Kagoshima-Chuo Station Car Rental: 11 Branches Compared

Kagoshima-Chuo Station has 11 rental branches: how to choose

Kagoshima-Chuo Station, the Kyushu Shinkansen terminal in Kagoshima City, has 11 rental branches from eight companies. Seven are on the east (Sakurajima) side and four on the west side, and you can walk to all of them. Only Toyota Kagoshima-Chuo Station collects you from the station (09:00–17:00).

This page compares walking routes by exit, Nippon's morning return rule, closing times, one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company.

• Right by the station: on the west side, Nippon's West Exit branch is just to the right of the rotary, and Toyota Shinkansen Kagoshima-Chuo Station West Exit is 2 minutes on foot to the left of the rotary. On the east side, Orix Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae and Nissan are 3 minutes on foot.
• Returning in the evening: Toyota West Exit closes latest, at 20:30. Orix Tenmonkan closes at 18:00, and Nippon West Exit, Times, Sky and Guts at 19:00.
• Renting at Nippon's West Exit branch: it is departure-only from 08:00 to 12:00, so morning returns go to the East Exit branch. Cars rented elsewhere cannot be returned at the West Exit branch.
• Returning somewhere else: Nippon East Exit, both Toyota branches, both Orix branches and Nissan allow returns at other branches. Times does not accept cars rented elsewhere.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, Toyota is the cheapest larger company at ¥8,580 for a compact for 24 hours. Among smaller companies, Guts is ¥4,070 and Carsta ¥4,500. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and limits distance to 300 km per 24 hours.

Compare the 11 Kagoshima-Chuo Station branches

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

Reference prices: standard rates at eight companies

This table takes each company's published standard rate for a compact car, with the total including basic collision damage waiver (CDW). The total changes with the number of days and the cover you choose. Kagoshima is in Sky's Kyushu district, so its basic CDW is ¥1,430 a day here. These are regular-season rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, unless a row says otherwise.

• 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.
• Guts's base rate does not include vehicle damage cover, so you pay up to ¥50,000 or ¥100,000 after an accident (waived if you take basic CDW). The NOC is ¥30,000 even if the car can be driven.
• Guts includes 300 km per 24 hours, and each extra kilometre costs ¥11. Its table does not list a daily rate from the second day.
• Carsta's rate table does not say whether tax is included. From the second day the charge is ¥2,250 per 12 hours, and new and hybrid cars cost 30% more.
• Toyota has member discounts of 10% and 20%.
• Sky's basic CDW varies by region: ¥1,320 in Hokkaido, ¥1,100 in Honshu and Shikoku, ¥1,430 in Kyushu and ¥1,650 in Okinawa. Members and prepayment each get 5% 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.

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. The other companies in the table publish no separate foreign-licence rate here, so get a quote for your own licence.

A foreign licence needs the original licence, a 1949 Geneva Convention International Driving Permit (or an official Japanese translation for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) and your passport. See driving in Japan on a foreign licence. Sky rents on a Geneva Convention permit with a passport, or on a foreign licence with a Japanese translation and a passport. Guts does not normally rent on an International Driving Permit.

Choose the branch near your station exit

The nearest branch depends on whether you leave by the east (Sakurajima) or west side. A branch on the same side as your hotel or next destination saves crossing the station.

• West exit: Nippon West Exit (just to the right of the rotary), Toyota Shinkansen Kagoshima-Chuo Station West Exit (2 minutes to the left of the rotary), Guts (4 minutes) and Carsta (5–7 minutes).
• East (Sakurajima) exit: Orix Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae (3 minutes; 2 minutes from the Kagoshima-Chuo-Ekimae tram stop), Nissan (3 minutes towards Tenmonkan, in the BLD Sky Building), Times (about 4 minutes), Sky (4–5 minutes), Nippon East Exit (past Nangoku Center Building on the right, on Konan-dori, 5 minutes) and Toyota Kagoshima-Chuo Station (6 minutes).
• Near Tenmonkan: Orix Tenmonkan is 13 minutes on foot east from the east exit, and 159 m from the Takamibaba tram stop.

Toyota Kagoshima-Chuo Station collects you from the station between 09:00 and 17:00, and also from Shiroyama Hotel. Some branches on the west side do not have "West Exit" in their names, so open your map using the full branch name and address.

Nippon's West Exit branch: the return branch differs morning and afternoon

Nippon Kagoshima-Chuo Station West Exit is departure-only from 08:00 to 12:00. For morning returns, use the East Exit branch (5 minutes on foot from the east exit). The West Exit branch takes returns from 12:00 to 19:00. If you return the next morning and then take a train, allow for the walk from the East Exit branch to the station. The return mapcode is 393 575 69710 for West Exit and 393 575 37970 for East Exit.

The West Exit branch does not accept cars rented elsewhere. If you rent at Kagoshima Airport and return at the station, name a branch that accepts one-way rentals, such as East Exit. Times also does not accept cars rented elsewhere. Toyota Shinkansen Kagoshima-Chuo Station West Exit excludes 1 and 2-number classes from one-way rentals.

Closing times range from 18:00 to 20:30, and hours change at New Year. Times opens 09:00–17:00 from 1 to 2 January, and Nissan 09:00–18:00 from 26 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Guts closes on Wednesdays. Because of its car park, Nissan does not handle T3–T6 and M1 classes.

Separate your Kagoshima City days from your days out to Ibusuki and Kirishima

If you eat and stay in the centre first and head out the next day, you can compare renting at Chuo Station. Set the charge for unused nights and parking if you rent at Kagoshima Airport next to the fare from the airport to the city, and check that you can get around on days without a car.

If you only return at the airport, include the one-way charge to the airport branch and the shuttle from the branch to the terminal. Compare returning at Chuo Station with returning at the airport for the same class, cover and times to see differences the base rate does not show.

Kagoshima-Chuo Station rental car FAQ

If I rent at West Exit, do I return there in the morning?

Nippon's West Exit branch is departure-only from 08:00 to 12:00. In the morning, return to the East Exit branch. From 12:00 to 19:00, you can return at West Exit.

Does any rental branch collect you from the station?

Toyota Kagoshima-Chuo Station collects you from the station between 09:00 and 17:00. The others have no station shuttle, so you walk. All are within 7 minutes on foot of the station, except Orix Tenmonkan.

Which branches can I return to late?

Toyota Shinkansen Kagoshima-Chuo Station West Exit closes latest, at 20:30. Nippon East Exit, Toyota Kagoshima-Chuo Station, Orix Kagoshima-Chuo Ekimae, Nissan and Carsta open until 20:00. Some Carsta cars can be returned 24 hours through unstaffed Rakunori Smart, with advance member and licence registration.

What does one night and two days cost?

On standard rates before discounts and a Japanese licence, a compact with basic CDW for two days comes to ¥18,040–¥20,790 at the six larger companies. Carsta is ¥11,200 (its rate table does not say whether tax is included). Guts does not list a daily rate from the second day in its table. On a foreign licence, Toyota's base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Can I return a car from Kagoshima Airport at the station?

Nippon East Exit, both Toyota branches (inside and outside the prefecture), both Orix branches (except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands) and Nissan allow returns at other branches. Nippon West Exit and Times do not accept cars rented elsewhere.

Guides to read before booking

• Rental companies, prices and cover in Japan
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets