The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps
Towards the end of 2021, more and more countries were added to Singapore’s Vaccinated Travel Lane (“VTL”) scheme. HOORAY! After two years of being contained in Singapore, the travel bug in me was bursting to fly out! At the same time, I was apprehensive. People …
Update: 22 Dec 22 Jeju’s intercity bus system has improved since I was there ten years ago. Still, taking a bus is inconvenient — waiting time is long and bus stops are sparsely located around the island. Hence, driving in Jeju is a popular option …
You would have picked up bits and pieces of our Kyushu road trip experience in my previous articles: ‘Overview Northern Kyushu Itinerary‘, ‘Travelling with an infant‘, and ‘Fukuoka Airport to Nagasaki‘.
We took a highway bus from Fukuoka airport to Nagasaki and travelled around Nagasaki on foot, bus, and tram. Thereafter, we picked up the rental car and officially started our road trip from Nagasaki. With hubby behind the wheel, we drove from Nagasaki to Kumamoto, Mount Aso, Kurokawa, Yufuin and lastly to Fukuoka. We travelled from 21 February to 1 March 2018 (during winter).
This post is divided into 3 major parts:
Friends and online forums highly recommend ToCoo! website to compare rates across car rental companies and reserve the car online. Best part, the website is available in English: www2.tocoo.jp/en.
When choosing a car rental company, it is important to consider the pick-up and drop-off locations. And if you are travelling with a child, a baby car seat is another important consideration as it is required under Japanese law.
ToCoo! also has useful information, such as how to drive in Japan, and step-by-step instructions on how to pick up a car and return it.
ToCoo! also provides other paid services like roadside support (TAS, TWS), ETC card rental, Wi-Fi router rental, etc.
Our Rental Package
After shortlisting, we rented a car from Budget Rent-A-Car. We picked the car up at Nagasaki and returned it in Fukuoka. The pickup and drop-off locations are both relatively near where we were staying.
The car we rented is a Standard / Mid-sized car (Non-smoking) with a baby car seat. At the time of booking, ToCoo! gave us examples of the models we might be getting, like Corolla. However, the model cannot be specified until pickup.
Other than renting a car through ToCoo!, we bought a package from ToCoo! which includes roadside support, ETC card and Wi-Fi router. The ETC card is like Singapore’s cash card for ERP charges. With an ETC card, you can save up to 50% on toll fees, and it can be used on any highway in Japan, on any rental car with an ETC device. ToCoo! mailed the ETC card and Wi-Fi router to our hotel. You can also choose to pick them up from the airport.
Total Rental Fees
1) Fees from Budget Rent a Car: 33,716 yen* (S$414)
*Amount payable at the outlet when you pick up the vehicle.
2) Fees from ToCoo! package: 6,264 yen (S$77)
**Mandatory
Note: A cancellation fee will be charged on your credit card, including no-shows
3) Important: Holding charge by ToCoo! for toll fees
The holding charge will first be held on the credit card, and the unused amount will be released.
4) TOTAL ACTUAL PAID: 49,456 yen (S$608)
Where are we? Our hearts pounded fast with this question. We were driving up a meandering road lined with tall trees, and the narrow road had space for only one car. What if there’s an oncoming car? Then again, this path looked like a road less travelled. There was no car and no person in sight. Tall shadows loomed as little light filtered through the pockets of the canopy.
“Is it this way?” my hubby asked.
I studied the GPS map again, “Hmm,” and answered quite uncertainly, “Yup, it seems to be the way.”
We drove forward on tenterhooks. Casting a quick glance at the baby in the car, I prayed hard in my heart that nothing bad would befall us. Soon, we emerged into an opening, “I think it’s over there,” I said and pointed to a land with barren trees. Where was the supposedly bustling Yume Tachibana Plum Blossom Viewing Festival? Is the season over? Or are we at the wrong place? There was no one around for us to ask, no spread of plum flowers to enjoy.
Heading into the middle of nowhere, and after circling a bit in the rocky terrain, we concluded that the season had passed, and the flowers withered. Since we had nothing to do, and we had made a detour to reach here, we decided to make the best out of the situation. Baby was sleeping, and so we sneaked out of the car. Stepping out into the cold, we stretched our legs, breathed in the fresh air, and had a few precious minutes of couple time!
