With a UK licence, or any licence from outside Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan, you need a 1949-convention International Driving Permit; with a licence from those six, you need the original plus a Japanese translation, which JAF issues, by its own page, only online and only from inside Japan (2–3 working days, ¥6,000). According to the EconomyBookings pages read on 6 October 2026, a hire car starts at about €31 a day. The ETC card for tolls is strongly advised, as more and more gates take only ETC, and a car pays off in Hokkaido and Okinawa, not in Tokyo or Kyoto.
What to know before you book (as of 6 October 2026)
Japan drives on the left, and a car makes sense where the trains stop: Hokkaido, Okinawa, the countryside. Figures come from pages we read on 6 October 2026 (EconomyBookings, JAF, Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, ADAC); yen are converted at the ECB rate of the day (€1 = ¥178.15). Prices move: read them as a dated measurement, not an offer.
- Licence: Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan: original plus Japanese translation. Everyone else: the 1949 international permit.
- Translation: JAF ¥6,000 (about €34), 2–3 working days, applications from inside Japan only.
- Price: from €31.17 a day in Naha, €34.55 in Tokyo, €43.57 in Chitose.
- ETC card: ¥550 (about €3) per rental at Toyota Rent a Car.
- Not in the CDW: the non-operation charge (NOC), ¥20,000 or ¥50,000 (about €112 or €281).
Driving licence: translation or international permit?
This is where most bookings fail at the desk; the route depends on the country that issued your licence.
| Your licence | What the rental firm wants to see |
|---|---|
| Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan | Original plus Japanese translation; the international permit does not count |
| Every other country, including the UK | National licence plus 1949 international permit |
Toyota Rent a Car accepts only a booklet of 148 × 105 mm titled “Convention on Road Traffic of 19 September 1949”, issued within the past year, with your passport. The 1968 Vienna format is not accepted, and the firm may refuse the rental. For the translation, Toyota Rent a Car names, among others, JAF, ADAC and the issuing country’s authority or embassy; it is valid for one year from arrival or until the licence expires, whichever is earlier, and the passport with the entry stamp is required. JAF too gives one year from entry for the translation. GOV.UK says UK drivers need the 1949 version and cannot buy one outside the UK.
⚠️ The calendar trap: JAF takes translation applications, by its own page, only from inside Japan and online: 2–3 working days on average, printed at a convenience store, ¥6,000 for travellers from the six countries. If you land and want a car straight away, you do not have the translation: plan the pick-up for a few days after arrival.
🟢 Before you leave, JAF’s page for customers abroad lists three routes: an acquaintance in Japan applies as your agent, an agency applies for you, or the authority that issued your licence, or your country’s embassy in Japan, issues one. For Germany it names ADAC: ADAC Südbayern translates German licences for €65 at its office or €70 by post, within 10 working days. Only paper counts: copies, PDFs and photos are invalid. Ask the rental firm in writing whether it accepts your translation.
What a rental car costs in Japan
EconomyBookings shows a “from” price and an average per day on each pick-up page, and itself warns that prices may not reflect today’s rates.
| Pick-up point | From | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Japan overall | €41.22 | €50.72 |
| Tokyo (Narita, Haneda) | €34.55 | €63.62 |
| Naha (Okinawa) | €31.17 | €57.25 |
| Chitose (Hokkaido) | €43.57 | €70.20 |
A sum, not an offer: seven days from Chitose at the average price, 7 × €70.20 = €491.40. Add the Hokkaido pass for a standard car (¥13,500, about €75.78) and the ETC card (¥550, about €3.09): 491.40 + 75.78 + 3.09 = €570.27, before petrol (¥169.90 a litre, about €0.95, according to ADAC on 2 October 2026) and any extra cover. The rest is in the two-week Japan budget.
Depending on the firm, add the CDW (¥1,100–2,200 a day at Nippon), a child seat (¥1,650 at Toyota) and a one-way fee (¥880 per 10 km at Nippon, free under 20 km and within Okinawa’s main island).
Enter your dates and pick-up points in the EconomyBookings car-hire comparison for Japan.
Tolls and the ETC card: more and more gates require one
Operators aim to make almost all of the roughly 1,500 toll stations ETC-only by about 2030 (Japan Times, May 2026), and on the Tokai-Kanjo Expressway every gate has taken only ETC since April. Anyone who arrives without a card should, according to NEXCO Central, take the assistance lane and not reverse.
The card: ¥550 per rental at Toyota Rent a Car; the tolls actually incurred are paid on return. Ask for it when you book: Nippon states that the Hokkaido pass cannot be requested if cards are out of stock. Flat-rate passes, for foreign passports only, are neither extended nor refunded and exclude the car and the card.
| Vehicle | 4 days | 7 days | 8 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard car | ¥7,700 (€43) | ¥13,500 (€76) | ¥15,400 (€86) |
| Light vehicle (kei) | ¥6,200 (€35) | ¥10,800 (€61) | ¥12,300 (€69) |
Whether a pass pays depends on your route: work out your tolls first with a toll calculator. In Okinawa, Naha–Kyoda costs ¥1,040 (about €6) each way in a small car; OTS Rent-a-Car’s flat-rate card (¥3,000 for 120 hours, non-refundable) pays off from the third trip: 3 × 1,040 = ¥3,120.
