Maibara Station Car Rental: 6 Companies and 6 Branches Compared

Six rental branches at Maibara Station: how to choose

JR Maibara Station — Shiga Prefecture's sole Tokaido Shinkansen stop (Hikari and Kodama, about 130–140 minutes from Tokyo, 25–28 minutes from Nagoya, 19–20 minutes from Kyoto and 35 minutes from Shin-Osaka) and the junction of the JR Biwako Line, JR Hokuriku Main Line and Ohmi Railway — is served by six staffed rental branches across six companies, all within a 1–5 minute walk with no shuttle bus wait. Five counters stand on the West Exit side (Lake Biwa / Shinkansen platform side), while one counter — Orix — sits at the East Exit (Ohmi Railway / Route 8 side). Picking up at Maibara lets you head straight to Hikone Castle, Nagahama, Chikubushima ferry port and Makino's Metasequoia Avenue around Lake Biwa without battling central Kyoto or Route 1 Otsu congestion.

• 08:00 departures and 20:00 returns: four branches — Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Eki Rent-a-Car — open from 08:00 to 20:00. Nissan and J-Net operate shorter hours of 09:00–19:00, and no staffed counter accepts returns after 20:00 (outside staffed hours, only pre-registered Japanese-app self-service bays at Nissan's 24h car park operate). Over New Year, J-Net closes completely on 31 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027 (09:00–17:00 on 28–30 Dec), while Toyota, Nippon and Orix shorten hours to 09:00–18:00.
• Winter snow tyres — 0 companies include them as standard (all 6 require paid options): although Maibara, Kohoku (Nagahama, Yogo, Makino) and nearby Sekigahara Pass sit in a notorious Sea-of-Japan snow corridor that regularly slows the Shinkansen and Meishin/Hokuriku Expressways, Shiga Prefecture is excluded from every company's standard winter studless snow-tyre region. Between December and March, you must explicitly book winter tyres as a paid option — Eki Rent-a-Car (JR West Rent-a-Car & Lease) is the most economical at ¥1,100 per 24h capped at ¥5,500 per rental.
• One-way drops to Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukui or Kanazawa: all six branches support one-way rentals, though coverage differs. Toyota, Orix, Nippon and Nissan handle cross-regional drops across Kansai, Chubu and Hokuriku; Eki Rent-a-Car publishes transparent fixed fees within JR West territory (free up to 20 km; ¥4,400 to Tsuruga or Kusatsu; ¥8,800 to Fukui or Kyoto; ¥13,200 to Shin-Osaka or Komatsu; ¥17,600 to Kanazawa), while JR Central offices such as Nagoya Station require prior inquiry.
• ETC card rental: five of the six branches — Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Nissan and Eki Rent-a-Car — rent ETC cards for the nearby Maibara IC (Meishin and Hokuriku Expressways, ~10 minutes away). J-Net Shiga Maibara Ekimae fits ETC on-board units on most cars, but Shiga is outside J-Net's ETC card rental network (bring your own card).
• International Driving Permits: all six companies (all six branches) accept a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP with your physical passport, or an eligible foreign licence accompanied by an official Japanese translation and physical passport.

Compare the 6 Maibara Station branches

Branch names link to their official pages. The numbers match the station data ledger (1–6) and are not a ranking.

Reference prices: standard rates at six companies

This table compares each company's published standard rate for a compact car, together with a 48-hour total including basic collision damage waiver (CDW). Figures are regular-season rates before member or web discounts on a Japanese driving licence.

• The 48-hour total adds the first 24 hours, one additional day and two days of basic CDW. Nissan's CDW uses the Standard Plan at ¥1,650 a day, whereas the other five companies charge ¥1,100 a day on Honshu (J-Net's ¥1,650 CDW tier applies only in Okinawa).
• Most companies offer online or member discounts: Toyota (10% and 20% member discounts), Eki Rent-a-Car (up to 10% at participating offices), Orix (member discounts and 5% web discount), and Nippon (separate member rate table).

