However, Japan drives on the right side, and overcoming the psychological barrier isn’t easy. The photo below shows our first time driving in Japan—our whole family was super nervous. Even though my husband was the one driving, I was still incredibly anxious just sitting next to him.
Then we drove smoothly all the way from Fukuoka to Yufuin, but while turning into the hot spring inn, we scraped the roadside sidewalk. Many sidewalks in Japan have railings, which we don’t have in Taiwan, so it felt very unfamiliar.
Scratching the car on our very first rental—oh man, we were restless all night.
Fortunately, I had addedpeace of mind insurance(names vary by company, but make sure it covers business loss compensation), and thanks to that insurance, I didn’t have to pay any compensation. Ever since then, I always make sure to get full coverage on my insurance.
Also, at the time, I asked the staff at the hot spring inn to call and ask if we needed to file a police report.
Later, while heading to Miyama Town in Kyoto, we rented a car again and even discovered a cozy café deep in the mountains—it’s something I’ll never forget.
However, another issue arose in Miyama because it was the annual Snow Lantern Festival, and the parking lot was extremely crowded. We didn’t notice at the time, but the next morning we found that our car had been dented from a collision.
This was a bit of a hassle—the person who hit us had fled the scene. Where do you even report such an incident? We ended up taking photos of the scene and using lots of gestures to explain when returning the car. Thankfully, the staff was very understanding and kind—it was such a relief.
After that, we rented cars in Okinawa, Hokkaido, and Saga as well. Driving in Japan is truly comfortable and pleasant. Everyone follows good driving habits—no racing, no honking randomly. On the contrary, it’s actually uncomfortable when I return to Taiwan now.
Honestly, as long as you keep a few key points in mind, you can drive safely and comfortably in Japan.
To drive in Japan, you need to carry a Japanese translation of your driver’s license. You can get this at your local motor vehicle office by bringing your ID and driver’s license—it takes just ten minutes. Once in Japan,in addition to showing the Japanese translation, you must also have your original Taiwanese driver’s licensetoo. Both are mandatory. A friend of mine forgot to bring their Taiwanese license and ended up having to completely change their itinerary—no car rental at all. Everyone, please take note of this.
Even onhighways in Japan, the speed limit is only 80 kilometers per hour.Also, highways are divided into travel lanes and passing lanes. Generally, everyone stays in the travel lane, and only moves into the passing lane to overtake. Once you’ve overtaken, you immediately return to the travel lane.
Be sure to rent a child safety seatfor kids.
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If you unfortunately have a single-car accident or a collision with someone else, you must call the police. Nowadays, almost all car rental companies have Chinese-speaking staff to assist. Don’t skip reporting just because it was a minor accident with no injuries—that would make your insurance invalid.
In Japan,yielding to pedestrians is the top priority.You absolutely must stop to yield the right of way. And when turning, polite Japanese drivers will also yield — they usually flash their headlights twice to let you go first. The first time...When I was flashed by headlights in Japan, I had no idea what it meant at first? I was so startled and didn’t know what to do, but later I found out that in Japan, it’s a kind notification.Oh yes — you should also stop and look around before pulling out from an alleyway.
Driving on the left or right, turning is the most dangerous part. Usually, on the first day I get a car, every time I turn, I silently remind myself “keep left, keep left” to stay safe. Or I try not to be the first car in a line — it’s safer to follow others.
Renting a car in Japan is really cheap if you sign up for early bird deals, so once I’ve decided on my flight, I always book the car well in advance. When renting, it’s worth spending a bit more for a hybrid car — they’re really fuel-efficient.
Also, when renting a car, besides considering the number of people, you have to think about luggage too. Don’t rent a five-seater just for five people and then find you can’t fit all the luggage in.
Now that we’re used to renting cars, whenever we go to Japan we can drive to more rural areas or lesser-known hidden gems. We’re really starting to enjoy this style of travel, and we share our tips with other families who like to travel with their kids and elders too.
[Women and Kids] Authorized repost. Original article from [Driving in Japan Isn’t Hard at All: Sharing Our Family Self-Drive Experience in Japan!]