Originally Posted by
OliverB
You're right, Robyn... better safe than sorry! I'll look into our coverage and options this week. I intend to get the int'l driving permit next month because as mentioned, we have no choice, we need to rent a car for a week to get from Gunma to Nagano, Gifu, Ishikawa, etc. We're all over the map and in out-of-the-way places so it's the only way to be able to see everything that we want to experience in a feasible way.
A rental for a week might make sense. And may be worth the necessary jumping through hoops. A rental for a day doesn't.
Still - you have to know yourself. My husband is an excellent driver. Although a bit white knuckles on roads like the one that runs along the fjord area coast in Norway - as well as many roads in the mountains in Switzerland (I forgot - we drove through those too). He's kind of afraid of mountain driving on winding roads and heights. I am not such a good driver - but I am an excellent navigator. I think it's nice to have one of each in a car - especially when the driver is doing something new and unfamiliar like driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Which requires a lot of attention.
My husband and I did a whole lot of driving outside the US when we were younger. And - although we rule that out today - we might have done what you're planning 20-30 years ago. Can your wife navigate? Read a map - look out for road signs - listen to the GPS when you're concentrating on the road - find the icons for parking lots - stuff like that? Or will this be a "one man show"? If you're a team working in harmony - ^. If you plan to be a "one man show" - I might reconsider. Robyn