Kansai Airport Car Rental: 5 Branches Compared

Five rental branches at Kansai Airport: how to choose

Kansai International Airport, on an artificial island in Osaka Bay, has five rental branches from five companies. Nippon, Toyota, Orix, Nissan and Times all have counters in the Aeroplaza, the building beside Kansai Airport Station. None of them runs a shuttle: you check in at the Aeroplaza and collect the car.

This page compares the floor each counter is on, closing times, returns and one-way rentals, the toll on the airport bridge, and the reference price at each company on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Arriving on an evening flight: Nippon closes latest, at 21:00, and the other four close at 20:00. If your flight is delayed, Nissan does not open outside its hours.
• Which floor: Nippon and Times are on 2F, and Toyota, Orix and Nissan are on 1F. From Terminal 1 it is about three minutes on foot along the 2F walkway. From Terminal 2, take the free connecting bus.
• Returning somewhere else: Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept returns at other branches.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts, Toyota is the cheapest compact at ¥8,580 for 24 hours on a Japanese licence.
• The toll on the way back: you pay the airport bridge toll when you drive back to the airport. At Toyota it is ¥940.

Compare the five Kansai Airport branches

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

Reference prices: standard rates at five companies

This table takes each company's published 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 airport bridge toll on the way back is not included.

• 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%. Branches in the 23 wards of Tokyo, Oshima and Narita Airport use the Tokyo rate.
• 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.

From arrival to the counter: 1F or 2F of the Aeroplaza

All five companies have their counters inside the Aeroplaza. From Terminal 1, walk along the 2F walkway; it takes about three minutes. From Terminal 2, take the free connecting bus to the front of the Aeroplaza (7–9 minutes).

The building is the same, but the check-in floor depends on the company.

• Check-in on 2F: Nippon (the counter to the left of the main entrance; after check-in, leave from the nearest car park) and Times (the counter has staff; after check-in, leave from the airport car park).
• Check-in on 1F: Toyota (next to Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport), Orix (two minutes on foot from the arrivals exits and one minute from Kansai Airport Station) and Nissan (next to the 1F entrance of Hotel Nikko Kansai Airport).

No company runs a shuttle, so there is no pickup point to look for. Check which floor your company uses, then head to the Aeroplaza.

Returning the car: allow for closing time and the bridge toll

Nippon closes at 21:00 and the other four at 20:00. At Times, return one hour 30 minutes before your flight. Work back from your flight home, and allow time to check in your baggage.

At Nippon, you leave the car in the rental return space, then complete the paperwork at the 2F counter. Parking the car does not finish the return.

You pay the airport bridge toll when you drive back onto the island. At Toyota, you pay ¥940 at the toll booth when returning; at Times, you pay the toll and the bridge use tax.

If a typhoon or similar closes the bridge or stops the trains, Nippon may close or shorten its hours, and Toyota may close. In that case, for Nippon call the Izumisano branch on the mainland (050-1712-2518). For Toyota, call the head office reservation centre (0120-624-600) or the Rinku Town Station branch on the mainland (072-463-0100). The Toyota Rinku Town Station branch moved to temporary premises on 31 October 2026 and does not accept cars rented at other branches.

Staying in Osaka first: compare a station pickup the next day

If you head to a hotel in central Osaka on the day you land and drive out of the city the next day, you can also compare taking the train from the airport and renting around Shin-Osaka Station. Adding the parking fee for a night you do not use the car, the bridge toll and the train fare makes it easier to decide where to start the rental.

If you are driving towards Wakayama or similar on the day you land, plan around an airport pickup. On the way back, take care not to confuse Kansai Airport with Osaka International Airport (Itami). Check the airport name on your ticket against the return branch before you confirm the booking.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a shuttle bus to reach the rental branches at Kansai Airport?

No. All five companies check you in at their counters in the Aeroplaza and hand over the car from there. It is about three minutes on foot from Terminal 1, and from Terminal 2 you take the free connecting bus.

Can I still rent if I land late in the evening?

Nippon closes latest, at 21:00, and the other four close at 20:00. If a flight is delayed, Nissan does not open outside its hours and deals with you on the next business day. If you land close to closing time, allow for collecting your baggage and walking to the Aeroplaza.

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 five companies on a Japanese licence. Toyota is lowest at ¥18,040. The airport bridge toll is extra. On a foreign licence, Toyota's base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Can I collect a car at Kansai Airport and return it elsewhere?

Nippon, Toyota and Orix handle one-way rentals with other branches. Toyota does not offer one-way rentals on vehicles with plate numbers starting 1 or 2. The branch pages for Nissan and Times do not cover this, so check in the booking screen that you can select your return branch.

Is it easy to confuse this with the Itami Airport branches?

Yes. Nippon warns that many bookings are made at the wrong branch by mistaking Kansai Airport for its Osaka International Airport (Itami) branch. Kansai and Itami are different airports. Check that the branch name on your booking matches the airport name on your ticket.

Guides to read before booking

• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets