Parking and expressway toll gates in Japan

Understand parking and expressway tolls when driving in Japan, including payment methods, ETC cards, service areas, roadside stations and regional expressway passes for foreign visitors.

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  • Before you go
  • Driving and car rental

This page summarises JNTO’s information on driving-related tolls and parking in Japan. For actual charges on your route, refer to the official announcements of the road operator.

Key points

  • Expressways and major roads charge tolls, which depend on the distance travelled and the route.
  • At toll gates, green signs indicate cash or credit-card payment, while purple signs indicate automatic ETC payment.
  • If renting a car, borrow an ETC card from the rental company and settle the toll charges when returning the car.
  • Parking in city centres can be difficult; parking outside designated spaces may result in a penalty.

Toll gates

According to JNTO:

Gate Payment method
Green sign Attended toll collection; cash or credit card
Purple sign Automatic payment using an ETC card
  • If using expressways in a rental car, obtain an ETC card from the rental company; most rental companies offer ETC card rental.
  • Settle toll charges incurred on the ETC card when returning the car.
  • Example toll (JNTO): about 10,070 yen for one route from Tokyo to Kyoto.

Service areas and roadside stations

  • Service areas along expressways have toilets, restaurants and souvenir shops. JNTO advises taking regular breaks at service areas.
  • Many towns have roadside stations called Michi no Eki (). These are roadside facilities where drivers can park and rest, with local information, regional products and travel suggestions.

Parking

According to JNTO:

  • Parking spaces can be hard to find in some city centres.
  • Parking outside designated parking spaces may lead to a fine.
  • The official page does not list charges for individual car parks in Fukuoka and other locations; check signs on site.

Regional expressway passes for foreign visitors

  • JNTO states that the nationwide Japan Expressway Pass (JEP) stopped being sold in December 2023.
  • Existing regional passes are available only to foreign visitors and allow unlimited use of major expressways within designated regions. JNTO lists passes for Hokkaido, Tohoku, San’in, Setouchi and Shikoku, Kyushu (Kyushu Expressway Pass, KEP) and Chubu, among others.
  • Some passes have stopped accepting new reservations (for example, the Chubu Expressway Pass, CEP, from 1 October 2024). For the current conditions and prices of the Kyushu pass, see the operator’s official page; this site has not verified them.

Frequently asked questions

Can you use expressways without an ETC card?

JNTO states that toll gates with green signs accept attended payments by cash or credit card.

How do you pay ETC charges on a rental car?

Borrow an ETC card from the rental company and settle the toll charges when returning the car.

Further reading

Sources