Contents
The conditions to drive a vehicle in Japan
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You shall be equal to or older than 18 years old
International Driving License (IDL) by UN is the leagal basis - Valid driver’s license
Valid Driver’s license
- Japanese driver’s license
- International driver’s license
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Driver’s license and its Japanese translation (only Estonia, Taiwan, Monaco, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France)
About driver’s licnese and tis Japanese translation day (National Police Departmnet)
Driver’s license with its Japanese translation
If you have a driver’s lisence issued in either of Estonia, Taiwan, Monaco, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, France, you don’t need to apply for an international driver’s licnese but you need a Japanese translation of your driver’s licnese. Those countries embassies and consulates will translate your driver’s licnese in Japanese.
JAF (Japan Automobile Foundation) will help you translate your driver’s license in Japanese.
Translation fee is 3000 yen per document.
Things you do when booking
What you are asked by a car rental offie
| About yourself | Your name, phone number, visa status, if you have a resident card |
|---|---|
| Date of use and car rental shop | What date you use a car. Which car rental shop you rent a car from |
| Options |
|
| Credit card information | Nominee of credit card, expiry date, credit card company (if you pay by cash, you directly pay charge at a car rental office after booking.) |
Things you do when you visit a car rental office
You must come to a car rental office until the booking time
Things you need to bring
- International driver’s license, or Japanese driver’s license, or driver’s license with Japanese translation
- Credit card (if you want to pay by cash, prepare cash in advance)
- Resident card or passport (documents which identify yourself)
If you don’t have passport or resident card
If you don’t have passport or resident card, bring the following documents, which a car rental shop mostly accept as an identification document.
- Reciept of utility charges, landline charges, NHK charges
- Reciept of social insurance charges
- Recipt of national or regional and municipal tax payment
- Taxiation certificate
- Resident certificate
- Inkan registration certificate
- National health insurance
- Pension book
- Employee ID card with photo
- Student ID card with photo
Things you need to do at a car rental shop
Confirm a contract content and sign on it. Then, you receive a duplicate contract and make a payment
After that, you will inspect outside and inside car condition with staff to check if there are scratches on it.
When you should book a car
If there is a specific car model you want to rent, you should book at least a week before you make a contract. Don’t forget to ask if the car model you want to rent is available in advance.
Manners for a car renter
You have to fill petrol up before returning a car back
When you return a car, you need to fill up petrol before returning. Then, you keep the receipt of refueling, which is needed when you return a car back.
If you return a car without filling up petrol, a car rental office will claim you to pay the amount of petrol you should have fueled by calculating the total length you drove. In this case, the petrol charge claimed by a car rental office is a bit more expensive than that of a petrol station.
Park in reverse
Japanese parking lot is very narrow. Except that you are indicated to park forward, you park a car in reverse.
Car rental rate
Normal model
| 6 hours | 5,000 yen〜7,000 yen |
|---|---|
| 12 hours | 5,000 yen〜7,000 yen |
| 24 hours | 7,000 yen〜10,000 yen |
Luxuary model
| 6 hours | 10,000 yen〜12,000 yen |
|---|---|
| 12 hours | 10,000 yen〜12,000 yen |
| 24 hours | 15,000 yen〜20,000 yen |
What is ETC
ETC stands for Electronic Toll Collection System, which is a system to pass through the toll gate without stopping for payment. Toll charge will be claimed later. To use ETC, you need to have a credit card with an ETC function.
Some car rental shops will lend ETC card and settle toll charge when you return a car back.
Insurance
Car accident insurance is already included in a basic plan. However, depending on the car accident, basic insurance sometimes doesn’t cover it. In that case, you may have to pay compensation additionally around 100,000 yen if you cause a car accident. Don’t miss hearing about compensation when you cause an accident from a person in charge.