Japan's developed public transportation system provides a good means of transportation for tourists to visit urban attractions. As for planning to travel to the countryside or suburbs, you can consider a higher degree of freedom of self-driving travel.After introducing the four pre-departure preparations for driving in Japan before, let's introduce the steps and experience sharing of dealing with car rental service companies.
Car rental process and steps for self-driving tours in Japan
Those planning a self-driving trip to Japan must face the car rental service company. The entire process is divided into three stages: "pre-trip reservation", "rental car pickup" and "rental car return". Each stage is detailed. Divided into three steps, it describes the entire process and steps of renting a car and driving yourself, and provides a reference for everyone to plan their itinerary. Among them, for reservations before traveling, please refer toDetailed explanation of the three steps for booking a car rental onlineArticle description.
Klook.Car rental reservation:Self-driving car rental in Hokkaido (low season)|Self-driving car rental in Hokkaido (peak season)
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Car rental and pick-up stage: detailed steps for car rental procedures
After completing the lease reservation in the country before departure, you must confirm the required information, and according to the original plan of the itinerary, take the flight to Japan for a self-driving tour itinerary!When picking up a car by renting a car, you must go to the car rental service location according to the scheduled time. It is best to arrive in advance. If it exceeds a certain time, the car rental company has the right to refuse to provide services.
The car rental procedure can be divided into three steps: "prepared information", "payment confirmation" and "car condition confirmation", which are explained in order as follows:
Step 1: Prepare the necessary information for renting a car
Go to the service center of the car rental company according to the reserved time. When picking up the car, the necessary documents you need to present include: original driver's license, Japanese translation of driver's license, credit card, paper reservation form, passport and other five documents.
The original driver’s license may also be replaced by a photocopy. The Japanese version of the driver’s license is mandatory. The use of cash for credit cards depends on the regulations of individual car rental companies. The paper reservation form is the best, and the counter staff can provide convenience for the work.The last thing is a passport. If you don’t have one, go ahead and reissue your passport first!I can't return to the country soon!
Step 2: Confirm vehicle and insurance contents
After receiving the information presented by the renter and completing the relevant processing operations, the counter service staff will explain the contents of the reservation for reconfirmation, and explain the contents and precautions of the rental car insurance. Then, after confirming the amount, sign and swipe the card in advance.
Step Three: Check Vehicle and Instructions
After completing the written work related to the rental car, the service staff will lead the customer to pick up the car. First, confirm that the appearance of the car is not damaged, and then explain the main equipment and operation methods such as the car navigation machine. A vehicle description and emergency response manual will be provided, along with paper information such as a car rental confirmation, for customers to place on the car for inspection.
After completing the above procedures, because the vehicle is full of fuel, you can drive on the road directly!
Car rental and return stage: detailed steps to return the car at the end of the trip
After successfully completing the self-driving itinerary, you must return the car to the car rental service location according to the original scheduled return time.If you can’t return to the return location on time for some reason, you may have to pay for the late return according to the severity of the delay. Although a delay of more than ten minutes is still acceptable, it is recommended to drive there in advance. .
The steps for returning a car by renting a car can be divided into three steps: "fill up the fuel tank", "inspect the vehicle" and "complete the procedure", which are explained in order as follows:
Step 1: Fill up the fuel tank by yourself while driving
When the car was picked up earlier, the fuel tank of the vehicle was full. When returning the car at the end, the driver had to fill the fuel tank by himself before returning the car.Basically, there will be gas stations near the car rental service base. You can also ask the service staff where the gas station is. If the gas cannot be filled for some reason, the car rental company will charge the customer according to the price list announced at the counter.
The action of filling up the gas tank must be performed before returning the vehicle. At the same time, the receipt must be kept and presented as a proof when returning the vehicle. The counter staff will determine whether the fuel tank is full according to the time point on the receipt of the gas station. Therefore, the interval between refueling and returning the car should not be too long.
Step 2: Jointly check whether the vehicle is intact
After filling up the gas tank, drive to the rental car service station and inform the counter staff to return the car.Next, the service staff will check with the customer whether the appearance of the vehicle is in good condition, and the customer can also show the fuel payment receipt, which serves as a proof that the fuel tank is full.
Step 3: Complete the return of the car and collect the fees
After checking, the staff at the counter confirms that the appearance of the vehicle is not damaged, the fuel tank is full, and the return time has not expired, they will be charged according to the pre-swiped card fee when picking up the vehicle, and the rental payment receipt will be provided. At this point, the return procedure is completed.If there is a case where the return of the car is overtime or the fuel tank is not full, an overtime fee or gasoline fee will be charged.
In case of damage to the exterior of the vehicle, an additional fee must be charged in accordance with the provisions of the insurance.Generally speaking, for the larger car rental companies, the rental fee will be included in the "Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)" insurance. In the event of an accident, consumers only need to compensate for the "Out of Operation Charge". .
Compensation fees for operating losses are usually divided into two types: 2 yen and 5 yen.If the customer can drive the car back to the service location, the fee will be 2 yen; if the customer cannot drive the car back to the service location, the fee will be 5 yen.It is strongly recommended to choose a car rental company that provides insurance with the exemption compensation system. If it is not included in the rental fee, you can also request additional insurance. After all, you are not afraid of XNUMX, just in case!
When I went to Hokkaido for self-driving, I didn’t know how to drive the car and the road conditions, and I didn’t know how to drive it. Even if I was careful when driving, and the Japanese were driving by the rules, although there were no major accidents, the rear door was still Accidentally rubbed and hit the wooden pillar on the side of the road.Finally, you must first give the service staff a detailed account of the incident, time and location for their records, and then obediently pay out 2 yen for the shopping reserve.
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