Japan Road Trip Guide

Japan is one of the best countries in the world for a road trip. Roads are immaculate, drivers are courteous, service areas are clean and full of good food, and outside the big cities traffic is light. A car opens up the Japan that rail passes miss: mountain onsen towns, coastal villages, rural temples and national parks where the last bus leaves at 4 p.m.

This guide covers everything you need to plan: paperwork, renting a car, the rules of the road, tolls, fuel, parking and how to design a route that is enjoyable rather than exhausting.

Is a road trip in Japan a good idea?

Yes, outside the big cities. In Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, trains are faster and parking is expensive, so do not drive there. A car becomes the best option as soon as you head for the countryside, especially if you are:

• staying in rural areas, onsen towns or national parks
• travelling with children, older relatives or a lot of luggage
• carrying ski, surf or camping gear
• visiting several places in a day, or staying a week or more in one region

A good pattern is to explore the cities by train, then pick up a car on the edge of town for the rural part of your trip.

What you need to drive in Japan

• Your home driving licence, valid for the vehicle you will drive.
• An International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. IDPs under the 1968 Vienna Convention are not accepted on their own.
• Or an official Japanese translation if your licence is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan (these countries use a translation instead of an IDP). Check that your rental company accepts a translation: Monthly GO’s booking requirements list an IDP for foreign licences.
• Your passport. Foreign licences with an IDP or translation are valid for up to one year from your date of entry.

Details are on the JAF website. If you live in Japan for more than a year, you will need to convert to a Japanese licence.

Renting a car

• Car size: A compact car is ideal for two people. Kei cars (small yellow-plate cars) are cheap and easy to park, but cramped on expressways and in the mountains. Families and groups should choose a minivan.
• ETC card: Ask for one when you book. It lets you drive through expressway toll gates without stopping and gives you ETC discounts. Stock is limited at many companies; Monthly GO rents them for ¥200 a day (excl. tax).
• Winter equipment: From December to March, request winter tyres (and 4WD) for any trip into the mountains or snow country.
• Child seats: Required by law for children under six.
• Navigation: newer rental cars usually have an English mode, but older ones may have Japanese-only menus or out-of-date maps. Google Maps on a phone mount works well; Monthly GO rents portable navigation units for ¥200 a day (excl. tax). Japanese car navigation can also search by phone number or by “Mapcode”, a numeric location code.
• One-way rentals: Possible, but drop-off fees between regions can be high.
• Long stays: For trips of a few weeks or more, a long-term car rental is usually cheaper and simpler than renting by the day.

The rules of the road

• Drive on the left. Overtake on the right. The driver sits on the right.
• Speed limits: follow the number in the red circle. Without a sign, the limit is 60 km/h on ordinary roads with a centre line, but only 30 km/h on roads without a centre line (a change from September 1, 2026). Expressways are typically 100 km/h, 120 km/h on some sections. Speed cameras and police are common.
• Alcohol: zero tolerance in practice. Even small amounts lead to heavy penalties, and passengers and anyone who lent the car can also be punished.
• Stop signs: red inverted triangles marked 止まれ (tomare). Stop fully.
• Railway crossings: you must stop before every crossing, look and listen, even if there is no train.
• No turns on red. A green arrow means you may turn in that direction.
• Phones: using a handheld phone while driving is illegal.
• Pedestrians have priority at crossings without signals. Stop for them.
• Hazard lights: Japanese drivers flash hazards briefly to say thank you after you let them in.

Expressways, tolls and ETC

Japan’s expressways are excellent, but almost all are tolled. Tolls depend on distance and vehicle size; as a rule of thumb, expect roughly ¥2,000–3,500 per 100 km for a standard car, plus extra for the urban expressways in Tokyo and Osaka. Use NEXCO Drive Plaza to calculate exact tolls.

The nationwide Japan Expressway Pass for foreign visitors is no longer available. NEXCO also sells regional flat-rate passes for overseas visitors in Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kyushu and the San’in-Setouchi-Shikoku area, but each is offered for set seasons with application deadlines. Check JNTO and Drive Plaza for current availability; when on sale, they are worth it for long distances within those regions.

Fuel

Most stations are self-service. Regular petrol is in the red nozzle, high-octane in yellow and diesel (軽油, keiyu) in green. Despite the name, kei cars take regular petrol, not diesel. In 2026 a government subsidy has kept regular petrol at around ¥170 per litre on average nationwide (¥170.1 on October 13, 2026, in the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy survey). Stations in rural areas often close in the evening, so refill when you reach half a tank.

