Omiya Station Car Rental: 6 Companies and 10 Branches Compared

Ten rental branches at Omiya Station: how to choose

JR Omiya Station in Saitama Prefecture is Greater Tokyo's northern high-speed rail junction — where the Tohoku, Hokkaido, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen split — and a 20–34 minute ride from Tokyo, Ueno or Shinjuku on Shinkansen or direct JR commuter lines (Ueno-Tokyo Line, Shonan-Shinjuku Line and Saikyo Line). Ten staffed rental branches across six companies serve the station: five on the West Exit side (Sogo, Bic Camera and Sonic City side), four on the East Exit side (Omiya Kadomachi, Takashimaya and Daieibashi side), and one indoor concourse-connected branch on the LUMINE 2 5F rooftop car park. Riding the train to Omiya before picking up a car lets you skip central Tokyo's congested Shuto Expressway tunnels and start north of the capital toward Chichibu, Nikko, Nasu, Ikaho, Kusatsu or Karuizawa.

• Early 07:00 and 07:30 departures: Nippon Omiya Station West Exit opens daily at 07:00, and Nissan Omiya Station East Exit opens at 07:00 on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (08:00 on weekdays). Three Toyota branches (JR Omiya Station West Exit, Omiya West Exit Ekimae and Omiya Station East Exit) open at 07:30 on 4 Jan–30 Dec (08:00 over New Year), while Toyota Daieibashi, Nippon East Exit, Orix and Eki Rent-a-Car open at 08:00 and Guts opens at 09:00. Note that although Orix Omiya Station West Exit opens at 08:00, a traffic restriction on the road directly outside prohibits picking up or returning cars between 07:30 and 08:30. Before 07:00 or after 21:00, only Japanese-member self-service plans at Orix (Touch de Renta) and Nissan (Self Ride Go) operate.
• Late evening returns up to 21:00: Nippon Omiya Station West Exit stays open until 21:00 daily — the latest staffed cutoff at Omiya — followed by Toyota Omiya West Exit Ekimae at 20:30 (20:00 on 31 Dec–3 Jan). Seven other branches close at 20:00, and Guts closes at 19:00.
• Do not mix up the four Toyota branches: two separate Toyota franchisees — Toyota Rent a Lease Saitama (ＪＲ大宮駅西口店 and 大宮駅東口店) and Toyota Rent a Lease Shin-Saitama (大宮西口駅前店 and 大宮駅東口大栄橋店) — each run one West Exit and one East Exit branch. Double-check the exact branch name and MAPCODE before returning.
• Winter studless snow tyres are a paid option at all 6 companies: because Saitama sits on the Kanto Plain, none of Omiya Station's 10 branches include free standard winter snow tyres. If you are driving to Nikko, Nasu, Kusatsu, Ikaho, Karuizawa or Mitsumine Shrine in Chichibu between late November and April, reserve paid studless tyres in advance (for example ¥1,100 per 24h capped at ¥5,500 at Eki Rent-a-Car, ¥2,200/24h on passenger cars at Toyota, or ¥2,640+/24h by selecting a studless-labelled car at Orix).
• One-way drops to Takasaki, Utsunomiya or Tokyo: nine branches across five companies (all except Guts) allow outgoing one-way drops. However, Nippon Omiya East Exit Ekimae (inside Omiya Kadomachi) does not accept incoming one-way returns from other branches — choose Nippon Omiya Station West Exit or Toyota, Orix, Nissan or Eki Rent-a-Car if dropping off a car rented elsewhere.
• International Driving Permits (IDP): five companies (nine branches) — Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Nissan and Eki Rent-a-Car — accept a 1949 Geneva Convention IDP with your physical passport (or an eligible licence with an official Japanese translation). Guts Omiya Station West Exit requires a Japanese driving licence.

Compare the 10 Omiya Station branches

Branch names link to their official pages. Numbers (1–10) match the station data ledger 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. A dash (–) means Guts publishes 24-hour, 1-week and 1-month tariffs rather than a single-day extension rate; Guts also excludes vehicle damage cover from its base fare (¥50,000–¥100,000 excess unless CDW is added; ¥30,000 NOC even if drivable), caps mileage at 300 km per 24 hours (¥11 per extra km), and requires a Japanese driving licence.
• Picking up at Omiya rather than inside Tokyo's 23 wards avoids Toyota's higher Tokyo base tariff (¥10,010 vs ¥8,580 for C1 on the first 24 hours). Most companies also 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). Nissan's CDW uses the Standard Plan at ¥1,650 a day.

