Quick picks
Near Haneda Airport
Only JDM
Skyline R34 coupe or Supra A80 from ¥36,000 for 7 hours, ¥40,000 for a day. Age 23 or over with 3 years of driving; ¥50,000 deposit.
Only JDM's site (no commission)
Widest choice by the day
Car Rental Tokyo
GT-R R32, R34 and R35, Supra, AE86, Evo IX and more, from ¥27,800 a day. In Matsudo, Chiba, about 15 minutes' walk from Higashi-Matsudo Station.
Car Rental Tokyo's site (no commission)
An R34 to Daikoku, with a lead car
Daikoku Tour R34 session
You drive a Skyline R34 behind the company's car for a 3-hour evening run. ¥50,000 to ¥80,000 per car. No refund once paid.
Checked on the companies' own sites on 30 October 2026. None of the links in these picks earn me a commission.
On this page
Quick answers
- Can tourists rent JDM cars in Japan? Yes, with an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention (or an official translation for a few countries), your home licence and your passport. Most companies want drivers aged 23 or over for these cars.
- How much does it cost? From about ¥27,800 a day for a Honda S2000 or Civic Type R to ¥53,800 for a Skyline R34 GT-R; a non-turbo R34 coupe is ¥36,000 for 7 hours (checked 30 October 2026).
- Where can I rent one? Near Haneda Airport (Only JDM), in Matsudo, Chiba (Car Rental Tokyo), or near Shibuya for an evening run to Daikoku behind a lead car (Daikoku Tour).
The short version
You can rent a real JDM car in Japan as a visitor, from about ¥30,000 to ¥55,000 a day. What decides whether you drive is not the car or the company but your paperwork: a permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention, your home licence and your passport. Without them, no company will hand over the keys.
The permit decides everything
Japan accepts only International Driving Permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention. Licences from a few countries, such as France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan, use an official Japanese translation instead (Tokyo Metropolitan Police, PDF). A permit under the 1968 Vienna Convention, or an "international licence" bought online from a private seller, is not valid in Japan (All Japan Rent a Car Association).
Get the permit at home before you fly:
| Where you live | Who issues it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
United States | AAA, or the American Automobile Touring Alliance | Valid for one year. The State Department warns about permits sold online by people it has not authorised (AAA) |
United Kingdom | Shops with PayPoint | £5.50. The UK government lists Japan as a 1949 country (GOV.UK) |
Canada | CAA | Issued under the 1949 Convention (CAA) |
Elsewhere | Usually your national motoring club | Check that it says "Convention on International Road Traffic of 1949" |
Bring all three on the day: the permit, your original home licence and your passport. Rental companies check your date of entry, because a foreign permit is valid in Japan for one year from arrival; if you come through the automated gates at the airport, ask immigration staff for a stamp (Times Car Rental). Only JDM says it gives no refund if your permit turns out to be the wrong kind.
The rental companies compared
| Company | Where | Cars and price | Age | Deposit and cover | Hours and cancellation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Haneda Airport store (Omori-minami, Ota City) and a Tokyo North store | Skyline R34 ER34 coupe (manual) and Supra A80 (automatic) from ¥36,000 for 7 hours, ¥40,000 for 1 to 2 days. GT-R R32 from ¥40,000. GT-R R35 and RX-7 from ¥53,000. Discounts for 3 days or more | 23 or over with 3 years of driving; 26 or over for the GT-R R32 and R35, RX-7, LC500 and S2000 | Deposit ¥50,000, or ¥200,000 for the GT-R R32, R35, RX-7 and LC500. Cover: Lite (third-party liability only) ¥3,000 a day, Premium ¥12,000 a day. ETC card ¥600 a day | Pick-up and return 10 am to 6:30 pm only; late return ¥6,600 per 30 minutes. Weather is not a reason for free cancellation. No driving on snow or ice: damage there is not covered | |
Matsudo, Chiba, about 15 minutes' walk from Higashi-Matsudo Station; about 45 minutes by train from Narita, 60 from Haneda | Per day: Honda S2000 and Civic Type R ¥27,800; GT-R R32, Evo IX and AE86 Sprinter Trueno ¥35,800; Supra 80 and GT-R R35 (2020) ¥45,800; GT-R R34 and GT-R R35 (2025) ¥53,800 | 18 or over on some cars; varies by car | Card only (no debit or UnionPay), deposit held on the day. Insurance included with a ¥200,000 excess (¥300,000 on GT-R and Supra); CDW ¥3,300 to ¥4,400 a day. All cars have ETC; card ¥550 | Open 9 am to 6 pm, closed Tuesdays. Free cancellation 7 days or more before; 30% from 6 to 3 days, 50% 2 days, 70% 1 day, 100% on the day | |
Near Shibuya Station | Skyline R34 (automatic or manual): 3-hour Daikoku session ¥50,000 to ¥80,000 per car; 1 day ¥65,000 to ¥95,000 | 23 or over | Card hold ¥150,000 to ¥300,000. CDW extra on the automatics, included on the manual | Final once paid, no refunds for a change of plans (Samurai Car Japan) | |
Tokyo | R34, R32, Supra | Rentals temporarily paused |
Checked on each company's own pages on 30 October 2026: Only JDM car page, Car Rental Tokyo prices, shop, FAQ and rental system. Prices are "from" figures before cover and extras. None of these are affiliate links.
