Tokyo Car Rental

Spyder93090 · 10 Oct 2006

Hey guys, me and a friend are planning to go to Tokyo next Summer. Do you guys know any sites where we can rent a car ? I already tried Avis, Hertz, and Enterprise and they said NRT was not a valid airport code and Japan wasn't even on the drop down menu. I tried Expedia and all it gave me was some "Eurocar" company [Keyword: EURO(PE)]

And another conflict, I know you have to take a train to Tokyo from NRT so how would that kick in ? What if I want to pick it up in Tokyo, not at the airport ? Cuz I don't feel like taking a 2 hour drive lol.

Oh and we'll both be 17. Will we have trouble renting a car because of our age ?

[:EDIT:] **bleep** alright this one chick told me that you have to be at least 25 to rent a car anywhere in the first place, which I think is a lie. Can someone clear this up ?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Any other suggestions or alternatives are welcome as well.

THANX !!

jRus · 10 Oct 2006

I agree with you about the car rental that it is BS. Its like you cannot do anything at all without supervision when you are a teen. Its like they want you to be a child or something.

Grandpa Frank · 10 Oct 2006

Just guessing?

Usually you need to be 21 to rent a car and you need a big name credit card. You probably have to pass a test for an international driver's license. Your local Triple A might be able to help you with info.

Uncle Frank

☝

Damicci · 10 Oct 2006

In japan you need to be 25....
AAA will assign you a 1yr international license. you'll just need 2 passport style photos to use when applying.

Mike Cash · 10 Oct 2006

jRus said:
I agree with you about the car rental that it is BS. Its like you cannot do anything at all without supervision when you are a teen. Its like they want you to be a child or something.

When you take on adult responsibilities, then you get the adult perquisites.

Do you provide and pay for your own housing, food, clothing, transportation, health care, etc? If not, then you are a child.

Mike Cash · 10 Oct 2006

Damicci said:
In japan you need to be 25....

What are you basing that on? I'm sitting here digging through Japanese car rental sites, idiot that I am, trying to find the info and I find nothing about being 25.

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I find all sorts of links on Japanese pages warning Japanese holding international licenses that they need to be over 25 to rent a car in certain other countries, but checking the sites of the car rental places inside Japan I can find nothing.

This probably isn't going to work out, though, for two reasons.

1. They'll be minors attempting to rent without an adult guarantor present.
2. At 17, even though they'll have international licenses, they'll be below the age at which it is possible to get a license in Japan.

I would be surprised if there is any shop that would rent them a car. And they really need to dig and find out if their license will be valid in Japan due to their age.

ArmandV · 10 Oct 2006

I'd like to ask the OP if they've been able to rent cars in the U.S. I'm not saying it is impossible, but darn close to it.

Grandpa Frank · 10 Oct 2006

Just a thought.

Driving on the other side of the road than you are used to and driving a car set up for the driver on the passenger side take some getting used to, not to mention driving in Japanese traffic. Better stick to modes of transportation where you can enjoy site-seeing and let others do the driving, be safer and easier in the long run.

Uncle Frank

Elizabeth · 10 Oct 2006

Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Any other suggestions or alternatives are welcome as well.
THANX !!

You're not in Los Angeles anymore . Think New York and you definately shouldn't even consider cruising a car around Tokyo. Parking is very expensive and limited, traffic is extremely slow, signs aren't all in English....the public transport system will take you everywhere you want to go much, much more efficiently.

ArmandV · 10 Oct 2006

Frank D. White said:
Driving on the other side of the road than you are used to and driving a car set up for the driver on the passenger side take some getting used to, not to mention driving in Japanese traffic. Better stick to modes of transportation where you can enjoy site-seeing and let others do the driving, be safer and easier in the long run.
Uncle Frank

Amen. The first time I rode up in the "shotgun" seat in a Tokyo cab was a little unnerving to me. Especially since it was raining, nighttime and the driver was zig-zagging through narrow streets.

Mike Cash · 10 Oct 2006

Let me see if this helps clarify the situation for the OP:

I am a professional truck driver. I drive a tractor-trailer rig to and through Tokyo/Yokohama six days a week, as a general thing.

When I have personal business in Tokyo on my off time, I drive my car to the local train station here in my town, pay 500 yen to park it all day, and then take the train to, in, and from Tokyo.

yukio_michael · 10 Oct 2006

I got this as the very first link in google for "rent car japan"

Renting a car

Renting a car is an option worth considering if you plan to explore rural Japan, where access by public transportation can be inconvenient and service infrequent. A rental car can also be an economical alternative, if you are traveling in groups.

