Driving in Niseko — Licence, rental, and the gas station
Why this matters
A car radically expands your range for a Costco run or a Mount Yōtei drive on your day off. This day covers Japan's licence rules plus the three scenes you'll actually face in Niseko: renting, fueling, and winter-road trouble.
01
Today's goals
✓日本で合法に運転できる免許の種類を言える
✓レンタカーを借りるときの基本手続きを進められる
✓ガソリンスタンドで『レギュラー満タンでおねがいします』が言える
✓雪道で助けを求める基本語彙（JAF・ロードサービス）を知る
02
How it works
Three licence paths in Japan
1. International Driving Permit (IDP) — issued under the Geneva Convention. Valid for 1 year from your date of entry to Japan. Not from the issue date — from the entry date. 2. Home-country licence + official Japanese translation — France, Germany, Taiwan and a handful of others qualify. Get the translation from JAF. 3. Converting to a Japanese licence (免許切替) — the long-term resident path.
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA all use option 1. Remember the 1-year rule — it starts the day you entered Japan, and leaving and re-entering does not reset it.
Rental counter patterns
·車を借りたいです — I'd like to rent a car.
·スタッドレスタイヤはついていますか — Does it have winter tyres? (Non-negotiable in Niseko winter.)
·返却は〜時までです — Return by 〜 o'clock.
Three gas-station words
·レギュラー — regular (what most cars take)
·ハイオク — high-octane (for performance cars)
·軽油 (けいゆ) — diesel
The magic sentence: 『レギュラー、満タンでおねがいします』 — 'Regular, fill it up please.'
When winter wins
If you get stuck in snow, call JAF (Japan Automobile Federation). If you're in a rental, call the rental company's road service line first — JAF won't cover a car that isn't yours. Tape both numbers to the dashboard before you leave.
03
Words & patterns
vocab車くるまkuruma
car
vocab免許めんきょmenkyo
licence
vocab国際運転免許証こくさいうんてんめんきょしょうkokusaiuntenmenkyoshō
International Driving Permit
vocabレンタカーrentakā
rental car
vocabスタッドレスタイヤsutaddoresutaiya
winter / studless tyre
vocab満タンまんタンmantan
a full tank
vocab軽油けいゆkēyu
diesel
vocab返却へんきゃくhenkyaku
return (of rental)
grammar〜を借りたいです
I'd like to rent / borrow 〜.
車を借りたいです。
kurumawokaritaidesu.
— I'd like to rent a car.
軽自動車を1日借りたいです。
kējidōshawoichinichikaritaidesu.
— I'd like to rent a kei-car for one day.
grammar〜はついていますか~hatsuitēmasuka
Does it come with 〜? (checking equipment)
スタッドレスタイヤはついていますか。
sutaddoresutaiyahatsuitēmasuka.
— Does it have winter tyres?
カーナビはついていますか。
kānabihatsuitēmasuka.
— Does it have a car navigator?
dialogue倶知安町のレンタカー窓口で、1日のレンタル
At a Kutchan rental-car counter, booking a 1-day rental
