1.About this article
This article introduces an interesting and highly affordable rental car service in Japan that you can rent a car for just 2,000 yen per day.
Unlike typical rental service, this one designates specific Pick up Store and also Return Stores, making it ideal for one-way travel.
So, If you want to drive to your destination, but prefer to use another form of transportation on return, This service could be great option!
PLEASE NOTE: You need to call the store to make a reservation, so you may be required to communicate in Japanese.
2.What is the “Katamichi Go(片道GO)” service like?
On typical One-way rental service, The lender needs transport the car proper location.
And borrower pays extra cost for one-way service.
That costs borrower and render.
In this “Katamichi GO” service, We can rental car with affordable price, instead of transporting the car back which the others abandoned.
It’s truly WIN – WIN service.
By the way, the car, destination they offer is listed like this.
There’s no fixed schedule for when listings become available—they’re updated on this website as needed.
Rental periods are either 24 or 48 hours.
3.Prices
Let’s see the prices.
There are only 24 hour or 48 hour plan available.
This is a highly affordable price, isn’t it?
Meanwhile, The C1 Class cheapest at “Toyota rent a car” is for 8,580 yen per day at regular offer!
What’s more, it doesn’t matter what model or options come with,
You can even drive a premium van with snow tires option at just 2,200 yen per day!!
4.How to book
There is a web page for “Katamichi GO” in Toyota rant a car’s official website.
Also the car list is existing there, so just check it out!
(click image below to open the web page)
NOTE: Original web page is only available in Japanese. Use web browser’s feature to translate:)
When you find a car that matches your preferences—such as destination or vehicle type—, Call the phone number listed on the right.
I recommend deciding these things before making the call, as they ask you on calling.
①return store
②time of pick up and drop off
③which coverage options you’d like to include.
5.Things to keep in mind
Please note that since the purpose of this service is to return abandoned vehicles,
if any of the following apply, the discounted rate will not apply and you will be charged the difference between the discounted rate and the standard rate. Please be careful.
In the following cases, you will be required to pay the differences between the standard base rate and the discounted rate of “katamishi Go”.
1.In case of the vehicle wasn’t returned specified store and specified time you should’ve return.
2.If the rental period exceeds 48 hours from departure time.
6.Review My Experiences
I have used two times,
first experience was renting “TOYOTA Corolla Touring” at TOKYO, then driving to NAGOYA and dropped off.
I put full coverage of insurance, bill was just 7,700 yen for 48 hours in total!
Since I got the rental at such a low price, I decided to stick to regular roads instead of taking the expressway to keep things budget-friendly.
But wow… I still remember the pain of spending nearly four hours to cover just under 80 km distance from Tokyo through Kanagawa Prefecture — brutal! 😅
If you’re heading west from Tokyo, it might actually be smarter to take the train to Gotemba or Atami and rent a car from there.
You’ll likely save both time and money.
On the bright side, the return trip was super smooth — I hopped on the Shinkansen from Nagoya and cruised back in comfort.
For second time, I rented latest model of PRIUS at TOKYO, then headed to AOMORI.
I only paid 7,700 yen with full coverage of insurance at this time as well.
With Katamichi GO!, the car is returned to the branch office that manages the drop-off location, so the vehicle’s specifications match those of the destination branch.
The Prius I rented this time belonged to Toyota Rent a Car “Aomori”, where all vehicles come equipped with snow tires as standard during the snowy season.
Since it’s standard equipment, there’s no extra charge for the snow tire option!
In regions where it doesn’t snow, renting a car with snow tires usually incurs an additional fee—so this is another perk of using Katamichi GO!, I think.
Plus, the car was a high-grade 4WD model, which made the drive super comfortable.
Just like last time, I flew back instead of driving!
7,In Conclusion
I think “Michi GO!” is an irresistible service for car lovers and travel enthusiasts alike.
If you haven’t tried it yet but are curious, I highly recommend giving it a go sooner rather than later.
That’s because, in my opinion, Katamichi GO! still in a trial phase, and there’s no guarantee how long it’ll be available.
Plus, if it becomes more popular, it might get harder to book!
Just based on my own experience, here are the car models and destinations I’ve seen most frequently:
Car Models:
Hiace(Cargo van)
Yaris(B segment vehicle)
Corolla Touring
Vellfire / Alphard(Premium van)
Sienta(7ppl or 6ppl capacity)
Destinations (from Tokyo):
Nagoya
Osaka / Kyoto
Tohoku region(Miyagi(Sendai), Fukushima, Yamagata etc)
I hope this article help make your journey!!
Thank you for watching!!