driving in hokkaido

[wind30]

Hi People,

I will be leaving for a self drive in Hokkaido.

Some questions

1) where can I check the toll charges from point to point? I heard weekend rates is much cheaper

2) Is there a long queue at the cash counters to pay toll charges? Should I rent a ETC card? I am getting my car from chitose Nissan which does not seem to rent out ETC card.

3) Is there a good website to find japanese GPS map code to key into the Japanese GPS?

thanks

 

[dl]

Since I just came back (in June) and driven there a couple of times, here's what I know (in sequence of your questions)


1) There is a website, but it's all in Japanese; and even with Google Translate (if you use Chrome browser) it's not easy to use...

2) Not much a queue where I've been (From Sappoto to Asahikawa, Sounkyo, Furano, Chitose)... so the ETC is a minor convenience. BUT it is definitely cheaper with ETC as there is a discount. So most times when the amount is above JPY2000, I was charged around 1000... don't recall exactly how much the discount was, but it seemed to be around 50%...

And when I returned the car, the total ETC charges was only JPY4400) After 7 days of driving.

The funny thing is, with Nippon Rentacar, they offered to me the option of having an ETC or a multi-day Pass, but as I was travelling only 3 days on highways (the rest in non-toll roads), it was not worth it (JPY8000+ for 7 days unlimited highway travel).

3) No need for Mapcode if you have the telephone numbers. I find it more convenient to have a list of locations with both Japanese address (in case you need to stop and ask for directions) and telephone number. When using the "English-speaking" GPS in most cars, the option for keying in the telephone number is always there.

Good Luck!

 

[cheefarn]

Hi People,

I will be leaving for a self drive in Hokkaido.

Some questions

1) where can I check the toll charges from point to point? I heard weekend rates is much cheaper

2) Is there a long queue at the cash counters to pay toll charges? Should I rent a ETC card? I am getting my car from chitose Nissan which does not seem to rent out ETC card.

3) Is there a good website to find japanese GPS map code to key into the Japanese GPS?

thanks

Hi bro

1) I agree with DL bro, you need an ETC card to enjoy the lower toll rates. Yes Nissan car rental doesn't offer ETC card rental, so even if your Nissan rental car comes with a reader, you can't use it.

Some info here
Hokkaido Expressway Pass*binformation*bEast Nippon Expressway Company Limited

Some info on toll rates
http://www.driveplaza.com/dp/RouteSearch
http://www.driveplaza.com/route/ryoukin_110620.html

But freed not. There's really NO NEED to hit the tolled highway in Hokkaido if you don't want to. Secondary roads are almost as fast and convient too. Rem there's not much traffic even in Sapporo itself, smaller roads doesn't mean slow and frustrating drive, and you get to see alot more scenery along the way too. Wouldn't it be great if you can drive through residential, farming neighborhood enroute to your destination? This is a great way to really experience Hokkaido like it's meant to be.

FYI, although I used the tolled highway from Furano to Otaru for my recent trip in May (wifey took too long to shop at Furano ), I certainly didn't use the highway from Otaru back to Sapporo. And the time taken to drive along smaller roads isn't that much longer. And you get to see how Hokkaido citizens live over there

2) No manual cash payment counters are not often used by their residents. Almost all their cars have ETC readers. That thing is actually their version of our ERP IU, except its much neater and can be hidden in the glovebox... as compared to ours.

3) As what DL bro had said, you can always enter the tel number in addition to the mapcode. Nissan car rental counter should provide you with some mags and maps that list out mapcodes to numerous tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels, places of interests etc throughout Hokkaido. You can use the mags accordingly. Be advised though, the mags are in Japanese but it's still ok since we can read Kanji

Also, regardless of what brand of GPS/headunit your car rental agency installed in your rental car, ONLY the voice guidance can be set to English. All other info displayed on screen and some buttons are still a mixture of Japanese and simple english labels. Do take some time to get used to them.

 

[wind30]

thanks, are you guys sure about the ETC card to get the discount rate?

From what I read, the tolls are 50% discount on weekends. I did not know you need to pay by ETC to get the discount....

