My first
time driving in a foreign country resulted in a car
accident and
that should have put me off from taking the wheel again when i am overseas but
it sure didn't as i embarked on another self-driving journey
in my recent visit to Hokkaido!
It just made
better sense to rent a car for the following reasons; i learnt
an invaluable experience through the car accident and would
definitely be more careful, i had Alex who also applied for the international
driving permit and our itinerary required us to traverse across long distances
that would be extremely time-consuming using public
transportation.
I was
deliberating if i should cover the same three steps that i shared in "Renting a
Car in Jeju Island - Experience with KT Kumho @ Korea" although it does make
better sense to repeat as it had been a few years.
Step
1 - Preparation
Apply for the
international driving permit (IDP) which is required for all foreigners driving
in Japan! In Singapore, the approved authority is the Automobile Association of
Singapore and the rate is S$25, valid for a year.
You don't have to
purposely bring along a passport-sized photo as they could take instant photo of
you using their tablet. Check out the details here. Please note
that you are required to bring along your driving license, the IDP and the
passport when you collect your car in the land of the rising
star.
Next up which
would reserving your car via the numerous car rental companies! Rental rates
differ from company to company with various promotions! I didn't want to think
too much and follow whatever Alex's friend suggested which was Budget Rent A
Car; love the name by the way as i am on a budget.
Another headache
appeared - which car to choose!? I always like to drive a smaller vehicle (ease
of maneuverability) but even then, i was stuck between standard car and eco car.
You know what really matters? The rental price of course!
Remember, the
actual brand / model would not be given until on the day of the collection!
Nevertheless, i am more concerned on the provision of a navigation system (it
comes in English too)! The ETC onboard device is like Singapore's In-Vehicle
Unit (IU) for ERP and EPS charges and would be necessary when you travel on the
highways in Hokkaido.
Choose the extras
(ETC card which is free, stroller which is chargeable etc), add the type of
insurance (i will definitely go for the more comprehensive one after what
happened in Jeju), fill in your details and confirm the
reservation! Print a copy of the confirmation email and bring it along with you
to Japan.
Step
2 - Arrival
At New Chitose
Airport, don't dilly dally as the rental company would only keep your
reservation for an hour more than what you indicated when you booked. To take
the shuttle to the car rental company, go one floor below and "check in" with
the information counter (above).
The counter staff
would run your name across her list and pass you an A4-sized laminated with the
name of the car rental company. We didn't have to wait too long before the
driver of the shuttle came in and brought us to the shuttle
van.
Step
3 - Collection
Less than 10
minutes passed before we arrived at the building which housed three different
car rental companies; Budget Rent A Car, Times Car Rental and OTS Rent A
Car.
Process of
collection was long as there was so much to go through (including safety
instructions) and i was given more options; one of which was the option to pay a
lump sum for highway toll fees. A file filled with details (contact information
in case of accident etc) was eventually passed to us as reference, if need
be.
The lady was most
helpful (pretty too) and i pitied the staff member manning the next counter as a
Malaysian / Singaporean family was unabashedly asking for discounts and
complaining loudly about the rental rate. To be honest, utterly embarrassing!
Anyway, you can request for umbrellas at no extra charge.
Car assigned to
us - Nissan Note! Love hatchbacks although we originally wanted to request for a
vibrant color for ease of identification; frankly, we were open to bright neon
pink!
Proceeding with
the car inspection as there's a need to ensure things are working and existing
scratches / damages were accurately indicated on the sheet that you would
eventually sign off.
You know what's
more important than the navigation system?! It's the provision of the USB port
which means i can charge my phone on the go!
The promotion i
signed up for included a free WiFi router; i actually preferred the roaming via
Starhub's Data Travel plan at S$20 for 3 GB as the network seemed faster with
the option to switch telcom and i didn't have to worry of a lower speed once i
reached the data limit.
Step
4 - Driving
I am expanding
beyond the three steps for my car rental posting for Jeju Island as
i thought it would be helpful to share the driving in Hokkaido and the return of
the vehicle at the end.
Navigation device
was pretty easy to use although the wordings still appeared generally in
Japanese. It's helpful to get the phone number of your destinations and in cases
where it's not available and it's hard to key in the address, i relied heavily
on my phone using the google map that i plotted before
the trip.
As mentioned in
my Hokkaido itinerary, since Alex was fully aware
of my Jeju car accident, he insisted that long-distance driving
would be under him. Fine, i didn't complain much as this means i can take photos
while he drives.
Driving along the
highway was pretty straightforward but i am glad Alex decided to take it up as
it can be dull with only pockets of interesting view.
Similar to the
lanes at toll stations in Malaysia, there could be lanes reserved purely for
cars with ETC devices; you are required to slow up before the gantry so that the
toll fees are automatically deducted before the gantry is
raised.
Roads in rural,
non-mountainous areas like Furano can be insanely
straight and it seemed as if the road would never end! As with any driving, keep
your eyes on the road and take a rest if you are tired.
Frankly, the
driving was relaxing until we arrived in Sapporo; too many cars and
way too many traffic lights! However, Japanese drivers were generally nice and
would allow us to filter in despite the late notification.
Step
5 - Returning
I think it's a
common practice for you to fill up the tank before you return the rental car and
the cheerful lady who helped us when we collected the car had a printed map
pointing out a few petrol stations near the "return outlet"!
Original receipt
had to be kept as proof for date and time and location of petrol station. In our
almost five days of use, we paid 6,513 Japanese yen (about S$80) which i thought
wasn't too bad.
Returning the car
at Budget Rent A Car's Sapporo North Station outlet; co-located with the APA
Hotel and within walking distance from the main Sapporo station. I would have
loved to rent the car longer but it doesn't make economical sense as Sapporo is
well served with subways and parking in the state capital is
expensive!
Waiting for the
staff to inspect the car for post-rental anomalies like extra scratches on the
chassis, damages to the leather seats etc. We were obviously given the clearance
even though the car was honestly quite dirty after a few days of
use.
Experiencing the
same emotion that overwhelmed me when i sent my trusty Toyato Vios
to the scrapyard. And i really, really enjoy driving!
=====
Do
check out my summarized 8 days, 7 nights itinerary to Hokkaido in
summer (including a few days of self-drive).
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