The Complete Guide to Renting a Car in Kawaguchiko

What to know

Japan does not accept a Vienna Convention permit, a card-style permit, a digital permit, a copy or a photo as a substitute for the original Geneva 1949 booklet.

• Bring your original home-country driver's license and original paper IDP booklet at pickup. If your passport country is outside Japan, also bring your original passport.
• Licenses issued in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco or Taiwan use a different route: bring the original license plus an official Japanese translation. If your passport country is outside Japan, also bring your original passport.
• A valid Japanese driver's license and an eligible valid USFJ Form 4EJ permit are also accepted.
• Staff must inspect the original documents at pickup. If they are not valid in Japan, the car cannot be released and the cancellation policy applies.

What to know

The standard handover is at Fuji Premium Car Rental's Kawaguchiko Shop, not inside the station. The shop is at 1508-1 Funatsu, Fujikawaguchiko.

• Choose Kawaguchiko Shop as the pickup location when booking.
• Open the shop in Google Maps from your confirmation and walk about 8 minutes from Kawaguchiko Station's main exit.
• Arrive at the reserved time with every driver's original documents. Staff will confirm the paperwork, explain the vehicle and hand over the keys.
• If your booking confirmation names a different delivery location, follow that confirmation instead.

What to know

The car's ETC unit and a valid ETC card work together. The card lets you use ETC lanes without stopping to pay at each tollgate.

• Select the ETC Card add-on before pickup; card stock is limited and same-day availability is not guaranteed.
• The ETC card rental charge and the actual expressway tolls are separate. Toll usage is not included in the vehicle rental price.
• Slow down before an ETC lane and pass only after the barrier opens. Staff will explain how to use the card at pickup.
• For local roads around the lakes you may not need ETC, but route choice can include toll roads, Smart ICs or ETC-only gates.

What to know

Kawaguchiko can have snow and icy roads. Search with your actual December-to-March dates and choose a vehicle clearly marked as including snow tires.

• Do not assume every vehicle has winter tires; confirm the snow-tire badge in the dated search results.
• Vehicles shown with snow tires include them at no extra charge for the displayed winter rental.
• Winter tires do not guarantee that every road is passable. Heavy snow can require chains or cause road closures.
• Check the forecast and current road restrictions before departure, especially for mountain routes toward Hakone.

What to know

Japanese law requires an appropriate child restraint for children under 6. Children aged 6 or older may still need a junior or booster seat if the adult belt does not fit correctly.

• Send the age and current height of every child, plus the number of seats required.
• Seat stock and vehicle compatibility are limited, so reserve before travel rather than asking only on pickup day.
• For children under 150 cm, check carefully whether the adult seat belt fits across the shoulder and low on the hips; use an appropriate restraint when it does not.
• At pickup, confirm that the actual seat suits the child and is installed according to its instructions.

What to know

Fuji Premium Car Rental operates both shops, so you can drive one way from Kawaguchiko to Hakone without returning to the starting point.

• A one-way fee applies. The booking flow shows the current total for your dates, vehicle and location combination.
• Availability depends on the vehicle, dates and operating schedule; a location shown in search is the current source of truth.
• Hakone Shop is about a 15-minute walk from Hakone-Yumoto Station.
• The route includes mountain roads, so confirm winter equipment and live road conditions in cold weather.