Japan by car, without the hassle

Bring your own driving licence and an International Driving Permit. Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the UK and the US all issue them. Get yours at home before you travel, because Japan cannot issue one.

Your permit must be the one issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Japan does not accept the 1968 Vienna Convention permit, so check which one you are given.

Licences from a few places, including Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan, need an official Japanese translation instead of a permit. If you are unsure, tell us where your licence is from and we will check.

Japan drives on the left, as in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and the UK. Roads are well kept and expressway signs are in English as well as Japanese. Other drivers are patient.

Send an enquiry with your dates and where you want to go. You pay nothing at this stage. We reply by email as soon as we can to confirm the car and the price.

Once you are happy, we send a secure link for your passport and licence details and explain how to pay.

Yes. The model you book is the model we deliver, never "or similar". Many rental companies in Japan take bookings by class and hand over whichever car is free; we do not. The same goes for any other car we arrange.

Anywhere in Tokyo, including Haneda and Narita airports, and places up to about three hours' drive from Tokyo, such as Hakone, Fuji, Nikko and Karuizawa. We collect it wherever you finish. Outside Tokyo, tell us the place in your enquiry and we confirm it with the price. Delivery and collection are in the quote we send, so you see the full price before you agree.

Yes. Our airport concierge meets you at arrivals at Haneda or Narita, or at Tokyo Station if you arrive by Shinkansen, and takes you, your family and your bags to your hotel. It is priced on request: add it to a car enquiry, or ask for it on its own. For everything else, you drive yourself.

Your car comes with an ETC card, so expressway tolls are paid as you drive through; we settle them with you after the trip. Our price does not include fuel; we explain how fuel works when we confirm your booking.

Yes. You can add child and booster seats to the enquiry. Tell us the children's ages and we fit the right seats before the car reaches you.

You can add a collision damage waiver when you enquire. We explain exactly what it covers, and what you would pay without it, before you confirm.

Yes, on request. Tell us in the enquiry what you have in mind, and we will let you know what we can arrange.

Yes, with snow tyres, which you can add for a winter trip. Nikko, Karuizawa and the roads around Fuji need them from about December to March. If you have not driven on snow before, tell us and we will suggest an easier route.