If you are considering renting a car in Osaka, there are a number of reputable car rental companies to choose from around Osaka Station and the wider Umeda area. A car is usually not needed for sightseeing in central Osaka, but it can be useful for rural Kansai, mountain or coastal drives, group travel, luggage-heavy trips, or journeys that are awkward by train or bus.
You can compare current rates and book a car rental online through our search engine.
Car Rental Offices Near Osaka Station
Rental offices around Osaka Station are spread across station buildings, underground parking areas, shopping complexes, and nearby office buildings, so the exact pickup address matters. Always check the pickup counter, return counter, parking entrance, and business hours when you make your reservation.
For JR Eki Rent-A-Car and Toyota Rent a Car, current office listings place the Osaka Station pickup area in the Hilton Osaka underground parking area at 1-8-16 Umeda, close to JR Osaka Station’s Central South Exit and Hanshin Osaka-Umeda Station. JR Eki Rent-A-Car lists its Osaka Station Office in Yoshimoto Building B4F, accessed through the Hilton Osaka underground parking area and Toyota Rent a Car.
Car rental offices around Osaka Station can be in station buildings, underground parking areas, or nearby commercial buildings
Nippon Rent-A-Car Osaka Umeda is in the Hankyu Terminal Building 5F, inside Hankyu 17 Bangai. It is listed as 1 minute from the Hankyu Osaka-Umeda 3rd-floor ticket gate and 3 minutes from JR Osaka Station. Vehicle pickup and return use the rooftop parking area, so allow a little extra time after completing the counter procedure.
Nippon Rent-A-Car has an Osaka Umeda office in Hankyu Terminal Building 5F
Nissan Rent-A-Car has a Umeda Center Building location in B1F at 2-4-12 Nakazaki-nishi, Kita-ku. The Nissan counter that was formerly on the 1st floor of Osaka Marubiru closed on 28-May-2023, so do not use the Marubiru location as your pickup point. Confirm the current Nissan pickup instructions when you reserve.
The former Nissan Rent-A-Car counter at Osaka Marubiru has closed
For ORIX Rent a Car, the current English listing near Osaka Station is the Grandfront Osaka Rental Site, in Grandfront Osaka Kitakan B1F, 3-1 Ofuka-cho, Kita-ku. It is listed as about 3 minutes on foot from JR Osaka Station and Hankyu Umeda Station. Do not rely on old ORIX branch links for the Osaka Station area, because some no longer point to an active rental site.
Check your exact pickup address before going to a rental office around Osaka Station
Of these companies, Toyota, Nippon, Nissan and ORIX provide English-language reservation information online. Before deciding whether or not to rent a car, however, there are a number of things you need to consider.
What are the legal requirements?
You need valid driving documents before you rent a car in Japan. Most short-term visitors use a paper International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, together with their original home-country driver’s license and passport. International Driving Permits are not issued in Japan, so you must arrange this before you travel. Digital, app-based, or card-style international permits are not valid for driving in Japan.
Drivers with licenses issued in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan follow a different process. They may drive with their original license and an official Japanese translation prepared by an approved authority, such as the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), a relevant consular office, or another organization designated for this purpose. You can find more details on the JAF driving in Japan page.
Rental companies may also check your passport entry record, license category, and reservation details at pickup. If you are a resident of Japan, or if you are converting a foreign license to a Japanese license, different rules can apply, so check the latest National Police Agency or JAF guidance before booking.
Do you need to rent a car?
Renting a car can be a worthwhile option if you intend to explore rural areas of Japan that are less accessible by train or bus. It may also be economical if you are traveling with a group of people who can share the cost, or if you need to carry heavy luggage between places that are not well connected by rail.
However, within Osaka city itself we do not recommend using a car for ordinary sightseeing. Traffic is heavy, the streets can be difficult to navigate, and parking can be both hard to find and costly. Osaka has an excellent public transport system, so within the city a rental car is usually more trouble than it is worth.
Is it expensive?
Rental rates vary by company, vehicle class, season, membership discount, pickup location, and optional insurance. As a broad guide, many compact-car rentals for 24 hours fall around 8,000-12,000 yen before optional insurance, equipment, fuel, tolls, and high-season charges. Larger vehicles, minivans, one-way rentals, winter equipment, child seats, and added protection plans cost more.
Regular gasoline has recently been around 170 yen per liter nationally. The car will usually come with a full tank of gas and should be returned with a full tank, but confirm the fuel policy at pickup because each company has its own return instructions.
Some rental counters are located in basement levels, so confirm the return entrance before you drive away
Finding your way around
Major roads, towns and cities have English signage, but more rural areas may not. Many rental cars are fitted with GPS satellite navigation systems, but English menus are not guaranteed in every vehicle. Before departure, ask the rental staff to show you how to use the navigation system and, if possible, to enter your destination by address, telephone number, or map code.
It is also worth checking the return-office map code, parking entrance, and fuel station guidance before you leave the pickup area. If you plan to use expressways, ask about an ETC card and toll payment. Smartphone navigation is useful, but bring a charging cable, and consider a phone mount if you will rely on your phone for directions.
The Rules of the Road
The Japan Automobile Federation publishes English-language information on traffic rules in Japan and a foreign-language guide called Rules of the Road. Printed versions of Rules of the Road are available via Amazon.co.jp, while JAF says digital e-book sales in English and several other languages are temporarily suspended.
And remember the first rule of the road in Japan: driving is on the left.
Article and original photos by Michael Lambe. All rights reserved. Last updated 02-Aug-2026.
