If you have been to Japan several times and been to most of the major big cities, then perhaps it is time for you to consider to rent a car in the airport and drive to explore Japan countryside.
Why you should explore Japan countryside?
- Things are relatively cheap compare to city
- Hotel or Ryokan has bigger space and cheaper fees
- Countryside hotel usually has nice onsen facilities indoor and outdoor to attract people from the cities to stay over.
- The people in the countryside are very friendly and you could get to see real Japan
- Driving in the countryside is still pretty easy and less traffic.
Things you need to know when renting a car to drive in Japan
- Book a rental car online
- Decide what kind of car, petrol or hybrid car. Hybrid car use less petrol but the car rental fee is higher
- Cars in Japan have the steering wheel on the right and drive on the left side of the road, similar to Singapore
- Cars usually come with GPS, set the phone number in the GPS for your destination. Check the phone number for your destination before your departure. Most sites has a phone number. Please also set your google map on your phone to double check
- After you set your destination in the GPS, there is a list of choice for you to choose, about 4 to 5 choices, list from fastest route, toll charge route, and others combination. You can look at the duration it will arrive and how much does it cost. For example, when I travel from Yamagata to Tokyo, the toll charge cost about 9000yen about 4.5 hours. But there is also other options without toll charge that need 9 hours to arrive Tokyo.
- Parking in Japan, in attraction sites there are lot of coin parking and in cities area there are also elevator car park.
- You do need a International driving permit and your driving license to rent a car in Japan.
- Petrol station has self service or human interaction. You can choose english menu to pump the petrol. For cash, you need to key in the amount that you want to fill in, if the petrol is full and you still have the changes, please get the receipt to the ther machine which usually sit in other location. Use the barcode in the receipt to scan and the money changes machine will return you your changes.
- When you take your rental car, ask for ETC card to be inserted into your car so that you don’t have to prepare cash everytime you pass through the toll road. It is post paid, the toll charges will get itemized how much you have used upon returning the rental car.
- Do remember to fill in full petrol when returning car
