Driving in Japan - Rent a Car

[dongotskills]

Hi mga lodi.

My family and I will be having a vacation in Tokyo in November. (Sana wala nang COVID)

We plan to rent a Toyota Alphard for the entire trip. I will be the one driving. (Will apply for Intl License before going to JP)

Any tips on how to drive in Japan, especially in Tokyo? Also, it will be my first time driving in a Right-Hand Drive vehicle.

Thanks.

[jut703]

Where do you plan to drive?

If within Tokyo, the parking fees make it more expensive to drive than taking the train. The advantage is that you don't walk as much, but then again you could just take a cab.

If you're going out of Tokyo (i.e Yokohama or Hakone), just be prepared to pay exorbitant toll fees.

It takes about an hour of driving to get used to right-hand drive. Driving in Japan is generally stress-free as traffic isn't as bad as Manila's and people are more compliant to road rules.

Have tried driving in Japan and it's a fun experience driving a 90s legend in its hometown on a true touge. Not sure if it's as fun driving a minivan in the city.





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[dongotskills]

Where do you plan to drive?

If within Tokyo, the parking fees make it more expensive to drive than taking the train. The advantage is that you don't walk as much, but then again you could just take a cab.

If you're going out of Tokyo (i.e Yokohama or Hakone), just be prepared to pay exorbitant toll fees.

It takes about an hour of driving to get used to right-hand drive. Driving in Japan is generally stress-free as traffic isn't as bad as Manila's and people are more compliant to road rules.

Have tried driving in Japan and it's a fun experience driving a 90s legend in its hometown on a true touge. Not sure if it's as fun driving a minivan in the city.





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Nice ride in Japan sir! Yes, was planning to get the GTR but I am with my parents who are now senior citizens. So they need space from a minivan.

Yes, I've read that parking are expensive in Japan, since I'm with my senior citizen parents, walking would be a problem and going up and down on stairs going to train stations would also be a problem. Our itinerary is just Mt. Fuji viewing in Fujiyoshida and shopping in mainland Tokyo.

I'm just worried about driving in a Right Hand Drive vehicle.

Thanks for the advise sir.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Bigger cars might have a problem with parking in commercial areas. I think the parking slots get smaller the bigger the city is. It's more spacious out in the "province." I loved it up north in Aomori where it isn't crowded. Still, the majority of Japanese motorists drive sub-subcompacts. My rentals (1996 Subaru Impreza, and 2007 Nissan Cube) were fairly small. But, they were still considered big. A minivan would be gigantic.

The speed limits are also quite low. Far too low for my tastes.

Chances are, Tokyo won't have snow in November. But, the places up north might.

[dongotskills]

Bigger cars might have a problem with parking in commercial areas. I think the parking slots get smaller the bigger the city is. It's more spacious out in the "province." I loved it up north in Aomori where it isn't crowded. Still, the majority of Japanese motorists drive sub-subcompacts. My rentals (1996 Subaru Impreza, and 2007 Nissan Cube) were fairly small. But, they were still considered big. A minivan would be gigantic.

The speed limits are also quite low. Far too low for my tastes.

Chances are, Tokyo won't have snow in November. But, the places up north might.

Yes, I watched some videos/vlog in Youtube about driving in Japan. They said that speed limits are widely observed in entire Japan. As far as I remember, 80kph speed limit for the expressway. My parents really wanted the minivan since we are a group of 5 for 7 days, so we need some space for the luggage.

Does Waze or Google Maps work perfectly in Japan? I really don't want to rely on the in-car navigation that came with the car since it may be outdated. Also, is it hard to read the road signs in Japan? That is the one I'm worried

[jut703]

Yes, I watched some videos/vlog in Youtube about driving in Japan. They said that speed limits are widely observed in entire Japan. As far as I remember, 80kph speed limit for the expressway. My parents really wanted the minivan since we are a group of 5 for 7 days, so we need some space for the luggage.

Does Waze or Google Maps work perfectly in Japan? I really don't want to rely on the in-car navigation that came with the car since it may be outdated. Also, is it hard to read the road signs in Japan? That is the one I'm worried

Parang maraming hindi sumusunod sa speed limits lol. Highway speed limit was 100, I was following it, then dami nagoovertake. Eventually I followed suit. At one point, was chasing an M5 on the expressway to Hakone, sagad na 180 yung speedometer so I dont know what speed we were doing probably 200+.

