Questions & Answers About Rental:

Q: What is the best season to visit Japan by a Camper?

A. Japan has 4 seasons. The coldest months are January and February, The hottest is usually August. All of our Campervans are equipped with A/C ( while driving) and most have Auxiliary parking heating installed. You can use our vans all year around. There is no "best" and "worst" time because it all depends on what you like to see and experience in Japan. For example: we rent our Campervans to skiiers in the Winter, Cherry Blossom admirers in the Spring, Ocean loving surfers in the Summer and beautiful mountain colors photograpers in the Autumn. However, please avoid January and February if you don't like the cold weather and try to avoid August if you don't like the hot and muggy weather in Tokyo and Kyoto. (Hokkaido and mountains are OK in August). Does not really matter when you come and travel by a Campervan, because Japan is an interesting country all year around.
There are not too many tourists in November yet it is quite a nice time of the year with temperatures between 10-20 degrees.

Q: Can I drive a campervan in Japan?
What kind of driver license do I need?

A: Yes you can if you have a driver license that allows you to drive passenger cars up to 3,500 kg.
A valid International Driving Permit, original Driving Licence and a Passport are required for driving in Japan. Certain nationals (Germany, France, Switzerland, Monaco, Slovenia, Belgium and Taiwan) are allowed to drive in Japan with an official Japanese translation of the driving license.
You can obtain the Japanese translation of your domestic driving license in the local embassy / consulate of Japan or the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). We provide the Driving Licence Translation service.
Please see more details -> here

Q: Can I drive a Motorhome in Japan? What kind of driver license do I need?

Same as above.
However, Japan has many narrow streets and driving the ("huge" for some Japanese roads) Motorhome is recommended for experienced and confident drivers only.

Q. What is the minimum driver’s age to rent a campervan?

A. All drivers must be 21 years or older and hold a valid, full driver’s license. Provisional, Restricted or learners licenses unfortunately cannot be accepted.

Q. What is the maximum driver’s age to rent a campervan?

A. Driver must be under 75 years old and hold a valid, full driver’s license.
Please let us know if your age is between 70-75 years old, because there are additional Insurance requirements.

Q. Can anyone other than myself drive the camper?

A. Additional drivers can be added to the reservation at time of pick up. All drivers’ details must appear in the Rental Agreement. Additional drivers are free of charge.

Q. Is there a weight limit for the bed/ bunk bed or roof top?

A. Yes. In general the normal beds are built for persons up to 100kg. Top double bunk bed ( Nissan Caravan) or the roof top ( Mazda Bongo) is usually suitable for 2 children or 1 adult ( max. total weight limit is 120kg).

Q. Can I extend the rental duration?

A. Extending the rental duration may be possible on a case by case situations. You need to contact our office as soon as you decide to extend the rental period. The extension is subject to vehicle availability and extra payment. It is often difficult to extend rentals during peak periods. Please be aware of this to avoid disappointment.

Q. During the rental period, can I cancel my booking, or return the campervan early?

A. Yes you can but we do not offer any refund if you return your Campervan earlier than originally booked.

Q. How are daily rates calculated?

A. Our rates are calculated on the daily basis. You can pick up the vehicle during the office hours and return it on your last day of your rental during the office hours. The pickup day is the first day of your rental and the drop off day is the last day of your rental.

Q. Do Japan Campers offer one-way rentals?

A. Currently our office is located in Narita only. One way hires are permitted but there is an additional charge for transporting a campervan back to our office. The one way fee is calculated individually. For example Sapporo drop off extra charge involves driving over 1000km, petrol cost, highway cost, ferry cost and our staff travel cost. Please contact our office for details.

Q. Is insurance required?

A. All our campervans are fully insured by a separate insurance company.
In case of an insurance claim there an excess of 100,000 JPY (150,000 JPY Nissan Nova, 200,000 JPY for Motorhomes). In the unlikely event of an accident the applicable excess fee will need to be paid directly to Japan Campers within 24 hrs. Unfortunately, since insurance claims cause our premiums to go up, a new Damage Deposit (150% of the first one) will be required. We suggest to get a travel insurance that covers the Excess fee (deductible).
This amount can then be claimed through the insurance you have obtained separately.

Q. Is a vehicle bond required (Damage Deposit)?

A. A security bond (damage deposit) is required for all our rentals. We usually receive the damage deposit in cash during the vehicle pick-up. This bond will be released upon return of the undamaged vehicle. You may pay the Damage Deposit in your own currency so you are not stuck with Japanese Yen on the end of your stay in Japan.

Q. How many free kilometers per day included in my rental?

A. All rentals include unlimited kilometers. Miniature campervans are included but driving well over 100km / day (due to a very small engine size) is not recommended.
All vehilces are also required to change the engine oil if you travel in excess certain amount of km. This is case by case and can be done in one of hundreds of car shops/ gasoline stations all over Japan.

Q. Do you provide Winter tires and Winter Parking Heaters? How much extra does it cost.

A. During the winter time, if you are planning to go into snow areas you are required by our Insurance company to use winter tires. We provide them for additional 5% of the rental fee.
The Parking heaters are expensive to install and maintain so there an extra 5% charge on vans with Winter Parking Heaters.
Please ask for details during your booking.