Prices can differ on a foreign licence. Toyota publishes a separate foreign-licence schedule where C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each additional 24 hours before optional cover, compared with ¥8,580 and ¥7,260 on a Japanese licence. Toyota also operates an English reservation line (0800-7000-815, 08:00–20:00), and Eki Rent-a-Car maintains English, Traditional Chinese and Korean pages.

All six companies at Maibara Station rent to overseas visitors holding a booklet-type International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan (J-Net also lists Slovenia — seven countries/regions) paired with an official Japanese translation (such as from JAF or an embassy/consulate), together with your physical passport (photocopies are refused). See driving in Japan with a foreign licence.

West Exit (5 branches) vs East Exit (Orix), and Shinkansen transfer timing

JR Maibara Station's elevated 2F East–West free passage links the West Exit (Shinkansen tracks and Lake Biwa side) and the East Exit (Ohmi Railway platform and National Route 8 side). Because Tokaido Shinkansen Hikari trains connect Tokyo to Maibara in roughly 130–140 minutes (with Hikari and Kodama taking 25–28 minutes from Nagoya and 19–20 minutes from Kyoto), transferring through the 2F Shinkansen/JR gates puts you at the rental counter within minutes — skipping urban Kyoto traffic completely. Check whether your confirmation is on the West Exit (5 branches) or East Exit (Orix) before descending from the 2F concourse:

• 1 minute from the West Exit (closest to the Shinkansen gates): descending the West Exit escalator/stairs, Eki Rent-a-Car Maibara Station (米原436-9) sits ~70 m to the left, while Nippon Maibara Station West Exit (米原西34) faces the West Exit forecourt rotary just 1 minute out. Both minimise outdoor walking in snow, rain or with large suitcases.
• 3 to 5 minutes from the West Exit: walking 200 m straight west from the West Exit rotary brings you to Toyota Maibara Ekimae (下多良2-50, 3 minutes, barrier-free) on the corner of the Maibara Station West Exit intersection. Turning north from that intersection along the prefectural road leads in about 5 minutes to J-Net Shiga Maibara Ekimae (下多良1-45, booked online via partner Sky Rent a Car) and Nissan Maibara Shinkansen Ekimae (下多良1丁目117, corner of the Shimotara intersection).
• 3 minutes from the East Exit (Ohmi Railway / Route 8 side): Orix Maibara Ekimae (米原233-13, 86 m station distance on Orix's official page) is the sole staffed rental branch on the East Exit side, offering quick access onto National Route 8 toward Maibara IC and Sekigahara.
• Operating hours and New Year schedules: Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Eki Rent-a-Car run 08:00–20:00, whereas Nissan and J-Net run 09:00–19:00. Over New Year, Eki Rent-a-Car lists 08:00–20:00 year-round, Toyota and Nippon switch to 09:00–18:00 on 31 Dec–3 Jan, Orix switches to 09:00–18:00 on 30 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027, and J-Net shortens 28–30 Dec to 09:00–17:00 before closing completely on 31 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027. Outside staffed hours, only Nissan's app-registered unmanned bays (Self Ride Go / e-share mobi, no one-way returns) operate in its 24h car park.

Lake Biwa and Ibuki Driveway routes, plus winter snow tyres (0 standard, all paid options)

Positioned on the north-eastern shore of Japan's largest lake, Maibara Station gives immediate access to northern and eastern Lake Biwa as well as the Gifu mountain border — yet winter drivers must beware of a major equipment catch. Cold winds funnelled off the Sea of Japan through the Mt Ibuki gap dump heavy snow across Kohoku (Nagahama, Yogo, Makino) and Sekigahara Pass, frequently triggering winter-tyre regulations on the Hokuriku and Meishin Expressways.

