Renter's guide
Everything you need to know: rental policies, campervan guide and tips for a smooth journey in Japan.
RENTAL POLICY
Booking & Cancellation
Step 1: Request a Reservation
Complete the reservation request form with your booking dates and product preferences. A quotation will be sent via email within 48 hours.
Step 2: Confirm and pay
Make payment within 5 working days of receiving your quotation. Your booking will be confirmed upon payment verification.
Step 3: Pick up your van
Meet us in Sugamo, Tokyo at the agreed time. All drivers must be present, with their original licenses. We’ll provide a vehicle briefing, review and sign the contract and collect a refundable security deposit (credit card or cash). The process takes about 30–40 minutes.
Step 4: Time to roam and roll
Enjoy your adventure!
60 days or more before pick-up: Receive a full refund or reschedule for free within six months (subject to availability).
31–59 days before pick-up: 20% of the rental fee will apply, or you can reschedule once for free within six months.
7–30 days before pick-up: 50% of the rental fee applies.
Within 7 days or no-show: Full rental fee applies.
Cancellations must be submitted by 6:00 PM JST.
In the event of a medical emergency, the cancellation fee will be waived upon presentation of an official medical certificate, provided the booking is rescheduled within six months.
The minimum rental days is 3 days. On average, most travellers rent the campervan for 7 days, as there will be additional discount for longer term rental.
Rental requirements
To rent and drive a car in Japan, you typically need one of the following types of driver's licenses:
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Japanese Driver's License: If you have a valid Japanese driver's license, you can rent a car without any additional documentation.
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International Driving Permit (IDP): Visitors from most countries can drive in Japan with an International Driving Permit (IDP) based on the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. You must obtain the IDP in your home country before arriving in Japan. The IDP is usually valid for one year from the date of issue but is only valid in Japan for up to one year from the date of entry into Japan. Check if your IDP is valid in Japan
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Foreign Driver's License with a Certified Japanese Translation: Drivers from certain countries (e.g., Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, Taiwan, and Estonia) can use their home country's driver's license along with an official Japanese translation provided by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) or their respective embassy or consulate. This option is available for up to one year from the date of entry into Japan.
If you do not bring the right driver license with you, the rental booking will be cancelled with no refund.
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All drivers must be present at the time of pick up to present their physical driver’s license and to sign the rental agreement. Electronic versions of the driver’s licenses are not sufficient. It is not possible to add another driver after pickup.
Drivers must be 21 years of age or over. Drivers under 25 and over 70 years of age are welcome but require additional Vehicle Deposit and higher Excess Fee.
pick-up & return
We are open 7 days/week from 9:00am–6:00pm. Pick up and return process takes approximately 30 minutes. Please budget in the time. If you wish to pick up earlier or return later, please drop us a message to make this request. Do note, it is not always possible to accommodate, additional fee may be incurred.
We are located in Arakawa City, Tokyo. It is further out in the city, so that you do not have to drive through the city traffic. The 2 nearest stations, to the pick up location, are Oku station and Odai station. The pick up location is just 30 minutes away from Tokyo station or Shibuya station and also very accessible to both Narita airport and Haneda airport. We also offer pick up from Sugamo station. Please let us know if you have any preference.
Please pick up at the agreed time. If you are late, please let us know in advance. If we cannot contact you 1 day after the pre-arranged pick-up time, your reservation will be cancelled-
Return at the agreed upon time and location you picked up the campervan.
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Please inform us in advance (1 day before if possible) about the estimated drop off time.
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Please contact us if there is a possibility that your return may be delayed.
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Please fill up the campervan with fuel at a petrol station 3km within our depot before returning. And bring the receipt with you. If the vehicle is not returned with a full tank of fuel, the cost of the fuel and a re-fuelling fee of 5000 JPY will be charged to your contract.
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Throw away all the rubbish. You can do it at any convenient store, highway parking area and at gas station. We charge 3000 JPY to use our garbage disposal.
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Get rid of wastewater from the water tank. Please be mindful of the extra cleaning fees, if the campervan is too dirty.
