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 /

Jason S

September 19, 2025

Destination: Naha

10Very convenient service and more

They exceeded my expectations and more, they were accommodating and very friendly. And also reasonable and patience. I will go back to their business again when I come back.

M.Yaldiz

September 18, 2025

Destination: Tokyo

10Good

Good customer service

Rock Mac-

September 16, 2025

10Excellent

The service provided by the local staff is excellent.

Channing Dick

Destination: Osaka

A fantastic car rental experience. The store provides service during lunchtime and the staff were very friendly. I rented the car the day after arriving in Osaka, and they picked us up from the hotel to handle the paperwork at the store. After returning the car, they even dropped us off at the airport terminal. The car was great too— the Honda N-box was very easy to drive and fuel-efficient.

Troy Nick

September 13, 2025

The staff of IX Company provided excellent service, including car pickup and drop-off, and shared many tips about driving and parking in Japan.

Nat Watt

September 12, 2025

The car rental service is excellent and highly recommended.

Kenneth Temple

September 11, 2025

Destination: Sennan-Gun

Pretty good.

Bart Ernest

September 9, 2025

The service was excellent, and the quality of the car was very good. Highly recommend!

Christian Kingsley

September 8, 2025

Excellent! Even though I didn't have enough time to refuel before returning the car, their attitude was very good. They prioritize customers and respond quickly.

Sheila Warren

September 7, 2025

The car was clean and matched the photos. This car is very practical; the back seats can fold down to fit six suitcases. It was a great choice. The staff was very helpful and provided transfer service to and from the nearby Lingkong City, which was very convenient.

Werner Bloomer

September 6, 2025

Destination: Fukuoka

8Very good

The service attitude was excellent.

Enoch Doherty

September 5, 2025

Destination: Chitose

I've been renting cars from them for many years. This year I went to see whales but didn't spot any. I'll try again next year.

Norman Garcia

The staff at the site provided excellent service.

Perry Lytton

September 4, 2025

Everything was perfect.

Parker O'Connor

September 3, 2025

We had a lot of luggage this time, and without a car, it would have been impossible to move around. Thank you so much for solving our transportation problem at the last minute—it was truly a lifesaver! Thanks again! See you next time.

Gustave Hughes

September 2, 2025

There is a dedicated shuttle service.

Blanche Richard

September 1, 2025

Destination: Hokkaido

No issues!

Bruno Reynolds

Great service, convenient pick-up and drop-off, new car condition, and unexpectedly equipped with electric doors.

Miriam Lily

August 31, 2025

The car was in good condition and very fuel-efficient. We drove to enjoy the Hakone hot springs, visited the Gotemba Outlet, and attended the Omagari Fireworks Festival. Having a driver's license in Japan is truly convenient.

Jared Swift

There was no language barrier, and the explanation of important points was clear.

Bonnie Albert

Excellent service attitude with great attention to detail.

Moore Van

Picking up and returning the car was very convenient, and the airport shuttle service was efficient.

Franklin Hoover

August 30, 2025

Good, the process is clear.

Georgia Stuart

High efficiency and great service, easy car pickup, no deposit required.

Gilbert Amelia

August 28, 2025

The car rental service from Times is excellent, and the vehicle is very new.

Adam Bloomfield

Excellent

M.Salwin

10Good and cheap

For the price, I would definitely recommend the service.

Dominic Harrington

The staff had a great attitude.

Nelson Jerry

August 27, 2025

The service attitude was excellent, warm and polite.

Mike Sally

August 26, 2025

Very satisfied.

Jeffrey Carnegie

August 25, 2025

An excellent self-driving experience that gave me a perfect vacation.

Meredith Flynn

August 24, 2025

The staff were very polite and courteous. Although the car had some minor scratches on the exterior, it did not affect its usability. The journey went smoothly and safely.

Lilith Cissie

August 23, 2025

Excellent service. They picked me up at the metro station near the store when I rented the car and quickly drove us to the airport on the last day, very efficient.

Quinn Dickey

Destination: Nagoya

Very satisfied, the service attitude was excellent.

Madeline Surrey

The entire process was seamless and smooth.

Charles Philemon

Extremely satisfied.

Bradley Commons

August 22, 2025

Highly satisfied

Lyndon Hosea

The service is generally quite good.

Isidore Augustine

August 20, 2025

Destination: Sakaiminato

The staff who assisted with the car pickup was very polite and professional. Even after driving far away, I could still see her bowing farewell in the rearview mirror.

Jessie Galbraith

Satisfied

N.SHON

10 다음에도 QEEQ을 이용하고 싶어졌습니다. 정말 만족합니다. 가격.서비스.고객응대. 모두 최고인것 같습니다.

빠른 응답과, 좋은 차 감사드립니다.

Ina Attlee

Satisfied, good service, but the vehicle condition was average.

Ruby Micah

The service was excellent and prompt, convenient and efficient, but the car was a bit old.

Gail Benjamin

August 19, 2025

Blanche Poe

The service was very friendly, and they speak Mandarin too!

Nicholas Yule

Quick and straightforward pickup; all self-service; only took 10 minutes at the store to complete.

August 17, 2025

No need to queue, excellent service. I will definitely rent from this company again when I return.

John Bellamy

August 15, 2025

Very satisfied

Edwiin Bright

Very satisfied! Free car delivery to the hotel was provided!

Tiffany Carl

Japan Car Rentals