What is an insurance excess?

The excess is the amount you'll only be liable for in case of damage (under Collision Damage Waiver) or theft (under Theft Protection) of the vehicle. Information about the excess will be clearly stated in the price inclusion when you reserve a car on QEEQ.

How can I add an additional driver?

You are advised to make a request upon your arrival at the rental counter. Additional charge per day will incur unless '1 Additional Driver Included' is stipulated on the rental. Please note that the same licence and age requirement applies to the additional driver. The additional driver is supposed to present the required licence document along with the main driver at pickup.

Japan traffic rules and self driving car rental tips

The Complete Japan Driving and Rental Guide

Although Japan has prided itself as having the most efficient public transportation systems around large metropolitan areas around Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, less known sceneries are definitely worth and handy exploring by car. Here is a brief guide aiming at helping you drive comfortably on Japanese roads.

Speed Limit and Traffic Signs

Driving is on the left-hand side of the road in Japan. Even though Japanese drivers are renowned for their respect of the driving rules, you should pay attention to cyclists, some of whom happen to ride on the wrong side of the road.

Speed Limit

The speed limits in Japan are between 80 and 100 km/h on expressways, 30 km/h in side streets, 40 km/h in urban areas, and between 50 and 60 km/h elsewhere unless states otherwise.

Traffic Signs

There are mainly four types of traffic signs in Japan: regulatory signs, warning signs, information and direction signs. For each type, you can find below several signs that you may not familiar with.

A typical Japanese regulatory sign generally features a red circle with a white background and blue pictograms.

Speed Limit (90 km/h)

Minimum Speed Limit (50 km/h)

No Overtaking

Road Closed to Toll

Road Closed to Vehicles

Slow down (In Japanese and English)

Japanese warning signs feature a diamond shape and yellow background.

Crossroads

Bumpy Road

Wild Animals Crossing (Deer)

Succession of More Than Two Curves to the Right

Japan_Traffic_Sign_Railway_Crossing_Ahead

Railroad Crossing Ahead

Tram Crossing Ahead

Japanese information signs feature a green background.

Emergency Telephone

Rest Area/Parking Fuel Stand, Etc.

Direction signs in Japan feature a rectangular shape with a blue or green background.

Expressway Entrance

Destination & Direction

To read more about Japanese road signs, here is a more detailed booklet.

Seatbelt and Child Safety

Seatbelt Laws

Drivers and all the passengers are required by law to wear a seatbelt. Failure to fasten your seatbelt may result in a fine.

Booster Seat Laws

Children under 6 years of age must be seated in child seats.

Parking, Fuel and Toll

Parking

· Permitted Parking

In Japan, parking cost normally depends on the size of the city and the distance from the city centre. Parking in small towns and cities is usually free.

Paid parking can be expensive in big cities, costing several hundreds of yen per hour. Parking lots in national parks or near tourist attractions sometimes charge a flat fee (typically 200 to 500 yen per use). Urban hotels usually provide parking for their guests at a flat rate (typically 1000 yen per night), while hotels outside the large cities usually offer free parking.

· Forbidden Parking

Please do not park your car indicated with the “No Parking” signs.

Japan-Traffic-Sign-No-Stopping

Also do not park the rental vehicle in a place only allowed to use by renting on a monthly basis, marked by the “Kanji” of “月極 ” or “月極駐車場”.

Japan Monthly Parking Lot

In addition, it is against the law to park a vehicle in the following places in Japan:

- In a tunnel

- On, or within five metres of the edge of an intersection

- Within three metres of the automobile entrance of a garage, car-park or similar

- On pedestrian or cycle crossings and railway lines

- Within ten metres of a bus stop or a bus stop sign

- Within five metres of the edge of an area of road works

- Within five metres of a fire hydrant, water tank or other fire safety equipment

Forbidden parking in Japan will lead to a hefty fine.

Fuel Prices

The average gasoline price in Japan in January 2018 was 141.50 Japanese Yen per litre, while the diesel price was 118.40 over the same period of time.

Toll

Most of the expressways in Japan are toll roads and you must pass through the automatic ETC (Electric Toll Collection) gate or manual gate with ticketing machine. It is highly common to rent an ETC system with the car hire company when taking a self-driving tour in Japan, and it allows you to drive through the ETC gate without stopping. ETC gate feature white “ETC 專用” characters on a purple background.5

Japan ETC Lane (Image from takingflights.com)

Japan ETC Device (Image from demflyers.com)

Alternative to ETC tolling, you may proceed to the manual gate, which is recognized by the“一般” characters written with a green background. Cash or bank cards can be used to pay the toll fee before entering the road.

Traffic Violation

DUI Laws

The alcohol limit in Japan is BAC 0.03%. Drink driving above the limit can result in a maximum prison sentence of 3 years or a fine of about $480,000 Japanese Yen.

Traffic Fines

Speed cameras and speed traps are used to monitor driving speed in Japan. Drivers who exceed the speed limits up to 40km/h over can be fined from 9000 Japanese Yen to 35,000 Japanese Yen, and a 50km/h excess or more over will be viewed as criminal infringement and can result in a prison sentence up to 6 months, or up to 100,000 Japanese Yen fine.

