Car Rental in Hiroshima, Japan: A Practical Guide

This guide covers pickup locations, mandatory driving documents, and local toll passes for a seamless road trip.

Exploring Hiroshima and its surrounding prefectures by car offers unmatched flexibility, especially if you plan to travel beyond the main Shinkansen line. While Hiroshima's city center is well-served by streetcars, a rental car is essential for visiting the coastal towns of the Seto Inland Sea, the mountainous Chugoku region, or neighboring historic areas. You can easily secure a vehicle through platforms like DiscoverCars, choosing from major local providers such as Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, and ORIX Rent a Car. In this guide, we break down the practicalities of renting a car in Hiroshima, including the mandatory paperwork for foreign drivers, navigating the toll roads, and picking up your vehicle at Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) or Hiroshima Station. With the right preparation, driving in Japan is safe, highly organized, and straightforward.

L'essentiel

To drive a rental car in Hiroshima, foreign travelers must present a physical passport containing a standard immigration entry stamp; you cannot pick up a car if you used automated gates without obtaining this physical stamp. Additionally, you must present your home country's driver's license alongside an International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Drivers from designated countries that do not issue 1949 IDPs must provide an official Japanese translation instead.

Driving in Japan is on the left side of the road. Speed limits are strictly enforced, and urban areas feature numerous coin-operated parking lots. When navigating the region, you will frequently use toll expressways. Most rental vehicles come equipped with a built-in Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) device, but you must rent the physical ETC card itself from the provider for a small handling fee (typically around 330 JPY, tax included) to pay tolls seamlessly.

Prices and when to book

Car rental rates in Hiroshima vary by vehicle class and season. To secure the best rates and ensure vehicle availability, especially during peak travel seasons, it is highly recommended to book well in advance. While base rental rates exclude expressway tolls, foreign visitors can save significantly on long-distance travel by purchasing the San'in-Setouchi-Shikoku Expressway Pass (SEP).

The SEP offers flat-rate, unlimited expressway usage across 10 prefectures in the Chugoku and Shikoku regions, including Hiroshima, Hyogo, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Tokushima, Kagawa, Ehime, and Kochi. The pass is priced from 10,700 JPY for 3 days up to 17,700 JPY for 10 days. Note that regional passes like the Central Nippon Expressway Pass (CEP) were discontinued as of October 1, 2024, and the nationwide Japan Expressway Pass (JEP) is also inactive, making the SEP the primary toll-saving option for this region in 2026.

Where to pick up your vehicle

Rental car pickup points are conveniently distributed across Hiroshima. If you arrive by air, Hiroshima Airport (HIJ) features a consolidated facility called the RENT-A-Car.Port. You can reach it via a quick 3-minute walk across the pedestrian connecting bridge located on the 2nd floor of the passenger terminal. Major providers operating here include Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, ORIX Rent a Car, Times Car Rental, Nissan Rent a Car, and JR Rent-A-Car West.

If you arrive by train, Hiroshima Station is the primary hub, with multiple rental offices situated immediately around the station area. Downtown pickup locations, such as Hiroshima Kojinmachi, are also available for travelers who prefer to explore the city center on foot before starting their road trip.

Road trip tips from Hiroshima

When planning your routes from Hiroshima, keep in mind that the drive from Hiroshima Airport to the city center is approximately 50 kilometers via the Sanyo Expressway, taking about 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic. Always ensure your rental agreement includes the ETC card rental if you plan to use the expressways, as paying with cash at toll gates is slower and more expensive.

Before leaving the rental desk, confirm that your GPS is set to English. Many Japanese navigation systems allow you to input destinations using "Mapcodes" or phone numbers, which is often easier than typing addresses. Ensure you familiarize yourself with local road signs, particularly the red triangular stop sign.

Where to go by car

Tolls: rates vary by country and route segment — check current pricing before you go.