Renting a Car in Japan: What Foreign Visitors Need to Know

Which licence option applies to you?

Check licence eligibility first

Most visitors need an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic before travelling. The IDP must be issued by the national automobile association in your home country and be in the form prescribed by the Convention. It is valid in Japan for up to one year from the date of issue, and only up to one year from the date you land in Japan — whichever is shorter. Holders of licences from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan follow a different procedure and use an official Japanese translation of their home licence instead. The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) and authorised consular services prepare those translations. Confirm your own eligibility with the National Police Agency or the JNTO driving page before you book.

Plan the rental details

Compare transmission type (most rental fleets in Japan are automatic), insurance coverage and deductible, child-seat and ski-rack add-ons, and seasonal equipment such as studless tyres or snow chains. Decide whether you need an ETC card for expressway tolls, or whether a regional expressway pass is available for your route — these are usually issued at the counter on presentation of your passport. Check the navigation language, one-way drop-off fee, fuel policy, and the exact branch opening hours, including any after-hours return box. Keep your reservation number, arrival time, pickup point, and return plan together so the counter can match you quickly.

What to expect at the counter

Bring your passport, your home-country driving licence, and either your IDP or your official Japanese translation — all three are normally checked together. The counter will copy your passport for the licence and insurance records, confirm the insurance deductible and the toll-payment option, and take a deposit on the card on file. If the navigation language does not suit you, ask at this stage whether an English-language map update or a different unit is available. If the branch uses a Japanese-only number for shuttle pickup or after-hours return, save it now, before you leave the airport or station.

Driving essentials in Japan

Japan drives on the left, with the steering wheel on the right. Expressway speed limits are typically 100 km/h for regular cars unless otherwise posted, and the legal blood-alcohol limit is zero. Seatbelts are required for every passenger, and mobile-phone use while driving is restricted. Many rural roads are narrow without shoulders, and you must stop at every railway crossing, even when the gate is raised. If you break down or are involved in an accident, JAF road service (#8139 from a Japanese mobile, or 0570-00-8139 from any phone) provides free over-the-phone interpretation in several languages and dispatches help nationwide.

After-hours return or shuttle pickup

A smaller or off-airport branch may close before your flight, your last train, or your hotel check-in, and may offer an after-hours key box or a Japanese-only pickup number instead of a staffed counter. Read the return instructions before you drive away so you know where the key box is, whether the fuel receipt needs to be left with the key, and how after-hours charges are applied. If a Japanese-only shuttle pickup or return instruction needs to be confirmed, MORISTACK Phone Call Service can place the call for you and report the answer in English.

Keep a phone-call fallback

MORISTACK does not rent cars, take bookings, or arrange rentals. What the phone-call service can do is make and report a single call to an existing Japanese-only branch line for the after-hours return, the shuttle pickup, or a deposit clarification — once you already have the rental booking. If you need a Japanese speaker for one of those details, request the call directly from the guide below.