Car Rental in Nagasaki: Airport and Nagasaki Station Compared

Choosing a rental car in Nagasaki

Nagasaki Prefecture is in north-western Kyushu. There are two places to compare rental branches: Nagasaki Airport with 12 branches from 11 companies, and Nagasaki Station with eight from eight. Neither has a 24-hour branch.

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

• Arriving by air: go left through the first-floor lobby from the domestic arrivals gate to the companies' rental counters. You usually check in or call from there, then take a shuttle to a branch in Omura. You can walk to Another, in Building 2, 80 m to the left of the airport exit.
• Arriving at Nagasaki Station by train: Nissan is just north of the Prefectural Bus Terminal in front of the station, Nippon is 3 minutes from the Kamome Exit (east), Nico Nico is 3 minutes from the West Exit, and Times is about 5 minutes. Orix Nagasaki Kozenmachi and Toyota Oura collect you from the station (Toyota needs a booking).
• Staying in Nagasaki before heading out: you can get around the city by tram and on foot, and rent at Nagasaki 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 Nagasaki Station: Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept cars rented elsewhere at both places.
• Arriving at night or renting late: at the airport, Another (until 22:00, depending on bookings), Nico Nico Nagasaki Airport Morizono (until 22:00) and Nico Nico Nagasaki Airport (until 21:00) stay open latest. Station branches close by 20:00, and Times at 17:00.
• 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 (airport) is ¥4,070, Carsta (station) ¥4,500 and Nico Nico ¥5,610. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and limits you to 300 km per 24 hours.

Nagasaki Airport and Nagasaki Station compared

At Nagasaki Airport, many companies check you in at rental counters in the first-floor arrivals lobby, then take you by shuttle to a branch in Omura. If a company's counter is unstaffed, call the branch on the telephone provided. Guts and Another check you in at Building 2, to the left as you leave the terminal. Branches are all in separate places, so on the way back, return the car to the branch you booked and then take the shuttle to the airport.

At Nagasaki Station, branches fall into those about 5 minutes on foot (Nippon, Nissan, Nico Nico, Times), those about 10 minutes on foot (J-Net, Carsta, Orix), and those that collect you from the station (Orix, Toyota Oura). Closing times range from 17:00 to 20:00, so choose to suit your return day.

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 Nagasaki Station comparison. For Sasebo, the Goto Islands, Iki or Tsushima, use the branch search on each company's website.

Nagasaki Airport branches

Nagasaki Station branches

Rental companies in Nagasaki compared

The two places have 20 branches from 12 companies.

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

Reference rates and cover

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

Another prices each car individually, so it is not in the table.

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. Guts generally does not rent on an IDP, and Carsta does not rent on one.

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

Pickup and return in Nagasaki

Returning at the airport for your flight

Airport branches are in separate places in Omura, so enter the return branch on your booking confirmation into your navigation. Allow separately for the return and the shuttle to the airport. Times and J-Net ask you to return at least 1 hour before your flight. Sky closes at 18:00, and Times, J-Net and Guts at 19:00. With J-Net, you travel to the branch by a taxi it pays for, and return to the airport on its shuttle.

Returning at Nagasaki Station

Station branches close at 17:00 (Times), 18:00 (J-Net), 19:00 (Toyota Oura, Orix and Carsta) or 20:00 (Nippon, Nissan and Nico Nico). Orix drives you to Nagasaki Station after your return, but on a day with a fixed train, return in good time. Nissan does not handle vehicles 2 m or taller because of its car-park height limit. Carsta has no studless tyres or tyre chains.

One-way rentals between the airport and Nagasaki Station

To rent at the airport and return at the station, the candidates are Nippon, Toyota (return to Oura) 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 to Isahaya, Sasebo and other prefectures

Guts Nagasaki Airport accepts one-way rentals only to Isahaya Station West Exit (not in peak periods). Nico Nico accepts one-way rentals to Nagasaki Airport from two Fukuoka Airport branches and the Kumamoto Airport branch by telephone booking. Branches outside the prefecture are compared in Fukuoka and Kumamoto.

Frequently asked questions

Should I rent at Nagasaki Airport or Nagasaki Station?

Nagasaki Airport suits you if you land and head straight for Unzen, Shimabara or elsewhere. Nagasaki Station suits a train arrival or a trip that starts after a night in the city. Most airport branches are in Omura and reached by shuttle after check-in. Nagasaki Station has both walkable branches and branches that collect you.

Which company has the lowest rate?

On standard compact rates before discounts for a Japanese licence, Guts at Nagasaki Airport (¥4,070) and Carsta at Nagasaki Station (¥4,500) are lowest. Guts includes no vehicle damage cover and has a mileage limit. Carsta's rate list does not say whether tax is included, and it does not rent to drivers with less than a year's licence or on an IDP. Among the major companies, Toyota and Budget (airport) are ¥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 Nagasaki Airport and return at Nagasaki Station?

Nippon, Toyota and Orix accept cars rented elsewhere at both places. Toyota has no branch near the station, so name Oura as the return branch. Check the fee by naming the return branch when you book.

Can I rent or return late at night?

There is no 24-hour branch. At the airport, Another (depending on bookings) and Nico Nico Nagasaki Airport Morizono stay open until 22:00, Nico Nico Nagasaki Airport until 21:00, and the major companies until 20:00. Station branches close by 20:00, with Times at 17:00 and J-Net at 18:00.

Is there a Toyota branch near Nagasaki Station?

No. Oura, 8 minutes by car from the station, collects you free from Nagasaki Station if you book.

Guides to read before booking

• Nagasaki Station: eight 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