Ground transport and travel options in Japan

The travel professional's favourite tool for comparing and booking ground transport services in Japan, for places like Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama, and all other major destinations in Japan.

On our website you can plan all your chauffeured services like coach and minibus hire in Japan, airport transportation, limousine and luxury car with driver, and taxi reservations. You don't need to make any phone calls or send any emails, our easily to use tool does everything for you.

We connect you with local service providers so you can get quotes and make reservations for all your private and group ground transportation. Just complete the form below to start receiving quotes for airport transport and bus hire in Japan.

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Chauffeured Transport Services in Japan

Our website connects you directly to transport and travel service operators in Japan and the rest of the world. We list coach and minibus hire companies, airport transportation and shuttles, and companies providing limousine and luxury car with driver hire.

We're the preferred website for travel professionals like tour operators and travel agents, but we also provide a service to all private parties looking to search and reserve ground transportation in Japan and the rest of the world. Our experience in the transport market means we can find you the best deal.

With the 4th largest economy in the world Japan has a world class transport infrastructure, utilising cutting edge technology to transport local and international travellers to every part of its 4 main islands. Tourists and business travellers have a wide array of efficient options to get around the country.

Coach and minibus hire in Japan

Japan has a fantastic road network and getting around by coach or minibus is becoming a great value option for groups of foreign visitors. Coach companies in Japan service a variety of customers, including student, youth, business, and tourist groups. Japan's cities are awe inspiring. They seemingly stretch forever and are alive all through the day and night. From the coach window you'll pass impossibly high skyscrapers, totally overcrowded streets, and neon lights selling everything from skin whitener to bizarre gadgets. There's even a market in Tokyo that specialises in rating weird and wonderful new products. They've got everything you could never imagine, soap that makes your hair shorter; lotions and potions to make your head shorter and whiter; tools that chop, grate, exorcise and create; and automated toe nail clippers.

Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, Suzuki, Mitsubishi; Japan is at the forefront of the motor industry and many of the coaches you see around the world are designed and constructed here. When hiring a coach or minibus in Japan you'll be travelling in a luxurious modern vehicle that probably hasn't reached other countries. Bus operators run diverse fleets and it's highly likely you'll find the correct size for your group, from 8 seater minibuses to 60+ seater coaches with all the different permutations in between.

As a general guide a 50 seater coach costs around €500 – 700 for a full day. 20 seater minibuses start at around €350 for full day hire. However, this excludes toll road fees which can be extremely expensive in Japan. Estimate on adding an extra €0.30 for every kilometre travelled by coach for toll roads. Use our reservation tool to start getting competitive quotes for coach and minibus hire and other transport services in Japan.

Airport Shuttles / Transportation

Japan has 5 international airports as well as 24 regional airports linking each region to the major cities of Tokyo and Osaka. Landing in a Japanese airport is like stepping into the future. Inside the terminal you'll find experimental lifts and weird metal shapes, all gleaming unfeasibly. Most tourists have already filled a memory card with photos before even leaving the airport.

Despite this there are very few dedicated airport shuttle services in Japan. Private transportation to and from airports is usually done by either reserved taxis or shared shuttle services that take a number of passengers but drop off door to door. On our website we list the companies that offer dedicated airport shuttles, meaning you can compare quotes and pre book your transportation without having to send any emails. That means you'll have a smiling Japanese man greet you in a luxury car, and you're one step closer to your first authentic sushi experience. Use the form below to start getting quotes.

Limousine and Luxury Car With Driver Rental

Chauffeured limousine and luxury car hire is popular in Japan amongst both local and foreign businessmen. Impressing potential clients is an integral part of doing business so arriving by limousine is popular, particularly in Tokyo. While the luxury car industry is centred around the two major business cities of Tokyo and Osaka, you can find and book luxury cars in all of Japan's major cities and destinations. A huge variety of premium modern vehicles are available to hire, all with blacked out windows and extra courteous drivers. Remember, Japan is one of the world's leading car manufacturers so you expect extra luxurious vehicles and tales of in car gadgets to impress your friends at home.

