Driving in Japan

[evilster]

Any1 have any idea if they provide rental cars for Probational drivers as well as drivers who are not very experienced.

We are intending to travel about for Hokkaido and Osaka/Kyoto.

Is driving very expensive there? We going with 4 people but only 2 have licenses.

 

[angcsbenny]

Do not recall seeing any probational driver system in Japan and there is no way for them to check the experience of rental drivers.

If you do not use toll roads it is not very expensive maybe on par with taking public transport or even cheaper if you have 4 to share the costs.

Sent from OPPO X9076 using GAGT

 

[deodorant]

Is driving very expensive there? We going with 4 people but only 2 have licenses.

You need IDP (International Driving Permit) to drive in japan.

http://www.aas.com.sg/our-services/international-driving-permit-idp.html if AAS allow you to apply IDP with probational license then there won't be problem in Japan side.

The problem with 4 ppl one car is whether you can fit all the luggage in the boot.

My last trip 8days driving in hokkaido was around ¥100k all-in. full info on blog if you interested

 

[holee]

Any1 have any idea if they provide rental cars for Probational drivers as well as drivers who are not very experienced.

We are intending to travel about for Hokkaido and Osaka/Kyoto.

Is driving very expensive there? We going with 4 people but only 2 have licenses.

I rented a Nissan Wingroad for my family of 4 adults in Nov 2016.

The boot is big enough for 1 big luggage and 3 medium (not cabin size).

Rental period,pick up 23rd, return 29th, total Y67,000, all insurance included.

Toll roads are faster, so you pay for shaving time off your journey.

 

[kenne79]

I love self drive in japan. but outside the city.

within Osaka and Kyoto, driving not necessary. Unless you wanna drive out for day trip.

You need IDP, and make sure get the necessary insurance. Cannot save on this.

Parking Fees in city are very Ex. some by 15min block.

If long distance and there is 2 options toll or non toll, i advise you take the toll road. outside the city alot of road is single lane and they really travel within the speed limit. imagine travelling 1 hr behind trucks at 50Km.

For toll, rent the ETC card. They will bill to your credit card. My previous 14 day central japan drive, spend about sgd 250+ on toll.

I always rent from tocoo. rented the nissan wingroad twice, love the boot space. 2 huge luggage, a stroller and can squeeze in couple hand carry bags.

 

[purpleberry]

I love self drive in japan. but outside the city.

within Osaka and Kyoto, driving not necessary. Unless you wanna drive out for day trip.

You need IDP, and make sure get the necessary insurance. Cannot save on this.

Parking Fees in city are very Ex. some by 15min block.

If long distance and there is 2 options toll or non toll, i advise you take the toll road. outside the city alot of road is single lane and they really travel within the speed limit. imagine travelling 1 hr behind trucks at 50Km.

For toll, rent the ETC card. They will bill to your credit card. My previous 14 day central japan drive, spend about sgd 250+ on toll.

I always rent from tocoo. rented the nissan wingroad twice, love the boot space. 2 huge luggage, a stroller and can squeeze in couple hand carry bags.

Are pit stops (for toilet breaks) easy to spot along highways? For normal roads I guess can stop at a nearby convenience store.

 

[wongkc]

Are pit stops (for toilet breaks) easy to spot along highways? For normal roads I guess can stop at a nearby convenience store.

the gps provided by the car rental will have information on rest stop and petrol kiosks... just make sure u ask them to switch to english mode...

 

[Ds_Cheng]

I love self drive in japan. but outside the city.

within Osaka and Kyoto, driving not necessary. Unless you wanna drive out for day trip.

You need IDP, and make sure get the necessary insurance. Cannot save on this.

Parking Fees in city are very Ex. some by 15min block.

If long distance and there is 2 options toll or non toll, i advise you take the toll road. outside the city alot of road is single lane and they really travel within the speed limit. imagine travelling 1 hr behind trucks at 50Km.

For toll, rent the ETC card. They will bill to your credit card. My previous 14 day central japan drive, spend about sgd 250+ on toll.

I always rent from tocoo. rented the nissan wingroad twice, love the boot space. 2 huge luggage, a stroller and can squeeze in couple hand carry bags.

What?? SGD$250 for toll only?? That is very expensive? How about Hokkaido?

 

[deodorant]

What?? SGD$250 for toll only?? That is very expensive? How about Hokkaido?

Hokkaido got Expressway Pass

http://www.driveplaza.com/trip/drawari/hokkaido_expass/en.html

I don't remember the exact calculations liao but when I was there I took the 9days ¥8700 pass and it was slightly (maybe 10-15%) cheaper than paying "ala carte" toll charges for the routes that I took.

 

[evilster]

looks like the main concern for driving is really the IDP.

The only worry when driving in japan is the road name, but i did do a research like many rentals offer GPS that is multi-lingual.
Toll road is worth it i guess ? Just use the Hokkaido Pass...

The size of the luggage is also a concerns it seems...

Is parking easy in hokkaido? I saw a lot of cases where car got clamped in japan from the tripadvisor site... Is it that hard to get a parking slot...

 

[deodorant]

evilster i don't recall having any difficulty finding parking spots when i drove there. The difficulty maybe is finding cheap parking, especially if you need to overnight in cities. For me the hotels i stayed at in sapporo had ¥1000/whole day parking; the ones i stayed at outside the cities all free parking.

