Izumo Airport Car Rental: 5 Companies Compared

Five rental companies at Izumo Airport: how to choose

Izumo Airport (Izumo Enmusubi Airport) has five rental companies. Toyota, Nippon, Times and Orix have counters in the domestic arrivals lobby on 1F of the terminal, and Nissan has one in the international arrivals lobby. No staff are resident at the counters; to rent on the day, phone the company from the fixed telephone at its counter. After check-in, Nippon, Times and Orix send a shuttle to the branch.

This page compares how each company handles check-in and the shuttle, opening hours, one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Landing in the evening: Toyota and Orix are open until 20:00. Nippon closes at 19:00 and Times at 18:00. Nippon does not take bookings for flights outside its opening hours (if a flight due within opening hours is delayed, staff wait for its arrival), and Times' shuttle runs only within opening hours, so it cannot serve flights arriving after 18:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Toyota and Orix accept one-way rentals to other branches (Toyota inside and outside the prefecture; Orix except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands). Nippon and Times accept cars rented at other branches.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, a compact for 24 hours is ¥8,580 at Toyota, ¥8,855 at Times and ¥8,910 at Nippon.

Compare the five Izumo Airport locations

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

Reference prices: standard rates at five 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.

• 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%.
• 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.

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.

Use the arrivals-lobby counters and the shuttle

The routine depends on the company.

• Domestic arrivals lobby counters: Toyota, Nippon (the counter directly in front of the arrivals exit; the branch is about 3 minutes by car and a shuttle takes you back), Times (the shuttle takes 5–10 minutes) and Orix (the counter directly in front of the arrivals exit; a free shuttle of about 1–2 minutes to the branch 1.1 km from the terminal, with a shuttle back).
• International arrivals lobby: Nissan has a counter. The airport's two pages list two phone numbers for the desk (0853-73-8823 and 0853-72-8823).

The Orix counter at the airport takes no one-way rentals in either direction, which differs from the branch's terms.

Work back from opening hours and the last shuttle

Toyota is open 08:00–20:00 from 6 January to 29 December and 08:30–18:00 from 30 December to 5 January. Times is open all year and asks for returns one hour before your flight. Check Orix's business calendar for New Year hours.

Frequently asked questions

What do I do if no staff are at the counter?

No company has resident staff at the airport counter. To rent on the day, phone the company from the fixed telephone at its counter.

Can I rent if I land late?

Toyota and Orix are open until 20:00. Nippon closes at 19:00 and does not take bookings for flights outside opening hours (if a flight due within opening hours is delayed, staff wait for its arrival). Times' shuttle cannot serve flights arriving after 18:00.

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 5 major companies on a Japanese licence. On a foreign licence, Toyota’s base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Are winter snow tires fitted as standard in winter?

In the San'in region, Times (¥660 per 24 hours) and Nissan (winter rate) fit studless winter tires as standard in both Shimane and Tottori from 1 December to 31 March. Toyota includes them as standard in Tottori from 1 December to 15 March and offers them as an advance option in Shimane (¥2,200 up to 24 hours for passenger cars), while Nippon (¥2,200–¥3,300/day option) and Orix (plans marked "studless", from ¥2,640 per 24 hours) require selecting winter tires when booking for winter drives around Izumo Taisha, Matsue, Mt Daisen and Okuizumo.

What are the rules for International Driving Permits, foreign licences and ETC cards?

Toyota, Nippon, Times, Orix, Nissan, JR Ekiren and Sky accept an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention together with your passport and home licence. Drivers holding a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan can rent from those major brands with an official Japanese translation (from JAF or an embassy/consulate), the original licence and a passport — see driving in Japan on an IDP and company rules compared. Nico Nico accepts IDPs only at participating branches with counter procedures in Japanese, while Guts does not rent on IDPs. For expressway tolls, Toyota (¥550/rental), Nippon (¥330 up to 7 days, phone after booking), Orix (¥550/rental) and Nissan (¥220/day) rent ETC cards subject to branch stock, whereas Times and Guts do not rent ETC cards and JR Ekiren depends on the regional JR operator and office (unavailable at JR Hokkaido and JR East offices; available at selected JR West offices — see the ETC card guide).

Guides to read before booking

• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• One-way rentals: fees and rules
• 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