Never Rent a Car in Japan.
Seriously. Don't Do It.

1. The Roads Are Absurdly Empty

Here's the thing about Japan that nobody tells you: outside the cities, there's almost no traffic.

While 126 million people pack themselves into Tokyo, Osaka, and a handful of other metro areas, the rest of the country is... empty. Vast. Silent. You'll find yourself driving along a perfect two-lane coastal road in Kyushu with the Pacific Ocean on one side, volcanic mountains on the other, and not a single car in sight for 20 minutes.

This is deeply unsettling for anyone used to European motorways, the 405 in LA, or the M25 around London. Where is everyone? You'll start checking your GPS. "Am I on the right road?" Yes. Yes you are. Japan just has a lot of gorgeous, well-maintained, completely empty roads.

See? Terrible. Don't do it.

2. It's Suspiciously Cheap

Let's talk numbers, because they don't make sense:

Expense	Japan	Europe (for comparison)
Compact car rental	¥3,000–5,000/day (~$20–35)	€50–80/day
Gas (per liter)	¥170 (~$1.15)	€1.70–2.20
Parking (rural/suburban)	Often free	€5–20/day
7-day Shinkansen pass	¥50,000+ (~$340)	—
7-day car rental	¥21,000–35,000 (~$140–240)	€350–500

Read that again. A week of driving in Japan costs less than three days of bullet trains. And you get to stop wherever you want, whenever you want. Pull over at that random shrine. Park at that empty beach. Drive up that mountain road just because the GPS shows it goes somewhere interesting.

The math is unfair. The experience is even more unfair. Don't rent a car.

3. Gas Stations Will Ruin You for Life

At Japanese gas stations (especially full-service ones, marked フルサービス), here's what happens:

1. You pull in. Someone runs — literally jogs — to your car.
2. They bow and greet you.
3. They ask what fuel you'd like (レギュラー = regular).
4. While filling up, they clean your windshield.
5. They empty your ashtray and offer to take your trash.
6. They guide you back onto the road, stopping traffic for you and bowing as you leave.

All of this for the same price as self-service. No tip expected. No upsell. Just... perfect service.

After this, you will never be satisfied with any gas station in your home country again. This is emotional damage. Avoid at all costs.

4. The "Secret" Japan Nobody Talks About

Instagram Japan is Shibuya Crossing, the Fushimi Inari gates, and Robot Restaurant. That's about 1% of the country.

The other 99%? You need a car to see it:

• Yakushima — A rainforest island with 7,000-year-old cedar trees. The inspiration for Princess Mononoke. Almost no tourists, because you need to take a ferry and drive.
• Shimanto River, Shikoku — "Japan's last clear-flowing river." Swimming holes, chinka-bashi (submersible bridges), zero crowds. You will feel like you've traveled back 100 years.
• Aso Caldera, Kumamoto — The world's largest volcanic caldera. You drive inside it. Green grasslands stretching to the horizon with an active volcano smoking in the center. It looks like Iceland crossed with New Zealand.
• The Noto Peninsula — Rugged coastline, traditional salt-making villages, rice terraces cascading into the sea. Japan's answer to the Amalfi Coast, with approximately 0% of the traffic.
• Doro-kyō Gorge, Wakayama — A river gorge with vertical cliffs, jade-green water, and single-lane roads carved into the mountainside. Your GPS will tell you to turn back. Don't listen.

These places are empty not because they're bad — they're empty because tourists don't rent cars in Japan. That's their loss. And now it could be yours. Don't rent a car.

5. Japanese Road Trips Are Absurdly Civilized

Japan has invented something called Michi-no-Eki (道の駅) — "roadside stations." Think of them as highway rest stops, except they're actually good.

A typical Michi-no-Eki offers:

• 🍜 Local specialty food (the kind that wins regional awards)
• 🧅 Fresh local produce at farm prices
• ♨️ Sometimes an onsen (hot spring bath) — yes, at a rest stop
• 🏕️ Free overnight parking for campervans (at many locations)
• 🍦 Soft-serve ice cream in flavors you've never imagined (sweet potato, black sesame, wasabi, sakura...)
• 🚿 Clean restrooms that would put most hotels to shame

There are over 1,200 Michi-no-Eki across Japan. Some people plan entire road trips around them. This is the kind of infrastructure that makes you question everything about your home country.

6. Vending Machines Every 500 Meters

Japan has approximately 5 million vending machines. They are everywhere — mountain tops, fishing villages, temple parking lots, the middle of rice paddies.

For ¥100–150 (~$0.70–1.00), you get:

• Hot coffee (yes, hot — in a can — and it's actually good)
• Cold green tea
• Calpis (a sweet milk drink that's better than it sounds)
• Corn soup (in winter)
• Water, sports drinks, and approximately 47 varieties of tea

You will never be thirsty. You will never be more than a 5-minute walk from caffeine. This is dangerous comfort. Don't do it.

