Hi
We are going on a two weeks trip in Japan during August, since this trip is preceded by another two months long oversea stays we will have large quantities of luggage and suitcases. So with all these things considered, public transporation is simply too unrealistic and cumbersome for us to use. We are currently planning on going on a typical two weeks iteniery with a few days in Tokyo, then a day near Mt.Fuji, then Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, rounding it all out just under two weeks. Cost for this trip is of not much concern, what I am wondering is
1. how was the adjustment and acclimation while driving in Japan coming from US (Right hand side traffic)? Road rule, traffic, signs, navigation, language barrier possibly?
2. Parking availability at major tourist attractions? Are there enough parking lots available so that we don’t spend an hour looking around? We probably would park our cars at hotel if its already close by, but we would still like a general gist of how parking is.
3. Do most hotels have enough parking? I know some hotels say they have overnight parking but I am not sure if they are filled or not as we are going during the peak season.
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Anything else about driving in Japan we should know?
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Thanks
10 comments
If cost is not an issue, so be it.
Anyway, driving on the left side is not -extremely- complex but will require some adjustment at the beginning. If you’ve never driven on the left, be careful, you will probably have a tendency to drive way too much on the left at first (because the barycenter of the car is opposite to what you are used to). You will probably use the wipers instead of the signals a couple times.
Driving in cities is not overly complicated, traffic is quite smooth as most people will use public transportation to commute. There are urban highways in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, which are quite easy to navigate.
Speed limits are quite low, probably much lower than what you are used to, but most drivers actually don’t respect them. As a tourist, be careful though. There are a couple rules you need to keep in mind (no turn on red signal, contrary to some areas in the US for instance). The “[stop](https://www.zurich.co.jp/-/Media/jpz/zrh/car/useful/guide/cc-stop-sign-roaddisplay/img_re/cc-stop-sign-roaddisplay_img_001.jpg)” sign is sometimes in Japanese only, and also [on the road](https://kuruma-news.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/20200602_hyoshiki_001.jpg?v=1591089192). Note that a white line does not necessarily means “stop”, just that there is an intersection. [This sign](https://img.bestcarweb.jp/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/23112155/46dd8543d8ff19eb2d2ade3e0f460f8f16.jpg) is quite common and means there is an incoming pedestrian crossing. Drive slowly and carefully, take a bit of slack in your timing, you should be fine.
Imho the situation you need to be extra careful is when you want to turn right, crossing the incoming traffic.
Parking is usually available at most tourist destinations. If you don’t go during a peak touristic period, there should not be any issue (… so, when is it in August, because if during oBon you may have a problem there). Parking can get expensive, so will tolls. And yes, most hotels have parkings, and if cost is not an issue and you are staying in a upscale place, you should be fine.
Outside of highways, driving on regular roads will be -very, very, very slow-. Roads don’t go around cities or villages, they go trough them, and you’ll get all the signals, etc. Going above 50 km/h on average is already quite good on Honshu.
Get a car navigation system, and make sure you can set it up in English. Most direction signs will be in alphabet on top of Japanese, some warnings or side info sometimes not (info about closures, bad weather, accidents, etc.), but there is not much you can do and it’s usually not “critical”.
And take the chance that you have a car to go a bit out of the way in less accessible areas….
If cost isn’t an issue have you considered using a Takkyubin service like Yamato for your luggage and take public transport instead of driving? I have no clue how easy or hard driving in Japan is, but I can say that Yamato was really easy to use with help from the front desks of the hotels my husband and I stayed in. The luggage forwarding service is pretty reasonably priced too.
Left hand turns are still very dangerous when going through busy cross walks.
Honestly it doesn’t really sound like driving would be that beneficial to you. As has been mentioned there are luggage transport services (I haven’t used them so I can’t vouch) and with those plus Shinkansen it’s an easy trip.
I’m usually a big fan of renting a car and driving around Japan but only when it makes sense.
You keep saying its going to be a nightmare with all the luggage? Is it more than 2 big suitcases each? Seems like its more of a hassle to rent a car + full day of driving as opposed to a 2.5 hr train ride. Luggage forwarding is also very efficient and i use it if i have more than 2 check in size luggages per person. Otherwise its not a big deal lugging them, they do have wheels after all 🤷🏼♂️
Hi!
I have rented a car in Japan and I have used TakQbin frequently because I like to shop but have limited bags on the train.