Parking in the prohibitive areas will usually cause a fine from 10,000 to 20,000 Japanese Yen.

Driving Licence and Age Requirements

Japanese law requires that all drivers who do not hold a Japanese driver’s license must hold a country of origin driver's license and an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Convention on International Road Traffic. Driver’s licence must be held for at least 1 or 2 years (according to different car hire company).

The minimum driver age for renting a car at a Japanese rental office is 18 years old. This age may vary according to the state and car category rented.

Guest reviews

1 /

Felicia Ho

June 18, 2025

Destination: Naha

9Nice experience

The boss picked up from the arrival hall and we dropped him back to his office. very friendly! Quick admin process too! would recommend them to everyone travelling to Okinawa.

Derrick Mond

June 17, 2025

Destination: Osaka

10Excellent

Very satisfied.

Vanessa Lew

Warm and attentive service, well-maintained vehicle, very clean.

Aldrich Lloyd

Very satisfied, professional and highly competent staff.

Chasel Martha

June 16, 2025

Destination: Tokyo

6Average

The car is fairly powerful, with about 140,000 kilometers on it. The interior seating is relatively old, but at around $300 per day, it's acceptable.

Ward Wood

Very good.

Faithe Finger

Very satisfied. Helpful staff with no upselling.

Hamiltion Timothy

Destination: Kyoto

Mortimer Adams

Eleanore Ferguson

8Very good

When picking up the car, I discovered a flat tire. The staff took it out for repairs, which delayed the pickup by over an hour.

Ruth Moore

Very satisfied

Diana Coverdale

June 15, 2025

Alger Constance

Very satisfied. The car pickup, return, and airport shuttle services were smooth. Excellent service with no hidden fees.

Moses Mark

June 13, 2025

4Average

The staff member we found was inexperienced, making us wait for a very long time. The rented car was downgraded to a much smaller model, which made the experience very unpleasant, especially since it was the first time this happened.

Leona Sherwood

Destination: Fukuoka

The service was excellent and explanations were detailed. Adding mutual contacts before pickup made the process smoother. The customer service even helped with a Japanese translation to contact the hotel and resolve an accommodation issue. Truly grateful!

Simon Gibson

Excellent service with timely pickup and drop-off, and a simple process!

Elva Nathaniei

June 11, 2025

The car is a bit old, but the price is very cheap and the process is convenient.

Judy Dunbar

Very satisfied, excellent service.

Dana Haywood

June 10, 2025

Noel Ackerman(n)

Zora Josh

June 9, 2025

The service attitude is excellent. The staff are professional and very responsible. Customer service representatives are also very considerate, reaching out in advance to inform about some important details.

Regina Green

June 6, 2025

Zebulon Lena

June 5, 2025

Destination: Ishigaki

Great customer service.

Hedy Michelson

Good experience. After placing the order, a group chat was set up in advance to coordinate the schedule. The store is about 10-15 minutes from the airport, and there is a car specifically for pick-up and drop-off, which is quite convenient. On the day of car pick-up, it was raining heavily, and they even placed two umbrellas in the car for convenience. There is also a phone mount in the car, making it very practical and stress-free.

Montague Clare

June 4, 2025

The staff had a very good attitude, didn't push excessive sales, and reminded us of important details.

Werner Bloomer

Very satisfied, quick pick-up and drop-off, highly efficient.

Rock Mac-

Destination: Nagoya

Overall service was excellent and communication was easy.

Lynn John

June 3, 2025

Good.

Sarah Whyet

June 1, 2025

Great experience, smooth communication, vehicle condition was good, and there were no issues throughout the trip. The airport transfer was very convenient. The Freed is easy to drive and fuel-efficient.

Belinda Alsop(p)

May 30, 2025

Destination: Shizuoka

Although we never saw a representative from the car rental company from pickup to drop-off, the whole process went very smoothly!

Irma Houston

The condition of the vehicle was very satisfactory, but the attitude of the front desk staff was average.

Gladys Sainsbury

May 23, 2025

Excellent

Duncan Leacock

May 19, 2025

The car pickup process was very smooth.

Dave Winifred

Detailed and attentive service.

Gloria Louisa

Very simple

Blair Ramsden

May 13, 2025

Overall service is satisfactory.

Abraham Bronte

Very satisfied!

Cora Hume

May 12, 2025

Selena Katharine

May 10, 2025

The owner is very nice, responds promptly, and the process is very smooth. Highly recommended.

Aaron Ricardo

May 9, 2025

Returning the car at the terminal is convenient.

Viola Augustine

May 8, 2025

Tammy Macaulay

May 7, 2025

Overall, it was pretty good with a straightforward process.

Hilary Rusk

Really great!

Franklin Hoover

Satisfied, good service attitude.

Adam Bloomfield

No deposit required, the process is simple and efficient, and you can pick up the car at the store. Very attentive, they were concerned about whether our luggage was placed properly, helped attach signs for foreign drivers, and provided recommendations for discounts on fuel and dining.

Lester Horatio

Satisfactory

Hogan Vogt

May 6, 2025

2Poor

The car model did not match the description, the vehicle was old, and overall the experience was very poor.

Justin Maugham

Rented for the second time, very satisfied.

Japan Car Rentals