How Long Does It Take To Drive Across Japan
Driving in Japan: How to Plan a Japan Road Trip
Concluding Updated on November 30, 2021 by Nellie Huang
Planning a route trip in Japan? This guide to driving in Japan volition get yous prepared to hit the road!
There's something special most road trips: the open up road represents liberty and adventure. Alberto and I have always enjoyed exploring on two wheels, and even more so now that nosotros have a daughter. Renting a car makes it then much easier to travel with our trivial one, especially when nosotros want to explore the backcountry in places like Iceland and S Africa.
On our recent ii-week trip to Nippon, we decided to rent a car once once again. We had traveled effectually by bullet train on our first trip to Nihon almost x years ago, so information technology was time to practice a road trip to experience a unlike side of the country!
Many people were surprised to hear we rented a car instead of taking the railroad train to travel effectually Japan. Merely nosotros absolutely loved it and highly recommend it especially if yous're traveling Japan with kids. Here'south a complete guide for those who are thinking of driving in Japan.
Table of Contents
- A Guide to Driving in Japan
- Is Driving in Japan Easy?
- Who Can Drive in Japan?
- Things to Know About Driving in Nippon
- How to Hire a Car in Nihon
- How to Get Insurance for Your Japan Road Trip
- Cost of a Route Trip in Japan
- Price fees in Japan
- ETC Card
- Petrol in Japan
- Parking in Japan
- Renting a Automobile vs Buying the JR Pass
- When to Go on a Japan Route Trip
- Where to Stay on a Japan Road Trip
- Hakone Kowakien Tenyu
- Fujino Kirameki Fujigotemba
- Konji Ryokan
- Where to Consume on a Japan Route Trip
- Our Favorite Restaurants in Japan
- Where to Refuel when Driving in Japan
- Final Tips for Driving in Japan
A Guide to Driving in Japan
Nosotros were glad we chose to hire a auto in Japan, every bit it allowed us to explore Nippon off the beaten path and go deep into the rural parts of Nihon. While the Japanese public transport system is amazing and covers a large area, in that location are still some places (such as the Snow Monkey Park in Jigokudani) that are only attainable by car or foot.
This was our second trip to Nippon — while we wanted to revisit some of the places we dear (Kyoto), we also wanted to explore comfortably and explore some places that aren't necessarily popular with travelers. My favorite spots in Nihon are the villages and mountainous areas that cannot exist easily reached by train, such as Shibu Onsen and Okuhida in the Japanese Alps.
Plus, renting a motorcar makes traveling Japan with kids much easier and more than convenient. Our daughter Kaleya walks everywhere now, but she still tin can't cover long distances, so having a auto is the best solution for u.s. when we travel. Besides, renting a baby seat is surprisingly cheap in Japan (just toll u.s. The states$ten here while it toll $80 in Oman) and information technology was brand new, piece of cake to use and very comfortable for Kaleya.
Is Driving in Japan Easy?
We were surprised by how easy it is to drive in Japan. Roads in Japan are in excellent conditions and easy to navigate. About road signs are in both Japanese and English— though many warning signs like "Danger" are in Japanese. People in Nihon are very well-mannered as you probably know, and that applies to drivers too. Everyone follows traffic rules and often give manner to others.
Mind you, Alberto thinks it's easy to drive in Japan as he has driven in many countries including South Africa, Indonesia, Poland, Oman, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic. And then he's accustomed to driving abroad and getting used to new traffic rules.
We could find our manner easily using Google Maps since we had a mobile WiFi dongle. The rented auto as well had a navigation organisation which we used from time to time to save some data. I t'south actually affordable and convenient to rent a pocket WiFi router from the airdrome.
Nosotros rented our router from GetYourGuide for US$71 that provided us unlimited WiFi for two weeks. It was the cheapest deal nosotros institute online and nosotros were pretty glad we could use the cyberspace to discover restaurants with adept reviews or research on places to go.
Rent a Pocket WiFi Router
Who Can Drive in Japan?
An international driver's license is necessary to rent a car in Nippon. You tin can hands get that in your home country before the trip equally long equally you lot take a driver's license.
In that location are two places where you can obtain an international driver'due south license: the American Automobile Association (AAA) and the National Machine Club (NAC.) If you are offered a license from any other arrangement, it is likely this is a scam. Just complete a few simple steps and pay $15 in order to obtain this license.