For renting a car, the big thing is many Japanese cars are small and to get one larger enough to hold lots of suitcases is going to be a little expensive,. unless there is just 1 of you. You are also looking at gas, toll way and drop off fees. It can add up a lot, much more so than the train. A lot of hotels in major cities have very limited parking and charge several thousand yen for overnight parking. I think some activities it is easy to find a paid lot nearby and other not so much. If you were looking to go somewhere with more limited public transport I would definitely support you on the rental car, but you’re pretty much just doing the Tokaido line.
TakQBin/Yamato Transport/luggage delivery is great. It generally takes about 2 days at this time. You just go to bell services in your hotel. There might be a few smaller hotels that don’t offer the service so just check when you book. In your case, I would send my bags from Tokyo to either Kyoto or Osaka which ever one you plan to stay in and bring a small bag for Kawaguchiko and Nagoya.
I would then send the bags onward to the airport, just make sure to ask how far in advance you can do that.
I think the biggest problem with a lot of bags is depending on the room you stay in it can be tight. There are large hotel rooms in Japan, you just need to be spending the money for them.
In general shinkansen are faster than driving. I am planning a trip through Tohoku and while I can get a TEP to cover expressways, I plan to also use the shinkansen in between areas cause the train from Morioka to Shichinohoe-Towada is faster than by car even on the expressway. (And I will rent a car there to drive to Osorezan which has terrible public transit, as an example.)
Good luck!
I just came back from Japan and did a 1-day drive from Hakone to Osaka. This was my first time driving on the other side of the road (US based too), and needless to say I was pretty worried before getting behind the wheel. We opted to drive because it was a group of four and we had luggage and we thought it would be cheaper than taking the train. I think it ended up only being slightly cheaper with all of the gas, tolls, etc.
The biggest learning curve for me was the turning signal lol. It’s also on the right, so I spent the first couple of times turning on the wipers instead. I was very conscious of my turns and literally had to speak out loud that turning left meant turning closer and turning right meant turning wider.
The other thing I realized was that cars in Japan and roads felt narrower than US. You probably get used to it after awhile, but I was very conscious when there was another car to my right. I spent most of my drive on the highway (roads felt so smooth compared to when I drive in NYC) and that felt pretty much the same as driving in the US. Google Maps worked perfectly fine, but didn’t say out the exit names, so you just have to pay attention as you’re driving for exits. Speed limit was 80km/hr but folks were doing prob 15-20km/hr faster on the highway.
Get a ETC card from your rental company; it’s used to pay for toll roads. Also, I find American rental companies pretty lax with their pick-up/return rules (like when I need to extend for Avis in the US, they usually don’t charge me for the extra hours), but the Japanese rental company I used was pretty strict about returning at the agreed upon time.
Good luck if you decide to rent a car! Take a couple of practice turns to feel comfortable at the rental car site and you’ll slowly get the hang of it!
OP how often are you planning on moving locations? How many bags are we talking btw? Like 2 large suitcases a person + backpack/carry on? How many people? Because if your party is 2 people with 2 large suitcases each and a backpack. It makes a lot more sense imo to just take the Shinkansen.
Luggage forwarding is WONDERFUL. I sent my case from Osaka to Tokyo whilst I toured Kyoto and Kanazawa and it’s there waiting at my next hotel for me! And it only cost me 2000 yen
I used luggage transportation services while in Japan when I was there at the end of March.
My experience – we forwarded our large luggage from our first hotel to a hotel we were going to a few days later. In that time without our large luggage we did a trip to hakone and then met up with the luggage in kyoto.
From kyoto we sent our luggage to Tokyo while we went to a ryokan in Nagano.
We traveled using shinkansen and with our carry-on bags. That was plenty and it was easy. We traveled in the green cars.
For the logistics of how to send luggage: we went through the front desk service of our hotel. They filled out the forms and handled the details. We just paid and left.
For timing, from Tokyo to kyoto, it was at least two days. There was no one day option using yamato (black cat) service which was the one the hotel used.
We were very pleased with the results. The traveling with minimal luggage, meeting our checked suitcases, then sending them on again. It was efficient and simple.
Most hotels offer the service. Many even have if they offer the service in a FAQ because it is quite common to do.
For same day delivery between cities it’s probably a bit more involved to do since you would have to find a company willing to guarantee it then make arrangements with them. Assuming you are staying at a 5 star establishment the concierge service should be able to assist with that.
For driving if you have so much luggage that it is a concern for traveling on a train then keep in mind the size of vehicle you would be renting. Make sure all of your luggage would physically fit inside the vehicle. Some of those cars are tiny.