Car rental Japan - Ru

Book car rentals in Japan now!

Rural road conditions/Maintenance: Good
Availability of Roadside Assistance: Good (but available only in Japanese)

Driving in Japan is quite complicated and expensive. Those who cannot read the language will have trouble understanding road signs. Highway tolls are assessed at about $1 (U.S.) per mile. City traffic is often very congested. A 20-mile trip in the Tokyo area may take two hours. There is virtually no legal roadside parking. In mountainous areas, roads are often closed during the winter, and cars should be equipped with tire chains. Roads in Japan are much narrower than those in the United States. Japanese compulsory insurance (JCI) is mandatory for all automobile owners and drivers in Japan. Most short-term visitors choose not to drive in Japan. Vehicular traffic moves on the left. Turns at red lights are forbidden, unless specifically authorized.

Japanese law provides that all persons who drive in Japan are held liable in the event of an accident, and assesses fault in an accident on all parties. Drivers stopped for driving under the influence of intoxicants will have their licenses confiscated. Persons found guilty of "drunken, speeding or blatantly careless driving that results in death" are subject to up to 15 years in prison. The National Police Agency (NPA) oversees the administration and enforcement of traffic laws. Further information in English is available on the NPA's web site at http://www.npa.go.jp/.

Emergency Assistance: Within Japan, please dial 110 for police, and 119 for ambulance. For roadside assistance, please contact JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) at 03-5395-0111 in Tokyo, 06-577-0111 in Osaka, 011-857-8139 in Sapporo, 092-841-5000 in Fukuoka, or 098-877-9163 in Okinawa.

For additional general information about road safety, including links to foreign government sites, please see the Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs home page at http://travel.state.gov/road-safety.html. For specific information concerning Japanese driving permits, vehicle inspection, road tax and mandatory insurance, please contact the Japan National Tourist Organization offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York or San Francisco via the Internet at http://www.jnto.go.jp/. In addition, information about roadside assistance, rules of the road and obtaining a Japanese driver's license is available in English from the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) web site at http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index-e.htm. Please see also road safety information from other sources in Japan, including the following: Japan Road Safety Links: National Organization for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid (OSA) at http://www.osa.go.jp/html99e/994100e.html, Ministry of Transport at http://www.motnet.go.jp/index.htm, Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis at http://www2.ceri.go.jp/eng/e9a.html, and Institute for Traffic Accident Research: Fatalities by Prefecture at http://www2.ceri.go.jp/eng/e9a.html.