You must present your valid driver's license (issued at to the lowest degree 6 months prior), two passport photos and cash, check, or money social club for the full fees, in order to obtain the license. The international license is valid for a period of i year.
Things to Know Virtually Driving in Japan
In Japan, you drive on the left side of the route and the driver's seat and steering wheel are on their right side. The legal minimum age for driving is xviii years. Drinking and driving is strictly prohibited. Road signs and rules follow international standards, and most signs on major roads are in Japanese and English language.
The typical speed limits are 80 to 100 km/h on expressways, 40 km/h in urban areas, 30 km/h in side streets and l to sixty km/h elsewhere.
Route conditions are very good, although side streets in the cities can be rather narrow or fifty-fifty impassable to larger vehicles. Traffic congestion is common within city limits and information technology'south advisable to bulldoze outside of major cities (although we found information technology wasn't as well bad driving around Tokyo).
How to Hire a Car in Japan
Nosotros booked our rental car online fromDiscover Machine Hire and the cheapest deal was from Upkeep. For the entire ii-week trip in Nihon , we paid around U.s.$565 for our two-week rental of a compact Japanese car including the insurance and Usa$ten for the baby seat. Nosotros picked it up and dropped information technology off at Narita Airport.
If you are concerned about not existence able to speak Japanese, don't worry. All the staff at our car rental company spoke English language and their service was amazing. The staff even helped united states put on the child seat, move our luggage onto the motorcar and evidence us how to use the GPS arrangement. They made certain that we were comfortable with driving the car before maxim farewell.
Search for Japan Car Rentals
How to Become Insurance for Your Japan Road Trip
When renting a car, brand sure to get Third Party Liability Insurance (TPL) which covers 3rd political party damage or loss in an accident. Our motorcar rental included Standoff Damage Waiver (CDW) and Personal Accident Insurance (PAI).
I highly recommend getting travel insurance also as it covers COVID-nineteen risks, personal loss, theft, and medical on top of damages that may incur on your camper van or vehicle in Iceland. With the harsh atmospheric condition and farthermost weather, your camper tin hands suffer from damages.
Condom Wing is the nearly popular travel insurance company for COVID19-coverage. I use theirNomad Insurance programme, which covers COVID-xix as any other illness as long every bit it was not contracted before your coverage showtime date. Refer to mytravel insurance guide for more details.
Cost of a Route Trip in Nihon
Renting a auto in Nippon isn't extremely expensive — information technology's the other costs like toll fees and parking that go far pricey. As mentioned, we paid US$565 for the machine rental itself, only other fees added up to make the total amount double of that.
Toll fees in Japan
Tolls are the reason why I wouldn't advise renting a motorcar in Nihon. They are extremely expensive and almost every highway nosotros drove on required toll fees. Avoiding tolls would take a lot longer for usa to go to our destination so nosotros usually used the fastest route and paid the tolls.
I wouldn't recommend driving the machine in major cities equally tolls within the cities fabricated driving more expensive than using the subway. We just used information technology 1 twenty-four hours in Tokyo and totally regretted it.
Here are some examples of toll fees: the i.5-hr drive from Tokyo to Hakone cost 3200 yen and the 4-hour drive from Jigokudani Snowfall Monkeys Park to Tokyo cost around 4500 yen.
Full TOLL FEES: Us$285
ETC Card
Having an ETC card allows you lot to pass the tolls much quicker. Nevertheless, we were told that it is only available to Japan residents. In that location is a one-time 324 Yen ($3.24) rental accuse and and so you settle rest of the toll charges when you return the car.
You lot don't need an ETC menu to pay the tolls. Most tolls tin be paid by greenbacks or credit card. Just await out for the lane that says " 一般 " where you'll exist able to pay by card or cash. We did see i toll berth that didn't take credit card and we unfortunately did not have whatever cash. The officeholder ended up giving us a ticket only we just gave it to our rental company and paid them for it.
Petrol in Nihon
Gas is surprisingly cheap in Nihon. The average cost is 148 yen/liter (The states$1.35/liter). Information technology costs effectually 3200 yen ($29) to fill up upwards our compact car and we pumped 4 times in the two weeks that we drove. It tin can be confusing to pump petrol in Nihon at commencement, but the attendants are ever more than happy to help.