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.

To rent as a visitor at Toyota, Nippon, Orix, Nissan or Eki Rent-a-Car, bring a booklet-type International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan paired with an official Japanese translation (for example from JAF), together with your physical passport (photocopies are refused). See driving in Japan on a foreign licence.

West Exit, East Exit and LUMINE 2 indoor access, plus telling the 4 Toyota branches apart

All Shinkansen and JR conventional ticket gates at Omiya Station feed onto the 2F central concourse. Walking west leads onto the elevated West Exit pedestrian deck (Sogo Omiya, Bic Camera, JACK Omiya and Sonic City), which connects cleanly toward Route 17 (Shin-Omiya Bypass), the Shuto Expressway S2 Saitama-Omiya Route, and the E17 Kan-Etsu / C4 Ken-O Expressways. Walking east leads down to the East Exit (Omiya Kadomachi, Omiya Takashimaya and Old Nakasendo), which is better positioned for Route 16 and the E4 Tohoku Expressway at Iwatsuki IC.

• Sheltered indoor concourse link (1 branch): Eki Rent-a-Car Omiya Station (錦町630, 08:00–20:00) sits on the 5F rooftop car park of LUMINE 2. Enter LUMINE 2 directly across from the Midori-no-Madoguchi ticket office on the 2F concourse, ride the immediate right-hand lift (operating 06:00–23:30) to 5F, step through the rear corridor onto the rooftop deck and walk 100 m right to the counter beside the parking ticket machine — dry under cover all the way from the train.
• West Exit side (5 branches, 3–13 minutes on foot or short shuttle): Nippon Omiya Station West Exit (桜木町1-182-1, daily 07:00–21:00) is closest at 3 minutes on foot. Turning left between Sogo and Bic Camera brings you in 5 minutes to Toyota JR Omiya Station West Exit (桜木町1-357, Toyota Rent a Lease Saitama, 07:30–20:00), whereas heading north-west toward Route 17 reaches Toyota Omiya West Exit Ekimae (桜木町4-206-1, Toyota Rent a Lease Shin-Saitama, 07:30–20:30) in 7 minutes on foot — or ~2 minutes via its free West Exit shuttle (unavailable when using Web Prepay). Heading south toward Saitama-Shintoshin, Orix Omiya Station West Exit (中央区上落合9-12-1, 8 min walk / 673 m; no vehicle pickups or returns during the 07:30–08:30 front-road traffic restriction) and budget domestic-licence branch Guts Omiya Station West Exit (中央区上落合8-1-7, ~13 min walk south opposite the Homes Saitama-Shintoshin car park entrance) line the southern approach.
• East Exit side (4 branches, 3–7 minutes on foot): 3 minutes straight ahead inside the Omiya Kadomachi complex, Nippon Omiya East Exit Ekimae (大門町2-118) checks drivers in at its 2F counter (up the front escalator and to the right) before dispatching cars from the B2F basement car park. Heading north toward Daieibashi intersection, Nissan Omiya Station East Exit (宮町2-57-1, opening at 07:00 on weekends/holidays) is 5 minutes on foot, and Toyota Omiya Station East Exit Daieibashi (宮町4-144, Toyota Rent a Lease Shin-Saitama, 08:00–20:00) is 7 minutes away (150 m past Daieibashi toward Ageo). Heading south and turning right at the Takashimaya intersection reaches Toyota Omiya Station East Exit (吉敷町1-11-1, Toyota Rent a Lease Saitama, 07:30–20:00) in 6 minutes.
• 24-hour unmanned self-service plans: Orix West Exit (Touch de Renta 24h unmanned counter) and Nissan East Exit (Self Ride Go app rentals with 24h car park access) offer round-the-clock self-service pickups for pre-registered Japanese members, though neither unmanned service allows one-way drops or ETC card rental.