7. You'll See Japan's Nature (And It's Unreasonable)

Japan is 73% forested. Let that sink in. Nearly three-quarters of the country is covered in mountains, forests, and volcanic landscapes. And most of it is only accessible by car.

What you'll encounter on a typical drive:

• Bamboo forests that block out the sky
• Rivers so clear you can count the rocks at the bottom
• Wild monkeys sitting on the road (especially in Kyushu and Shikoku)
• Volcanic steam rising from roadside vents
• Cherry blossom tunnels in spring, fiery maple tunnels in autumn
• Rice paddies that turn into mirrors reflecting the mountains after rain

None of this is on Instagram. None of this is in guidebooks. You will feel like you discovered a secret country. And you sort of did.

8. The Campervans Are a Cheat Code

If renting a regular car in Japan is underrated, renting a campervan is a life hack.

Japan is one of the most campervan-friendly countries in the world:

• Michi-no-Eki = free overnight parking at 1,200+ locations
• Onsen (hot spring baths) = ¥500–800 (~$3–5) for a soak, found everywhere
• Konbini (convenience stores) = better food than most restaurants in other countries, open 24/7
• Safety = Japan is the kind of place where you can leave your campervan unlocked at night

Your daily routine becomes: wake up at a Michi-no-Eki → buy fresh onigiri from a konbini → drive along an empty coastal road → soak in an onsen → sleep overlooking the ocean. Total cost: maybe ¥5,000 ($35) for the day, including gas.

This is too good. Something must be wrong. (Nothing is wrong.)

9. Things That Will Surprise You

A few things that catch first-time drivers off guard (in a good way):

• Cars stop for pedestrians. Always. Every time. Without exception. You will start doing this at home, and people will think you're broken.
• Road work is done at night. Japanese highway construction happens between 10 PM and 6 AM to minimize disruption. During the day, the roads are just... open.
• Headlights flash = "please go ahead." The opposite of many countries where flashing means "I'm coming through." Japanese drivers flash to yield.
• Thank-you hazard lights. When you let someone merge, they'll flash their hazard lights twice. It means "thanks." You will start doing this too.
• Rental cars come with navigation. Even if it's in Japanese, just enter the phone number of your destination (every place in Japan has one) and it works perfectly.

10. The Real Reason Not to Rent a Car

Here's the actual problem: once you drive in Japan, every other road trip in the world feels worse.

The roads are too smooth. The drivers are too polite. The scenery is too dramatic. The rest stops have onsen. The vending machines never run out. The gas station attendants bow when you leave.

You will come home and feel a strange emptiness every time you drive past a rest stop with nothing but a dirty bathroom and overpriced snacks. You will miss the hazard-light "thank you." You will crave konbini egg sandwiches at 2 AM.

Japan will ruin other road trips for you. Permanently. This is the real danger.

So no. Don't rent a car in Japan. It's too good. You'll never recover.

But if you're going to ignore this advice (and you should), you'll need a license translation or IDP. Drivers from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, and Taiwan need a JAF translation — not an IDP. Apply here in 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is it really worth renting a car in Japan?
A: It is genuinely one of the best travel decisions you can make. About 70% of Japan's most stunning scenery is only accessible by car. The cost is lower than taking trains, the roads are world-class, and you'll discover a side of the country that most tourists completely miss.

Q: I've heard driving in Japan is scary because they drive on the left. Is it hard?
A: Most travelers adjust within 30 minutes. The roads are clearly marked, traffic is orderly, and outside of major cities, there's so little traffic that you have plenty of time to get comfortable. Rental cars have the steering wheel on the right side, which feels natural quickly.

Q: What's the cheapest way to do a road trip in Japan?
A: Rent a kei car (¥3,000–5,000/day), skip the highways and take scenic national routes (free), park at Michi-no-Eki, and eat at konbini. A couple can road-trip Japan for under ¥10,000/day ($70) total — including car, gas, food, and parking. Add onsen bathing for ¥500–800.

Q: Can I drive in Japan with my regular license?
A: It depends on your country. Most nationalities need an International Driving Permit (IDP) — get this before you leave home. If you're from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan, you need a JAF translation instead. Check your country's requirements here.

Q: What's the best region for a first road trip in Japan?
A: Kyushu is the best-kept secret. Active volcanoes, black-sand onsen, empty coastal roads, incredible food (Kagoshima pork, Kumamoto horse meat, Fukuoka ramen), and almost no international tourists outside of Fukuoka city. Second choice: Shikoku for its river valleys and pilgrimage roads.