Ninomiya, Kanagawa · ~80 min from Tokyo
Drive a JDM icon
in Japan.
Rent a Honda Prelude or Civic Type R from a local garage on the Shonan coast, the last stop before Hakone. Pick up your car here, then drive the legendary Hakone Turnpike up into the mountains.
Inquiry-based booking · English support · No-obligation inquiry
The cars you grew up watching, on the roads they were built for.
TAMA (Kabushiki-gaisha Tama) is a small, family-run car shop in Ninomiya, Kanagawa, sitting right between the Shonan coast and Hakone. We love Japanese cars, and we keep a couple of JDM legends ready for visitors who want more than a regular rental.
There is no online price list and no rushed counter. You tell us your plans, we make sure everything is right for driving in Japan, and we hand you the keys to a car worth crossing the world for.
One garage, everything within reach
Pick up here in Ninomiya, and Hakone, Mt. Fuji and the Tokyo Shuto are all a drive away. Haneda is where most guests fly in.
Map is a stylized illustration for atmosphere; positions are approximate, not to scale.
Where to? どこへいく？
01Select Mountain Touge
Hakone Turnpike
箱根≈ 16 km
02Select Scenic Cruise
Mt. Fuji Line
富士Open cruise
03Select Night / Wangan
Shuto Expressway
首都高City loop
Pick a direction and tell us when you inquire. Every route starts and ends at our garage in Ninomiya.
The fleet 愛車を選ぶ
Two JDM icons, ready to drive. Availability changes, so tell us your dates and the car you have in mind when you get in touch.
Sport Coupe01Honda Prelude
The reborn Prelude: a low, sleek hybrid sport coupe that carries Honda's coupe heritage into the present. Refined and smooth, it is made for relaxed touring along the coast.
- 2-door sport coupe
- Hybrid GT cruiser
- The reborn Prelude
Hot Hatch02Honda Civic Type R
One of the most celebrated front-wheel-drive performance cars in the world. The current Type R is sharp, high-revving and engaging, the JDM hot hatch enthusiasts dream about driving in Japan.
- High-revving performance
- Razor-sharp handling
- A true enthusiast's car
Images are for illustration. Actual vehicle, colour and specification may differ.
The perfect base for the Hakone Turnpike
Our garage sits on the Shonan coast, right on the route into Hakone. Rent here, warm the car up along the bay, and you are minutes from one of the world's great driving roads.
The Hakone Turnpike
One of Japan's most famous driving roads. A toll route of around 16 km that climbs from near Odawara up into the Hakone mountains, with sweeping views of Sagami Bay and, on a clear day, Mt. Fuji. Only about half an hour from our garage, traffic permitting.
Ashinoko Skyline
A ridge-top toll road that picks up near the top of the Turnpike and runs high above Lake Ashi, serving up some of the finest Mt. Fuji views in all of Hakone.
Shonan coastline
Pick up the car and roll straight onto the seaside roads of the Shonan coast, right on our doorstep.
Mt. Fuji & onsen towns
Beyond the pass, the Mt. Fuji area and Hakone's hot-spring towns make an easy and unforgettable day out.
You may already know these roads
If you grew up on touge anime like Initial D, this area will feel familiar. Its sequel, MF Ghost, is set right here in a near-future Odawara and Hakone, and its races are based on real roads just minutes from our garage. Add in local mountain passes like Yabitsu, and there are more great driving roads here than you can cover in a day.
Hakone Turnpike
The opening “Odawara Pikes Peak” stage.
Ashinoko Skyline
The high ridge run of “Ashinoko GT.”
Manazuru Blue Line
The coastal “Peninsula Manazuru” course.
In the story these are closed race courses. In real life they are public toll roads and mountain passes, so please enjoy the views and drive within the speed limit and traffic laws. We are fans of the cars and the roads, not a race track. Initial D and MF Ghost are mentioned only as cultural references; we are not affiliated with or endorsed by their creators or rights holders.
And when night falls, the Shuto Expressway
The mountain passes are the daytime. At night, Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, the Shutoko, is the other face of Japanese car culture. Elevated loops threading between neon towers, long sweeping curves over the bay on the Wangan (Bayshore) route. It is the world Wangan Midnight was built on, and it is about 80 minutes from our garage.
If you have ever picked the Shuto course in Gran Turismo and learned its curves on a screen, driving the real thing, lit up at night, is something else entirely.
The Wangan (Bayshore Route)
Long, open curves along Tokyo Bay, the classic night run.
Daikoku Futo PA
The famous bayside parking area where enthusiasts gather.
The Shuto Expressway is a real toll road with speed limits and traffic laws, not a race course. Please drive calmly and within the rules and enjoy the city lights. We are fans of the cars and the roads. Gran Turismo and Wangan Midnight are mentioned only as cultural references; we are not affiliated with their rights holders.
Simple, inquiry-based booking
Send an inquiry
Tell us your dates, which car you would like, and the driving licence you hold. Messages in English are welcome.
We confirm the details
We reply with availability, pricing and insurance options, and check that your documents (such as an International Driving Permit) are in order.
Pick up & drive
Collect the car at our garage in Ninomiya, Kanagawa, and enjoy driving a real JDM icon in Japan.
What you need to drive in Japan
An International Driving Permit (IDP), usually
Most overseas visitors need a valid IDP issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, along with their home-country licence and passport. A few countries (such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) instead need an official Japanese translation of their licence. We will tell you exactly what applies to you when you inquire.
A little notice helps
We are a small shop with a limited number of cars, so please reach out ahead of your trip. The earlier you tell us your dates, the better the chance your chosen car is free.
Getting here from Tokyo
Haneda Airport has no direct JR line, so most visitors take the Keikyu line to Yokohama, then the JR Tokaido Line to Ninomiya, which takes roughly an hour and a half in total. Tell us your arrival details and we will help you plan the last stretch.
Driving rules, licence requirements and insurance conditions are set by law and by our insurer, and can change. Please treat the above as general guidance and confirm the details with us directly before your trip.
Want something from Japan? We'll find it and ship it.
Our roots are in cars, but our reach is all of Japan. If there is something here you want, a specific part, a brand you can only buy locally, or just some everyday Japanese thing that is a hassle to get shipped overseas, tell us. We track it down and send it to you.
There is no fixed catalogue, and that is the whole point. You describe what you are after, in as much or as little detail as you have, and we do the hunting. Because we are a working garage with an export setup already in place, we can move fast and reach places a normal shop cannot.
Just tell us what it is
Anything from a hard-to-find JDM part to some everyday Japanese thing that is a pain to get shipped abroad. A part number is perfect, but a blurry photo or even “that thing they sell at Japanese hardware stores” is enough for us to start hunting. No request is too small or too ordinary.
A working garage does the searching
We source parts and deal with Japanese suppliers, catalogues and auctions every single day. That means we find things faster, and because we actually know cars, we can tell what is genuine, what fits your car, and what is worth it. It is a real shortcut to the thing you are after.
Air or sea, we can ship it
We already have the setup to export from Japan, so this is not a one-off favour. Whether it is a small package by air or something bigger by sea freight, we can get it to you overseas and handle the paperwork on this end.
A few things people ask us for
- Genuine (OEM) and JDM-specific car parts that are hard to buy outside Japan
- Tuning and aftermarket parts from Japanese brands
- Badges, emblems, brochures and other car memorabilia
- Tools, garage gear and workshop supplies
- Everyday Japanese items: snacks, stationery, hobby and collectible goods
- That one specific thing you saw in Japan and cannot find at home
A few items cannot be exported for legal or safety reasons, and some are restricted by the destination country. If that is the case we will tell you honestly. Item cost and shipping are quoted case by case before anything is ordered, so there is no obligation in simply asking.
Renting a JDM car in Japan, questions answered
The short version: bring the right licence documents, book by email in English, and we take care of the rest. Anything not covered here, just ask.
Do I need an International Driving Permit to rent a car in Japan?
Most overseas visitors need a valid International Driving Permit (IDP) issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, together with their home-country licence and passport. A few countries (such as Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco and Taiwan) require an official Japanese translation of their licence instead. We will confirm exactly what you need when you send an inquiry.
Which cars can I rent?
We currently offer the Honda Prelude and the Honda Civic Type R. Availability changes, so please tell us your dates and preferred car when you inquire.
Do I need to know how to drive a manual?
Only for the Civic Type R, which has a 6-speed manual gearbox. The current Prelude is a hybrid with automatic-style control and no clutch pedal, so it is the easy choice if you normally drive an automatic. If you are unsure what your licence covers, just ask when you inquire.
Which side of the road does Japan drive on?
Japan drives on the left, and our cars are right-hand drive. If you come from a right-hand-traffic country, give yourself a little time to adjust. The quiet coastal roads around Ninomiya are a good warm-up before you head into the Hakone mountains.
How do I book and how much does it cost?
Booking is inquiry-based. Send us your dates, the car you want and your driving documents, and we will reply with availability, pricing and insurance options. There is no online price list because rates depend on the dates and plan.
Is insurance included?
We arrange insurance for every rental and explain the coverage and conditions together with the price when we reply to your inquiry, so you know exactly where you stand before anything is confirmed.
Do you speak English?
Email inquiries in English are welcome, and the inquiry button on this page opens a ready-made English template. We are a small Japanese shop, so written English works best. Email is more reliable than a phone call.
Where do I pick up the car?
Pick-up is at TAMA in Ninomiya, Kanagawa, on the Shonan coast about one hour from central Tokyo by train. It is a convenient base for driving the Shonan coastline, Hakone and the Mt. Fuji area.
Ready to drive a JDM icon?
Send us your dates and the car you have in mind. We will reply with availability, pricing and everything you need to know. Messages in English are welcome.
Email tama.info.jp@gmail.com with your dates, the car you want and your driving licence. Prefer a form? Use our contact page.
TAMA · Nakazato 1012-4, Ninomiya, Kanagawa · Open 10:00–19:30, closed Sundays