Japan Rakuten car rental tutorials and the latest car rental discounts

Post date: 2025-08-06 | Categories: Japan Travel

Rakuten Car Rental is a Japanese car rental reservation service provided by Rakuten Travel. Through Rakuten Car Rental, you can make reservations with any car rental company in Japan, compare prices across different providers, and check vehicle availability all at once. Rakuten frequently offers various promotional car rental deals and continuously releases discount coupons, making it cheaper to rent through Rakuten than directly with car rental companies.

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Agoda Booking Deals!

【Agoda 10% Discount Code (incl. taxes)】(Valid worldwide, with discounts applied to taxes and service fees.)

【Bonus Guide: How to Use Agoda Promo Codes? | How to Avoid Agoda’s 5% Service Fee?】

Latest Rakuten Car Rental Coupons in Japan

In addition to promo codes for hotel bookings, Rakuten Travel also offers coupons for car rentals. These coupons typically provide fixed-amount discounts ranging from 500 to 10,000 yen, with usage conditions often requiring a minimum rental amount. Using these coupons can give you a 5%~20% discount on Rakuten Travel car rentals.

Rakuten car rental coupons are generally applicable to all rental companies, with around 50 providers available. These include well-known names like Toyota Rent a Car, Times Car Rental, Nippon Rent a Car, Nissan Rent a Car, Honda Rent a Car, Orix Rent a Car, OTS Rent a Car, and Budget Car Rental, as well as smaller, lesser-known companies that often offer cheaper rates.

Car rental coupons are provided by different organizations, including those from Rakuten, car rental companies, local governments, and national or regional authorities. Some coupons can be combined (stacked), while others cannot. Combinable coupons are labeled “併用可” (can be combined), while non-combinable ones are marked “併用不可” (cannot be combined). If combinable, up to three coupons from different providers can be used together.

When downloading coupons, you’ll notice symbols indicating the provider. For example, coupons with a large “R” are from Rakuten, while those with a car icon are from rental companies.

Update: These symbols have been replaced with text labels. For example, Rakuten coupons now display “楽天トラベルクーポン” (Rakuten Travel Coupon), while rental company coupons show “レンタカー会社クーポン” (Car Rental Company Coupon).

Currently, Rakuten regularly offers car rental coupons, including a 20% discount on the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th of each month, as well as coupons from specific rental companies. These can be downloaded from the campaign page or collected from this car rental coupon page.

1. 20% Discount Coupons on 5th/0th Days + Extra Points

On the 5th, 10th, 15th, 20th, 25th, and 30th of each month (and the surrounding Fridays to Sundays), you can use a 20% discount coupon for Rakuten Travel car rentals. Only 10 slots are available each day, and you can also earn up to 10x bonus points. To qualify for extra points, click the red participation button on this page before making your reservation.

2. Special Coupons for Specific Rental Companies

Rakuten Car Rental releases monthly coupons from specific providers like Budget Car Rental (バジェットレンタカー), Orix Car Rental (オリックスレンタカー), and Sky Car Rental (スカイレンタカー). These can often be combined with Rakuten’s general coupons and downloaded from this page.

How to Download and Use Car Rental Coupons

The process is the same as for hotel coupons. Click the coupon image to save it to your account. During checkout, eligible coupons will appear in the “クーポン利用” (Use Coupon) section.

These plans are collaborations between Rakuten Travel and rental companies. Some are also available on the rental companies’ official sites at the same price, while others are exclusive to Rakuten, sometimes offering better deals.

With countless plans constantly updated, there’s no need to hunt for them. Simply search on the Rakuten Car Rental page as usual. If promotional plans exist for your dates and location, they’ll appear in the results. Sorting by price will highlight the best deals upfront.

Rakuten Car Rental Tutorial: Easy Steps Even for Non-Japanese Speakers

Renting a car through Rakuten Travel is similar to booking accommodations. If you’ve used Rakuten for hotels, you’ll find the process straightforward.

1. Rental Process

[Step 1] On the Rakuten Travel homepage, click “レンタカー” (Car Rental) in the top navigation bar (see red box below). [Direct link to car rental page]

[Step 2] Set rental period, location, and other search criteria.

(A) Pick-up date and time;

(B) Drop-off date and time;

(C) Pick-up location (select prefecture, then district, and sub-region if available); (Note: For airport pick-ups, click “空港店検索” and choose the airport.)

(D) Drop-off location (default is “出発店舗へ返す” (return to pick-up location)); (Note: For other locations, select “乗捨利用（エリア検索）” (different branch) or “乗捨利用（空港店検索）” (airport branch).)

