Renting a car in Japan: where a road trip is worth it

Yes, a tourist can drive in Japan, but never on the national license alone: depending on the country that issued it, you need either a 1949 Geneva-format International Driving Permit or an official Japanese translation. Once you have that document, the car changes everything in Hokkaidō, the San’in, Shikoku and Kyūshū, where trains are rare or non-existent. In Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, it is useless and expensive.

Our two complete Japan routes cover about 8,650 km (5,350 mi) for the northern half and 8,300 km for the western half. But those kilometers are very unevenly spread, and that is precisely what answers the question.

Driving in Japan: the license is sorted before you leave, not at the counter

This is the point that costs people whole trips. The document depends on the country that issued your license. With a US, UK, Irish, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand license, among others, you need an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva Convention format, obtained in your own country before you leave (in the United States, from the AAA). With a French, Belgian, Swiss, German or Monégasque license, Japan does not recognize the International Driving Permit: you must present your license with its official Japanese translation, issued by the JAF, the Japanese automobile club, or by another approved body, and valid for one year. The JAF only handles applications submitted from within Japan: have it done before you leave through someone on the spot or an agency.

Watch out: Without the right document, no agency will hand over the car. And the check is not a formality: at the counter, the document is checked line by line. Allow plenty of time for the pick-up.

The rules on license recognition can change: check them with the Japanese embassy in your country before you leave.

Road trip in Japan: car or public transport, region by region

The table shows, for each major region, whether the car is useful and why, with the exceptions that matter.

Region	Car?	Why
Hokkaidō	Essential	The island cannot be done by train; allow about 2,150 km (1,350 mi) for a two-week loop
Tōhoku	Yes	Seasonal mountain roads, closed at night or in winter
Nikkō, the Alps and Hokuriku	Yes, with two breaks	Kamikōchi and the Alpine Route are closed to cars; Kanazawa is seen on foot and by bus
Nagoya, Fuji and Hakone	Yes, outside the cities	A handicap in Nagoya, Kamakura and Yokohama, where parking is expensive and scarce
Tokyo and the Kantō	Up to the edge of Tokyo	Then metro and trains with a Suica or Pasmo card
Kyoto	No, except for outings	Useful for Uji, Kurama, Ōhara and Takao, which are poorly served
Western Kansai	Outside Osaka	Osaka is done without a car; it is useful for Kobe, Kōya, Kumano and Lake Biwa
Nara and Yoshino	For the surroundings	Useless in central Nara, essential for Asuka and the Murō-ji
San’in and Setouchi	Essential	Local trains are very infrequent; in Hiroshima, the tram does everything
Shikoku	Essential	Trains are rare and slow, the Iya valley is not served
Kyūshū	Yes	Long distances between sites, ferries that carry the vehicle
Yakushima and Okinawa	Yes, one per island	Cars limited in number, quickly sold out in high season

The reading is simple: rural Japan is driven, big-city Japan is done by metro. In the north, Hokkaidō, Tōhoku and the Alps account for most of the driving, and Tokyo is done almost without a car. In the west, Kyūshū, the San’in and Shikoku take two thirds of the driving, while Kyoto, Osaka and Nara are done by bus, by metro and on foot.

Where to road trip in Japan: Hokkaidō, San’in, Shikoku, Kyūshū

In Hokkaidō, the question does not even arise. Nothing serves Shiretoko, the eastern lakes or the Biei hills at a manageable pace. Allow about 150 km (93 mi) a day on average over a two-week loop, with three days of around four hours at the wheel. Our 14-day route from Sapporo to Hakodate follows this loop by car, and the question of duration is covered in how many days do you need for Hokkaidō?.

On the San’in coast and in Shikoku, the logic is the same: the least populated region of Honshū, with very infrequent local trains, then an island where the Iya valley is not served. Our 14-day San’in and Shikoku route involves about 1,750 km of driving, with two days of three hours on the road. We also cover it in the San’in coast and Shikoku: Japan without the crowds.

In Kyūshū, the car links Nagasaki, Aso, Beppu, Takachiho and Kagoshima, with two ferry crossings that carry the vehicle, at Shimabara and Sakurajima. Our Kyūshū stage organizes the island around this tour by car.

Car rental in Japan: the pitfalls our travel books flag

Beyond the license, several rules catch people out. Here are the ones our travel books spell out in black and white.

• One-way fees. Returning the car to a different branch from the one you started at costs extra, sometimes a lot. If you arrive in Tokyo by road, the most sensible option is often to return the car on the edge of the city rather than keep it, but compare the rate with the rental company first.
• The ferry, which the contract often forbids. For Rishiri, the travel book points out that the rental contract often forbids taking the car on board: you leave it in the parking lot at the Wakkanai terminal and rent on the island. In Kyūshū, the Shimabara and Sakurajima crossings carry the vehicle, but several Japanese rental companies exclude it or require prior notice. For Naoshima and Teshima, leave the car in Takamatsu.
• Valleys closed to cars. Kamikōchi is closed to private cars all year round: park at Sawando or Hirayu, then take the shuttle bus. The Tateyama-Kurobe Alpine Route is not open to private vehicles: you have to return the car on one side and pick it up again on the other, or book the car forwarding service offered by some agencies. On Yakushima, the Arakawa access road is closed to private vehicles from March 1 to November 30.
• The Iya roads. In the upper Iya valley, in Shikoku, a single lane for kilometers, ravines with no guardrail and no mobile signal. The travel book says to drive in daylight, sound your horn on blind bends and allow twice the time announced by the GPS.
• Gas stations that close early. In eastern Hokkaidō, the San’in, the Chūgoku mountains and the Kii peninsula, they are scarce and close early. Fill up every morning.
• Deer. In Hokkaidō, deer and foxes cross at dawn and dusk, and collisions are frequent.
• Tolls. Along with gas, this is the item that surprises people most: Japanese highways are expensive, and the Great Seto Bridge is among the most expensive tolls in the country. Hokkaidō and Tōhoku are mostly covered on national roads.
• Parking. At the time of writing, in September 2026, hotel parking ranges from free to about ¥1,600 a night in the cities, sometimes with limited spaces and no booking possible. In the cities, some hotels have no parking lot of their own and send you to a paying public parking lot. In Tokyo, do not count on free parking. Check again with the hotel before arriving by car.

Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka: where it is useless

In Tokyo, the travel book is unequivocal: the car is expensive and useless. A Suica or Pasmo card covers the metro, JR trains and buses. We have broken the city down in how many days in Tokyo.

In Kyoto, narrow streets, scarce and expensive parking: the city is done by bus and metro. See how many days in Kyoto.

Tip: The sensible option is to return the car on arriving in Kyoto and rent by the day for Uji, Kurama, Ōhara and Takao.

In Osaka, staying in the Osaka station area is enough to cover the whole city by metro and train, without a car. And to link these three cities, the train remains the best choice: we compare the passes in JR Pass or regional passes.

So, should you rent a car in Japan?

Yes, if your trip goes beyond the big cities: Hokkaidō, the San’in, Shikoku and Kyūshū cannot seriously be done without one. No, if you stay between Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka: you would be paying for parking for a car that sits idle.

The real trap is not driving on the left, it is the paperwork. Get the driving document that matches your license before you leave, read the rental contract for ferries and returns, and plan the car region by region rather than for the whole stay. All our regions are on the Japan page.