How to Rent a Car in Japan with a Dog

It is possible to rent a car in Japan with a dog. Trains are the most popular method of travel in Japan with amazing train systems. However, public transport only allows small dogs to travel. With car ownership being quite expensive, a lot of people look to rent a car for trips they wish to do with their dogs.

Thankfully, it is possible to rent a car in Japan with a dog. However, there are restrictions. Let’s look at the 3 major car rental companies and their rules, Toyota Rent a Car, Nissan Rent a Car & Nippon Rent a Car. Orix don’t allow any pets at all in their rental cars.

Toyota Rent a Car

When we looked to hire a car, Toyota came out at the most cost effective option. So naturally we considered these as first option. Toyota allow both cats and dogs to travel in their rental cars. However, they do have quite a few restrictions;

• Maximum 10kg
• Must be kept in a cage the whole time
• Cage must be maximum size 70cm x 95cm x 75cm
• Cage must be put in the luggage space (boot)
• You must put a pet blanket under the cage (provided by Toyota)
• You must sign a consent form when picking up the car
• If there is any smell, fouling or damage you will be charged an unspecified non operation charge
• You can only rent car class W, V or SUV class, which are the most expensive options

So for those looking to hire a car for the purposes of taking your larger dog with you, you are out of luck with Toyota. It also seems they are pretty strict with their cages and having to be in the boot during the rental. This seems a bit harsh. Although I’m not sure how they would know if you put them on the back seat in their carrier. As long as they don’t leave hairs and you hoover it out before handing it back surely it would be OK? I guess their main concern is cleanliness for the next passengers, but I’m pretty sure kids are way more messy!

Nissan Rent a Car

Nissan Rent a Car also allow you to travel with dogs and cats. They don’t have any rules on their website so I wrote to ask them if it was possible. They confirmed that it was with certain restrictions. Their rules are pretty similar to Toyota;

• You must use a cage and put on the pet seat which they will prepare at the bottom of back seat during rent a car.
• The maximum size of the cage is 70cm × 90cm × 75cm (no mention of weight limit)
• You must sign a pet consent form when picking up the car
• There’s a charge of 550yen for the rental period for travelling with a pet
• There is a 20,000 JPY non operation charge if the pet causes damage, bad smell or excess pet hairs
• Also, please be noted that there are limited class of vehicle you can drive with your pet. Those classes are P5, PT5, RV, RH, W, WH, V, and C

Whilst there’s no weight limit, the size of the cage will restrict the possibility to smaller dogs. The fact there’s a charge doesn’t bother us too much as it’s pretty small. The benefit over Toyota is that the cage can go at the back seat instead of in the boot. The downside we found was on the dates we looked at, there were very few car classes available that would allow a pet. Those that were available were quite a bit more expensive than Toyota.

Nippon Rent a Car

Nippon Rent a Car is pretty similar to the others.

• Only dogs & cats are allowed
• Maximum weight 10kg
• Maximum cage size 70cm x 95cm x 75cm
• Must stay inside the cage at all times
• Can be placed in the boot or on the floor of the back seat
• 550 JPY charge for allowing a pet
• 20,000 JPY charge is the pet causes damage, bad smell or excessive hairs
• Must sign a pet consent form which can be found here

The biggest downside to Nippon is that their prices are a lot higher than the other two. It does say it’s reserved to certain car classes as well, but doesn’t specify which. When I asked, they said it depends on the branch you hire the car from which seems a bit strange. The fact that they are a lot more expensive than the others put us off using these for now. Maybe on other dates.

Conclusion

Whilst it is possible to rent a car with a dog in Japan, it still doesn’t help those dog owners with bigger dogs. Having to keep the dog in the cage during the journey is also a bit of a downer as well. The additional fees aren’t really bad at all but the fact you have to hire the larger size (more expensive) cars is also a bit of a downside as even though the pet fee is small, the extra cost can add up quickly for the higher class of cars. Although it does mean you get nicer cars with more space.

We are going to do a road trip in July and have booked a car with Toyota for this trip. We don’t like the fact of staying in my cage the whole time or staying in the boot but let’s see how it goes. Surely as long as we fully clean the car before handing it back it should be OK?

Stay tuned to find out! If hiring a car in Japan, why not check out some of my favourite pet friendly places to hang out whilst you are here.

Let me know in the comments below if you know of any car rental companies in Japan that allow larger dogs. Or any that are a bit more flexible with their policies.

Don’t forget to check out my Amazon store (affiliate link) which has all the details all of my recommended products I use then travelling. You can check it out here.

If any of my travel tips help, please feel free to leave a small donation which would be greatly appreciated 😊

Woof woof, Wylie x