Exploring Japan's big cities by car, however, is not recommended, as traffic tends to be heavy, orientation difficult, and parking fees high. Trains, subways and buses are generally a better choice in metropolitan areas.

also...

The minimum age for driving in Japan is 18 years.

If your going to be staying in tokyo, you'd have better use for a bicycle than a car, but it looks like that's a moot point now anyways.

Spyder93090 · 10 Oct 2006

Oh well, that blew my plans out of the water. "Japan Rail Pass" here I come, lol. THANX guys. Although I do have this one sketchy backup plan, haha.

Damicci · 10 Oct 2006

gf explained that to me. But she has not rented a car before so may have been her misunderstanding.

It may depend on the company but when I rented a car the company's policy was 25.

Looks like the site Mike mentioned You had to have been driving for over 1 year and not be under 21.....I think.

Damicci · 11 Oct 2006

Boy was I wrong....;_;
Gf said some companies will allow 18 year olds to rent cars.
So there you have it. You just need to "find" the company that will do it.

Kyoko_desu · 11 Oct 2006

Oh but Damicci-san, he will be only 17. You've gotta be 18 to drive in Japan.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Check this site.
[/FONT]

Spyder93090 · 11 Oct 2006

Damicci said:
Boy was I wrong....;_;
Gf said some companies will allow 18 year olds to rent cars.
So there you have it. You just need to "find" the company that will do it.

Yeah, I won't be 18 though. Kinda sketchy on bending the rules but i'll see what I can pull off. I got a cousin there so y'kno, maybe he can hook it up.

Damicci · 11 Oct 2006

Yeah I am on quite the down hill streak this week.

I forgot he will be only 17. JR Pass it is. Other wise yeah get yo cuzzin to help ya'll out.

Spyder93090 · 11 Oct 2006

Damicci said:
Yeah I am on quite the down hill streak this week.

I forgot he will be only 17. JR Pass it is. Other wise yeah get yo cuzzin to help ya'll out.

One more question, if all doesnt go well. Is there a JR Pass that will work with ONLY the Subway line ? Like when I was back in Tokyo in the Summer, I had a JR Pass but it worked for the Subway AND Shinkansen and it was 230,000Y ($200) so I don't feel like paying that since Im only gonna be in Tokyo and no need for the Shinkansen.

ArmandV · 11 Oct 2006

Spyder93090 said:
One more question, if all doesnt go well. Is there a JR Pass that will work with ONLY the Subway line ? Like when I was back in Tokyo in the Summer, I had a JR Pass but it worked for the Subway AND Shinkansen and it was 230,000Y ($200) so I don't feel like paying that since Im only gonna be in Tokyo and no need for the Shinkansen.

JR Rail Passes are only good for JR lines. In Tokyo, there's a daily pass you can get so you don't have to constantly buy subway tickets. I forget the name of it, but I am sure someone here knows what it is.

undrentide · 11 Oct 2006

ArmandV said:
JR Rail Passes are only good for JR lines. In Tokyo, there's a daily pass you can get so you don't have to constantly buy subway tickets. I forget the name of it, but I am sure someone here knows what it is.

The special ticket valid for 1 day is called 窶啀窶愿ｺﾂ湘ｦﾅｽﾃ版停? (ichinichi jousha ken) in Japanese, One-Day Open Ticket in English.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/ticket/index.html
It costs only JPY710 and allows you to take as many rides as you like within the same day. Since it costs JPY160-190/ride if you travelling within central Tokyo, it is worthwhile if you are going to visit several places in a day.
It is valid only for Tokyo Metro lines but it covers most part of central Tokyo, it is quite useful.

They offer another ticket 窶嗷窶啼ﾆ陳?暖ﾆ陳哉谷ﾂーﾆ檀ﾂ／ﾆ恥ﾆ湛ﾆ値ﾆ鍛ﾆ暖 (SF Metrocard/Passnet), which covers all the Tokyo Metro lines as well as private lines in Tokyo (and its suburb). It is available with three different amount, JPY1,000, JPY3,000 and JPY5,000.
http://www.tokyometro.jp/e/card/index.html

If you are travelling around Japan, JR Pass is great, but if you are staying in Tokyo, you can travel easily without using any JR lines.

Mike Cash · 11 Oct 2006

Kyoko_desu said:
Oh but Damicci-san, he will be only 17. You've gotta be 18 to drive in Japan.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Check this site.
[/FONT]

That site doesn't say you have to be 18 to drive in Japan. It says you have to be 18 to get a Japanese license.

Tokyo Car Rental

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