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When returning, we will check the campervan for any damage or missing items. If you break, incur any damage or lose something during the rental period, please inform us as soon as possible. If an extra cleaning/extension fee etc is incurred, additional payments will need be made at the time of return.
insurance
Our comprehensive insurance coverage is automatically included with every rental. It is provided with a refundable insurance waiver of 100,000 JPY that is payable at pick-up. This 100,000 JPY is a partial amount of the total waiver (maximum out of pocket payment) of 480,000 JPY or 220,000 JPY if the paid extended waiver is selected at the time of booking inquiry.
The insurance waiver is per incident/accident, not per rental period.
All our campervan include Japan nationwide roadside assistance support that is available 24/7, 365 days a year.
Call 0120-119-110Features and benefits covered per rental include:
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Roadside response and phone mechanical consultation
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Car towing up 150 kilometers
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Dead / flat battery assistance
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Keys locked inside the car assistance
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Spare tyre change
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Return public transportation costs
Total value of the roadside assistance services included per rental is 150,000yen.
*Please note that roadside assistance services are not covered if any of the rental terms in the agreement are broken or violated and costs would then be the customer’s responsibility.
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Japanese insurance companies require all accidents to be reported to the police. Insurance coverage is not possible without a police issued certificate of accident. Please report it even for minor scratch to a third party.
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Help any injured parties
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Call emergency services: Police - 110 Ambulance - 119
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Contact Roam & Roll Campervan
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Gather as much information as possible:
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Take many photos and videos - Note the place, time, accident details and save google location
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Collect and exchange third party detail (name, address, phone number, vehicle registration number)
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Collect the information of policeman-in-charge (name, phone number, police station name and address)
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Campervan guide
Amenities
Please make sure the roof vents are fully closed when driving. Never open the roof vents if there is a strong wind, heavy rain or snow as it may collapse, because of the weight of snow.
Our campervans are equipped with a parking heater, allowing you to warm up your van and sleep comfortably without using the engine. The heater runs on fuel (takes about 4 litres per night) and the sub-battery, so make sure your vehicle is at least half-tanked and the battery well-charged.
Please strictly follow the instructions below:
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Park the van in a desired location (van must be stationary when using the heater).
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Make sure the Vent and Combustions system inlets / outlets are not blocked with anything (for example loose leaves, snow, plastic bags). The combustion system inlets and outlets are located under the vehicle.
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Confirm your current altitude. Heater cannot be used at altitudes over 1,500 meters.
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Open a window or the roof vent (a small gap will do).
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Keep the engine running for a few minutes to provide extra battery charging (the heater uses a lot of power to preheat the glow plugs inside the unit).
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Set the thermostat to max temperature and turn the heater ON. After the campervan is warmed up, lower it down to a comfortable temperature.
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All campervans feature a dual battery system with a high-tech sub-battery that charges while driving. If you drive for a few hours a day (2-3hrs), you should be able to charge your devices, keep the fridge on low power, and use the parking heater at night without the engine running. Charging the van via external power is only possible in at auto camping grounds or RV parks.
While the vans is quite spacious, we recommend to bring soft luggages, rather than hard suit cases. This make it easier to maximize the storage space.
Simple cooking in the van is okay. Do watch out for the fire and do not leave it unattended. Cooking fried chicken, fish, bacon, or spicy meals like curry etc. will leave an unpleasant odour in your campervan that will last for weeks and must be charged additional cleaning fee.
Others
Currently, we have Snow peak tent, Snow peak table and chair, child seats, camp fire pit, projector, coffee machines for rent. Check out our product page. We will be adding more outdoor activities gears soon. Ask us more about it.
We current do not allow pets. But we work on making our campervans are pet friendly, while not affecting others who are allergic to pets.
Japan guide
Driving in japan
To ensure safe travels, all campervans are carefully maintained by professionals prior to each rental. However, Japanese law requires a simple check every day, with a more advanced check every few hundred kilometres.