 

[Quasar]

IDP is a must to rent cars in Japan (and Korea), without IDP the rental company will refuse to rent to you. Despite this, it is ridiculously easy to get one with a Singapore license. Just need to show up with your Singapore license at AA Singapore and pay $$, they will take care of all the rest. The IDP is valid for 1 year from date of issue.

Also, if you are squeezing 4 in a car, need to take into account of luggage and which season you go. If winter time and lots of ladies, the luggage will end up spilling into the passenger compartment unless you get a car with a bigger boot.

For Hokkaido it depends on which part you are travelling to, certain parts of the island (North, east and North-east) are still not connected by expressway and if you are mostly travelling there, it may not make sense to pay for the tolled expressway pass which covers the Asahikawa to Sapporo to Hakodate stretch mostly.

 

[nemo88]

IDP is a must to rent cars in Japan (and Korea), without IDP the rental company will refuse to rent to you. Despite this, it is ridiculously easy to get one with a Singapore license. Just need to show up with your Singapore license at AA Singapore and pay $$, they will take care of all the rest. The IDP is valid for 1 year from date of issue.

An IDP is simply an 'official' translation of your existing license - so of course it is easy to get. IDP is not valid without your SG license so don't leave that behind when you travel. Now you can even arrange for IDP online, no need to go to AA in person.

 

[kenne79]

looks like the main concern for driving is really the IDP.

The only worry when driving in japan is the road name, but i did do a research like many rentals offer GPS that is multi-lingual.
Toll road is worth it i guess ? Just use the Hokkaido Pass...

The size of the luggage is also a concerns it seems...

Is parking easy in hokkaido? I saw a lot of cases where car got clamped in japan from the tripadvisor site... Is it that hard to get a parking slot...

Rent car with english GPS. they use phone number to enter location.

Get wifi and use google map if you are lost. Some attractions phone number is not the same location as the attraction. But do note, highway or rural area wifi connection is bad.

Or you can use mapcode on attractions you going.

I refer to this blog when planning. bumblebeemum.net/travel-japan/

 

[evilerniex]

looks like the main concern for driving is really the IDP.

The only worry when driving in japan is the road name, but i did do a research like many rentals offer GPS that is multi-lingual.
Toll road is worth it i guess ? Just use the Hokkaido Pass...

The size of the luggage is also a concerns it seems...

Is parking easy in hokkaido? I saw a lot of cases where car got clamped in japan from the tripadvisor site... Is it that hard to get a parking slot...

dun have to worry about road name, coz u will be using GPS to get around. just need to enter the telephone number or the mapcode of the place u want to go.

so far my experience with rental car in japan is tt most dun have english gps. interface is in jap, but voice in english. but tt is not an issue. just need to get the rental company ppl to show u how to enter the location of the place u want to go.

if luggage size is a concern, then get a bigger car. for example, madza 5 is just nice for 4 person with 24 inch luggage.

i am guess those kanna wheel clamp are coz of illegal parking in the city. u dun need to drive in the city, coz public transport is often more convenient. driving is to get u to less accessible places outside the city, and these places usually have ample parking and are often free

 

[deodorant]

Just one data point from me: I rented from Toyota Rent a Car, I didn't specify that I want GPS (cos I planned to use google maps), but the car they provided for me had english GPS installed anyway.

(Rented in Sapporo)

 

[evilster]

any1 can help what does the collision damage waiver in the japanese car company means?
And does that mean if i buy a travel insurance with a rental car excess cover. I do not need that CDW in Japan?

 

[Hellscythe]

any1 can help what does the collision damage waiver in the japanese car company means?
And does that mean if i buy a travel insurance with a rental car excess cover. I do not need that CDW in Japan?

its about 1000 yen a day right. if u get into any accident, the max u will need to pay is 20k yen if the car can be driven back to a outlet. 50k yen if it needs to be towed.

 

[oceanicmanta]

its about 1000 yen a day right. if u get into any accident, the max u will need to pay is 20k yen if the car can be driven back to a outlet. 50k yen if it needs to be towed.

I believe what u described (20k & 50k) is the cost for NOC, not CDW.

@evilster CDW is Damage Excess.

When u rent a car, the rental fee comes with some basic insurance that covers Car Damage less Excess, 3rd Party liability etc. In event of damage to car, you have to pay this Excess (amount varies by car companies) & the rest is covered by basic insurance.

If you have your own travel insurance, the Rental Vehicle Excess amount can be used to cover the amount you need to pay as the Excess.

 

[evilster]

I believe what u described (20k & 50k) is the cost for NOC, not CDW.

@evilster CDW is Damage Excess.

When u rent a car, the rental fee comes with some basic insurance that covers Car Damage less Excess, 3rd Party liability etc. In event of damage to car, you have to pay this Excess (amount varies by car companies) & the rest is covered by basic insurance.

If you have your own travel insurance, the Rental Vehicle Excess amount can be used to cover the amount you need to pay as the Excess.

Thank you, i think for a CDW, i realise some rental companies does not provide NOC unless u buy their CDW... So I think the rental vehicle excess for travel insurance is not that important...