The smallest of Japan’s four main islands, Shikoku is blessed with a stunning mountainous interior, long coastal roads and stunning temples. However, it is also the least visited meaning it’s very easy to get off the beaten track. As with Hokkaido and Kyushu, the best way to get around is by car. The JR network in Shikoku has good coverage and will get you to the island’s major cities. However, it has its limitations, especially in the Iya Valley and the coastal regions. Renting a car in Shikoku is easy and convenient with rental outlets at most airports and major cities.
Getting there and away:
Shikoku is not exactly a major international air destination, as a result, there’s a good chance you will be arriving here by train, plane or boat from another part of Japan. Both JAL and ANA offer excellent internal flight deals for tourists. You can find out more information regarding this in an article we wrote about making your money go that little bit further in Japan.
Where did we go:
We flew into Tokushima and headed straight into the Iya Valley before heading down to Kochi and the south coast. We then finished off our trip in the Takamatsu region.
How long did we go for:
We were in Shikoku for 1 week, which is enough time to do maybe half or a third of the island give or take. Trying to do anymore will mean spending most of your time in the car.
Documentation:
Your driving license is NOT enough to drive in Japan. You need to have an international driver’s permit (IDP). Most countries require the 1948 Geneva Convention IDP.
We cannot stress this enough; without an IDP you will not be able to take your hire car and no refund will be given.
All of the rental firms we’ve used in Japan clearly state that the driver must have an IDP. Don’t be one of the drivers who forgets. They are generally quite easy to obtain from various automobile associations in your own country for a small fee.
What’s it like to drive in Japan:
Driving in Japan is no different to driving in any Western country. The vast majority of road signs are in both Japanese and English. A lot of traffic signs are similar to what is seen in the UK, Europe and the USA. Drivers in Japan are generally very courteous and they are not as aggressive as drivers in Australia, New Zealand or the UK.
The vast majority of drivers will follow the road rules to the letter, the complete opposite of the vast majority of other Asian nations. Japan is also one of the few nations outside of the former British Empire that drives on the left.
Driving in Shikoku is very different to Honshu, Hokkaido and Kyushu. Firstly whereas there are highway passes available for these three it seems there is no highway pass available for poor little Shikoku, which means if you want to use the highways you will need to either pay for them with cash or through an ETC card fitted to your rental car.
That being said there are only two highways on the island, one between Takamatsu in the north and Kochi in the south. The other is between Tokushima in the east and Matsuyama in the west. We decided not to use the main highways and take the smaller free roads instead. Your journey will naturally longer, but it is a good money saver. On Kyushu and Hokkaido, we really recommend getting a KEP (Kyushu expressway pass) or a HEP (Hokkaido expressway pass) as the distances these passes cover are huge and the amount of time you will save, plus their low costs make them a very reasonable and logical option.
On the island itself, roads are generally in excellent condition. However, if you are there during the rainy months, usually June and July it is worth checking with your guesthouse if there have been any reported landslides or road closures, especially in the mountainous regions.
Driving in the Iya Valley is definitely worthy of a mention. This mountainous region of central-eastern Shikoku is one of the island’s most stunning destinations. As a result, it is reasonably popular, although I certainly wouldn’t describe it as busy. Driving in the Iya Valley can be quite nerve-wracking at times, due to the fact that anything off the main road is a steep, twisty single lane. This can be particularly challenging when there is another vehicle coming the other way. There are usually bays where vehicles can pull over to allow others to pass. Some of these single lanes do not have barriers, which can make driving, especially after heavy rain, a little more treacherous.
Who did we rent with:
There are a huge variety of car rental companies in Japan and at times it can be quite overwhelming. One thing that is important to know is that renting a car in Japan directly through well-known Western agencies such as Avis, Budget or Alamo the costs will be substantially higher than going through a Japanese rental search engine or intermediary.
Like when we were in Kyushu we rented through ToCoo a Japanese rental car search engine that compares a huge number of rental outlets. Alongside this, there are a huge number of add-ons and deals that can become quite confusing.
We rented with ToCoo a Japanese-based search engine that compares a huge number of rental outlets. The are a myriad of different combinations of options, add-ons and deals, a common occurrence in Japan.
On the homepage, you can select what “campaigns” you want. This effectively means what bolt-ons you want to add. Some can be added both at the initial search stage and afterwards. Some are special deals that can only be added at the initial search. If you change your mind it does seem like most things can be added at the dealership, most likely at an additional cost.
The most useful campaign in general is compensation coverage (zero excess). However, for renting from Tokushima there were no rental options when adding this on before the initial search. Therefore we added it on after selecting the car. One thing to note is that renting a car in Shikoku was more expensive than in both Hokkaido and Kyushu when worked out as a total daily average (including the expressway passes we purchased on both of the other islands). rentalcars.com was also more expensive on Shikoku than in Kyushu, however like in Kyushu the options provided by ToCoo were cheaper than rentalcars.com.
We’re not sure why rental costs were higher in Shikoku than, in Kyushu or Hokkaido. However, it could be the time of year or the fact that Shikoku is just not a commonly visited destination. We don’t believe it is the former as we were in Kyushu for 2 weeks before flying directly to Tokushima.
Through ToCoo the cheapest cars were offered by Budget. Their service was excellent, and the pick-up and drop-off process was quick and easy. They were even happy for us to change the drop-off location from Tokushima Airport to Tokushima town centre.
Also, do be aware that they will offer you additional insurance at the branch. With compensation coverage with ToCoo you will be fully covered. The only difference is that, in the event of an accident, you will need to pay first and then be reimbursed by ToCoo.