It's possible for foreigners to hire a car without a driver in Japan, and the roads and traffic have none of the craziness found elsewhere in Asia. However, Japan's cities are monstrous and finding your way around the metropolis can be a daunting prospect. Having a driver has the added bonus of a local guide who can point out where to find the best sushi and cheapest deals on electronics.

Drinking is an important part of Japanese society and is used to strengthen business and friendship ties. Every night of the week you'll find business deals being forged over hot rice wine or “sake” as it is locally known. Japanese beer is probably the best you'll find on the continent and on every street you'll find bars filled with local and foreign alcohol. Be careful, sake is strong stuff, so it's best you've got a chauffeur to take you home.

Taxis in Japan

Taxis can be found all over Japan but their demand increases significantly at night when public transport stops operating. A plate on the dashboard indicates whether a taxi is available. While the Japanese characters are indecipherable, the red or green colour tells you whether to stick your thumb out and flag it down. Expect to have to queue between midnight and 4am when taxis are the main source of transport.

It's best to have a map indicating your destination. Japanese taxi drivers won't rip you off but there is often a communication barrier that must be crossed. Like many things in Japan taxis are expensive with typical prices of €6 for the first 2 kilometres and  €2 for every additional kilometre. Pre booking a taxi doesn't cost any extra and is more convenient than hoping for the green light to drive past. Using our tool you can pre book taxis and luxury car with driver operators in Japan without trawling the internet or sending countless emails.

Public Transportation Services in Japan

Japan has one of the most advanced public transport systems in the world, with trains, buses, and local metro systems connecting the whole country. It's famed for having the most reliable and frequent railway service in the world. If a train is 5 minutes late expect the whole platform to feint in shock. However, maintaining such a service is expensive and public transport costs quickly add up when travelling in Japan. For individuals its the most economical way to travel, but groups can travel much cheaper with private transport.

Trains:

Japan has the world's busiest high speed train line and it's now possible to travel from South Eastern Japan to the northern Hokkaido island by the famed bullet train. Travelling at up to 320km/h they stop at exact points on the platform, minimising the time taken for new passengers to board. Expect to find the majority of other passengers sound asleep for the duration of the journey. Japanese people work hard and rarely find time to sleep, so most forms of public transport become mass bedrooms of men drooling over their smart phones and slouched over seats. The 550km between Osaka and Tokyo takes just over 2 hours and costs around €150. These trains have both reserved and unreserved seating.

Japan does have a network of slower trains connecting its smaller cities. By European standards this is a perfectly adequate mode of transport, but if you're in Japan you want to see Tokyo hurtling past at impossible speeds and porters bringing around weird looking snacks in indecipherable packaging.

Buses:

Long distance buses are a more affordable alternative to trains and many services run overnight. However Tokyo to Osaka takes 3 to 4 times longer than bus by bullet train. Competition between operators is keeping costs down and facilities high. This is a more common option to reach rural destinations in Japan like the mountains and national parks of Hokkaido, the hot springs and cedar forests of Kyushu, Okinawa's tropical islands, and Shikoku's remote valleys.

Flying:

Flying between destinations in Japan can be prohibitively expensive. However budget airlines are beginning to offer flights into the country and in the future we can expect them to launch intercity services.

Ferries:

Japan is actually an archipelago of over 6000 islands, 430 of which are inhabited. The country's main four islands are connected by rail and road, but there are hundreds of outlaying islands to explore, reachable only by short boat rides. These range from deserted subtropical paradises, to island forts with over 1000 years of history.

Metro:

With 10 subway and metro systems Japan has one of the most sophisticated networks of inner city rail travel. With 36 platforms and 4 million daily passengers Shinjuku station in Tokyo is the busiest in the world. It can take over an hour to walk from one side to the other. Subway systems connect destinations in all of Japan's major cities. While expensive they are convenient and very efficient.

Does your service cover the whole of Japan with all chauffeured transportation services?

After the success of launching our service in Spain in 2011, we quickly expanded to cover the rest of the world. We know exactly the kind of local transport services demanded by travel professionals and our directory is expanding on a daily basis. It will take some time before we cover all chauffeured transportation services in the whole of Japan, but if receiving a quote for your transport needs is taking too long you can contact our dedicated customer service.

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