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 /

Jacqueline Huggins

August 5, 2025

Destination: Osaka

10Excellent

Very satisfied, all staff are friendly and communicate well.

Nina Patrick

Destination: Tokyo

Use it frequently, works smoothly.

Angela Perkin

August 4, 2025

Destination: Naha

Fantastic service! The store is operated by a Fujian owner, and the staff were very friendly. The car was in excellent condition—clean, hygienic, and odor-free! It came with a full tank of gas. After three days, I truly realized that it's almost impossible to get around Okinawa without a car!

Nelly Johnny

August 3, 2025

The service was excellent, and placing orders was quick and easy.

Eve Walpole

Great value for the price.

Flora Bess

August 1, 2025

2Poor

This is absolutely a substandard car rental company with only one person working. Before my trip, I asked their customer service if I could add them on WeChat, but they said they didn't have WeChat and told me to call them upon arrival locally. However, no matter how I tried, I couldn't reach them or find them. Even airport customer service tried contacting them on my behalf but couldn't get through. After an hour and a half of trouble, customer service advised me to take a taxi to their store to find them. Luckily, they were in the store. Returning the car was another issue. I drove to their store to return the car, but they were not there. After waiting for a long time, I finally managed to reach them by phone. Though I had already added the store manager on WeChat, even a few hours before the departure I tried contacting them but got no response. Therefore, I went straight to the store to return the car and waited another hour for them to show up. I understand they may be busy with work, but as a tourist, I expect quick and efficient car pickup and return. This car rental experience was truly terrible.

Isaac Leigh

July 28, 2025

Destination: Chitose

Overall satisfied, the car was in good condition and relatively new.

Ella Baldwin

July 27, 2025

8Very good

Satisfied

Omar Hazlitt

July 26, 2025

Faithe Peggy

Destination: Nikko

Clear explanation.

Cyril Marcus

July 25, 2025

The staff, from the receptionists to the shuttle drivers, were friendly and kind, even assisting with translation. Excellent service, will definitely return next time.

Arvin Ben

Very satisfied. Affordable and convenient for pick-up and drop-off.

Benjamin Lowell

Excellent

Adelaide Rayleign

Very satisfied, great service attitude.

10Great and smooth experience, highly recommend!

Excellent and fast service, staff speaks English, Mandarin (Chinese) and Japanese.

Miriam Lily

July 24, 2025

Very satisfied!

Tess Obadiah

July 22, 2025

Excellent.

Beatrice Daisy

Destination: Fukuoka

The service attitude was excellent, and they patiently answered all questions.

Camille FitzGerald

Excellent! The car was easy to drive.

Yetta Twain

July 20, 2025

Satisfied with the service attitude.

Irma Houston

Very satisfied

Orville Trevelyan

July 19, 2025

Destination: Nagoya

Great service, very satisfied.

Yves DeQuincey

July 15, 2025

Very satisfied.

July 14, 2025

Destination: Hokkaido

Very satisfied, it was quick.

Kerr Adelaide

Extremely satisfied

Tiffany Carl

July 13, 2025

This is my fourth time renting a car from this company.

Boyd Nichol(s)

July 12, 2025

Satisfied!

Marsh Carey

July 11, 2025

Highly satisfied.

Belinda O'Neil

July 8, 2025

Smooth and seamless.

Judy Dunbar

July 7, 2025

Very satisfied! Always rent from Times.

Sabina Sinclair

July 6, 2025

Michelle

July 4, 2025

The company is newly established, and the staff are young and not very experienced. The car rental includes basic insurance with a deductible of 250,000 yen, but the contract only mentions 200,000 yen. There's an additional charge of 2,000 yen for early pickup. The store isn’t fancy, and the vehicle condition is average, though still reliable enough to not break down on the road. The most important thing is the price – it's extremely affordable. The basic services are sufficient, so if your expectations aren't too high, go ahead and give it a try!

Vita Hugh

Maxine Commons

The service was excellent. They contacted me via WhatsApp in advance, and someone picked me up upon arrival. The drive took about 15 minutes.

Maud Lynd

July 3, 2025

Fanny Gibbon

July 2, 2025

The process was very smooth.

Simona Guy

June 30, 2025

Friendly customer service and attentive support.

Roxanne Bacon

June 29, 2025

Marian Jessie

June 28, 2025

Simple and efficient

Paddy Gosse

June 27, 2025

Overall good, but the car is a bit old.

Ursula Partridge

Destination: Takamatsu

The Japanese staff were very nice.

Audrey Salome

June 25, 2025

Jared Swift

I've chosen Bekobe many times. Their customer service is very thoughtful and provides helpful reminders in advance. The staff at the store are also very warm and attentive.

Sabina Michael

June 22, 2025

Very satisfied! The staff were exceptionally friendly and had a great attitude!

Zenobia Oscar

4Average

Not satisfied. The car was in poor condition, which seems to explain the cheaper price, but it was a bit too much. As soon as I drove off, there were engine, brake, and traction system failure alarms. I had to nervously get off the highway quickly. The staff replaced the car, but the new one had a heavy and unresponsive steering wheel. When picking up the car, I even overheard the staff saying they prioritize giving cars in poor condition to short-term renters. Safety first—consider carefully!

Alma Hubbard

Very efficient and courteous.

Kevin Lee

June 21, 2025

Destination: Nagano

Yes whole process was very smooth

Bradley Jefferson

Ina Attlee

Very good.

Theresa Crane

June 20, 2025

The vehicle is brand new and has a spacious rear. We managed to fit two 28-inch suitcases, a 20-inch suitcase, and a large handbag perfectly. The staff explained everything very clearly and were extremely polite! The rental company processed our order quickly without any extra charges! We're very satisfied with their service attitude! This experience added so much enjoyment and comfort to our trip!

Japan Car Rentals