Hokkaido Transportation Guide: 4 Transport Options to Explore Both Cities and Countryside

▲ The opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen has boosted local tourism and shortened the distance between Honshu and Hokkaido.

Reporter Lin Yuling / Reported and photographed in Hokkaido

Among foreign travelers in Hokkaido, Japanese, Taiwanese make up the largest group. Due to the region’s vast expanse, many independent travelers struggle most with transportation issues. In fact, local governments and service providers have continuously rolled out convenient and thoughtful services tailored for our visitors. This article introduces several transport options for travelers to consider, ensuring a safe and worry-free trip.

1. Rent a Car and Go on a Self-Drive Tour with Your Taiwan Driver’s License

▲ Hokkaido’s vast landscape makes self-driving one of the most convenient choices, offering flexible and easy travel.

Hokkaido’s expansive land area makes driving yourself one of the most convenient options—not only is it flexible and easy, but you can also carry your luggage with you, making it ideal for couples, friends, families, and parent-child groups.

Upon arrival at the airport, travelers can visit the car rental company counter for inquiries and take a free shuttle bus directly to the rental company to choose a vehicle. Moreover, Taiwan is one of the six countries recognized by Hokkaido as exempt from requiring an international driver’s license. As long as you have a Taiwan driver’s license (you need to apply for a “Japanese Translation of Taiwan Driver’s License” in advance at any motor vehicle office in Taiwan), you can rent a car and hit the road.

No need to worry if you don’t know the way or speak Japanese, because most car rental companies in Hokkaido offer GPS navigation systems with Chinese language support. Take NIPPON RENT-A-CAR for example: simply enter the phone number of your destination into the navigation system, and the route will appear automatically. No need to speak Japanese, no need to read maps, no need to memorize routes—just follow the Chinese voice instructions and you’re good to go.

▲ Chinese GPS: just input the phone number for navigation.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism - Hokkaido Transport Bureau has also specially created a Traditional Chinese website with information tailored for Taiwanese travelers. It details basic Japanese traffic regulations, how to respond to road accidents in Hokkaido, winter driving basics, as well as seasonal attractions in Hokkaido and rest stop services. In addition, there is comprehensive information on car rentals, ETC toll discount cards, and how to use in-car GPS navigation systems.

Although Japan drives on the right, which is different from Taiwan’s left-side driving, Hokkaido has over 700 kilometers of highways with about 200,000 vehicles using them daily, operating in an orderly manner. Every tunnel is equipped with an “emergency escape passage,” which is not normally open but can be used in case of traffic accidents, especially emergencies inside tunnels. There’s no need to panic—just follow the instructions to evacuate. Emergency phones are also installed along the roadsides, with services available in Chinese. All in all, the safety measures are quite thorough.

▲ % Even in the remotest areas, there are “emergency escape passages” that connect to emergency rescue services.