Driving out of that unknown land was as challenging as driving in, but hubby aced it! :)
“Eh, eh, eh…” Baby E woke up from her slumber and fidgeted in her car seat. It was a miracle she was sleeping in the car seat. Usually, she would latch to sleep and have me carry her while she slept, waking up when I transferred her to the car seat.
Anyway, it’s now time for me to entertain her with play and feed her with snacks! With a baby on board, I couldn’t be a passive passenger. If the moving scenery was not entertaining enough, I would be busy trying to keep down her crankiness and cries, and not disturb hubby from driving. The good thing was, at least if she’s out of control, she only disturbed us and not other people.
Travelling by bus around Kyushu seems relatively easy because of the well-developed bus system with the “Unlimited Bus Ticket in Kyushu”. However, throw a baby in the mix, and the car is definitely our first choice. It’s more convenient than the bus or train. No rush for timings. No lugging pieces of luggage up and down the bus or train.
“We passed by a big Don Donki earlier on,” my hubby said, “Let’s go there? I want to get an ice-cold drink.” Even though it’s winter, the day was hot, moreover, we were in the car the whole time.
“Ohh, I didn’t see it. Okay, let’s go!” The Don Don Donki (“Donki”) store opened in Singapore just a few weeks before our Japan trip. With no time to visit, this was a good chance for me to see what the big hoo-ha is about Donki.
We “dumped” all the stuff we didn’t need in the car and carried the few necessary items. In any case, we could simply head out to get the items we forgot to bring along. It’s awesome to finally travel light to shop because it was so cumbersome to carry so many bags in thick clothing. As we got ready at the carpark, the scene was strikingly familiar. I felt like I was in the US doing a road trip.
As we stepped into Donki, the smell of sweet potatoes wafted towards us. Reminder to self: Get the sweet potato before we leave. “Wah!” I exclaimed quietly, “It’s huge.” However, we had something more important to do first. We cut through the shop and went straight to finding a diaper changing room, and sincerely hoped they had. Baby E needed a diaper change.
Meandering through the empty aisles filled with all kinds of goods, from apparel to food to beauty products, we finally found the room deep in the shop. It’s Japan’s typical well-equipped toilet for wheelchair access and a diaper-changing area. Look out for the automated diaper bin in some of these toilets – slot the used diaper slightly at the machine opening, and it will suck the diaper in to be wrapped in plastic.
After our toilet break, we took our own sweet time to shop around the wide array of goods. I even think some of the items are cheaper than the Donki in major cities like Kumamoto and Fukuoka. And before we checked out, we had to get the sweet potato!
In Singapore, people get into the long queue just to get this. And so we got ourselves two piping hot sweet potatoes. There was no queue, and in fact, there was a pile of ignored sweet potatoes. Being so forgotten, I wondered if this was different from the one in Singapore? Guess not! Because it tasted delicious and Baby E loves it too!
“I think we can have our lunch here,” I spotted the unique standalone building of Ringer Hut, a short walking distance away from Don Donki. The place looked relatively crowded on the outside, and hence I assumed it should be quite popular. It looked like those fast food outlets found along US highways’ exits. “Let me Google if it’s an eatery.”
“Sure! Looks good,” my easy-going hubby replied.
“Oh, it sells Champon!” God heard my prayer. I wanted to try the Nagasaki champon dish while we were in Nagasaki, but for various reasons, we didn’t manage to have it. So now we passed by one unassuming eatery that specialises in Nagasaki dishes, Champon and Sara udon, and we made an unplanned stop to dig in! Ringer Hut is actually a worldwide chain restaurant, and can be found in places such as Bangkok, Taiwan and Hawaii.
The dishes came, and at first look, I was disappointed. There were too many vegetables for my liking. One mouth, and I knew this dish wasn’t for me. I tried to finish half a bowl and passed it to hubby. Moreover, being a fast food outlet with no frills, there’s no baby chair. So we had to take turns to carry Baby E while feeding her. The eatery was a bit warm too. The whole experience didn’t turn out to be good for me. At least the Gyoza side dish tasted not bad and…
I could say I’ve tried Nagasaki Champon!
Hope you enjoy this snippet of our experience! Now on to practical advice about driving in Japan.
There are 3 kinds of petrol in Japan: Regular, Premium, and Diesel. Find out the right fuel to use from the car rental company, because the wrong one might give problems to your car.