(E) Additional filters (e.g., non-smoking cars, plans with Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)) can be set under “ボディタイプ・オプション等” (or adjusted later);

(F) Click “検索” (Search) to proceed.

【Update】The homepage design (including the car rental section) has been revised, moving the search bar from the left to the top. The tutorial images show the old layout, but the rental process itself remains unchanged.

[Step 3] The system displays available vehicles matching your criteria. (Note: Each branch of a rental company is listed separately.)

(A) Adjust rental period, location, etc., or filter by vehicle type;

(B) Toggle between “店舗” (branches) or “車兩” (vehicles), or use the map;

(D) Additional filters (e.g., CDW, non-smoking cars, automatic transmission);

(E) Sort by: recommended, price (low to high), price (high to low), or points (high to low);

(G) Branch name and address; (Click the name for details like business hours and map.)

(H) Vehicles are categorized by class (mainly engine size). The image represents the class—click to see specific models;

(I) Optional extras (some chargeable): non-smoking, CDW, GPS, ETC reader, child seats (variants for toddlers/infants); (Green labels indicate inclusions. For non-smoking cars, ensure the green label is present. Other extras can be added later.)

(J) Indicates a promotional plan.

(K) Base fee (excluding CDW and extras), オプション料金 (option fees), and 乗捨料金 (one-way drop-off fee);

(L) Payment: “現地決済” (pay at pick-up, usually by card) or “オンラインカード” (online card payment);

(M) Click “予約可能な車両クラスをすべて見る” to view all vehicle classes;

(N) Click “予約” (Reserve) to proceed.

Note: The number indicates matching branches.

[Step 4] Confirm rental period, locations, and vehicle details.

[Step 5] Select extras like GPS, ETC reader, or child seats. Winter tires or ETC cards may also be available.

Note: Options vary by provider. Some include free GPS/ETC but still require selection.

[Step 6] Choose whether to add CDW; click “次の画面” (Next).

Mandatory insurance covers accidents but has a ¥50,000 deductible. CDW removes this for ¥1,100/day. Some travel insurance policies cover deductibles up to HK$5,000 (~¥100,000), so check before adding CDW.

Note 1: NOC or peace-of-mind insurance may also be available at pick-up.

Note 2: For one-way rentals, select the drop-off branch here if multiple options exist.

[Step 7] Review details; choose to book as a Rakuten member or guest.

(A) Log in with your Rakuten ID;

(B) Click “楽天IDを使わず予約する” to book as a guest. (Note: Guests can’t use coupons or earn points. Registering is recommended.)

[Step 8] Enter renter details.

(A) Renter’s name (English is fine); (Note: The system auto-fills the member’s name, but this can be changed. However, the rental contract will still show the member’s name.)

(B) Renter’s name in katakana; (Use https://dokochina.com/katakana.php for translation.)

(D) Passenger count (including driver), separated by adults/children;

(E) To use Rakuten points, check “一部のポイントを使う” and enter the amount (in multiples of 100);

(F) Points earned from this rental;

(G) Cancellation policy;

(H) Click “次の画面” to proceed.

[Step 9] Final review; click “この内容で予約する” (Confirm Reservation).

[Step 10] A confirmation email will be sent. To forward it, enter another email and click “送信” (Send).

Print the confirmation email and present it at pick-up.

Key notes:

Note 1: To verify your reservation, log in to your Rakuten account and check under “個人ページ（予約の確認・変更・取消）” > “レンタカー 1件（詳しくはこちら）“. A status of “予約受付済” (Reservation Accepted) means it’s confirmed (usually within 1–2 hours).

Note 2: Some rental companies may send a separate confirmation email reminding you to bring your driver’s license and International Driving Permit (no reply needed).

Note 3: Most rentals are paid at pick-up (usually by card). Very few allow prepayment online. No card details are required during booking for pay-later rentals.

Note 4: Bring to pick-up: (1) Passport, (2) Local driver’s license, (3) International Driving Permit, (4) Confirmation email (or reservation number), (5) Credit card.

2. Canceling a Reservation

To cancel, log in to your Rakuten account:

On the Rakuten Travel homepage, click “予約の確認・キャンセル” (Reservation Check/Cancel) to access “mytravel” (login required);
Under “現在の予約” (Current Reservations), find your rental;
Click “キャンセル” (Cancel);
Confirm by clicking “この予約をキャンセルする” (Cancel This Reservation).

A confirmation email will be sent. Cancel before the deadline (usually 6–7 days before pick-up) to avoid fees. Extensions or shortenings aren’t allowed—cancel and rebook instead.