English Japan’s Car Sharing and Rental Services: An Overview for Visitors
If you've researched renting a car in Japan (a process covered in detail in our dedicated tourist rental guide), you may...
English
English 
English What Is a “Grey Import” and Is It Legal to Drive One?
If you've spent any time researching JDM imports, you've almost certainly encountered the term "grey import" (sometimes ...
English Understanding VIN and Chassis Numbers on Japanese Cars
If you've ever tried to look up a Japanese used car by its "VIN" the same way you'd research a US vehicle, you've probab...
English How Japan’s Used Car Market Works (And Why It’s So Well-Organized)
Ask anyone who's shopped for used cars in multiple countries, and Japan's system tends to stand out for a specific reaso...
English Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Options in Japan: What’s Available and What’s Coming
Japan pioneered mass-produced hybrid technology in the 1990s (a history covered in detail elsewhere on this site), but i...
English Understanding Japan’s Automotive Recall System
Every major automotive market has some system for catching and fixing safety defects after a vehicle has already reached...
English Why Are So Many Japanese Cars Right-Hand Drive?
If you're new to JDM imports or planning your first driving trip to Japan, the steering wheel position is usually the fi...
English The Rise, Fall, and Return of Japan’s Kei Sports Cars
It sounds almost contradictory: a genuine sports car, with real handling, real driving engagement, and in some cases gen...
English How Japanese Automakers Pioneered Hybrid Technology
Hybrid vehicles feel like a mature, unremarkable part of the automotive landscape today, but it's worth remembering that...
English Japan’s Shaken System vs. Western Vehicle Inspections: A Comparison
Anyone who's owned a car in more than one country quickly learns that "vehicle inspection" means wildly different things...
English Why Japanese Used Cars Have Such Low Mileage Compared to Other Countries
One of the first things that surprises overseas buyers browsing Japanese used car auction listings is just how low the o...
English The History of Japan’s Kei Car Category: From Postwar Necessity to Cult Classic
Nearly every car enthusiast worldwide recognizes a kei car on sight today — tiny, boxy, unmistakably Japanese, and incre...
English Understanding Japanese Car Grades and Trims (Why Models Differ Overseas)
If you've ever shopped for a used Japanese car and noticed a badge on the trunk reading "G," "X," "Hybrid Z," or "G-Pack...
English Dashcams in Japan: Why They’re Nearly Universal
Rent a car in Japan, sit in a taxi, or simply glance into the parked cars along nearly any Japanese street, and you'll n...
English Why Kei Trucks Are Taking Over American Farms and Small Businesses
Drive through a stretch of rural Texas, the Deep South, or the upper Midwest these days and you'll increasingly spot som...
English Japan’s Vehicle Recycling Fee and End-of-Life Car Disposal Explained
Buried within the paperwork of nearly every car purchase in Japan is a line item many owners barely notice: the recyclin...
English Driving in Tokyo vs. Rural Japan: What Foreign Drivers Should Expect
"Driving in Japan" isn't really one single experience — piloting a rental car through central Tokyo's dense grid of stre...
English What to Do After a Car Accident in Japan: A Step-by-Step Guide for Foreigners
No one plans for a car accident, and being involved in one in a foreign country, potentially navigating a language barri...
English Japan’s Road Signs and Symbols: A Visual Guide for Foreign Drivers
Japanese road signs follow a logical, consistent system once you understand the underlying shape-and-color language, but...
English How to Sell Your Car Before Leaving Japan: A Guide for Expats
Amid the endless checklist of tasks that come with leaving Japan — closing bank accounts, canceling utilities, sorting o...