The pumping station is self-service, including payment. However, it’s all in Japanese, and hence we got the petrol attendant to help us out. We paid 4,650yen (S$57) the first time and 1,048yen (S$13) to top up just before we returned the car.
Rates
We had valet parking at our Kurokawa ryokan, and so we only had to settle the parking during our Kumamoto stay. There are numerous public paid car parks around our accommodation, and our Kumamoto Airbnb host gave us information on the two nearest car parks, which were also known as “タイムズ, Times Parking Lot.
The carpark we ended up in was using flap-lock parking. It’s one of the different types of parking in Japan. We had no idea how it worked, and there was no parking attendant. We finally figured out from other drivers, but not before wasting a coin because of language miscommunication. So familiarise yourself with such parking because you don’t want to be at a loss like us.
This is a good article about flap-lock parking, www.timescar-rental.com/beginner/stop.html. Or you can watch this instructional video:
There’s something else to consider when choosing the right carpark. Different carparks have different rates and methods of charging. For example, these are the rates for the two carparks nearest to our Kumamoto Airbnb:
In our case, we parked overnight and didn’t use it during the day, or for that matter, didn’t use it for our entire Kumamoto stay. That’s because the places we were headed to are all within walking distance. Hence, we went for the second option. If we had used it during the day, probably the first choice would be better.
So choose the right carpark. You can calculate the rates for the different carparks at the “Times Info” website (times-info.net), but you will have to translate the page. Otherwise, look out for the big pricing boards, which are usually at the carpark entrance.
That’s all I got to share. Have a fun road trip, make detours and find surprises, and enjoy the scenery. Chase after the sunset.
Before you go, you might want to look at my Overview Itinerary of Northern Kyushu, Japan (Winter/Spring 2018) or check out my other posts on Japan. Leave your comments or questions below. Love to hear from you. :)
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We took a red eye flight from Singapore to Fukuoka with Singapore Airlines. When we arrived, we went straight from Fukuoka airport to Nagasaki. We travelled from 21 February to 1 March 2018. Here are a few options we considered for travelling from Fukuoka (International) …
Continuing from Part 1 with useful information of transportation in Hokkaido, I was contemplating whether to write about our experience. I decided to go ahead because I know it will prep you better for whatever that might happen while travelling on the JR Train in Hokkaido during winter.I …
I think it really pays off to research about the transportation in Hokkaido, Tokyo, or Japan for that matter, before you fly over. It will save you time and money, and you will less likely be overwhelmed and be lost in the complex transportation system. A Singaporean friend living in Tokyo for a few years now remarked that she will still get lost if she’s not on familiar train routes.
Before I start, I like to highlight this word, “Access“. You will see this word often, it means transportation, how to get there, etc. If you are looking for directions to a particular place on its website, look for the ‘Access’ tab.
And if you are planning your train and subway journey, hyperdia.com/en is a really good website! Their app is not available in Singapore, but key in ‘Hyperdia’ in your app store and you should get some good ranking apps! :)
IC Cards are cards you can top up to use for public transportation and many other shops, vending machines, etc. Having an IC card will save you the hassle of buying a bus, train ticket every time you take it. It’s like the ez-link card of Singapore.
IC cards in Japan can be used in different regions of Japan, within the region (check website for the specific areas). However, you cannot travel between two different coverage areas with an IC card. For example, You can use Suica while travelling around Sapporo, and Kitaca in Tokyo. However, you cannot travel from Sapporo to Tokyo using an IC card.
In any case, you cannot use the IC card on Shinkansen.
You can usually buy this card from the train ticket office or machine. There’s a deposit of ¥500 included in the purchase price. That is, if you buy at ¥1,000, you only have credit of ¥500 to use.
Hokkaido Rail Pass should not be confused with Japan Rail Pass, although they are similar. Japan Rail Pass has a nationwide coverage, while Hokkaido Rail Pass covers only the Hokkaido area. There are also other regional passes with coverage areas such as Central and Kyushu.
What’s so good? Hokkaido Rail Pass allows unlimited rides on the JR Hokkaido Lines, with free seat reservations! But it’s valid for Ordinary cars only. This means you have to top up when you want to reserve a Green Car seat (business class of the train).