Daily Checklist:-
Tire's general condition, pressure and wheelnuts check
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Headlights, indicators, rear, brake and reverse lights
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Check under the van for any leaks (note that there will always be water when using AC).
Mandatory oil change
We provide unlimited mileage for more freedom of travel, but in exchange, we ask that you change the engine oil: once every 5,000 km vans. Yellow Hat, Autobacks (auto part stores) and certain petrol stations allow you to do this quickly and affordably without making an appointment. Failure to do so may cause engine damage for which you will be financially responsible.-
Search petrol station on google map. Make sure you know the type of fuel your van uses. Pouring the wrong fuel into the tank will result in engine damage and you will be fully liable for the damages. Damages resulting from pouring the wrong fuel are NOT COVERED by any insurance and must be covered by you.
Japanese Highways are always a toll road and can get quite expensive (average 2,000 JPY for 100km). You may pay the tolls with cash, credit cards or you can rent a ETC card that allows you to drive through highway gates without stopping and enjoy discount on certain days and timing. The usage fees and process fees (approximately 20% of usage fees) are paid when you return the van. Please let us know that you would want to rent a ETC card.
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Choose green gates at the entrance of the highway if you want to pay by cash / credit card.
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Pick up a ticket at the gate and keep it until you exit the motorway.
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At the final gate pass the ticket to the attendant and pay the required amount.
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Sometimes the staff at the gate may ask you what type of vehicle you are driving (in Japanese, of course). If asked, reply "Camping Car”. Choose ETC gate only if you have rented an ETC card and ensure that the card is properly inserted into your van's ETC card reader. Before the gates slow down to 10 km/h and drive through open gate.
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Make you are well rested, and avoid driving late at night or in bad weather. Do not rush.
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Take wide turns and avoid traveling down narrow streets. If the road is too tight, just take another route.
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When reversing the van, please have someone get out to spot for you.
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Avoid parking under structures with a roof. Make sure you have an overhead clearance of at least 2.5m.
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Avoid parking too close to other vehicles
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Drive slowly on mountain roads, especially when it is snowy
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Drive on lower gear when going down steep down slope
Repairing campervan is costly. Please drive carefully.
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Camping in japan
First up, check out the 'Michi-no-eki' or roadside stations. These are becoming super popular among Japan campers. They are free, have clean 24-hour restrooms, and often sell local goodies. You can usually stay for one night, but remember – no setting up camp chairs or cooking outside. It's more of a park-and-sleep deal.
If you are on the tollway and need a quick snooze, you can stop at the tollways' service areas. They are usually equipped with vending machines and clean restrooms that are available 24 hours a day. Service areas are often connected to gas stations and restaurants. However, they are not for overnight stays, but perfect for a power nap. Again, keep the camping gear inside your vehicle.
Next up, there is wild camping. It's all about finding those hidden gems off the beaten path. Picture yourself waking up to a stunning mountain view or the sound of the nature. Legally, you can usually park and sleep just about anywhere, but use your common sense. Parking in a busy city might attract negative attention and you could be asked to leave. Lastly, if you're after a bit more structure, auto camping sites are your best bet. Japan's got over 1,000 of these scattered around. Just search 'auto camp' or 'RV park' on Google Maps and you'll find plenty of options. Just a heads up – these can get pretty busy during holidays, so booking ahead is a smart move.
In Japan, there are plenty of toilets everywhere. All of them are free of charge. You can find and use them at any Convenience stores, Shopping centers, tollway rest stops, Road Stations (Michi-no-Eki), Parking Areas, etc. There is always a toilet nearby and you can always ask somebody or find them on the google map.
There are public bathhouses (Onsen) and visiting them is part of experiencing the Japanese culture. They usually cost between 500 -1,000 JPY per person and a lot of them are opened from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. Some are open up to 12am. The only problem is that most of them do not allow persons with any tattoos. Make sure you check the review before going. Just do a quick google search for 'onsen' or 'public bath' or 'tattoo friendly onsen'.
Water taps can be found at campsites, parks or petrol station (especially those with washing station). You can dispose waste water at the toilet or drain.
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