Japan's trains cover the cities, but for volcanic highlands, coastal roads, hot springs and rural shrines you need a car. This guide covers the licence rules (the most common reason visitors can't hire a car), driving on the left, expressway tolls and ETC cards, navigation, parking, the rules and five rural routes. UK drivers will find the left-hand traffic familiar; the tolls, signs and parking systems take more getting used to.
Licence Requirements: The IDP Rule
Japan has strict requirements for foreign drivers, and getting this wrong means you cannot rent a car at all.
Who Can Drive in Japan
- International Driving Permit (IDP): Most foreign visitors need a valid IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. This includes citizens of the USA, Canada, Australia, and most European countries. You must carry your IDP together with your original national licence at all times.
- Important: Japan does not recognise IDPs issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention. If your country only issues those, you cannot drive in Japan on it.
- France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Slovenia, Monaco and Taiwan: Licence holders from these places use their national licence plus an official Japanese translation (from the Japan Automobile Federation, JAF, for a fee) instead of an IDP.
- UK drivers: Need a 1949 Convention IDP alongside their photocard licence. The UK is not on the translation list.
- IDP validity: You can drive on an IDP for up to a year after arriving, as long as the IDP itself (valid one year from issue) hasn't expired.
Get your IDP before you leave home. In the UK, IDPs are sold at PayPoint shops for GBP 5.50 (ask for the 1949 version). In the USA, apply through AAA for USD 20. You cannot obtain an IDP in Japan itself.
Left-Hand Driving: What to Know
Japan drives on the left with the steering wheel on the right, like the UK. If you are coming from a right-hand traffic country, the adjustment typically takes a day or two.
Practical Tips for Adjusting
- Start in a rural area. Do not rent a car in Tokyo. Collect your rental in a smaller city or at an airport and get comfortable before tackling urban traffic.
- The indicator is on the right stalk. If you're used to European cars, you will turn on the wipers when trying to indicate for the first few hours.
- Stay left on wider roads. The right lane is for overtaking only, and Japanese drivers are disciplined about this.
- Roundabouts are rare. Japan uses traffic lights at almost every intersection. When roundabouts do appear, traffic flows clockwise, as in the UK.
- Pedestrians have absolute priority at crossings. Always stop, even if the crossing appears empty.
Expressways, Tolls & the ETC Card
Japan's expressway (kosokudoro) network is excellent but expensive. Tolls are distance-based and add up quickly on long drives.
Toll Costs
- A typical cross-country drive from Tokyo to Kyoto (approximately 470 km via the Tomei and Meishin Expressways) costs around JPY 10,000-12,000 (EUR 60-75) in tolls one-way.
- Tokyo to Osaka is similar at roughly JPY 11,000-13,000.
- The alternative is using free national routes (kokudo), but driving times roughly double.
The ETC Card System
ETC (Electronic Toll Collection) is Japan's automated toll payment system. An ETC card inserted into a dashboard reader lets you pass through toll gates without stopping.
- Rental cars: Most rental companies offer an ETC card for JPY 300-500 per day. Tolls are charged to your credit card at the end of the rental. Always request an ETC card when booking.
- ETC discounts: Late-night and weekend or holiday discounts (typically around 30%) apply on many expressways, mainly outside the big cities. The rules are being revised, so check the current terms.
- Without ETC: You can pay cash at manned toll booths, but queues are longer and you miss out on discounts.
Expressway Passes for Tourists
The Japan Expressway Pass (JEP) offers unlimited expressway travel for a fixed price. Available only to foreign visitors, it can save a lot on long trips. Passes range from 2 to 14 days, with separate passes for regions such as Tohoku, Hokkaido and Kyushu. You add them through your rental company when you book.
The regional passes for Tohoku and Hokkaido are often good value on longer trips, as distances there are big. Compare the pass price against your planned tolls before you buy.
Navigating in Japanese
Road signs in Japan use a combination of Japanese (kanji, hiragana, katakana) and romaji (Latin script). Major expressway signs include English, but local roads may not.
Navigation Solutions
- Rental car GPS: Most rental cars come with a built-in GPS that can be switched to English. Japanese GPS units let you enter a destination by phone number or Mapcode rather than address, which is very useful.