A note on names: Only JDM's R34 coupe is a non-turbo ER34, and Daikoku Tour says its R34s have GT-R styling rather than being factory GT-Rs. If you want a real GT-R, check the exact model on the car's page.
Driving to Daikoku at night
All three companies hand cars over in the daytime, so an evening at the Daikoku car meet means one of these:
- Rent for two days and keep the car overnight. Check the late-return rules before you plan.
- Join a lead-car evening. Daikoku Tour's R34 session starts in the evening from Shibuya. Only JDM runs a 4-hour night self-drive tour from Haneda, 5 pm to 9 pm, with tolls, fuel and basic cover included; its own site showed it from ¥50,000 on 30 October 2026, while the same tour was ¥79,999 per car on Viator when I last checked it on 28 October, so compare before you book (Only JDM tour page).
A 9 pm finish also helps with closures: in my experience as a local, Daikoku is quite likely to be closed on weekend nights from about 9 pm. Check the visitor reports before you go.
Things to know before you drive
- Get an ETC card with the car. Most Shuto Expressway entrances are becoming ETC-only; see the ETC section of my Daikoku-without-a-tour guide.
- Winter. Only JDM forbids driving on snow or ice and does not cover damage there. Some of its cars are listed with winter tyres; ask if you are travelling in winter.
- Where to drive it. For the famous mountain roads near Tokyo, with tolls, hours and speed limits, see Scenic mountain drives near Tokyo.
- Manual or automatic. Many of these cars are manual only. Check the gearbox on the car's page before you book.
- No drifting on public roads. It is illegal in Japan, and a rental contract will not cover it. To drift, book a lesson on a closed track: see self-drive drift lessons.
FAQ
Can a tourist rent a JDM car in Japan?
Yes, with an International Driving Permit under the 1949 Geneva Convention (or an official translation for licences from a few countries), your home licence and your passport. Companies also set minimum ages, usually 23 or over for these cars.
How much does it cost to rent a Skyline in Japan?
On 30 October 2026, a Skyline R34 coupe started at ¥36,000 for 7 hours at Only JDM, an R34 GT-R at ¥53,800 a day at Car Rental Tokyo, and Daikoku Tour charged ¥65,000 to ¥95,000 a day for its R34s. Add cover, an ETC card, fuel and tolls.
Can I get an International Driving Permit in Japan?
No. You have to get it in the country that issued your licence, before you travel. Permits sold online by unauthorised sellers are not valid.
Can I take a rental car on a race track?
Ask the company before you plan it; I did not find track use mentioned on these companies' pages. For time on a track, the straightforward route is a drift lesson that provides the car: see self-drive drift lessons.
Sources: Tokyo Metropolitan Police, All Japan Rent a Car Association, AAA, GOV.UK, CAA and Times Car Rental for permits; the rental companies' own pages for prices and rules (Only JDM, Car Rental Tokyo, Daikoku Tour and Samurai Car Japan, Wangun OG), all checked on 30 October 2026; Viator's partner data (28 October 2026) for the Only JDM tour price on Viator.
More guides
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- Scenic Mountain Drives near Tokyo: Hakone Turnpike, Ashinoko Skyline and IrohazakaThe famous touge roads near Tokyo for a day out in a rented JDM car: tolls, opening hours, speed limits, when they jam, and why they are drives, not race tracks.
- Tokyo Drift Tours: Which Ones Actually Drift? (And Which Don't)Four real drift experiences near Tokyo, numbered and compared: ride or drive, pickup, group size, price and refunds, on Viator or booked direct.
- Self-Drive Drift Lessons near Tokyo, ComparedWhere you hold the wheel yourself: prices, cars, age limits, pickup and cancellation terms for drift lessons near Tokyo, booked direct or through Viator.
- How to Get to Ebisu Circuit's Drift Taxi from Tokyo (Without a Tour)The Ebisu Drift Taxi is paused. What it was, the train route and costs if it returns, the D1 Grand Prix ticket perk, and the private tour you can book now.