 

[cheefarn]

thanks, are you guys sure about the ETC card to get the discount rate?

From what I read, the tolls are 50% discount on weekends. I did not know you need to pay by ETC to get the discount....

Well I can't be 100% sure since I just drive on with the card in the reader

But for the record, I paid SG$24.80 in total for the trip from Furano to Otaru.. and I passed 2 toll gates. Not much more expensive than what you'd pay on Bolehland NS Highway from 2nd link to say Malacca.

The ETC lane is very similar to NS Highway Smart Tag lane. They all works by proximity sensors from your dashboard to the overhead sensors.

 

[czycius]

Hi,
Anyone used Times car rental, formerly Mazda car rental before?
TIA.

 

[cheefarn]

Hi,
Anyone used Times car rental, formerly Mazda car rental before?
TIA.

Their rates are no good ya... but its the only car rental company in Hokkaido that rents out the latest Mazda products, including the excellent Mazda 6, CX5, CX7, Mazda 8 MPV etc. Guess you're renting fully loaded quality cars vs empty tin cans from Toyota and Nissan.

Ignore the pics illustration in their URL, they're renting out the latest Mazda 6 and CX5 liao. I saw plenty of them at their Sapporo outlet.

Do rent from ToCoo! Travel ---Car Rental Service in Japan--- for the best Times car rental rates

Else this site offer the best rates liao. I rented my Honda Freed Hybrid from Orix Car rental via them

KAKUYAU RENT-A-CAR HOKKAIDO -Discount car rental in Japan-

 

[dl]

Personally I like Nippon Rent a Car. Very good service, and I found their prices reasonable.

I have previously rented 2 different cars (Prius in Kyushu and Allion in Hokkaido) from Toyota, and I would have gotten my Alphard from them this June, but Nippon's price was 20,000 cheaper...

Nippon initially gave me an Elgrand (which was in the same class as the Alphard), but I really needed the Alphard to house my whole family and luggage (the sliding seats in an Alphard are a godsend), so although I initially drove the Elgrand to Asahikawa, Nippon helped me to "send" an Alphard to their Asahikawa location, and made sure their personnel opened their outlet 30 mins earlier so that I could pick it up before my long drive to Kamiyubetsu.

The Elgrand drove very nicely (comfortable highway cruiser, and decent cornering for such a large car) It was actually very new (less than 2000km), and came with more features than the Alphard (which only had 1 12V point), but ultimately I had packed my luggage based on a test drive with a local Alphard (at Borneo motors)

The nice part about Nippon Rent a Car... their airport shuttle at Chitose is a full sized bus, and we were the only people on it. Previously with Toyota, the bus was small and crowded...

 

[cheefarn]

Personally I like Nippon Rent a Car. Very good service, and I found their prices reasonable.

I have previously rented 2 different cars (Prius in Kyushu and Allion in Hokkaido) from Toyota, and I would have gotten my Alphard from them this June, but Nippon's price was 20,000 cheaper...

Nippon initially gave me an Elgrand (which was in the same class as the Alphard), but I really needed the Alphard to house my whole family and luggage (the sliding seats in an Alphard are a godsend), so although I initially drove the Elgrand to Asahikawa, Nippon helped me to "send" an Alphard to their Asahikawa location, and made sure their personnel opened their outlet 30 mins earlier so that I could pick it up before my long drive to Kamiyubetsu.

The Elgrand drove very nicely (comfortable highway cruiser, and decent cornering for such a large car) It was actually very new (less than 2000km), and came with more features than the Alphard (which only had 1 12V point), but ultimately I had packed my luggage based on a test drive with a local Alphard (at Borneo motors)

The nice part about Nippon Rent a Car... their airport shuttle at Chitose is a full sized bus, and we were the only people on it. Previously with Toyota, the bus was small and crowded...

That's what I call Japanese service lor

Orix picked us up in a new Hiace Grand Cabin at Memembetsu Airport, and yup we were the only customers in the van. The trip took just 30 secs (actually can walk from terminal to Orix office de) and the driver actually warmed up the cabin beforehand so that we won't feel cold in the van, rem it was approx 10c when we reach memembetsu airport.