Where a car pays off: Hokkaido and Okinawa
A car pays off where trains and buses thin out. Both regions show a “from” price under €50 a day at EconomyBookings.
Hokkaido. From New Chitose to Furano, the Furano tourism site gives about 2.5 hours by expressway. In summer, EconomyBookings advises booking well ahead, and the Furano site says rental cars sell out fast in July and August. In winter, Toyota Rent a Car fits winter tyres as standard at every Hokkaido branch, with a seasonal rate. See also when to visit Japan.
Okinawa. From Naha to the Churaumi Aquarium, the aquarium’s own site gives about 2 hours by the Okinawa Expressway. In Naha, the Yui Rail monorail covers 17 km in 37 minutes; buses reach almost everywhere. According to EconomyBookings, the Naha Airport desk is open 8am to 7pm and the Chitose one 9am to 5:30pm (the page lists no Friday): if you land later, sort out the key handover in advance.
Compare cars and pick-up times from Chitose or Naha in the EconomyBookings offer from the airports.
Where not to hire a car: Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka; EconomyBookings says so itself for central Tokyo. Tokyo–Kyoto: tolls of about ¥11,500 (japan-guide, 27 July 2026) plus Nippon’s one-way fee of ¥880 per 10 km, so for an assumed 450 km, 45 × 880 = ¥39,600; together ¥51,100 (about €287), before rental and fuel. Two reserved Nozomi Shinkansen tickets cost about 2 × 14,000 = ¥28,000 (about €157). Alternatives: getting around Japan, the JR Pass, the two-week itinerary.
The traps: liability, fuel, parking, alcohol
Three items are small print on the booking page, or absent, and each can cost three figures.
① The NOC. If the car must be repaired or cleaned after an accident or breakdown, the firm can bill its time off the road: at Nippon Rent-A-Car, ¥20,000 (about €112) if it is returned to the scheduled branch, ¥50,000 (about €281) in other cases. The CDW covers only the deductibles (¥50,000 for third parties, the same for the vehicle), not the NOC; waiving it (ECO) costs ¥440 a day (about €2.50). EconomyBookings’ full coverage (up to €1,700) excludes, according to its help page, wrong fuel, alcohol, off-road driving and the interior, and does not mention the NOC: ask before you pay. Report any accident to the police too, or insurance, CDW and ECO may not apply (Nippon).
② Fuel. Fill up before returning the car, or the firm bills refuelling at more than the pump price. Red is regular, yellow high octane, green diesel; wrong fuel is at your cost.
③ Parking and alcohol. A ticket left on the car is settled at the police; without proof of payment, Nippon asks for a ¥25,000 deposit (about €140). One drop of alcohol brings penalties, according to Nippon, passengers included; the UK Foreign Office warns that passengers can be arrested if police think they knew.
Rules in brief: drive on the left; turning left on a red light is banned except on a green arrow; with no sign, 60 km/h on ordinary roads and 100 km/h on expressways; children under six in a child seat (JAF).
Booking with EconomyBookings: what the page shows
EconomyBookings compares rental firms; the handover, the deposit and any damage are settled with the firm. The Japan page shows 8.3 out of 10 from 517 reviews, the platform’s own rating.
On the pick-up pages: opening hours, documents (credit card in the main driver’s name, passport, licence) and sub-scores per supplier (including Nissan Rent A Car, Yesaway, Alamo, IX Rental). In all six rows we read for Tokyo, Naha and Chitose, pick-up is the lowest or joint-lowest sub-score (6.7 to 8.2): expect a wait at the desk. The documents say “local and international driving licence”; for the six translation countries, the second is the translation.
Cancellation. According to the help page, 100% back up to 48 hours before pick-up, first as credit (BookingCredit) that you can withdraw free of charge to your payment method. After that, nothing; bookings of two days or less, or made less than 48 hours before pick-up, are non-refundable. Cancel with EconomyBookings, not with the rental firm, or the rule does not apply.
Deposit and age. Only a credit card in the main driver’s name works; licence held at least 12 months, ages 21 to 70 in general, surcharge under 25.
How reliable is the platform? On Trustpilot, EconomyBookings stood at 4.4 out of 5 from 154,722 reviews on 6 October 2026 (70% five stars, 8% one star). The company says it replies to 99% of negative reviews, typically within 24 hours. Complaints concern slow refunds (more than 25 days cited), charges at the desk, a different car from the one booked and unclear insurance.
Before you pay: the checklist
- Licence: translation, or a 1949 international permit issued within the past year.
- ETC card booked with the car; a pass only if your tolls justify it.
- Written answer on whether the NOC is covered.
- Credit card in the main driver’s name, with a limit for the deposit.
- Free-cancellation deadline noted: 48 hours before pick-up.
- In winter, winter tyres in the offer; a child seat for under-sixes.
- At pick-up, photos of the whole car; before return, fill the tank.
Once all seven points are ticked, book your Japan hire car on EconomyBookings.
