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A Japan travel blog · 日本

ChasingCherry Blossoms

Japan by car — the roads, the onsen towns,
and the food worth the detour.

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Cherry blossoms over a quiet Tokyo side street
Kimono-clad visitors walking towards Yasaka pagoda at dusk, Kyoto

Why we drive

The Japan the trains don’t reach

Most Japan travel writing assumes you’ll take the train. For Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, that’s the right advice — and we’d give it too.

But the Japan we keep coming back for isn’t on the Golden Route. It’s the Aso caldera at dawn, a roadside station selling produce picked that morning, an onsen town two hours from the nearest station. You need a car to reach any of it, and almost nobody writes in English about what that actually involves.

That’s what this site is for. We drive in Japan, we work out the licence paperwork and the toll systems and the parking so you don’t have to, and we write down what things really cost.

47+
Prefectures, all drivable
14,125
Islands make up Japan
1200+
Roadside stations (michi-no-eki)
27%
UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Start here · 始めよう

Planning your first drive in Japan?

Read these four in order — they are the paperwork, the tolls and the honest maths that stop most people before they ever leave home.

  1. Renting a Car in Japan

    The licence rules that stop most people before they leave home — IDPs, translations and the documents rental desks actually ask for.

    Read the guide

  2. ETC Card in Japan

    Why declining the toll card in 2026 can leave you stuck at a toll barrier — and how to get one with a foreign credit card.

    Read the guide

  3. Expressway Passes Compared

    Two of the passes everyone still recommends no longer exist. Here is what replaced them, region by region, with real prices.

    Read the guide

  4. JR Pass vs Renting a Car

    The honest break-even maths, updated for the October 2026 price rise — when the train wins, and when the car pays for itself.

    Read the guide

Not sure when to go? Start with the best time to visit Japan, month by month.

Latest stories · 最新の記事

From the road

“Under the cherry blossoms,
there are no strangers.”

— Kobayashi Issa · 小林一茶Find the best time to visit Japan

Browse by topic · 話題

Where will Japan take you?

Driving in Japan

Cars, ETC, tolls, parking

Road Trips

Region-by-region itineraries

Planning Your Trip

Timing, budgets, logistics

Cherry Blossoms

Forecasts and where to chase them

Food & Drink

What to eat and where

Onsen & Ryokan

Hot springs and where to stay

Destinations

Places worth the detour