Renting a car and driving yourself when traveling to Japan is a good way to travel. There are many attractions you want to visit, and you want to go shopping when you see a supermarket. The time is flexible, and you can also go to places with fewer crowds. Let's see what you need to pay attention to in Japan.
Car rental required documents
Foreigners driving in Japan must hold a foreign driver's license officially recognized by Japan and its Japanese translation, or an international driver's license recognized by Japan.
Taiwanese tourists belong to the former and need to bring the following three documents. Pay attention! It's a Japanese translation, not an international driver's license!
1. Taiwan passport, 2. Taiwan driver's license, 3. Japanese translation
Travelers from other countries such as Hong Kong, South Korea, the United States, and Australia need to bring the following three documents:
1. Local passport, 2.localDriving license, 3. International driving license
How can I get the Japanese translation?
Taiwanese friends can take their original driver’s license to the inspection office and spend 100 yuan to get a Japanese translation on the spot. The Japanese translation can be used multiple times, but it is only valid for one year. Please note that if the driver's license information has been updated, the Japanese translation must be reapplied for. Otherwise, you will not be able to rent a car if the two documents do not match. Please pay attention.
common problem
How to calculate the rental time?
Basically, the car rental charge is calculated based on 24 hours as a unit. For example, renting from 11 am on April 5th to 11 am on April 6th is one day.
Take the example of renting a car at 11am on April 5th: If you return it early at 9am on April 6th, or even at 6pm on April 5th, the price should be the same as at 11am on April 6th. You can pay attention to this, but the detailed amount will be most accurate after calculation.
How to choose the size of car for rental?
The most troublesome thing about moving abroad is luggage. The same applies to renting a car. Although a normal car can seat five people, it cannot accommodate five pieces of luggage. The rich man thinks that a 1,800cc car is generally suitable for a small family of three, and the remaining space can be used for luggage. If you are renting a car with four or five people, it is recommended to rent a station wagon (seven-seater). If you don't have luggage, that's a different story.
Is it necessary to buy insurance?
right! The rich man’s advice is to buy the highest level of insurance, as the most important thing when traveling is safety.
Book a rental car
The rich man has driven to Japan four times, so he has some experience. He currently rents cars directly through large car rental websites. The rich man feels that the prices are transparent, guaranteed, there are many locations, and it is very convenient.
Tabirai car rental
OTS Car Rental
This is my second time renting a car from OTS in Okinawa. This time I recorded my experience of renting a car from OTS. For details, please refer to this article about renting a car from OTS in Okinawa
Car Navigation
When the rich man rented a car for the first time a long time ago, the navigation was an optional feature. However, in the last two times he rented a car, the car navigation was considered a basic feature and did not need to be purchased separately. The rich man strongly recommends having a car navigation system. Sometimes the mobile navigation system does not respond fast enough and you end up taking the wrong road (laughs).
That’s right! Remember to choose a navigation system in your own language!
Japanese car navigation systems can usually use the following three types of information for navigation:
- address
- mapcode
- Telephone
But since not all places have telephone numbers, such as some scenic spots, it is not easy to enter the address, so it is most convenient to just enter the digital map code! But how to get the mapcode of the scenic spot? Please see the mapcode query method below.
mapcode query
You can enter the name of the attraction, address, Chinese, Japanese or English! The picture below takes the Blue Cave (green circle) as an example. After entering the information and pressing search, you will get a set of map codes (yellow circles). It’s simple, right?
Street parking
In Japan, you should never park your car on the roadside. If you need to park temporarily, it is recommended to park in a nearby open space or store parking lot, which will be safer. In Okinawa, many shops, restaurants, and supermarkets have their own parking lots, so they are not difficult to find.
Paid parking lot
Previously stayed in Nagoyaibis hotelAt that time, there were only 6 parking spaces in the hotel parking lot and it was full, so I had to park in a paid parking lot near the hotel. According to the experience of the rich, when parking, it is best to choose a parking lot with a "maximum fee". The so-called "maximum fee" means the highest charge, such as a maximum charge of XX yen per parking session, or a maximum charge of XX yen for 24 hours. If you need to park overnight or for a long time, parking lots with a maximum fee will be much cheaper, but they are limited to one entry and exit.
Take the example below, for example, there is a parking lot with the highest fee. When staying at CABIN & HOTEL ReTIME, the parking lot near the hotel will charge a maximum of 900 yen for 24 hours.
The maximum charge for 24 hours is 1,200 yen. A cute yellow puppy, the mascot of Tsutaro.
Danger! There is no maximum parking fee.
When the rich man stayed at the unmanned Music Hotel KOZA in Okinawa this time, he arrived at the hotel too late and was in a hurry to park, so he parked in the parking lot next to the main road. Not only did he not get any discount, but he also had to pay a surcharge at night. It was really a mistake. But later I found out that the parking lot in the alley just around the corner had the biggest discount. It cost 2,100 yen to park for 10 hours in one night, which was really a big blow to my wallet. I spent 1,200 yen more.
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