Japan has announced the launch of a new nationwide expressway pass that will allow visitors from abroad to take unlimited travel on most expressways across Japan.
From October 13th, visitors to Japan with foreign passports who use certain designated rental car companies will be able to make unlimited use of expressways across the country for a period of either one or two weeks for a fixed price by using the new Japan Expressway Pass.
The new pass will cover expressways owned by East Nippon Expressway Co. (Nexco-East), Central Nippon Expressway Co. (Nexco-Central), and West Nippon Expressway Co. (Nexco-West), as well as some other expressway operators (visitors to Hokkaido can benefit from a separate pass, the Hokkaido Expressway Pass - find out more here). Although the pass will not cover expressways in Hokkaido, in and around Tokyo or in and around Osaka, it will allow visitors unlimited use of around 10,000 km of Japan’s fastest roads covering most of the country.
According to Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), car rentals by foreign visitors to Japan climbed to around 700,000 for the year April 2015 to March 2016. Announcing the launch of the new pass at a press conference, the transport minister Keiichi Ishii said that he hopes that the new pass will encourage visitors from abroad to venture off the popular tourist route between Tokyo, Mount Fuji and Kyoto and explore undiscovered regional destinations outside of the main cities.
For more information on driving and renting a car in Japan, take a peek here.
Otherwise, you can find all sorts of itinerary ideas here, for once you're in Japan and behind the wheel.
