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Driving in Japan
Drive Japan
with confidence.
New to Japanese roads? Here's what actually matters — the rules that keep you safe and out of trouble, and the local know-how that makes it easy. We brief every renter in English before you set off.
The essentials
- Drive on the left. Wheel on the right — take the first few minutes slowly.
- Always carry your licence + 1949 Geneva IDP + passport. Originals, not copies.
- Seatbelts for everyone, every seat.
- Stop fully at 止まれ (stop) signs — and always at railway crossings.
- Pedestrians first at crossings — stop even without a signal.
- Speed limits are enforced by cameras and unmarked cars.
This gets you in trouble
- Drinking & driving. Near-zero tolerance. DUI: up to 3 yrs prison + ¥500,000; drunk driving: up to 5 yrs + ¥1,000,000 — passengers or whoever supplied the drink can be charged too. One drink = don't drive.
- Phone in your hand while driving — ¥18,000 + points (a mount is fine).
- Street racing or drifting on public roads is a crime. Drift on a circuit.
- No valid licence/IDP is treated as unlicensed driving: up to 3 yrs / ¥500,000.
- Illegal parking — fines and towing. Use coin lots.
Local know-how
- Navigation — Google Maps works great; every car has a phone mount.
- Tolls — expressways use ETC; we set it up for you.
- Parking — coin lots (¥100–500 / 30 min) and konbini; don't park on the street.
- Fuel — many stations are full-service; say "mantan" for a full tank.
- Narrow roads — keep left, take it easy, use pull-offs on passes.
- Emergency — police 110, ambulance 119.
General guidance, not legal advice — rules can change. We walk you through everything in English before you drive.
Deep dives
