Kumamoto Airport Car Rental: 11 Branches Compared

Kumamoto Airport has 11 rental branches: how to choose

Aso Kumamoto Airport (Kumamoto Airport), east of Kumamoto City, has 11 rental branches from 10 companies. Only Nissan is inside the Sorayoka Visitor Centre, which is connected directly to the airport; the other branches are outside the airport.

This page compares the counters and shuttles at each company, closing times, returns and one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company on Japanese and foreign licences.

Nippon, Toyota, Orix, Times and J-Net have you check in or call from a counter at the airport, then take you to the branch by shuttle. For Sky, Nico Nico (two branches), Guts and Suzuki, you ask for a pick-up by phone.

• Renting without waiting for a shuttle: Nissan is inside the Sorayoka Visitor Centre, three minutes on foot from the arrivals exit, and you do not board a shuttle. The Times branch is also about seven minutes on foot from the airport.
• Renting or returning in the evening: the latest closing time is 20:00, at Nippon, Toyota and Nissan. Orix closes at 18:00 and the others at 19:00. On the day you collect the car, J-Net only serves flights due at the airport by 19:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Nippon, Toyota, Orix and Nissan accept returns at other branches. Nico Nico's Kumamoto Airport branch takes one-way rentals to and from its Fukuoka Airport, Nagasaki Airport and Kagoshima Airport branches, booked by phone. Suzuki allows returns between participating branches towards Fukuoka and Kagoshima.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard rates before discounts, Toyota is the cheapest compact among the major companies at ¥8,580 for 24 hours on a Japanese licence. Among smaller companies, Guts is ¥4,070, Suzuki ¥5,500 and Nico Nico ¥5,610. The Guts rate has no vehicle damage cover and a mileage limit of 300 km per 24 hours. Its shuttle must be requested by phone by the day before, and it is closed on Wednesdays.

Compare the 11 Kumamoto Airport branches

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers identify the branches and are not a ranking. Nico Nico has two branches, Kumamoto Airport and Kumamoto Airport Mashiki, with different pick-up points.

Reference prices: standard rates at 10 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, unless a row says otherwise. Kumamoto belongs to Sky's Kyushu region, so Sky's basic CDW is calculated at ¥1,430 per day.

• 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' base rate has no vehicle damage cover. After an accident you pay up to ¥50,000 or ¥100,000 (waived with basic CDW). The NOC is ¥30,000 even if the car can still be driven.
• Guts includes 300 km per 24 hours and charges ¥11 per extra km. Its rate table does not list a daily rate from the second day.
• Suzuki's rate table does not say whether tax is included.
• Nico Nico's basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident.
• Toyota has member discounts of 10% and 20%. Branches in the 23 wards of Tokyo, Oshima and Narita Airport use the Tokyo rate.
• 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.
• J-Net's basic CDW (Anshin cover) is ¥1,650 a day in the Okinawa area only.

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. Nico Nico accepts an International Driving Permit only at some branches, requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese without an interpreter or translation app, and asks for an address in Japan and a phone number that can take calls. 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.

From arrival to the counter: Sorayoka counters and phone pick-ups

Exit arrivals, go left and pass through Sorayoka Dining, which is connected to the airport; the Sorayoka Visitor Centre is straight ahead. The Nissan branch and the rental counters of Nippon, Orix, Times and J-Net are inside it. Check-in and shuttles work differently by company.

• Renting on the spot: Nissan is inside the Sorayoka Visitor Centre, reached by exiting arrivals and turning left towards Exit D (three minutes on foot). You do not board a shuttle.
• Checking in at a counter, then taking a shuttle: Nippon (two minutes by car to the branch), Orix and J-Net (the branch is behind the Idemitsu petrol station). Toyota checks you in at its reception counter in a separate building to the left of the arrivals exit, then takes you to the branch by shuttle in ticket-number order (about five minutes).
• Calling from the counter phone: at Times, use the direct phone at the counter and a shuttle comes for you (3–5 minutes to the branch).
• Phoning the branch when you arrive: at Sky, phone from the arrivals lobby and staff come for you in 5–10 minutes. For Nico Nico Kumamoto Airport, exit arrivals, go left, leave on the Tully's Coffee side through the Sorayoka area, and wait at P4 outside the door at the far end of the rental counters. For Nico Nico Kumamoto Airport Mashiki, move to the Rental Car B pick-up point near the Sorayoka Visitor Centre, then phone (5–10 minutes). A map of the meeting point reaches your booking email address the day before.
• Asking by the day before: at Guts, phone by the day before to request the shuttle. Suzuki also has a free shuttle, but ask the branch when you book how to call it and where to wait.