Parking

Parking on the street is generally not allowed. Use coin parking (pay at a machine when you leave), hotel car parks or the free car parks at most rural sights, shops and michi-no-eki. In cities, expect ¥300–800 per hour; many ryokan include free parking.

Service areas and michi-no-eki

Expressway service areas (SA) and parking areas (PA) have spotless toilets, restaurants, shops with regional specialities and often EV charging. On ordinary roads, there are more than 1,200 michi-no-eki (roadside stations) nationwide, with farm produce, local food, clean toilets and 24-hour parking. They are one of the joys of driving in Japan.

In an accident or breakdown

Call the police (110) for any accident, however small, and an ambulance (119) if anyone is hurt. You need a police report for insurance, and skipping it can void your cover. Then call your rental company before arranging anything else: if you call your own tow truck or garage without the company’s approval, the cost may not be covered. Put on your hazard lights and place a warning triangle behind the car on expressways.

Practical tips from a Japan-based car rental operator

Monthly GO, the long-term rental service run by the company behind this magazine, sees the same handful of problems again and again. Most are avoidable:

• Register every driver. Only drivers named on the contract may drive. If an unregistered person drives, insurance and damage waivers usually stop applying.
• Deal with tickets before you return the car. A parking ticket comes as a sticker on the windscreen: go to the police station named on it, then pay the fine. At Monthly GO, unpaid or unreported fines carry a ¥30,000 handling fee on top of the fine.
• Watch the warning lights. If one comes on, or you hear or smell something unusual, stop somewhere safe and call the rental company. Driving on can turn a small fault into one you pay for.
• Know your mileage limit. Long-term plans often cap distance; Monthly GO standard plans allow 3,000 km per 30 days.
• Return the tank full. Most companies, including Monthly GO, charge a refuelling fee otherwise.
• Ask for the ETC card at booking. Card stock is limited at many companies, including ours.

How to plan your route

• Limit daily driving to about 200–300 km. Japanese roads are slower than they look: mountain roads are winding, and expressways have 100 km/h limits.
• Base yourself for 2–3 nights. Moving every day wastes time on packing and check-ins.
• Avoid peak holidays: New Year, Golden Week (around 29 April to 5 May) and Obon (mid-August) bring huge traffic jams.
• Leave cities early. Weekend traffic out of Tokyo starts at 7 a.m.
• Match the season to the region: coasts and Fuji in winter, mountains from May to November, Tohoku and Hokkaido in summer.

Where to start

• First trip: Tokyo to Hakone or the Fuji Five Lakes.
• Coast: the Izu Peninsula.
• Mountains: Tokyo to Nagano.
• Ideas near Tokyo: the best road trips from Tokyo.
• Itineraries: 7 days, 14 days or 1 month.
• Budget: the Japan road trip cost guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is driving in Japan difficult for foreigners?

Not on the whole. Signs on main roads are in English, drivers are patient and roads are well maintained. The main challenges are driving on the left (for most visitors), narrow rural roads and the cost of tolls.

Can I drive in Japan with a US licence?

Yes, with an International Driving Permit issued in the US under the 1949 Geneva Convention, together with your US licence.

How much does a road trip in Japan cost per day?

In a compact car, driving costs (tolls, fuel and parking) are roughly ¥3,000–6,000 on a travelling day. Add the rental: on a 30-day Monthly GO compact plan that is about ¥2,500 a day including tax; daily rentals usually cost more per day. Accommodation is extra. See the cost guide for sample budgets.

Do I need to speak Japanese?

No, but it helps to prepare. Major rental companies offer English support (Monthly GO handles bookings in English by WhatsApp), and expressway signs are bilingual. Car navigation menus are not always in English, especially in older cars, so many visitors use Google Maps on a phone mount instead.

What changed for drivers in Japan in 2026?

From September 1, 2026, the default speed limit on ordinary roads with no centre line or lane markings (mostly narrow residential streets) dropped from 60 km/h to 30 km/h. Where a sign shows a different limit, the sign applies. Treat any narrow road without a posted limit as 30 km/h.

Related: Driving in Japan Guide

Planning a longer road trip in Japan?

For stays of several weeks or more, a monthly rental can be simpler than booking a new car every few days.

Explore Long-Term Car Rental