That kawaii Japs SYT who attended to me at the airport counter ran all the way to the Orix office before our van arrived. I was shocked to find her standing in front of my Honda Freed when we arrived. That's the kind of service that Sillypore will hardly, if ever have.

Hmm... both Alphard and Elgrand are expensive ley, more expensive to rent than the Mark X or top of the line Crown Royal. But I guess you've no choice if you've so many luggage and passengers in tow. I don't think Crown boot can fit 4 pcs of 28" luggage into it comfortably despite being stated as such in many car rental agencies URL.

See la, we need to go overseas to enjoy nice cars. TMD, I can only afford a lowly Civic FD1 in SG... and I've to pay through my nose every mth

 

[dl]

We rent what we need... With the Alphard, I was able to squeeze in all my luggage (2 x 32" duffel bags, 3 x 24" medium samsonites, 1 x oversized dSLR haversack, and 1 box of ishiya goodies (2 feet by 15" x 18") and still have left over space for more bags of shopping, plus all 3 rows were up and my kids in the back row still had enough space to "walk", and my wife could tend to my baby in the middle row with enough space for stroller, 2 "baby/nappy bags" and a couple more bags of snacks, food and drinks

The only other alternative is to hire "minibus" with driver, and based on previous calculations, that would cost 2-3 times the amount we paid... and I don't get to drive, which is the whole point of a self-drive holiday

Next time, I want to bring another driver and get 2 cars... preferably a Mark X so that I can properly drive on those beautiful mountain roads.

 

[cheefarn]

Next time, I want to bring another driver and get 2 cars... preferably a Mark X so that I can properly drive on those beautiful mountain roads.

You need a RWD car eg Mark X or Crown to blast ard the mountain roads of Daisutsuzan national park

A MPV can be hair raising at the bends.. Even the tiny Honda Freed I had had some lateral stability issues when overtaking buses and trucks.... no thanks to tall CG and narrow body

 

[czycius]

Their rates are no good ya... but its the only car rental company in Hokkaido that rents out the latest Mazda products, including the excellent Mazda 6, CX5, CX7, Mazda 8 MPV etc. Guess you're renting fully loaded quality cars vs empty tin cans from Toyota and Nissan.

Ignore the pics illustration in their URL, they're renting out the latest Mazda 6 and CX5 liao. I saw plenty of them at their Sapporo outlet.

Do rent from ToCoo! Travel ---Car Rental Service in Japan--- for the best Times car rental rates

Else this site offer the best rates liao. I rented my Honda Freed Hybrid from Orix Car rental via them

KAKUYAU RENT-A-CAR HOKKAIDO -Discount car rental in Japan-

I was only looking at a small car cos there's only two of us. I saw in Tocoo that the same cat car cost much lesser at Times than Toyota (~$12k ¥). Should I take it then?

 

[cheefarn]

I was only looking at a small car cos there's only two of us. I saw in Tocoo that the same cat car cost much lesser at Times than Toyota (~$12k ¥). Should I take it then?

IMO, you won't want to drive something too small for your trip. Rem you need enough room for your luggage and other stuff. And Hokkaido roads are long and often windy. Too light a car and you'd experience wind buffeting.

I'd recommend at least a Mazda 3 (Axela) to have a comfortable drive over there. Mazda 2 seems to be too small to be useful

Make sure the rates includes insurance

 

[czycius]

IMO, you won't want to drive something too small for your trip. Rem you need enough room for your luggage and other stuff. And Hokkaido roads are long and often windy. Too light a car and you'd experience wind buffeting.

I'd recommend at least a Mazda 3 (Axela) to have a comfortable drive over there. Mazda 2 seems to be too small to be useful

Make sure the rates includes insurance

I had gotten a small car from Toyota via Tocoo, but also saw that Times give a much lower rate, so was wondering if their cars are older or badly maintained.
Hence, I put up a post asking for opinions, hopefully, someone had engaged their services before.