Nippon's counter may have no staff before 08:30 or after 15:00; if so, call the branch on the counter's direct phone. At Orix and J-Net too, phone the branch if no one is there. Sky says the branch phone is hard to reach because of an earthquake, and gives the Kyushu reservation centre (093-967-2221, 08:00–18:00) as its contact for enquiries.

When you board a shuttle, check the company and the name of your booked branch.

Returning to the branch and taking the shuttle to the terminal

On the way back, return the car to your booked branch and take the shuttle to the terminal. Set your navigation to the booked branch, not the airport. Toyota cannot take the car back inside the airport. Nippon gives MAPCODE 29 599 815*05 for returns.

Closing times range from 18:00 to 20:00 by branch. Orix closes at 18:00; Times, J-Net, Sky, both Nico Nico branches, Guts and Suzuki close at 19:00. If you fly out late, check your branch's closing time first. Times asks you to return the car one hour before your flight. Its shuttle to the airport after return (about five minutes) runs during opening hours only and takes a detour inside the airport, so walking can be quicker.

Hours change over New Year. Times opens 09:00–18:00 from 31 December to 3 January, and J-Net opens 08:00–17:00 from 28 December 2026 to 3 January 2027.

If you return to another branch, such as one at Kumamoto Station, name the return branch when you book.

Separating Aso days from days in Kumamoto City

If you are going straight to a place to stay around Aso, plan around collecting the car at the airport and setting off. If you are spending time in central Kumamoto City first and heading out later, you can also compare renting around Kumamoto Station the next day. Compare more than the rental rates at the airport and the station: add the cost of getting from the airport to the city, the rental charge for nights you do not use the car, and hotel parking.

When heading into the mountains, check your booked car's equipment and that day's road conditions separately. An SUV label does not guarantee four-wheel drive or winter equipment. On the day you return to the airport after sightseeing, choose your last stop knowing that the shuttle still follows refuelling and returning the car to the branch.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a rental branch inside the airport?

Nissan Kumamoto Airport is inside the Sorayoka Visitor Centre, which is connected directly to the airport, and you do not need a shuttle. The other companies' branches are outside the airport; you check in at a counter or phone for a pick-up, then go by shuttle.

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

The latest closing time is 20:00, at Nippon, Toyota and Nissan. On the day you collect the car, J-Net only serves flights due by 19:00. At Nissan and Times, if a delayed flight puts you past opening hours, you are dealt with the next day. Check that your flight leaves enough time for check-in and the transfer before closing.

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 six major companies and ¥21,450 at J-Net, on a Japanese licence. Among smaller companies, Nico Nico is ¥13,420 and Suzuki ¥14,100 (Suzuki's 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 the car at another branch, such as Kumamoto Station or Fukuoka Airport?

Nippon, Toyota (inside and outside the prefecture), Orix (except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands) and Nissan accept returns at other branches. Nico Nico Kumamoto Airport allows one-way rentals with its Fukuoka Airport, Fukuoka Airport International Terminal, Nagasaki Airport and Kagoshima Airport branches, but booking is by phone only. Suzuki allows returns between participating branches towards Fukuoka and Kagoshima. Fees depend on the return branch, so name it when you book and check the amount.

Where do I wait for a pick-up at the two Nico Nico branches?

For Kumamoto Airport, wait at P4, outside the door at the far end of the rental counters. For Kumamoto Airport Mashiki, wait at the Rental Car B pick-up point near the Sorayoka Visitor Centre. At both, phone the branch after you arrive. The airport's information lists the Mashiki branch under the name Kumamoto Airport Mashiki.

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