Car Rental in Miyazaki: Airport and Miyazaki Station Compared

Choosing a rental car in Miyazaki

Miyazaki Prefecture is on the Pacific coast of Kyushu. There are two places to compare rental branches: Miyazaki Airport with 12 branches from 11 companies, and Miyazaki Station with seven from seven. Neither has a 24-hour branch.

This guide shows which place suits your trip, how airport shuttles and station pickups work, which branches take cars rented elsewhere, and how rates differ on Japanese and foreign licences.

• Arriving by air: the airport building has no rental counters, and all branches are outside the airport. Nippon's shuttle calls at the stop every 15 minutes until 14:00. At most other companies, you call the branch after landing and staff collect you.
• Arriving at Miyazaki Station by train: Nippon is 1 minute from the West Exit. Guts, on the East side, is 3 minutes, and Toyota Miyazaki and Times are about 5 minutes from the West Exit. Toyota Miyazaki collects you from the station 08:00–18:00, and J-Net Miyazaki Chuo 10:00–17:00.
• Staying in Miyazaki before heading for Aoshima or Nichinan: you can skip a car on your arrival day and rent at Miyazaki Station on the morning you leave. Compare the rental charge and hotel parking for unused days against renting at the airport from day one.
• Renting at the airport and returning at Miyazaki Station: Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept cars rented elsewhere at both places.
• Renting early or returning late: Nico Nico Miyazaki Airport Mae opens earliest, at 07:00, and Nippon Miyazaki Airport closes latest, at 20:30. Station branches close by 20:00.
• Keeping the cost down: on standard compact rates before discounts for a Japanese licence, Toyota and Budget (airport) are lowest among the major companies at ¥8,580 for 24 hours. Among smaller companies, Guts is ¥4,070, Carsta (airport) ¥4,500 and Nico Nico ¥5,610. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and limits you to 300 km per 24 hours.

Miyazaki Airport and Miyazaki Station compared

All Miyazaki Airport branches are outside the airport, reached by shuttle or on foot from the airport's railway station. The shuttle stop is to the left of the car park, across the crossing from arrivals lobby entrance 6. Look for the yellow rental car sign. On the way back, return the car to the branch and take the shuttle to the airport.

Miyazaki Station has five branches on the West side and Guts on the East side, all a walk away. J-Net Miyazaki Chuo is near the station and collects you from the station or a city hotel. Many station branches close earlier than airport branches, between 18:00 and 20:00.

The first table compares the two places. The tables after it list every branch, with each name linking to its branch page, and walking routes are in the Miyazaki Station comparison. For the north of the prefecture, such as Nobeoka, use the branch search on each company's website.

Miyazaki Airport branches

Miyazaki Station branches

Rental companies in Miyazaki compared

The two places have 19 branches from 11 companies.

One-way fees and company rules on payment and extensions are in the company rules comparison. The five companies below show how Miyazaki branches and cover differ.

Reference rates and cover

The table shows standard compact rates for companies with branches at Miyazaki Airport and Miyazaki Station: regular season, before discounts, for a Japanese licence. A dash means the company does not publish that rate.

On a foreign licence, Toyota uses a separate rate list: C1 is ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours and ¥8,690 for each further 24 hours, against ¥8,580 and ¥7,260 in the table. To rent on a foreign licence, bring an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention and your passport, or, for licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan, the licence with a Japanese translation and your passport.

Nico Nico requires the renter to complete the contract in Japanese, without an interpreter or translation app, and Guts generally does not rent on an IDP.

The cover names and prices that remove the NOC are compared in CDW and NOC.

Pickup and return in Miyazaki

Returning at the airport for your flight

Airport branches close between 18:00 and 20:30. Sky and Guts close at 18:00, and both Orix branches and Times at 19:00. Times asks you to return at least 1 hour before your flight. After returning the car, take the shuttle to the airport: about 3 minutes by car with Nippon and about 5 minutes with Budget. Nissan offers unstaffed rental outside opening hours, but no shuttle at those times.

Returning at Miyazaki Station

Station branches close at 18:00 (Times), 19:00 (Orix, J-Net and Guts) or 20:00 (Nippon, Toyota and Nico Nico). On a day with a train, allow time to refuel, return the car and walk to the station before you go through the ticket gate. To rent at the station and return at the airport, name the same company's airport branch as the return point.

One-way rentals between the airport and Miyazaki Station

For one-way rentals between the two, the candidates are Nippon, Toyota and Orix, whose branches at both ends accept cars rented elsewhere. One-way fees depend on the company, distance and area, and are not always free. Name the return branch when you book and check the amount.

One-way trips towards Nichinan

Carsta Miyazaki Airport handles rentals and one-way returns in Nichinan (ask about Saturdays, Sundays and holidays; the delivery fee is separate). Carsta does not rent to drivers with less than a year's licence or on an IDP.

Frequently asked questions

Should I rent at Miyazaki Airport or Miyazaki Station?

Miyazaki Airport suits you if you land and head straight for Aoshima, Nichinan or elsewhere. Miyazaki Station suits a train arrival or a trip that starts after a night in the city. Airport branches are outside the airport and reached by shuttle. Station branches are a walk from the West or East Exit, and Toyota and J-Net collect you from the station.

Which company has the lowest rate?

On standard compact rates before discounts for a Japanese licence, Guts is lowest at ¥4,070. It includes no vehicle damage cover and has a mileage limit, and its airport branch mentions no shuttle, opens 10:00–18:00 and closes on Wednesdays. Next come Carsta at the airport (¥4,500) and Nico Nico (¥5,610). Toyota and Budget (airport) are lowest among the major companies at ¥8,580. Member and online discounts change the price, so narrow your choice to two or three companies and compare them in the booking.

Can I rent at Miyazaki Airport and return at Miyazaki Station?

Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept cars rented elsewhere at both places. At other companies, check that you can select the return branch when you book. The one-way fee depends on the return branch.

Can I rent late at night or early in the morning?

There is no 24-hour branch. At the airport, Nico Nico Miyazaki Airport Mae opens at 07:00 and Nippon stays open until 20:30. Station branches close by 20:00. If you land after 20:30, consider staying in Miyazaki City and renting the next morning. Nissan offers unstaffed rental outside opening hours, but no shuttle at those times.

Where do I wait for the shuttle at Miyazaki Airport?

Across the crossing from arrivals lobby entrance 6, to the left of the car park. Look for the yellow rental car sign. Shuttles from several companies stop there, so check the branch name before you board. At most companies other than Nippon, you call for a pickup after landing.

Guides to read before booking

• Miyazaki Station: seven rental branches compared
• Rental company rules compared: payment, extensions and one-way rentals
• Accidents, damage, punctures, breakdowns and parking tickets
• CDW and NOC explained
• One-way rental fees and choosing a return branch
• Driving in Japan with a foreign licence
• Refuelling and returning the car
• Other Kyushu prefectures: Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Kagoshima and Oita