Total Price: United states of america$thirty x iv= $120
Parking in Japan
Parking fees are another killer for those who are driving. It is surprisingly like shooting fish in a barrel to find parking everywhere, even in Tokyo, simply it'south expensive. We were paying around 300-500 yen ($three-5) per hour of parking. Most carparks take a maximum limit of effectually 2000 yen ($18) per night. In contrast to taking the subway (where a day laissez passer costs 900 yen or $8 per person), driving around a city is definitely more than expensive than taking local send. That's why we chose to stay at hotels that offer free parking.
Full Toll OF PARKING: $150
To sum it all up, we spent the following on renting a car:
Car rental: $565
Price fees: $285
Petrol: $120
Parking: $150
GRAND Full: $1120
Renting a Car vs Buying the JR Pass
Many travelers argue between renting a car or buying a Japan Rail Laissez passer and taking the train all over Nippon. So which is a better option for y'all?
This actually depends on how many people you're traveling with and if you have kids (and how sometime they are). For instance, if you are a family unit of four with kids older than 11, information technology volition be cheaper to rent a car than buy four JR passes.
But if you're traveling solo, then it might be better to become a JR Pass for unlimited travel on Nihon Rail transportation (including bullet trains, local trains, buses, monorails and ferries). Getting a JR Pass will definitely save you money, as private trains are super expensive.
The JR pass is free for kids under 6 years old. For kids betwixt 6 and 11, the laissez passer is half-priced.
Here are the adult prices for the JR Laissez passer:
seven days — $267
14 days — $426
21 days — $545
When to Go along a Nippon Route Trip
Bound (March-May) and autumn (September-October) are the most popular months to travel Japan due to the balmy weather and moderate humidity. They're besides the all-time time to drive in Japan as in that location won't be snowfall in the mountains and tourist spots are not too crowded.
We traveled to Japan in late September and all the same found many places quite crowded, particularly Kyoto. During our trip, we experienced mostly warm days of 21-25 deg C (70-77 F), with some rainy days during which the temperature dipped to fifteen deg C (59 F). In the mountainous areas like Takayama and Nagano prefectures, temperatures ranged around x-15 deg C (fifty-59 F), but a calorie-free jacket was enough.
It tin get really hot and extremely humid in summertime (June-August), which is best avoided. Wintertime (December-February) is pretty cold with temperatures dipping to freezing betoken. But Japan has lots of bang-up ski stations and it's a good time to see snowfall monkeys in Nagano.Try to avoid the blood-red bloom season as places can get overcrowded. Each year, the sakura season varies (usually around April).
Bank check out our Nippon itinerary!
Where to Stay on a Japan Route Trip
Renting a car in Nihon gives you the freedom to explore more rural parts of the country and stay in absolutely stunning spots. We're very glad nosotros decided to drive in Japan every bit nosotros would have missed some of our favorite spots and hotels otherwise. Some ryokans and glamping sites are located in the mountains and away from access to public send. We also fabricated certain to find hotels/ryokans that had gratis parking spots to salve money on parking.
Hither are some of the hotels we recommend staying at if you lot're planning a road trip effectually Nihon.
Hakone Kowakien Tenyu
Opened in Apr 2017, this spectacular v-star hot spring resort is a worthwhile destination on its own and is best accessible by machine. Read my detailed review of the all-time ryokan in Hakone. All of its rooms have tatami flooring, open-air rock bath and mount views. Its beautiful garden is dotted with bonsai plants, waterfalls and even a Shinto shrine. The hotel as well has an attached hot jump themed park that'south perfect for kids. Check latest rates here!
Fujino Kirameki Fujigotemba
Possibly the most family friendly hotel nosotros stayed at in Japan, this glamping site has beautifully furnished cabins transformed from cargo containers and huge play areas for families to hang out. Each cabin is equipped with a fire pit, barbecue grill, hammock and fifty-fifty a jacuzzi. Best of all, it has a gorgeous setting loftier up above Gotemba, with Mount Fuji in the backdrop and a thick cypress tree forests surrounding it. Cheque the latest rates.