 

[cheefarn]

I had gotten a small car from Toyota via Tocoo, but also saw that Times give a much lower rate, so was wondering if their cars are older or badly maintained.
Hence, I put up a post asking for opinions, hopefully, someone had engaged their services before.

Like I said, they've got one of the newest fleet in Hokkaido. Lower $$ doesn't mean they're no good. Like I mentioned previously, I saw many brand new Mazda 6 and CX5 at their rental lot in downtown Sapporo.

FYI, Times has taken over many paid public carparks in Hokkaido too, esp Sapporo. Their services shiuld be ok

Some Orix cars are not that new as per mileage too, but they're still very well maintained. My Honda Freed Hybrid had already clocked over 40000km on the clock when I picked it up. Its a 2011 model.

 

[czycius]

Like I said, they've got one of the newest fleet in Hokkaido. Lower $$ doesn't mean they're no good. Like I mentioned previously, I saw many brand new Mazda 6 and CX5 at their rental lot in downtown Sapporo.

FYI, Times has taken over many paid public carparks in Hokkaido too, esp Sapporo. Their services shiuld be ok

Some Orix cars are not that new as per mileage too, but they're still very well maintained. My Honda Freed Hybrid had already clocked over 40000km on the clock when I picked it up. Its a 2011 model.

Noted, tempting to switch. However, they don't sell the Hokkaido expressway pass.
Btw, anyone know whether they offer etc card for rental and how much is the rental, on top of the toll charges I must pay?
TIA.

 

[cheefarn]

Noted, tempting to switch. However, they don't sell the Hokkaido expressway pass.
Btw, anyone know whether they offer etc card for rental and how much is the rental, on top of the toll charges I must pay?
TIA.

For Orix, its card itself 315yen per rental. The ETC reader is free. You then pay whatever you use when you return the car on the final day.

 

[dl]

You need a RWD car eg Mark X or Crown to blast ard the mountain roads of Daisutsuzan national park

Definitely the Mark X.
I wouldn't drive the old man's Crown (even in Athlete version)

Actually, I realise that Nissan also offers the 2.5 Skyline sedan/coupe and 370Z... and it's not much more than a Mark X... definitely worth considering if I am driving in convoy... (In 2008, we went to Australia with my parents and in-laws (10 people in all), and back then we drove in 2 Subaru Outbacks over 8 days... )

Next time in Japan perhaps I'll bring them along again....

 

[cheefarn]

Definitely the Mark X.
I wouldn't drive the old man's Crown (even in Athlete version)

Actually, I realise that Nissan also offers the 2.5 Skyline sedan/coupe and 370Z... and it's not much more than a Mark X... definitely worth considering if I am driving in convoy... (In 2008, we went to Australia with my parents and in-laws (10 people in all), and back then we drove in 2 Subaru Outbacks over 8 days... )

Next time in Japan perhaps I'll bring them along again....

Haha... ok la not too bad. I peek into the latest Crown Royal when I returned my Freed Hybrid at Sapporo. Its much better styled than the prev model liao. Its the JDM version of the Lexus GS300. Although suspension is tuned even softer for Japs folks.

Rear legroom can be a prob cos its a RWD and theres a large transmission tunnel in the middle. Its more of a 4 seater than 5 seater

 

[dl]

I had gotten a small car from Toyota via Tocoo, but also saw that Times give a much lower rate, so was wondering if their cars are older or badly maintained.
Hence, I put up a post asking for opinions, hopefully, someone had engaged their services before.

The best thing about the bigger rental companies is that they have more outlets...

When my Allion's battery died in Dec 2011, Toyota could have sent me a car from their nearest outlet (I was at Niseko, so they had one in Kutchan less than 20 mins away. ( And although Times has an "outlet" directly at the hotel I stayed at (hilton niseko) I'm certain that they would not have "stand-by" cars at the hotel parking lot that winter morning. )

Similarly, Nippon Rentacar was able to send another car to my next location (in Asahikawa) by the next morning, when I insisted on changing to the Alphard. Somehow I feel more comforted when I rent from a larger company.

Of course if you're really counting your dollars and yen, tocoo seems to have one of the best prices around...