Used Google Maps while I was there. Most signs have English naman. One thing to watch out though is if you're driving in Tokyo, there are parts where you'll be inside tunnels na multi direction (think Ayala Underpass pero maraming liko) so you'll lose GPS signal so you better know where you're going.

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[dongotskills]

Parang maraming hindi sumusunod sa speed limits lol. Highway speed limit was 100, I was following it, then dami nagoovertake. Eventually I followed suit. At one point, was chasing an M5 on the expressway to Hakone, sagad na 180 yung speedometer so I dont know what speed we were doing probably 200+.

Used Google Maps while I was there. Most signs have English naman. One thing to watch out though is if you're driving in Tokyo, there are parts where you'll be inside tunnels na multi direction (think Ayala Underpass pero maraming liko) so you'll lose GPS signal so you better know where you're going.

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Thank you sir. 100kph would be the safe speed. Hehe. Thanks sa mga tips sir.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Does Waze or Google Maps work perfectly in Japan? I really don't want to rely on the in-car navigation that came with the car since it may be outdated. Also, is it hard to read the road signs in Japan? That is the one I'm worried

I haven't been to Japan recently. The Nissan Cube I rented (back in 2008) had a built-in GPS/navigation system. It had a female Japanese voice that drove me nuts because I couldn't understand what it was saying. It may have had an English language setting. But, all the printed manuals were in Japanese.

Both of my visits were at the Aomori-Lake Towada-Misawa-Hachinohe area. Some signs have English. But, I still got lost a number of times. That's how I found Lake Towada. I arrived there completely by accident. He He.

Oh. Be very careful about not mistaking diesel for gasoline. I made that mistake. Pretty expensive mistake.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Also. Learning right-hand drive is easy. The problem is when you get back home and have to readjust to left-hand drive. I had a harder time with the latter because in addition to the driving position, I had to readjust to much faster (and reckless) traffic.

[victorevolution]

Hi mga lodi.

My family and I will be having a vacation in Tokyo in November. (Sana wala nang COVID)

We plan to rent a Toyota Alphard for the entire trip. I will be the one driving. (Will apply for Intl License before going to JP)

Any tips on how to drive in Japan, especially in Tokyo? Also, it will be my first time driving in a Right-Hand Drive vehicle.

Thanks.

As far as I know, the japan does not honor any international driver's license.

japan has the strictest driving exams in the world, they are super strict.

for you to drive in japan you need to be a resident and most of all pass the japanese driver's license exams.

as for the speed limit- they'll send the bill to your home.

[c_cube]

As far as I know, the japan does not honor any international driver's license.

japan has the strictest driving exams in the world, they are super strict.

for you to drive in japan you need to be a resident and most of all pass the japanese driver's license exams.

as for the speed limit- they'll send the bill to your home.

Rented a car when I visited sapporo lazt yr. They accepted the int'l license issued by AAP

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[victorevolution]

Rented a car when I visited sapporo lazt yr. They accepted the int'l license issued by AAP

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that's good. i might be wrong.

[jut703]

As far as I know, the japan does not honor any international driver's license.

japan has the strictest driving exams in the world, they are super strict.

for you to drive in japan you need to be a resident and most of all pass the japanese driver's license exams.

as for the speed limit- they'll send the bill to your home.

Was able to drive in Japan recently. See above posts.

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[Jun aka Pekto]

As far as I know, the japan does not honor any international driver's license.

japan has the strictest driving exams in the world, they are super strict.

for you to drive in japan you need to be a resident and most of all pass the japanese driver's license exams.

as for the speed limit- they'll send the bill to your home.

The rental company I used honored my green (US) International driver's license (together with my passport and US driver's license) when I was there.

I'm not sure if it has any bearing. But, the rental company I used was at Misawa and it has many US servicemen as clients, both for rentals and car sales.

[dongotskills]

The rental company I used honored my green (US) International driver's license (together with my passport and US driver's license) when I was there.

I'm not sure if it has any bearing. But, the rental company I used was at Misawa and it has many US servicemen as clients, both for rentals and car sales.

Sir what rental company do you recommend in Japan?

[Jun aka Pekto]

Sir what rental company do you recommend in Japan?

I'm not sure about a specific company. But, they should be similar enough. There are the nationwide/international car rentals. There are also the mom and mop shops that both sell used cars and rent cars. I went with the latter.

With a group like yours, you're probably better off with a well-known nationwide company.