Bypassing central Tokyo expressways for Chichibu, Nikko, Ikaho and Karuizawa, plus winter tyre rules

Driving out of central Tokyo on a weekend morning routinely adds 40–60+ minutes of stop-and-go queuing on the Shuto Expressway Ikebukuro (Route 5) or Kawaguchi (Route S1) lines and Bijogi Junction. Taking a 20–25 minute Shinkansen from Tokyo or Ueno (or a ~30–33 minute Shonan-Shinjuku / Saikyo Line train from Shinjuku) to Omiya puts you straight onto northern Kanto's expressways:

• Chichibu and Nagatoro (~75–90 minutes west): follow Route 17 / Route 16 to Kawagoe IC on the E17 Kan-Etsu Expressway, exit at Hanazono IC and take Route 140 into Nagatoro Gorge (~75–85 min) and Chichibu (~90 min; see also the Nagatoro itinerary in three day drives from Tokyo in Kanto). Mountain roads climbing to Mitsumine Shrine (~1,100 m) and Karisaka Tunnel freeze from late November through early April.
• Nikko and Nasu (~90–120 minutes north): from the East Exit side, join the E4 Tohoku Expressway at Iwatsuki IC via Route 16 to reach Nikko Toshogu and the foot of Irohazaka in ~90–105 minutes (via the Nikko-Utsunomiya Road) or Nasu IC in ~105–120 minutes. Irohazaka, Lake Chuzenji (1,269 m), Oku-Nikko and Nasu Yumoto carry snow and ice from mid-November to mid-April, and Route 120 over Konsei Pass closes for winter from noon on 25 December until late April.
• Haruna and Ikaho, Karuizawa and Shiga Kogen and Kusatsu (~80–150 minutes north-west): via the Kan-Etsu and Joshin-Etsu Expressways, Ikaho Onsen is ~80–95 minutes away, Karuizawa ~105–120 minutes, and Kusatsu Onsen ~130–150 minutes. High passes such as the Shiga-Kusatsu Road (Route 292 over Shibu Pass) close from mid-November to late April — check the 2026–2027 winter road closures calendar.
• Every company at Omiya charges extra for winter studless snow tyres: unlike Nagano or northern Tohoku Shinkansen hubs, zero Omiya branches fit winter tyres by default. Always add winter tyres when booking a winter mountain trip:
  • Eki Rent-a-Car Omiya Station (JR East Rent-A-Lease Area A): ¥1,100 per 24 hours, capped at ¥5,500 per rental (subject to stock) — the lowest multi-day snow-tyre surcharge among major brands at Omiya.
  • All four Toyota branches: Saitama is outside Toyota's 2026–2027 standard winter-tyre region list; reserve paid studless options at ¥2,200 per 24 hours (passenger/van classes) or ¥3,300 per 24 hours (wagons/SUVs).
  • Orix Omiya Station West Exit: select a vehicle carrying the studless label on the vehicle-selection screen when booking (¥2,640+ per 24 hours, capped at 15 days; snow tyres cannot be added after booking).
  • Nippon (both branches), Nissan and Guts: reserve paid winter-tyre options in advance (Nippon does not rent snow chains nationwide; check stock by phone at Guts).

One-way drops to Takasaki, Utsunomiya and Tokyo, ETC cards and return cutoffs

Omiya works smoothly for open-jaw rail-and-road loops — for example driving through Ikaho, Kusatsu or Karuizawa to drop off at Takasaki Station, touring Nikko and Nasu before catching the Tohoku Shinkansen at Utsunomiya Station, or returning into central Tokyo Station. Compare one-way rental fees alongside Omiya's branch-level rules:

• Eight branches support both outgoing and incoming one-way rentals: all four Toyota branches (no one-way service on 1 Jan at the two West Exit branches, while the two East Exit branches close on 1 Jan; East Exit excludes 1-number trucks), Nippon Omiya Station West Exit (excludes microbuses and 3t+ trucks), Orix Omiya Station West Exit (nationwide except Hokkaido, Okinawa and outlying islands; excludes its 24h unmanned counter), Nissan Omiya Station East Exit (excludes Self Ride Go), and Eki Rent-a-Car Omiya Station (some plans/vehicles excluded).
• Directional and no-one-way branches: Nippon Omiya East Exit Ekimae (Omiya Kadomachi) allows outgoing one-way drops, yet prohibits incoming one-way returns rented at other branches — select Nippon Omiya Station West Exit if returning a one-way car to Omiya. Guts Omiya Station West Exit prohibits one-way rentals completely.
• ETC card rental: for tolls on the Shuto Saitama-Omiya Route, Kan-Etsu, Tohoku and Ken-O Expressways, eight branches across four companies — all four Toyota branches (¥550 per rental by phone), both Nippon branches (¥330 up to 7 days by phone after booking), Orix and Nissan — offer ETC card rental. Eki Rent-a-Car fits ETC on-board units as standard (bring your own card), whereas Guts treats the ETC unit itself as a paid option and does not rent ETC cards.
• Evening return cutoffs, New Year hours and MAPCODEs: evening congestion builds up along Route 17 (Shin-Omiya Bypass) and Old Nakasendo around the station, so leave extra margin for full-tank refuelling before 19:00 at Guts, 20:00 at seven branches, 20:30 at Toyota Omiya West Exit Ekimae, or 21:00 at Nippon Omiya Station West Exit. Over New Year, Toyota's two East Exit branches close on 1 Jan, Nippon East Exit closes on 31 Dec 2026–3 Jan 2027 (West Exit remains open 07:00–21:00), and Orix shortens hours to 09:00–18:00 on 30 Dec–3 Jan, whereas Toyota's two West Exit branches (08:00–20:00), Nippon West Exit (07:00–21:00) and Eki Rent-a-Car (08:00–20:00) stay open on New Year's Day. Published return MAPCODEs are 3510810\*53 (Toyota JR West Exit), 5869313\*34 (Toyota West Exit Ekimae), 3510772\*13 (Toyota East Exit), 3540853\*72 (Toyota East Exit Daieibashi), 3 540 034\*85 (Nippon West Exit) and 3540469\*20 (Nippon East Exit B2F car park).

