Kumamoto Station Car Rental: 10 Branches Compared

Kumamoto Station has 10 rental branches: how to choose

Kumamoto Station, on the Kyushu Shinkansen in Kumamoto City, has 10 rental branches from nine companies. Five are on the Shinkansen (west) side and five on the Shirakawa (east) side. You walk to all of them from the station, and no branch collects you there.

This page compares the walking routes by exit, closing times and New Year hours, returns and one-way rentals, and the reference price at each company.

• Right by the station: on the Shinkansen side, Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi faces the rotary (1 minute on foot) and Nippon faces the Shinkansen exit. On the Shirakawa side, Times is about 2 minutes on foot, and Nissan and Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae are 3 minutes.
• Returning late in the day: Nippon and Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi close latest, at 20:00. Orix and J-Net close at 18:00.
• Returning somewhere else: Nippon, both Toyota branches, Orix and Nissan allow returns at other branches.
• Renting a tall car: because of car park and garage limits, Nissan does not handle cars 2 m or taller, and Times does not handle tall or long cars.
• 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 Nico Nico ¥5,610. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and limits distance to 300 km per 24 hours.

Compare the 10 Kumamoto Station branches

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

Reference prices: standard rates at nine companies

This table takes each company's 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. Kumamoto 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.
• Nico Nico's basic CDW does not waive the vehicle excess after a single-car accident.
• 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.
• J-Net's basic CDW (Anshin cover) is ¥1,650 a day in the Okinawa district 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.

Choose the branch near your station exit

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

• Shinkansen (west) exit: Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi (facing the rotary, 1 minute), Nippon (facing the Shinkansen exit), Orix (2 minutes), Nico Nico Kumamoto Station (with the station on your right, about 110 m along the pedestrian way, then right after turning left onto the road; about 3 minutes) and Guts (Rise Kumamoto Station West, 4 minutes 30 seconds).
• Shirakawa (east) exit: Times (about 2 minutes), Nissan (over the footbridge towards The New Hotel Kumamoto, to 1F of Kumamoto Morinotoshin Plaza; 3 minutes), Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae (3 minutes north), Sky (3 minutes) and J-Net (left from the east exit, about 4 minutes, on the lane between Bic Camera and The New Hotel Kumamoto).

Toyota has two branches: Kumamoto Ekimae on the Shirakawa side and Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi on the Shinkansen side. "Ekimae" in a name does not tell you which exit a branch is near. J-Net Kumamoto Ekimae is separate from the nearby J-Net SKY Kumamoto Ekimae branch. Open your map using the full branch name and address.

Work back from closing times of 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00

Around the same station, closing times differ by up to two hours. Orix and J-Net close at 18:00. Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae, Nissan, Times, Sky, Guts and Nico Nico Kumamoto Station close at 19:00. Nippon and Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi close at 20:00. Returns at Nico Nico Kumamoto Station also end at 19:00. On a day you come back from Aso, set your return time with refuelling and return paperwork included. Nippon's return mapcode is 29 427 474*87.

Hours change at New Year. Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae closes at 18:00 on 31 December and opens at 09:00 on 1 January. Nissan opens 09:00–18:00 from 26 December 2026 to 3 January 2027. Times closes on 1 January and opens 09:00–18:00 on 31 December and from 2 to 3 January. J-Net closes on 1 January. Guts closes on Wednesdays and at New Year.

To return a car rented at Kumamoto Airport at the station, book with the station-side branch and class named. Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae excludes 1-number classes from one-way rentals.

Compare coming by train and renting for the countryside

Taking the Shinkansen to Kumamoto and then renting can be compared with driving the whole way from home. It shortens your driving time, but adds the rail fare and the effort of taking luggage from the station to the branch. If you head towards Aso on your arrival day, plan the trip to your hotel around when you can set off after check-in and inspecting the car.

If you stay in Kumamoto City first, compare renting from the next morning to cut unused nights and parking. On winter days in the mountains, check your booked car's equipment and road information, and keep a schedule that lets you cut sightseeing if needed.

Kumamoto Station rental car FAQ

Which rental branch is closest to Kumamoto Station?

At the Shinkansen exit, Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi (facing the rotary, 1 minute on foot) and Nippon (facing the exit). At the Shirakawa exit, Times (about 2 minutes). No branch runs a station shuttle, so you walk.

Toyota has two branches. Which is closer?

Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi if you leave by the Shinkansen exit (1 minute on foot), and Kumamoto Ekimae if you leave by the Shirakawa exit (3 minutes north). Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi closes at 20:00 and Kumamoto Ekimae at 19:00.

Which branches can I rent from or return to late?

No branch is open 24 hours. Nippon and Toyota Kumamoto Shinkansen-guchi close latest, at 20:00. The others close at 18:00 or 19:00.

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 and ¥21,450 at J-Net. Nico Nico is ¥13,420. 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 at Kumamoto Airport or another branch?

Nippon, both Toyota branches (inside and outside the prefecture), Orix (except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands) and Nissan allow returns at other branches. Toyota Kumamoto Ekimae excludes 1-number classes. At other companies, check when you book that your return branch can be selected.

Guides to read before booking

• How to choose a rental car in Kumamoto
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Comparing rental car company rules
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets