Before you go
This article is based on public guidance available in October 2026 from the police, laws, Nippon Rent-A-Car, Toyota Rent a Car, Times Car Rental, ORIX Rent a Car, Times parking facilities, and hotels. Conditions may change. Check each source before booking.
Grandpa and Grandma, two families of siblings, and four children: ten people. When they decide to drive around Japan and open a rental car list, a big “10-seater” wagon catches their eye. Everyone could ride in one vehicle, with just one driver. It looks like the simplest choice.
But a single 10-seater comes with several small hurdles, both before you rent it and after you set off: the license category, the amount of luggage, the children’s seats, and where to park. If even one causes trouble, it can disrupt the trip.
So here is our answer up front.
The Short Answer — Rent two minivans that seat 7–8 each. Choose two drivers
- Rent two minivans that seat 7–8 each. With ten people, for example, put six in one and four in the other. Split the child seats and luggage between the vehicles
- Choose two drivers and give their names when booking. Both go to the rental counter on the day
- Choose one 10-seater only if all four conditions below are met
With two cars, each ride is a little quieter. Parking becomes much less of a worry, luggage does not fill the footwells, and you can fit the child seats properly. The grandparents’ group can go straight to the hotel while the children’s group makes a detour. That freedom is another benefit of two cars. Meet at a service area and eat the same soft-serve ice cream.
One 10-seater works only if all four conditions are met
A 10-seater wagon, such as a Hiace, carries ten people in one vehicle. But if even one of the following four conditions is missing, choose two cars.
1. Your International Driving Permit is a form accepted in Japan, with a stamp in category D
Before checking category D, check that the booklet is a form accepted in Japan. Japan accepts International Driving Permits in the 1949 Geneva Convention form. The booklet names the treaty as “CONVENTION ON ROAD TRAFFIC OF 19 SEPTEMBER 1949” (Toyota Rent a Car). A permit whose vehicle categories read A, B, C, D, BE, CE and DE uses a different form and cannot be used to drive in Japan (Aichi Prefectural Police), even if category D is stamped.
On an International Driving Permit (IDP) in a form accepted in Japan, vehicle categories are divided into A through E. You may drive only vehicles in categories that have been stamped.
- Category B … A vehicle with up to eight seats besides the driver’s. That means up to nine seats in total. Ordinary minivans fall here
- Category D … A vehicle with more than eight seats besides the driver’s. A 10-seater falls here
Nippon Rent-A-Car also describes B as “minivans and wagons (except 10-seaters)” and D as “10-seater wagons and minibuses.” Toyota Rent a Car says its 10-seater (W4 class) requires a stamp in category D. At a Nippon Rent-A-Car counter, staff check whether the category for the reserved vehicle is stamped.
When your IDP booklet arrives, open it and check first for the name of the 1949 convention, then for category D. Without its stamp, you cannot choose a 10-seater. Choose two vehicles that seat up to eight instead.
What the counter checks, and how to read the booklet, are in “Driving in Japan with an International Driving Permit (IDP).”
If you obtain an IDP based on an Indian license, also see “Can I drive in Japan with an Indian licence?.”
2. You have little luggage
The “number of bags” stated by rental companies refers to surprisingly small bags.
- For a Nippon Rent-A-Car 10-seater, the guide is three to four domestic carry-on size bags when eight people ride
- ORIX Rent a Car also gives four bags as its guide for a 10-seater. Its “one bag” measures at most 115 cm in total length, width and height (within 55 × 40 × 25 cm)
In other words, the rental companies checked here (Nippon, ORIX and Toyota) do not say that ten large checked suitcases fit (nor do they say they do not fit). When ten people ride in a 10-seater, luggage space shrinks further. If you have many large suitcases, split them between two cars or send them ahead to your hotel.
For how companies count “one suitcase,” see “Choosing a Rental Car Size in Japan by Your Suitcases.”
3. Fewer than three children are under six, and everyone can sit after child seats are fitted
In Japan, a child under six must use a child seat when riding in a car (Road Traffic Act).
- Rental companies limit how many child seats can be fitted in one vehicle. Nippon Rent-A-Car allows up to two in a 7- to 10-seater wagon (one in its smallest three-row vehicle)
- Fitting child seats reduces the number of people who can sit. Toyota Rent a Car says that in a row of three seats, one adult and one child seat can sit comfortably when a child seat is fitted
- Request child seats when booking. Toyota Rent a Car asks you to tell them at booking if a child under six will ride. The renter fits the seats (Times Car Rental and Toyota Rent a Car)
With three or more children under six, a company such as Nippon Rent-A-Car, which allows only two child seats per vehicle, cannot fit them all in one car. Split the group between two cars.
Even with two or fewer, fitting the child seats may leave too few individual seats for all ten to sit and wear seat belts. Nippon Rent-A-Car also recommends eight passengers in its 10-seater. If you choose a 10-seater, tell the rental company the children’s ages and number and how many child seats you need when booking. Ask which seats can take them and whether everyone can sit. If the answer is unclear, choose two cars.
4. You have decided where to park in advance
This is the biggest pitfall with a 10-seater.
A 10-seater Hiace is over 2.1 m tall. Toyota’s specification sheet (January 2024 edition) lists the 10-seater Hiace Wagon at 2,105–2,285 mm in height; the long version (Grand Cabin) is 5,380 mm long.
Coin parking facilities, meanwhile, set vehicle size limits. For example, Times parking terms allow vehicles up to 5.0 m long, 1.9 m wide, 2.1 m high and 2.5 t in gross vehicle weight in ordinary ground-level and multi-story facilities (mechanical parking: 1.5 m high and 2.0 t gross vehicle weight). A 10-seater Hiace exceeds this ordinary limit in height. The Grand Cabin and some others also exceed 2.5 t in gross vehicle weight. If a multi-story parking entrance says “height 2.1 m,” a 10-seater Hiace cannot enter.
The terms do say that some facilities have different limits, and some can accommodate larger vehicles. Hotel parking also varies by property.
| Parking facility (official hotel guidance) | Vehicle limits | 10-seater Hiace |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto Station Building parking (Hotel Granvia Kyoto guidance) | Height 2.1 m; length 5.0 m | Too tall (Grand Cabin is also too long) |
| Kyoto Century Hotel | Height 2.2 m; length 5.5 m; width 2.3 m | A standard-length model (2,105 mm tall) fits on paper. The Grand Cabin (2,285 mm tall) does not |
Even opposite the same Kyoto Station, one hotel’s parking fits and another’s does not. If choosing a 10-seater, check the “vehicle restrictions” (height, length, width and weight) at your hotel and destinations before booking. The exact model may differ, and the booking screen does not show its dimensions, so ask the counter for the rented vehicle’s height, length, width and gross vehicle weight.
With a minivan seating up to eight, this concern becomes much smaller. For parking, see “How to Use Multi-Story and Underground Parking Garages” and “How to Use Mechanical and Tower Parking.”
For drivers with a Taiwanese license and Japanese translation — Do not choose a 10-seater
In Japan, drivers with a Taiwanese license use it with a Japanese translation, not an International Driving Permit. They may drive only vehicles their Taiwanese license allows.
Under Taiwanese rules, a vehicle with ten or more seats, including the driver’s, is a “large passenger vehicle”. Driving one with a small-vehicle license is punishable. Nippon Rent-A-Car also asks customers renting with a translation to check their permitted vehicle category before booking; it says bookings of 10-seaters by people whose licenses cover up to nine seats are increasing.
So with a Taiwanese small-vehicle license, do not choose a Japanese 10-seater; plan around vehicles seating up to eight. For ten people, use two cars. If you hold a large-passenger-vehicle license, check the vehicle category on the translation before booking.
For the process of renting with a translation, see “Driving in Japan with a Japanese Translation.”
What to know when renting two cars
- You may need two separate reservations. Nippon Rent-A-Car says you can reserve two or more vehicles, but its website and app take one vehicle per reservation. Once booked, check that both reservations show the same office and time
- Decide who will drive when booking. Nippon Rent-A-Car says it may refuse the rental if a driver other than the one on the reservation comes to the counter. Times Car Rental also asks customers to choose their drivers before booking
- Both drivers go to the counter on the day. Nippon Rent-A-Car, Toyota Rent a Car and Times Car Rental say all drivers must show their licenses (such as an IDP or a translation) and passports at the counter. The second driver also needs a stamp in the category of the vehicle they will drive
- Adding a driver costs no extra (Nippon Rent-A-Car and Toyota Rent a Car; Nippon Rent-A-Car allows additions at the counter). A registered driver receives the same coverage as the renter (Nippon Rent-A-Car and Times Car Rental)
- Check what “7–8 seats” means for the class. Toyota Rent a Car classes labeled 7–8 seats include both seven- and eight-seat models. Contact the departure office if you need a specific capacity (a fee may apply). Times Car Rental lets you choose only a vehicle class, not a particular model
- Large vehicles often require a credit card. Nippon Rent-A-Car, Toyota Rent a Car (W4) and ORIX Rent a Car’s Grand Cabin accept card payment only. Even 7–8-seaters in higher classes may be card-only. Check payment methods on the booking screen. For card-only classes, Nippon Rent-A-Car accepts only the main driver’s card
If the second driver is young
- Nippon Rent-A-Car says there is no age limit for drivers aged 18 or older (drivers under 21 or licensed for less than one year receive a safe-driving briefing at the counter)
- ORIX Rent a Car says people over 18 can rent vehicles within their license category
- Times Car Rental says it has no restriction based on age or date of license issue
- Toyota Rent a Car says some offices have age restrictions. Ask the office where you will rent
A 10-seater may not appear on the English booking screen
Toyota Rent a Car’s English booking screen lists minivans and wagons for “6–8 people”; the 10-seater (W4) appears on its Japanese page. Nippon Rent-A-Car does not offer a 10-seater in every region. If you cannot find one, search for two vehicles seating up to eight.
How many people, how many cars?
| People | Children under six | Our choice |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 0 | One eight-seater can fit everyone. But its luggage guide is three carry-on size bags when six people ride (Nippon Rent-A-Car eight-seater). With many large suitcases, choose two cars or send the luggage ahead |
| 8 | 1–2 | Two cars. Fitting child seats may leave too few seats for eight people in an eight-seater (Toyota Rent a Car says one adult and one child seat can sit comfortably in a three-seat row after a child seat is fitted) |
| 9–10 | 0–2 | Two vehicles seating up to eight. One 10-seater is also possible if all four conditions are met |
| 9–10 | 3 or more | Two cars (split the child seats) |
| 11–12 | — | Two cars. If you do not have two drivers, book a transfer vehicle only between the airport and hotel, then use trains |
Do not count “two eight-seaters” as 16 usable seats. Child seats and luggage reduce the available seats.
A minibus carrying 11 or more people in one vehicle requires a medium vehicle license even under Japanese licensing rules. We do not recommend it as a rental car solution here. If only one person can drive, or your family would rather not drive, see “Japan by Train with a Big Family (8–12 People).” That article also explains arranging a large transfer vehicle just between the airport and hotel.
Send luggage ahead
Even with two cars, ten large suitcases make them crowded. You can send suitcases from one hotel to the next. Families driving around can make more room for passengers by sending only their big bags ahead. For how to send them, see “Luggage Forwarding in Japan: Sending Your Luggage from Hotel to Hotel (Hands-Free Travel).”
When choosing where to stay
When looking for a place for ten people, check the number of parking spaces and vehicle restrictions along with room size. With two cars, you need two spaces. Some hotel parking is not reservable; if it is full, the hotel may direct you to nearby parking (Kyoto Century Hotel).
Before you go, just these things
- Open the IDP booklet and check whether it is the 1949 form and which categories are stamped for both drivers (a form listing A, B, C, D, BE, CE and DE cannot be used in Japan. B allows up to nine seats in total—an ordinary minivan. A 10-seater requires D)
- With a Taiwanese license, do not choose a 10-seater
- Put both drivers’ names on the reservation (for two cars, check that the reservations show the same office and time)
- Request a child seat for each child under six (ask the company how many fit in one vehicle; Nippon Rent-A-Car allows up to two. For a 10-seater, also ask whether everyone can sit after they are fitted)
- If choosing a 10-seater, check height, length, width and weight restrictions at your hotel and destination parking facilities
More details
- How to read the IDP categories → “Driving in Japan with an International Driving Permit (IDP)”
- Renting with a Taiwanese license → “Driving in Japan with a Japanese Translation”
- Car size and suitcases → “Choosing a Rental Car Size in Japan by Your Suitcases”
- Train or car? → “Train or Rental Car in Japan?”
- A big-family trip without driving → “Japan by Train with a Big Family (8–12 People)”
For a road trip with ten people, there are really only two things to decide: use two cars and choose two drivers. Then the two cars can follow each other along a mountain road, and all ten can meet again at the next town’s parking lot.