• Zero companies equip snow tyres automatically — always reserve winter tyres for Dec–Mar trips: unlike Hokuriku hubs such as Fukui Station or Kanazawa Station, Shiga Prefecture is outside the standard winter studless region at all six companies. Never assume a December–March booking at Maibara comes with snow tyres:
  • Eki Rent-a-Car Maibara Station: lowest major-brand winter option at ¥1,100 per 24 hours (capped at ¥5,500 per rental), plus 4WD specification at ¥1,650/24h and snow chains at ¥1,650 per rental.
  • Toyota Maibara Ekimae: Toyota Rent a Lease Shiga is outside Toyota's 2026–2027 standard winter-tyre region (its Maibara branch blog explicitly reminds winter drivers to request snow tyres); paid studless options cost up to ¥2,200/24h on passenger/van classes and ¥3,300/24h on wagons/SUVs.
  • Orix Maibara Ekimae: you must pick a vehicle marked studless on the vehicle-selection screen when booking (¥2,640+ per 24h, capped at 15 days); studless tyres cannot be bolted onto a standard reservation afterwards.
  • Nippon Maibara Station West Exit: no automatic winter season fee applies in Shiga, and studless tyres must be requested as a limited-stock paid option from roughly mid-December to late March (snow chains are unavailable nationwide at Nippon).
  • Nissan and J-Net: both require adding studless snow tyres as an option when booking or confirming stock with the branch in advance.
• Signature drives and seasonal road rules from Maibara:
  • Lake Biwa loop (Biwaichi): Hikone, Nagahama, Chikubushima, Metasequoia Avenue, Shirahige Shrine and Omihachiman: heading south along the lakeshore Sazanami Kaido reaches National Treasure Hikone Castle in 15–20 minutes and canal-lined Omihachiman in 45–50 minutes. Heading north reaches Nagahama's Kurokabe Square and Nagahama Port (ferries to Chikubushima Island) in 20–25 minutes, and Makino's 2.4 km Metasequoia Avenue (peak russet foliage late November to early December) in roughly 60 minutes before continuing down the western shore past Shirahige Shrine's floating torii gate. Note that the ridge-top Oku-Biwako Parkway (Tsuzuraozaki viewpoint) closes for winter from roughly December to mid-March.
  • Ibuki Driveway (伊吹山ドライブウェイ, ~35 minutes east to the Sekigahara entrance via Routes 8 and 21): a 17 km mountain toll road climbing ~30 minutes to the 1,260 m Sky Terrace car park (approx. 532 free spaces) below Mt Ibuki's summit flower meadows. Because seasonal direct buses from Maibara Station run only in summer (18 Jul–31 Aug and Sep weekends/holidays in 2026), a rental car is ideal for spring greenery and autumn foliage. Return toll is ¥3,400 for standard and kei cars, payable by cash or credit card only (ETC, IC transit cards and e-money are not accepted). For 2026, the road closes after 23 November (Oct–23 Nov hours 08:00–19:00, last entry 17:00) and remains closed for winter from 24 November until the third Friday of April (check the 2026–2027 winter road closures calendar).

Leave ample time for evening traffic on National Route 8 and refuelling before return cutoffs (19:00 at Nissan and J-Net; 20:00 at Toyota, Nippon, Orix and Eki Rent-a-Car; see refuelling and returning the car). Published return MAPCODEs are 101529322*84 (Toyota Maibara Ekimae) and 101 529 327*35 (Nippon Maibara Station West Exit).

One-way drops to Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukui and Kanazawa, plus ETC cards

Sitting right where the Tokaido Shinkansen meets the Hokuriku corridor, Maibara Station works cleanly for open-jaw drives: circling Lake Biwa's western shore to drop off at Kyoto Station or Shin-Osaka Station, crossing Sekigahara into Gifu toward Nagoya Station, or heading north via Tsuruga and Amanohashidate and Ine to Fukui Station or Kanazawa Station. Compare one-way rental fees with each branch's territory rules:

• Eki Rent-a-Car Maibara Station (JR West Rent-a-Car & Lease): publishes clear fixed one-way fees between JR West offices — free up to 20 km; ¥4,400 to Tsuruga or Kusatsu; ¥8,800 to Fukui or Kyoto; ¥13,200 to Shin-Osaka or Komatsu; ¥17,600 to Kanazawa; ¥22,000 to Toyama (drops between Hokkaido and Honshu/Shikoku/Kyushu are prohibited, and JR Central stations such as Nagoya fall outside the JR West table and require prior inquiry).
• Toyota Maibara Ekimae: supports outgoing and incoming one-way rentals both inside and outside Shiga Prefecture (excluding 1- and 2-number commercial/bus plates), making cross-region drops to Kyoto, Nagoya, Fukui or Kanazawa straightforward to book online.
• Orix Maibara Ekimae: supports one-way departures and returns nationwide except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands.
• Nippon Maibara Station West Exit: allows outgoing one-way drops for a distance-based fee (excluding microbuses and trucks of 3t+) and accepts incoming returns across all classes.
• Nissan Maibara Shinkansen Ekimae: supports outgoing and incoming one-way rentals at the staffed counter (unmanned 24h Self Ride Go / e-share mobi bays are excluded).
• J-Net Shiga Maibara Ekimae: supports one-way bookings to designated partner branches (contact the branch directly if your desired return office, class or date does not appear online).

For the Meishin and Hokuriku Expressways via Maibara IC (~10 minutes from the station), five branches — Toyota (¥550 per rental by phone), Nippon (one of three participating Shiga branches; ¥330 up to 7 days or ¥1,100 for 8 days–1 month by phone after booking), Orix, Nissan and Eki Rent-a-Car — offer ETC card rental. J-Net Shiga Maibara Ekimae fits ETC units on most cars, but Shiga is not on J-Net's ETC card rental list, so bring your own ETC card (and remember Ibuki Driveway's toll gate takes cash or credit card only, not ETC).

Frequently asked questions

Is Times Car Maibara Ekimae open, and is Nico Nico within walking distance?

Times Car Maibara Ekimae permanently closed its staffed rental counter on 31 October 2020; only unmanned Times Car member car-share bays remain near the West and East Exits. Nico Nico Rent a Car has no branches in Maibara City (its nearest outlets are in Hikone and Nagahama, outside walking distance and with no Maibara shuttle). For walking-distance counter rentals at JR Maibara Station, choose from the six branches compared above.

Can I rent on an International Driving Permit?

Yes at all six companies (all six branches) — Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Nissan, Eki Rent-a-Car and J-Net — with a booklet-type 1949 Geneva Convention IDP and your physical passport (photocopies are not accepted). Holders of licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan (plus Slovenia at J-Net) can rent with their original licence, an official Japanese translation from JAF or an embassy/consulate, and their physical passport.

What does a two-day rental cost?

On standard Japanese-licence rates before discounts, a compact car with basic CDW for 48 hours comes to ¥17,820 at Eki Rent-a-Car, ¥18,040 at Toyota, ¥18,260 at Nippon, ¥20,020 at Orix, ¥20,790 at Nissan and ¥21,450 at J-Net. On a foreign licence, Toyota's C1 base rate starts at ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours before cover, and December–March snow trips add paid winter-tyre options at every company (for example ¥2,200 for 48h at Eki Rent-a-Car or ¥4,400 on Toyota passenger classes). Check excess waivers, payment rules (such as J-Net's credit-card requirement on high-grade classes) and cancellation terms in basic CDW and the NOC explained and comparing rental company rules.

Guides to read before booking

• Lake Biwa driving guide: western shore, Oku-Biwako and Mount Hiei
• Amanohashidate and Ine driving guide: Kasamatsu Park, Ine funaya boathouses and Cape Kyogamisaki
• Winter road closures calendar 2026–2027: mountain road closure and reopening dates
• Kyoto Station Car Rental: 6 Companies Compared
• Nagoya Station Car Rental: 16 Branches Compared
• Fukui Station Car Rental: 9 Companies and 10 Branches Compared
• Kanazawa Station Car Rental: 13 Branches Compared
• Shin-Osaka Station Car Rental: 11 Branches Compared
• One-way rentals: fees and rules
• ETC cards for rental cars: where to borrow one and how tolls are settled
• Basic CDW and the NOC explained
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Comparing rental company rules: payment, extensions, one-way rentals and more
• Driving in Japan with a foreign licence