Self-driving in Japan - advice?
#121
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,009
I wrote "I decline CDW" next to my signature on the Toyota contract, as per instructions provided by Visa and AMEX insurance providers.
Corolla can be a P1 (1.3L) or P3 (1.5L) on their current line up.
P1: 7020 first day, 5940 thereafter
P3: 9720 first day, 8100 thereafter
Corolla can be a P1 (1.3L) or P3 (1.5L) on their current line up.
P1: 7020 first day, 5940 thereafter
P3: 9720 first day, 8100 thereafter
#122
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hyatt Place, Del Taco
Posts: 5,412
i just had a good uneventful experience renting from them. They were professional and offered a good fleet of new cars.
#125
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,009
Rental car brokers with English websites:
tabirai
tocoo (most expensive but still cheaper than renting direct)
For Hokkaido: shiretoko-t.com
Japanese language sites would be the cheapest. Also Japanese version of the English site is often cheaper.
tabirai
tocoo (most expensive but still cheaper than renting direct)
For Hokkaido: shiretoko-t.com
Japanese language sites would be the cheapest. Also Japanese version of the English site is often cheaper.
#127
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,009
I suppose, if you book with Toyota Japan directly, by phone. I dealt with them often after booking online, via Skype. The staff speak fluent English.
I use Toyota Japanese language booking site and Hertz discount can be specified there.
I use Toyota Japanese language booking site and Hertz discount can be specified there.
#128
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,411
When I try booking via the Japanese website of Time car rental (via Google Translator), the search engine on their website is disabled. Price seems to be considerably lower. The Time car rental states 44,000 JPY, while the JP Time car rent should be ~10k lower.
What would you do? I could pick an aggregator website. rentalcars dot com states the lower price as well but having never used it, I have several reservations of using that website. The reviews clearly aren't that good.
Edit: Nevermind. After rentalcars failed to confirm the booking, I cancelled and rebooked directly with Times for slightly more (but having more peace of mind in return).
What would you do? I could pick an aggregator website. rentalcars dot com states the lower price as well but having never used it, I have several reservations of using that website. The reviews clearly aren't that good.
Edit: Nevermind. After rentalcars failed to confirm the booking, I cancelled and rebooked directly with Times for slightly more (but having more peace of mind in return).
Last edited by WorldLux; Mar 13, 2017 at 8:46 am
#129
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Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,455
I'm just beginning to plan a trip to Japan with my wife and daughter. I'm think of spending a few days checking out small Japanese towns like Shirakawa-go and Takayama. I'll be in Kyoto and need to eventually wind up in Tokyo. Would a car rental make sense for this type of touring? I've driven once in Japan, about a decade ago, in the Kagoshima/Miyazaki area. I remember some things being a bit confusing (I had help at the rent-a-car office, where little English was spoken), but overall the experience was enjoyable. I would think modern GPS would now make the driving significantly easier for Westerners in Japan.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
#130
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
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Posts: 42,335
I'm just beginning to plan a trip to Japan with my wife and daughter. I'm think of spending a few days checking out small Japanese towns like Shirakawa-go and Takayama. I'll be in Kyoto and need to eventually wind up in Tokyo. Would a car rental make sense for this type of touring? I've driven once in Japan, about a decade ago, in the Kagoshima/Miyazaki area. I remember some things being a bit confusing (I had help at the rent-a-car office, where little English was spoken), but overall the experience was enjoyable. I would think modern GPS would now make the driving significantly easier for Westerners in Japan.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
For just meandering around and checking out small, out of the way places, a rental car is an excellent choice and offers complete flexibility - make sure you get the English GPS (and don't fiddle with buttons and accidentally switch it back to Japanese), and the toll pass card. The tolls will probably cost as much as the rental car, so be prepared for that, and gas is not cheap either.
Also, the self serve parking lots need a little practice to figure out.
#131
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Hyatt Place, Del Taco
Posts: 5,412
I'm just beginning to plan a trip to Japan with my wife and daughter. I'm think of spending a few days checking out small Japanese towns like Shirakawa-go and Takayama. I'll be in Kyoto and need to eventually wind up in Tokyo. Would a car rental make sense for this type of touring? I've driven once in Japan, about a decade ago, in the Kagoshima/Miyazaki area. I remember some things being a bit confusing (I had help at the rent-a-car office, where little English was spoken), but overall the experience was enjoyable. I would think modern GPS would now make the driving significantly easier for Westerners in Japan.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
The alternatives would be to go by train (but it seems like the trains are a pretty bad deal cost-wise these days) or bus. What do you guys think? Thanks.