Who is it for? These Rail Passes are usually eligible for short term foreign tourist with “Temporary Visitor” entry status. Hence be sure to have your passport with you when you purchase the rail pass or when you exchange your voucher in Japan. Also, carry your passport with you when on the train and show it when requested.
Exchange voucher? If you buy your rail pass outside of Japan, you will be given a voucher. You will exchange this voucher for the actual rail pass when in Japan and then select a start date within one month from the day you exchange your voucher. You cannot change the start date after that.
Prices:
| Ordinary Car | Adult | Child (6-11yo) |
| 3-Day | ¥16,500 | ¥8,250 |
| 4-Day Flexible* | ¥22,000 | ¥11,000 |
| 5-Day | ¥22,000 | ¥11,000 |
| 7-Day | ¥24,000 | ¥12,000 |
*For the others, the pass is valid for consecutive days of the period purchase. But for the flexible 4-Day, it can be used for any four days in a period of ten days, whether consecutive or not.
Valid on Hokkaido Shinkansen? Not with this Hokkaido railway pass. But if you want to travel from Tokyo to Hokkaido on the new Shinkansen, you can consider getting JR East-South Hokkaido Rail Pass.
We were making a stopover at Narita airport to Hokkaido and we had some time to kill. So we bought the Suica card and 3-Day Hokkaido Rail Pass at the JR EAST Travel Service Center in Narita Airport (directions to the center). It was a fairly fast process, and there wasn’t a queue when we arrived.
You can also purchase Hokkaido Rail Pass at JTB Singapore, and other local authorised retailers. We almost got ours at JTB, but since we were leaving in 2-3 days time, we didn’t see any difference in getting it in Singapore or in Japan. Moreover the price is the same, and it’s based on prevailing exchange rates. So we were hoping the Japan dollar would weaken when we purchase in Japan later.
Thank God there wasn’t a queue, and hence was able to make seat reservations for 2 trips before the queue started to form. She told us to re-queue because it’s usually reservation for 1 trip. Anyway, we didn’t have time to queue and hence decided to go to Sapporo JR office to book.
My advice is to reserve the seats as early as you can. Making reservation is free of charge at any JR ticket office and you can reserve within one month prior to departure. You can still change your seat reservation once after that. We booked the seats on 26 and 27 Feb for 3 trips (1 trip per day):
Sapporo > Tomamu > Noboribetsu > Niseko
However, the seats were running low for the various timings we wanted from Tomamu to Noboribetsu, but somehow she managed to find two separated seats for us. Then we almost couldn’t get any seats for our longest ride, which is from Noboribetsu to Niseko. If we didn’t get the seats, we would have to get a longer alternative route.
It was cheaper for us to get unreserved seat tickets (first come first served) than a Hokkaido Rail pass. But we wanted to have the flexibility to change our train timings for contingencies (unlimited rides with the pass). And we did change twice for a trip! Once because of our own schedule, the other because of the snow conditions, more on that later!
Also, it’s more comfortable in reserve seats where people don’t tend to hover around. Because an unreserved seat ticket holder cannot sit in a reserved seat even if it is empty. So they tend to hang around more at unreserved cabin, though there were some who flouted the rule. Try not to because the train conductor is always walking around to check the tickets.
It’s also more worth it for us to buy a train ticket from Niseko to Otaru (or Niseko to Sapporo) than to top up and upgrade to a 4-Day flexible Hokkaido Rail Pass.
It seemed to us that Suica’s coverage area is wider. Also, we mainly used the Hokkaido Rail Pass in Hokkaido and the IC card in Tokyo subway. We did use Suica in Hokkaido: the JR trains between New Chitose Airport and Sapporo, and the subways rides around Sapporo.
Related Posts: Overview Itinerary: Hokkaido and Tokyo (Winter/Spring 2016) Tomamu, The Tower (Resort) Pocket Wifi or Prepaid SIM Card in Japan? Top 5 Things to Do in New Chitose Airport Sapporo
Travelled in February/March 2016
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The reason for our Japan trip was to ski in Niseko, Hokkaido! We could have bought the return air tickets from Singapore to Hokkaido. However, it turns out that the “direct” flight from Singapore to Hokkaido is not that direct. We will still need to …
The reason for our Japan trip was to ski in Niseko, Hokkaido! We could have bought the return air tickets from Singapore to Hokkaido. However, it turns out that the “direct” flight from Singapore to Hokkaido is not that direct. We will still need to …