Car hire and touring in Japan

There was a time when you had to speak Japanese to travel in the backwoods of Japan and you needed a fat wallet. Those days have gone but the myth remains.

My wife and I recently took advantage of the cheap Jet Star airfares and went touring in the mountains south of Tokyo. We left the big city and were in beautiful scenery within a few hours.



Japan is mainly mountains. To borrow a phrase from Mark Twain: Japan would be a mighty big country if it were ironed flat.


We stayed in country inns when we could find one and headed down into the valleys when we couldn’t. The valleys are packed with towns and there’s usually a mob of business hotels around the railway stations (which are easy to find). Prices are about A$100 a night for two people. Country inns are slightly more expensive but an evening meal is often included.

Car hire prices are about the same as in Australia and restaurants are significantly cheaper. Traditional cuisine is being replaced by a Japanese version of Western fast food in the big centres but is still the norm in country areas.

My wife speaks fluent Japanese and we usually take a train to where we are going to start our tour. We leave the railway station and shop around in the car hire places that are to be found near most big stations.

If you don’t speak Japanese, use the car hire counters at the airport and take a train to where you want to pick up the car. An international driving licence will be needed together with your Australian licence. The Japanese drive on the left and use the same international road signs as we do. Drinking and driving is strictly prohibited.

If you don’t speak Japanese, stick to the inn groups that cater for foreign guests: japaneseinngroup.com and http://www.itcj.jp/ .

Major credit cards are accepted for the payment of bills in most places but don’t rely on your bankcards to access money (whatever your bank might say).

In November last year, we used our bankcards to draw out cash from ATMs in convenience stores. Last month we found that non-Japanese bankcards were no longer recognised (even by major banks in large towns). Mercifully, I had $500 in crisp Aussie notes and was able to exchange them for Yen (at a miserable rate). Our cash problem was not solved until we got back to Tokyo.

Next time we go to Japan, I shall resort to my old habit of taking sufficient currency with me and carrying it in a security belt. My wife and I have learnt to be travel wise from our own experiences and those of people who stayed with us when we had our backpacker hostel.

The three pics were taken on our recent trip. The mountain is Fuji, the big tori (gate) is near a friend’s house and the place with the lantern is an inn where we stayed.

Needles to say, Japan is not the only country where people ignore warning signs about wild animals. We have the same problem in Australia.

I wrote the above for Aussie Travel Advice which is an independent travel site for Australians going overseas.