Konji Ryokan
Located in the Okuhida hot bound village, this traditional ryokan is a mannerly little abode run by an sometime lady and her family. It's actually reasonably priced for such a comfortable and traditional ryokan. Information technology's surrounded by mountains and the views from its open air onsen are spectacular. There are several good restaurants but walking distance from the ryokan. Staying here gave the states the opportunity to experience a typical Japanese small town and likewise go on curt hikes in the mountains. Cheque the latest rates.
Where to Consume on a Japan Road Trip
You lot tin can detect good food everywhere in Nippon — even at highway pitstops or roadside restaurants (pictured). We found that many of the highway pitstops had food halls with several different stalls to cull from. They are normally affordable, with a repast costing around 800-1500 yen per person. In that location'south unremarkably free iced water or tea provided.
There's also no shortage of convenience stores all over Japan, like 7-xi, Family Mart, and Lawson'due south. They all have cheap and delicious yakitori (meat skewers), onigiri (triangular rice buns) and bento sets bachelor.
For more than details on what to eat in Japan, hither is my detailed Japanese food guide with the all-time Japanese dishes to try. If you're a Japanese nutrient lover, yous might like to check out this curated list of Japanese recipes.
Our Favorite Restaurants in Nippon
- Sushi Dai, Tokyo — Located outside the famous Tsukiji Market, this is indisputably one of the all-time places to enjoy sushi in Tokyo. You'll become an affordable sense of taste of the freshest and finest seafood for only a fraction of the price of upmarket sushi restaurants. Simply it's a tiny identify and might not be suitable for those with strollers/babies. Reserve your table here!
- Kisoji, Tokyo — Our Japanese friend brought us to this shabu-shabu (hotpot) restaurant and we had some of the best wagyu beefiness I've had. Y'all tin volume a tatami room and melt the shabu-shabu or sukiyaki yourself. Book a table here.
- Sakura Tei, Tokyo — Nosotros absolutely loved this eatery chain that lets you brand you own okonomiyaki and monjayaki (pan-fried pancake batter). It's cheap and casual, and filled with character. Reserve a tabular array here.
- Tenka Chaya, Kawaguchiko — While driving around the Mount Fuji expanse, we chanced upon this gorgeous roadside teahouse and had an astonishing meal at that place. All of its tables are on tatami floor and the menu is traditional hot broth pot.
- Kaseidon Ichiba, Kanazawa — Within the Omichi market place, you'll find the best spots to try fresh sashimi that the city is famous for. This identify serves crawly salmon roe, oysters, scallops and outstanding sushi. Read reviews here!
- Sakaguchi-Ya, Takayama — Housed in a Samachi traditional building, this eatery serves the famous Hida beefiness in the form of handrolled sushi or beef rice bowl. A little pricey just well worth for the quality food and atmosphere! Volume a table here.
- Hokkyokusei, Kyoto — Correct next to Yasaka Shrine is this cute 'Western' buffet that specialises in omurice (Japanese omelette rice), which is 1 of our favorite Japanese dishes. Kid-friendly and good service. Come across reviews here.
Where to Refuel when Driving in Japan
There's no shortage of gas stations in Japan, regardless of where y'all're driving. Virtually gas pumping kiosks only operate in Japanese language only they are alltotal service, meaning that they have uniformed attendants who will help to make full your motorcar, clean your windscreen, and check your tires. All of the stations nosotros went to accepted foreign credit cards, and yous unremarkably pay straight at the pump without having to go inside the station.
If y'all are driving a rental car, you must return the vehicle with a total tank. Our car rental dealer asked usa to pump at a detail gas station right before returning the vehicle and to bring the receipt from the gas station when returning it.
As of 2019, gasoline is effectually 148 yen a liter.
Final Tips for Driving in Japan
On an ending note, I simply want to remind you that you're in Nippon to have fun! Don't stress out when you come across merely Japanese signs, only follow what the other drivers are doing. People stick to traffic rules and there aren't many aggressive drivers. Don't honk unless information technology's an emergency!
Go on in mind that y'all're there to have fun and explore, and so slow downwards and savor the beautiful land! I promise this guide to driving in Japan has been useful. Feel gratis to leave me whatever questions or comments yous may have below.
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Source: https://www.wildjunket.com/driving-in-japan-all-you-need-to-know/
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