Kobe Airport Car Rental: 9 Companies Compared

Nine rental companies at Kobe Airport: how to choose

Kobe Airport has nine rental companies at 10 locations. Toyota has two branches, reached by shuttle after you call from the Terminal 1 arrivals lobby. Nippon, Times and Orix have counters inside the terminal, and after check-in a shuttle takes you to a branch on Port Island or in Sannomiya. As far as the official pages show, no company runs a shuttle from Terminal 2.

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

• Checking in at once: Nippon (left of the Terminal 1 arrivals exit), Orix (1F of Terminal 1, left of the arrivals exit) and Times (left of the arrivals exit) have counters inside the terminal. Nissan has a counter on 1F of Terminal 1.
• Landing in the evening: the branches of Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Times, Sky and MK close at 20:00, but the airport counters and shuttles stop earlier: Nippon at 19:00, Orix at 19:00, Times at 18:30 (the counter at 19:00) and Sky at 19:30. G Lion closes at 19:00 and F Rent-a-Car at 18:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Toyota's two branches accept one-way rentals to other branches inside and outside the prefecture, and Orix's Sannomiya branch does too (except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands). Nippon does not take cars rented at other branches, and Times does not take cars that started at another branch.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts on a Japanese licence, Toyota is cheapest at ¥8,580 for a compact for 24 hours, then Sky at ¥8,800 and Times at ¥8,855.

Compare the 10 Kobe Airport locations

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

Reference prices: standard rates at six 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. F Rent-a-Car, MK and G Lion 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%.
• 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.

Check in at Terminal 1 and find the shuttle

The routine depends on the company.

• Call from the dedicated telephone: at Toyota, call the branch from the telephone in the Terminal 1 arrivals lobby. The branch is 300 m east of Terminal 1, and a free shuttle brings you back after you return the car. There is no shuttle from Terminal 2. Toyota Rental Lease Hyogo and Toyota Rental Lease Kobe have the same address but different companies and phone numbers, so use the number on your booking.
• Check in at the counter inside the terminal: Nippon (left of the arrivals exit; about 10 minutes to the Port Island branch), Orix (1F, left of the arrivals exit; about 15 minutes to the Sannomiya branch) and Times (left of the arrivals exit; about 30 minutes to the Sannomiya branch). You collect and return the car at the branch. You must enter your flight number when you book.
• Phone after landing: Sky runs a free shuttle of about 10 minutes (requests 09:30–19:30). MK and G Lion also run free shuttles; G Lion's follows a timetable.
• Walk: F Rent-a-Car is about 7 minutes on foot from Kobe Airport Station on the Port Liner.

Returning the car: work back from the last shuttle

Return the car to the branch you booked. Nippon's shuttle back to the airport runs 08:30–19:00, and it asks for returns one hour before your flight; Times asks for two hours. Orix's Sannomiya branch accepts no returns from other branches on 15 November 2026, and the Orix counter at the airport takes no one-way rentals in either direction.

Frequently asked questions

Why can I rent from a Sannomiya branch at the airport?

Times' Sannomiya branch and Orix's Sannomiya Station Front branch have counters inside Kobe Airport. You check in there, ride the shuttle to Sannomiya and collect the car. You return it to the branch too.

What if I land at Terminal 2?

Toyota runs no shuttle from Terminal 2, so go to Terminal 1. The counters of the other companies are at Terminal 1.

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, ¥18,480 at Sky on a Japanese licence. On a foreign licence, Toyota’s base rate is higher; see the price section above.

Guides to read before booking

• Renting a car in Osaka
• Picking up a rental car at a Japanese airport
• 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