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Our edition · Japan
Japan on Your Own
“Japan on Your Own” is the complete ebook that plans your trip from A to Z. Campervan, michi-no-eki and the train + car formula: rental, JAF translation, ETC tolls, itineraries, budget.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
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10 chapters · 11,000+ words · instant download · 14-day guarantee
You're planning your first independent trip
The guide starts from zero and turns every unknown into a simple procedure: rental, first roads, first bookings. The method behind our Namibia guide, applied to Japan.
You want to avoid the expensive mistakes
Misunderstood insurance, the wrong season, overrated stops, an underestimated budget: the classic traps are well known — and all avoidable when you know where to look.
You don't have 60 hours to cross-check everything
Contradictory forums, dated blogs, sales brochures: we did the sorting and the checking. You get the ordered, actionable digest.
Table of contents
The contents, chapter by chapter
10 chapters that follow the real order of your preparation: decide, book, drive, live the trip.
- 01
Why Japan on Your Own
The world's most misunderstood road-trip country, the car-AND-train doctrine, and the three truths to accept before booking.
What the wheel reveals that the Shinkansen misses: Hokkaido, the Alps, Kyushu · The hybrid formula: train between regions, car within them · The three truths: 40 km/h real averages, the Japanese calendar, the JAF translation · How to use the guide depending on your profile
- 02
When to Go: Seasons, the Japanese Calendar, Month by Month
Golden Week, Obon, tsuyu, typhoons: the complete social and climatic calendar, with the month-by-month rundown and booking lead times.
The three black dates: Golden Week, Obon, cherry-blossom weekends · The four climatic Japans and the full month-by-month · Our recommendation by priority (van, classic, budget, onsen) · Handling September typhoons and knowing when to book what
- 03
Renting Your Car or Campervan: JAF Translation, Insurance and Traps
The chapter that pays for the guide: the JAF translation that stops trips at the counter, the CDW/NOC decoder and the ETC card.
The JAF translation: why the international permit is not enough, cost and lead time · Compact, kei car or campervan: 2026 prices and the limits of each · CDW and above all NOC: the specifically Japanese insurance trap · The ETC card and the clauses to check (one-way, mileage, snow tyres) · Vehicle inspection and the full-tank return ritual
- 04
Driving in Japan: The Left, ETC Tolls and the Golden Rules
Left-hand driving without drama, the eight strict local rules, and the toll strategy that saves hundreds of euros.
The left in one hour: the three real moments of vigilance · The 8 golden rules: the 止まれ stop, never turn on red, zero alcohol · Tolls: ETC card, visitor Expressway Passes, free national roads · Parking, phone-number GPS, fuel and accidents: the right reflexes
- 05
The Itineraries: 10, 14 or 21 Days, Day by Day
Three proven routes built on real Japanese averages: Kyushu by car, Hokkaido by campervan, and the grand train + two-rentals mix.
10 days: volcanic Kyushu (~1,100 km), the Yamanami Highway and Sakurajima · 14 days: Hokkaido by campervan (~1,550 km), from Furano to Shiretoko · 21 days: the grand Tokyo-Alps-Kyoto-Kyushu mix (~800 km of driving) · The principles that hold a Japanese itinerary together
- 06
Sleeping: From Free Michi-no-eki to Ryokan
The tolerated van night at 1,200 roadside stations, the business-hotel secret weapon, and the 2-3 ryokan nights that make the memories — 2026 prices.
The michi-no-eki: the unwritten rules of the van night · Business hotels at €50-90: the flexibility valve · Ryokan and minshuku: per-person prices, the ritual and when to book · The complete table of options and our recommended mix
- 07
The Complete Budget, Item by Item
Every line priced in 2026 euros, the hidden costs (tolls, parking), and three complete profiles for 2 people over 15 days.
Flights, vehicle, tolls, trains, meals: the 2026 ranges · The 3-profile table: €2,980 / €3,900 / €6,500 excluding flights · Where to save without impoverishing the trip — and where never to · Money day to day: card, mandatory cash, 7-Eleven ATMs
- 08
Michi-no-eki, Onsen and Konbini: The Art of the Japanese Road
The signature chapter: roadside-station culture, the complete bathing etiquette, and the konbini as universal logistics base.
The michi-no-eki as a way of life: farmers' market, evening routine · Onsen etiquette in 5 gestures, and the tattoo question · The konbini: eating, withdrawing cash, forwarding luggage by takkyubin · Rubbish without public bins and the small codes that change everything
- 09
Health, Safety, Paperwork: Administrative Japan Without Stress
Visa and JESTA, medication at customs, hospitals paid upfront, earthquakes and typhoons well managed — and our honest warning about winter.
Paperwork: 90-day exemption, Visit Japan Web, customs and medication · Travel insurance is essential: Japanese hospitals are paid on the spot · Earthquakes, typhoons, volcanoes: the right reflexes without drama · eSIM, apps and useful numbers; why to avoid winter driving
- 10
The Final Checklists
The chapter to print: from the JAF translation at D−90 to returning the vehicle, every list of the trip.
The D−90 checklist: JAF, dates, vehicle, insurance · The last ten days and the 20-minute vehicle pick-up · The Japan-specific kit (onsen towel, sorting bags, coins) · The driver's daily routine and a flawless vehicle return
Sample pages
Judge for yourself
Chapter 3 — Renting Your Car or Campervan
The JAF Translation: The Detail That Cancels Trips
« To drive in Japan, a French, Belgian or Swiss licence is NOT valid with the '1949 model' international driving permit our authorities issue — Japan does not recognise it for these countries. You need an official translation of your national licence, issued by the JAF, presented together with the original. No rental company will make an exception: the counter checks the translation before handing over the keys, every single time. It is THE first item to deal with in your preparation. »
Chapter 8 — The Art of the Japanese Road
The Michi-no-eki as a Way of Life
« A michi-no-eki is not a motorway service area: it is the village's shop window, often its biggest employer. In the morning, local producers drop off vegetables, fruit, rice and prepared dishes — the michi-no-eki farmers' market is the best place in Japan to eat locally and cheaply. Our well-honed van routine: arrive around 5 pm, onsen on site or nearby, a quiet night, and at dawn the vending-machine coffee plus fruit from the reopening market. Then buy something — always. That is the moral contract of the free parking, and it is how the tolerance towards vans endures. »
Chapter 4 — Driving in Japan
Tolls: The Real Hidden Budget Line
« Japanese expressways are private and expensive: roughly 25-30 ¥/km, meaning Tokyo-Kyoto ≈ €65. Three strategies to combine: the ETC card rented with the vehicle, the visitor Expressway Passes — the best deal in road-trip Japan, unlimited regional expressways for a flat fee that pays for itself within two journeys — and the free national roads, slower but often more beautiful. Our rule of thumb: expressway for links over 100 km, national road whenever the drive IS the scenery. »
The order form
The complete guide
Guide « Japan on Your Own »
Campervan, michi-no-eki and the train + car formula: rental, JAF translation, ETC tolls, itineraries, budget
44 €
- 10 chapters, the complete method
- Day-by-day itineraries
- Printable version (PDF via Cmd+P)
- Complete checklists
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How it works
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- Not for you? 14-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked: email admin@tech-bharat.com, full refund within 48 working hours.
Start by exploring for free
The shop
Gear for the road
A few items we take on our own self-drive trips, shipped from the supplier's warehouse within 8 to 15 working days — free delivery from €49.
Hand-stitched leather travel journal, 200 kraft sheets
Handmade journal with a brown crazy-horse-style leather cover, 200 sheets of 19 × 14 cm, 120 g kraft paper: a logbook that ages with you.
€50.90
Inflatable H-shaped travel pillow with removable hood
Inflatable H-shaped pillow with washable velvet cover and a removable hood that blocks light: sleep on planes and shuttles without a bulky bag.
€33.90
Before you go
Readers' questions
What format does the guide come in?
Right after payment you receive a download link: the full guide in HTML, readable on any device and printable to PDF in one click (Cmd/Ctrl+P), plus the chapters in Markdown to read wherever you like. No proprietary app, no subscription.
Is the guide available in English?
Not yet: the guide is currently written in French, and an English edition is in the works. Prices, routes and checklists are of course language-independent — but if you don't read French, we recommend waiting for the English edition.
Is it up to date for 2026?
Yes: the price ranges, local rules and advice reflect the 2026 situation. The fundamentals — itineraries, driving or transport, logistics — change very little from year to year.
What if the guide isn't for me?
A simple guarantee: 14 days, money back, no questions asked. One email to our support is enough — full refund within 48 hours. We'd far rather refund you than leave a disappointed reader.
How is this different from the free pages?
Our free pages (the Japan country page, destinations, field notes) give you the panorama. The guide gives you the complete, ordered method: day-by-day itineraries, a line-by-line budget, detailed driving and logistics, and every checklist. It's the digest we wish we'd had before our first trip.