Frequently asked questions

Is Times Car Omiya Ekimae open, and are One's or Nico Nico within walking distance?

Times Car Omiya Ekimae ended counter rentals on 1 October 2021 and now operates solely as a car-share station for Times Car members. One's Rent a Car Omiya relocated from Onaricho to 1-228 Sengencho (inside an ENEOS station, 15–20 minutes on foot or a bus ride from the East Exit with no station shuttle and no winter tyres). Nico Nico Rent a Car (12 branches across Saitama City), Carsta Rent a Car (Kita-Yono and Nisshin branches) and Guts Omiya Station East Exit (~1.5 km east in Amanumacho) also sit outside walking distance with no Omiya Station shuttle, so stick to the 10 branches compared above.

Can I rent on an International Driving Permit?

Yes at five companies (nine branches) — Toyota (4 branches), Nippon (2 branches), Orix, Nissan and Eki Rent-a-Car — with a booklet-type 1949 Geneva Convention IDP and your physical passport (or a licence from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan accompanied by an official Japanese translation and physical passport). Guts Omiya Station West Exit requires a Japanese driving licence.

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 and ¥20,790 at Nissan (Guts requires a Japanese licence and prices compact C-1 at ¥4,070 for 24 hours plus ¥1,100/day CDW on 24h/weekly/monthly tiers). On a foreign licence, Toyota's C1 base rate starts at ¥10,340 for the first 24 hours before cover, and winter mountain drives add paid snow-tyre option fees across all companies. Compare cover and company terms in rental car CDW and NOC in Japan and Japanese rental car rules compared.

Guides to read before booking

• Chichibu Driving Guide: Nagatoro, Mitsumine Shrine and Chichibu Muse Park Route with Map
• Nikko Driving Guide: Irohazaka, Lake Chuzenji and Oku-Nikko Route with Map
• Nasu driving guide: Nasu Kogen, Mount Chausu and Shiobara
• Haruna and Ikaho driving guide: stone steps, Lake Haruna and Haruna Shrine
• Karuizawa Driving Guide: Kyu-Karuizawa, Shiraito Falls and Onioshidashi Route with Map
• Shiga Kogen and Kusatsu Driving Guide: Shibu Pass, Shiga-Kusatsu Road and Yubatake Route with Map
• Three Day Drives from Tokyo in Kanto: Miura, Kisarazu and Nagatoro by Purpose
• Japan Winter Road Closures 2026–27: Mountain Road Closing and Reopening Dates
• Takasaki Station Car Rental: 9 Companies and 15 Branches Compared
• Utsunomiya Station Car Rental: 8 Companies and 13 Branches Compared
• Tokyo Station Car Rental: 6 Branches Compared
• One-Way Car Rental in Japan: Availability and Fees by Distance at Nine Companies
• ETC Cards for Rental Cars in Japan: Fees, Booking and Toll Payments
• Rental Car CDW and NOC in Japan: Fees and Cover at Nine Companies
• Refuelling a Rental Car in Japan: Full-Tank Returns and Nine Companies’ Rules
• Japanese Rental Car Rules Compared: Payment, Extensions, Smoking, Pets and One-Way at Nine Companies
• Driving in Japan on a Foreign License: IDP or Translation