airport Rent-a-Car for the boarding point and times when you book.

Returning the car: closing times and the last shuttle

At a shuttle branch, return the car to the branch and take the shuttle back to the airport. Set your navigation destination to the branch, not the airport. At Times, return one hour before your flight.

Nico Nico Osaka Airport Mae's shuttle to the airport leaves at 45 minutes past the hour, so fix your time even though the branch closes at 21:00. J-Net is open 09:00–18:00 from 29 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. One's official pages disagree on its New Year hours, so confirm with the branch before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use a terminal branch or a shuttle branch?

If you want the car straight away, choose one of the five in or beside the North Terminal. If cost matters more, the shuttle branches such as Nico Nico and Carsta have the lower rates, but you wait for the shuttle and travel to the branch.

Do I need to book the Nico Nico shuttle?

Yes. Osaka Airport Mae requires contact by noon on the day before, and Osaka Airport Toyoshima-minami requires a booking by the day before.

What does a two-day rental cost?

On standard rates before discounts, a compact with basic CDW for two days comes to ¥18,040–¥20,790 across the 6 major companies, ¥21,450 at J-Net, ¥13,420 at Nico Nico, ¥11,200 at Carsta on a Japanese licence. One’s national rate table gives a lower figure, but whether it applies at its Osaka Airport branch is not confirmed, so it is not compared here. On a foreign licence, Toyota’s base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Guides to read before booking

• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• Renting a car in Osaka
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Comparing rental company rules: payment, extensions, one-way rentals and more
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets