Is there one expressway pass for all of Japan?

Not at the moment. NEXCO East says the nationwide Japan Expressway Pass is no longer on sale. Each current pass covers one region, and ORIX says you cannot apply for a pass outside its region.

Is there an expressway pass for Tokyo, Mt Fuji or Kyoto?

Not now. The Central Expressway Pass (CEP) covered central Japan, but ORIX says applications ended on 1 October 2024. None of the current passes is for the Tokyo, Mt Fuji or Nagoya area.

Can I buy a pass online before I arrive?

You book the pass with your rental car, but you apply and pay at the rental office. NEXCO West says to reserve the pass with the car, then complete the procedure and pay at the designated office.

Can I use a kei car with a pass?

It depends on the pass and the company. HEP, TEP and the Niigata pass have a cheaper kei price. KEP is for standard-size cars only. SEP accepts kei cars at the same price. ORIX says kei cars cannot be used with its passes.

Can I return the car in a different city?

Check with your rental company. ORIX says passes cannot be used with one-way rentals except in Hokkaido. Nippon Rent-A-Car says you must pick up and return the car at offices that handle the pass.

Japan expressway passes for visitors: regions, prices, worth it?

Japan’s expressway operators sell flat-price expressway passes for visitors who rent a car. In October 2026 there are five: Hokkaido, Tohoku, Niigata, San’in-Setouchi-Shikoku, and Kyushu. Each pass covers one region only, and you buy it together with your rental car and an ETC card. There is no longer a nationwide pass or a pass for the Tokyo–Mt Fuji–Nagoya area.

An expressway pass is a fixed-price plan that lets you use the expressways in one region as much as you like for a set number of days. It works through the ETC card in your rental car. If you are new to tolls and ETC lanes, read Japan expressways and ETC cards first.

Which expressway passes can visitors buy?

Pass	Region	Operator	Days	Where to buy
Hokkaido Expressway Pass (HEP)	Hokkaido	NEXCO East	4–8 days per plan	Participating rental companies in Hokkaido (the shop list names 33, including TOYOTA, ORIX, Nippon Rent-A-Car and Times)
Tohoku Expressway Pass (TEP)	Tohoku	NEXCO East	4–8 days	Nippon Rent-A-Car, TOYOTA, Budget, ORIX, NISSAN and Times in Tohoku
Niigata Expressway Pass	Niigata	NEXCO East	3 days	TOYOTA Rental & Leasing Niigata only (16 shops)
San’in-Setouchi-Shikoku Expressway Pass (SEP)	San’in, Setouchi and Shikoku	NEXCO West	3–10 days	TOYOTA, Times, ORIX, NISSAN, JR Rent-A-Car West, HEISEI, NICONICO
Kyushu Expressway Pass (KEP)	Kyushu	NEXCO West	2–10 days	Times, NISSAN and other Kyushu companies. NEXCO West marks TOYOTA, Budget, ORIX and Nippon Rent-A-Car as “currently not accepted”

Source: NEXCO East (Drive Plaza), Hokkaido / Tohoku / Niigata Expressway Pass; NEXCO West, KEP and SEP (checked on 26 October 2026)

These passes have ended:

Central Expressway Pass (CEP) for central Japan: ORIX says applications ended on 1 October 2024.
Japan Expressway Pass (nationwide): NEXCO East’s page says it is no longer on sale.

None of the operator pages we checked lists a visitor pass for Okinawa.

Source: ORIX Rent-A-Car, Expressway Pass; NEXCO East, Japan Expressway Pass press release (checked on 26 October 2026)

How much does each pass cost?

Prices are for a standard car. The pass price does not include the car or the ETC card.

Days	HEP (Hokkaido)	TEP (Tohoku)	Niigata	SEP (San’in-Setouchi-Shikoku)	KEP (Kyushu)
2 days	¥7,700 (Nippon Rent-A-Car)	¥8,500 (Nippon Rent-A-Car)	–	–	¥6,200
3 days	¥7,700 (Nippon Rent-A-Car)	¥8,500 (Nippon Rent-A-Car)	¥6,200	¥10,700	¥8,400
4 days	¥7,700	¥8,500	–	¥11,700	¥10,600
5 days	¥9,600	¥10,600	–	¥12,700	¥12,800
6 days	¥11,600	¥12,800	–	¥13,700	¥15,000
7 days	¥13,500	¥14,900	–	¥14,700	¥17,200
Longest plan	8 days ¥15,400	8 days ¥17,000	3 days only	10 days ¥17,700	10 days ¥23,800

Source: NEXCO East (Drive Plaza); NEXCO West; Nippon Rent-A-Car, Expressway Pass programs (checked on 26 October 2026)

HEP and TEP: NEXCO East’s plans start at 4 days. Nippon Rent-A-Car charges the 4-day price for 2- and 3-day rentals. For 9 days or more, NEXCO East combines plans (for 11 days, a 7-day plan and a 4-day plan).
Kei cars (light vehicles): HEP costs ¥6,200 for 4 days, TEP ¥6,800 for 4 days, and the Niigata pass ¥4,900 for 3 days. SEP accepts kei cars at the standard price. KEP is for standard-size cars only.
The HEP price details and how to use it are in Japan expressways and ETC cards.

Who can buy an expressway pass?

Pass	Who qualifies	What you show or need
HEP	Visitors with a non-Japanese passport; Japanese nationals with permanent residency abroad	Show a non-Japanese passport or similar document
TEP, Niigata	Visitors with a non-Japanese passport; Japanese nationals with permanent residency abroad	Show your passport and a licence valid in Japan when you apply
SEP, KEP	Holders of a non-Japanese passport; Japanese nationals with permanent residency abroad	You must hold a licence valid in Japan

Source: NEXCO East (Drive Plaza); NEXCO West (checked on 26 October 2026)

Which licence you need depends on the country that issued it. See Driving licences for Japan.

How do I buy an expressway pass?

Book the car and the pass together. Choose an office that handles the pass for your region. ORIX says you cannot apply outside the pass region (for example, TEP cannot be applied for at its Tokyo Station Yaesu branch).
Add an ETC card to the booking. ORIX says ETC cards depend on stock. Nippon Rent-A-Car says the pass cannot be requested if ETC cards are out of stock.
Tell the staff at pick-up that you want the pass. Show your passport and driving licence, complete the procedure and pay the pass fee at the counter.
Insert the ETC card and drive. Use ETC lanes at 20 km/h or less.
Return the car and the ETC card. Pay any tolls that the pass did not cover.

Source: NEXCO West, KEP and SEP; ORIX Rent-A-Car; Nippon Rent-A-Car; NEXCO East (Drive Plaza) (checked on 26 October 2026)

For booking the car itself, see How to book a rental car in Japan.

What are the restrictions?

Set by the operators

One region only. Expressways outside the pass area are charged normally. If you enter inside the area and leave outside it (or the other way round), you pay for the part outside.
Some roads are not covered. KEP does not cover city expressways or toll roads not run by NEXCO West. SEP does not cover the Honshi Expressway (the Kobe-Awaji-Naruto, Seto-Chuo and Nishi-Seto routes between Honshu and Shikoku), urban expressways, or roads not run by NEXCO West or the Hyogo Prefecture Road Corporation.
No extension. HEP and TEP cannot be extended once the period starts.
Calendar days. For HEP and SEP, a day runs from 0:00 to 23:59. NEXCO West’s example: from 13:00 on 1 April to 13:00 on 4 April counts as 4 SEP days.
Cancelling. HEP, KEP and SEP can only be cancelled before you use a covered road. NEXCO East says HEP is not refunded once used.
Niigata pass: not available on some peak dates (listed on the application page).
KEP sales end on 31 March 2027. The last day to apply depends on the plan (22 March 2027 for 10 days, 30 March 2027 for 2 days).

Source: NEXCO East (Drive Plaza) and HEP Terms of Use; NEXCO West, KEP and SEP pages and User Agreements (checked on 26 October 2026)

Set by rental companies (rules differ by company)

Company	Rule
ORIX	Passes cannot be used with one-way rentals, except in Hokkaido. Kei cars cannot be used with the pass
Nippon Rent-A-Car (HEP, TEP)	Pick up and return at offices that handle the pass. The pass must cover the whole rental period. No extension and no refund for early return. Changes are requested by email and the pass may no longer apply

Source: ORIX Rent-A-Car, Expressway Pass; Nippon Rent-A-Car, Expressway Pass programs (checked on 26 October 2026)

Planning to return the car in another city? Read One-way car rental in Japan first.

Is an expressway pass worth it?

It depends on how far you drive on expressways. Add up the normal tolls for your route and compare. Here are two examples from the operators’ own pages (examples only, standard car):

Example	Normal toll	Pass
Hokkaido: New Chitose Airport → Asahikawa and back	¥4,810 each way, so ¥9,620	HEP 4 days: ¥7,700
Hokkaido: New Chitose Airport → Sapporo Station and back	¥1,430 each way, so ¥2,860	HEP 4 days: ¥7,700
Shikoku: Kobe-Nishi → Naruto (Kobe-Awaji-Naruto route)	¥3,340 weekday / ¥2,670 holiday, one way	Not covered by SEP

Source: NEXCO East (Drive Plaza), Hokkaido Expressway Pass; NEXCO West, SEP (checked on 26 October 2026). Return totals are our calculation.

One long drive and back can already cost more than a pass, as in the Asahikawa example.
For short trips, like the Sapporo example, normal tolls are cheaper.
Bridges and roads outside the pass are extra. If you drive between Honshu and Shikoku on the Honshi Expressway, budget for those tolls on top of SEP.

Road trip guides for each region

Hokkaido: Hokkaido road trip planner
Tohoku: Tohoku road trip planner
Shikoku: Shikoku road trip planner
Kyushu: Kyushu road trip planner
Mt Fuji and Hakone (no pass at the moment): Fuji and Hakone road trip

Pass rules and participating offices change. Check the operator’s page before you travel.