If it were me, I would consider just renting a car in Takayama or somewhere nearby for a few days for checking out the nearby rural areas where roads are simple and public transport is not convenient. Use the car to go to Shirakawa-go, Jpn Alps, nearby hot springs, etc. That way, you also wouldn't have to pay the one-way rental fee which can be substantial in Jpn.
#132
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,009
You should not expect English speaking agents at any car rental locations.
One time in Okinawa the Japanese agent at a Sky Rent spoke excellent Mandarin. Otherwise I have not seen any non-Japanese agents at any rental company. Typically the Chinese and SE Asian service/retail workers speak good English but I guess they don't qualify to work for rental companies.
Lately the in-car GPS are offering multi-lingual interfaces, although functionality in English is likely to be crippled, for example no POI search for nearby gas stations.
Generally it's not a great idea to drive within large cities. I have rented at centre-of-town locations in smaller cities (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Sapporo..) and these are easier to handle. I certainly would not consider Osaka or Tokyo.
Even Nagoya was a bit hectic for my liking. Picked up car at Nagoya Station and did a loop to Takayama/Shirakawago/Kanazawa and back.
One time in Okinawa the Japanese agent at a Sky Rent spoke excellent Mandarin. Otherwise I have not seen any non-Japanese agents at any rental company. Typically the Chinese and SE Asian service/retail workers speak good English but I guess they don't qualify to work for rental companies.
Lately the in-car GPS are offering multi-lingual interfaces, although functionality in English is likely to be crippled, for example no POI search for nearby gas stations.
Generally it's not a great idea to drive within large cities. I have rented at centre-of-town locations in smaller cities (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Sapporo..) and these are easier to handle. I certainly would not consider Osaka or Tokyo.
Even Nagoya was a bit hectic for my liking. Picked up car at Nagoya Station and did a loop to Takayama/Shirakawago/Kanazawa and back.
#133
Join Date: Sep 2015
Programs: LH SEN; BA Gold
Posts: 8,411
But is driving in Tokyo seriously so difficult? Sure the layout of the roads is complex to foreigners. Parking is a nightmare too, but the traffic didn't strike me as that chaotic. The rest of Asia is certainly much more chaotic when it comes to traffic.
I'd even go as far as saying that traffic in many parts of Europe is more hectic than Japan.
#134
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: LAX/TPE
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You should not expect English speaking agents at any car rental locations.
One time in Okinawa the Japanese agent at a Sky Rent spoke excellent Mandarin. Otherwise I have not seen any non-Japanese agents at any rental company. Typically the Chinese and SE Asian service/retail workers speak good English but I guess they don't qualify to work for rental companies.
Lately the in-car GPS are offering multi-lingual interfaces, although functionality in English is likely to be crippled, for example no POI search for nearby gas stations.
Generally it's not a great idea to drive within large cities. I have rented at centre-of-town locations in smaller cities (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Sapporo..) and these are easier to handle. I certainly would not consider Osaka or Tokyo.
Even Nagoya was a bit hectic for my liking. Picked up car at Nagoya Station and did a loop to Takayama/Shirakawago/Kanazawa and back.
One time in Okinawa the Japanese agent at a Sky Rent spoke excellent Mandarin. Otherwise I have not seen any non-Japanese agents at any rental company. Typically the Chinese and SE Asian service/retail workers speak good English but I guess they don't qualify to work for rental companies.
Lately the in-car GPS are offering multi-lingual interfaces, although functionality in English is likely to be crippled, for example no POI search for nearby gas stations.
Generally it's not a great idea to drive within large cities. I have rented at centre-of-town locations in smaller cities (Fukuoka, Kagoshima, Nagoya, Sapporo..) and these are easier to handle. I certainly would not consider Osaka or Tokyo.
Even Nagoya was a bit hectic for my liking. Picked up car at Nagoya Station and did a loop to Takayama/Shirakawago/Kanazawa and back.
The GPS units I had from Toyota were fully functional in English and had a variety of search options. I'm a US driver and my only experience with right-hand drive is in Japan, but I had no problems driving in Tokyo and Osaka, albeit outside rush hour - it's not so much the traffic that's vexing, but the every-500-feet-of-tolls that got on my nerves. After the first rental, we made sure to get the toll pass card for the next one.
#135
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: YYZ
Programs: AMEX AC CX UA AA DL
Posts: 3,009
Certainly it's not more difficult than Paris or Hong Kong. But there is no point driving in Tokyo for me. The alternative (public transit) is so much better.