- Google Maps: Works well in Japan, with real-time traffic, toll estimates, and turn-by-turn directions. Download offline maps for rural areas where mobile signal can drop.
- Key kanji to recognise: Learn to recognise a few essential characters: stop sign (red inverted triangle with the character "止まれ"), no entry (進入禁止), and parking (P or 駐車場).
Parking in Japan
Parking in Japanese cities is expensive and needs patience, and the systems are unlike the UK's.
Types of Parking
- Coin parking (コインパーキング): Small automated lots found on almost every block in urban areas. You drive in, a plate rises behind your rear wheels to lock you in, and you pay at a machine when you leave. Rates in central Tokyo can reach JPY 400-600 per 30 minutes.
- Mechanical parking towers: Multi-story automated garages where your car is lifted and stored by a machine. Follow the attendant's instructions carefully.
- Convenience store parking: Many konbini (7-Eleven, Lawson, FamilyMart) have free parking for customers, useful for quick stops in rural areas.
- Hotels: Most hotels outside Tokyo offer free parking. In Tokyo and Osaka, expect to pay JPY 1,500-3,000 per night.
Japan has a unique rule: in most municipalities, you cannot own a car without proving you have a parking space (the "shako shomei" system). For tourists this is irrelevant, but it explains why parking is so tightly managed.
Rural roads worth driving
The best driving in Japan is outside the cities, where traffic is light and many places see few foreign visitors.
Top Driving Routes
- Shimanami Kaido (Honshu to Shikoku): A 60 km chain of tolled bridges connecting islands across the Seto Inland Sea, with citrus groves and quiet temples on the islands.
- Bandai-Azuma Skyline, Fukushima: A volcanic mountain road at 1,600 metres through otherworldly sulphur vents and crater lakes. Open April to November.
- Aso-Kuju National Park, Kyushu: Drive across the caldera of one of the world's largest active volcanoes, about 25 km across.
- Route 334, Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido: Japan's wildest road. Brown bears, deer and foxes are regular sightings along this UNESCO World Heritage coast; stay in the car and never feed them.
- Japan Romantic Road: Our Nagano to Nikko route links mountain towns, onsen and the Iroha-zaka.
- Iroha-zaka, Nikko: Forty-eight hairpin bends (each named after a character in the Japanese alphabet) climbing to Lake Chuzenji. Spectacular during autumn foliage season.
Ready to discover Japan by car? Plan your Japan road trip and explore Osaka as an alternative starting point.
Speed Limits & Rules
- Urban areas: 30-40 km/h
- National routes: 50-60 km/h
- Expressways: 80-100 km/h (some newer sections allow 120 km/h)
- Drink-driving: The legal limit is 0.03% BAC, but treat it as zero: even one drink can put you over. Penalties include up to 5 years in prison and fines up to JPY 1,000,000. Passengers who allow a drunk person to drive also face criminal charges.
- Speed cameras: Fixed cameras (called "orbis") are common on expressways. GPS navigation units flag them in advance.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth renting a car in Japan if I have a Japan Rail Pass?
A rail pass and a rental car serve different purposes. The rail pass is ideal for city-to-city travel (Tokyo to Kyoto, for example), while a rental car is essential for exploring rural areas, small towns, and natural sites that trains do not reach. Many visitors use both: a rail pass for the main route and short car rentals in specific regions like Hokkaido, Shikoku, or the Japanese Alps.
How do I handle a breakdown or accident in Japan?
Call the rental company's 24-hour helpline (noted on your rental agreement). For emergencies, dial 110 for police or 119 for ambulance and fire. Japanese police will attend any accident, no matter how minor, and will complete a report (jiko shomeisho) that you need for insurance. Most rental company helplines have English-speaking staff, and many offer roadside assistance that arrives within 30-60 minutes even in rural areas.
Can I drive from one main island to another?
Partly. Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku are linked by road, but Hokkaido is not: the Seikan Tunnel is rail only, so drivers take a car ferry (for example from Aomori to Hakodate). The Kanmon Tunnel and bridge connect Honshu to Kyushu, and multiple bridges (including the Shimanami Kaido and Seto Ohashi Bridge) connect Honshu to Shikoku.