Travelling around Tokushima
There are many ways to get around Tokushima, as well as get out of Tokushima. Many JETs own cars, whether out of necessity for access to their work or simply to be able to explore more of the surrounding areas. Owning a car can be beneficial for ease of access to all that Tokushima has to offer, but there are plenty of methods of transport beyond driving! Below is information on purchasing or leasing a car, as well as information about the various forms of transit available in Tokushima.
Purchasing A Car
*Disclaimer: The information here is meant to be used as a rough outline. AJET accepts no responsibility for any financial loss incurred or any legal action taken against anyone as a result of information contained in or omitted from this page. This information is meant to be a starting point for your own research. Please be sure to be thorough and well informed before making any decisions.
Because Tokushima is a rural area, to be able to visit certain places in the prefecture, you will often need a car. The train and bus systems across Tokushima generally run twice an hour and some towns and villages are not easily accessible by public transportation—sometimes not accessible at all. However, it’s paramount to check your contract if you are allowed to use a car for work. In cities such as Tokushima City, there is a restriction on using cars for work purposes.
There are a few ways to purchase (or lease) a car during your stay in Japan.
Purchasing From a Departing JET
Because it is usually the most cost effective, you may choose to purchase the car from your predecessor. As many predecessors have already left or have a very short time left in Japan after your arrival, you will likely have to purchase the car without seeing it. As you are purchasing a car from an individual, the price can vary depending on a few factors, and you will likely send the payment online if you are not able to meet them when you arrive. In this case it’s important to ask a few questions pertaining to the car’s history and age such as:
- Car make, engine type, and year
- The mileage and date of the most recent oil change
- Age of the tires
- General repair history if there is any
- The date of the car’s shaken
- How many people drove the car before you (many JET cars have been passed down for several years)
Despite pressure or convenience, you are not obligated to buy your predecessor’s car. If you feel that the car doesn’t fit your needs or is very old (and therefore would cost a lot when you do shaken or on taxes), you can opt to lease a car or purchase a car on your own.
Furthermore, in regards to mechanics, many BOE’s have a mechanic they often use for JET car repairs. Purchasing your predecessor’s car does leave the option open for you to go to other mechanics though, as sometimes purchasing your car from the dealership can tie you to their mechanic (or they entice you by giving you what they consider discounts).
Purchasing a Car On Your Own
Purchasing a car on your own is definitely the more difficult and not-as-cost effective option, but with a bit of research, negotiating, and watching listings in person or online, purchasing a car is easier than most people think. If your Japanese is sub-par, it is recommended that you bring a friend along or ask your BOE for help (if they are willing). When agreeing to purchase your car, it’s helpful to have a native speaker as they will sit with you and read their way through the entire contract you are signing.
There are quite a few places to purchase cars from, both new and used, in Tokushima. One popular area is Roden-cho, an area to the west of Omiko Beach. This area in particular is littered with used car shops, with prices ranging from as low as 250,000 yen to the millions depending on the model you are seeking.
Testimonials
I will speak about my experience purchasing a car at Fukumoto Jihan.
I didn’t receive help from my BOE when purchasing the car since I wanted to purchase a car outside of my town, for some reason the same cars at the dealerships in my town were more expensive than elsewhere. So I relied on my friend. First, I researched online for used car shops in Tokushima and compared their prices. Then, with my friend, I traveled to different car shops around Rodon-cho speaking with different people and asking questions about the cars. Personally, I wanted a kei car with good gas mileage and one that didn’t need shaken for two years. (Depending on the date of when the next shaken is, it can change the price of the car—higher if it’s not soon or lower if the date is approaching).
Eventually, I settled on Fukumoto Jihan as they were one of the only dealerships that allowed me to test drive the car and gave me a lot of history on the car prior to it sitting on their lot. The car I decided on was a Suzuki Spacia from 2013. The year, car make and type, and price was within my budget (something under 350,000 yen but still in good condition) so after being satisfied with the test drive, the way the car ran at purchase, and after I was explained the existing surface damage that came on the car, I agreed to purchase and proceeded to the car purchasing process. A fun bonus was they had a promotion going on so I got some goodies and gift certificates for purchasing the car.
I did save for my car for about four months using only my JET salary since getting a car that I could verify the condition of was more important to me than getting a big discount buying a predecessor’s car.
-Katya
I bought a car from Car Project Otsu Jidousha!
Since owning a car is highly recommended if not downright essential in my town, my supervisor helped me a lot with purchasing my car. He sent me various listings for cars at nearby lots and then drove me to each lot, all in Kitajima, to view the cars I was interested in. I went back with my supervisor the next day to finalize my decision at the car dealer, sign contracts, and pay them 150,000 yen in cash.
The next week, my other supervisor brought in a car insurance salesman that my BoE has an agreement with. I chose my insurance plan and the BoE set up autopay from my bank account for it. After my insurance was finalized, my supervisor arranged it so that the car dealer drove my car directly to the BoE for me to pick up.
The car I bought needed shaken only 2 months after I purchased it. When I bought it, the car dealer assured me that I could come back to them to do shaken and they would give me a fair price. I was able to go back and get shaken done for 70,000 yen with them.
Overall, it was a very smooth experience, and not stressful at all. It helps if your supervisor is willing to work with you and support you through the car buying process—in towns where a car is considered necessary this may be a given, but you may want to start asking your CO for information about buying a car earlier rather than later if it’s unclear whether you will own a car or not and you think it is something you may want to do in the future.
-Frida
Car Purchasing Process
When purchasing a car you will need:
- Your residence card (zairyuu card)
- A valid driver’s license (and IDP if your license is not issued in Japan)
- A residence certification (juuminhyo)
- Your personal stamp
- Proof of insurance
- Proof of a parking space
- Way of payment*
*you may not need it at the time of purchase minus an amount to put down a non-refundable deposit for the car you wish to hold.
After agreeing to purchase the car, you will enter the dealership hall where they will go over and have you sign the contract with you, have you put down a non-refundable deposit, and take copies of your information. Usually while they explain the contract, they explain the final repairs they will make before giving you the car as well as how maintenance for the car should work and the cost of each service at their shop. At this dealership specifically, they do give what they consider a discount on services. Also, you can choose to have a custom number on your license plate for a small fee. Some dealerships deduct this fee if you buy a car during their promotion sale so you could possibly choose one for free, though it’s not required.
If all of this is cleared, then they will need to contact your insurance agency and do any final repairs they explained while going through the contract. Once they speak and meet with your insurance agent to register the car and do all the transfer work, they will call you back asking for a date you can come to give the final payment, sign any other necessary documents, and pick up the car.
When picking up the car, they may make it a point to detail each feature and function of the car. For example, they will show you the foot brake, brake, and acceleration pedal, the car system on the touch screen, your speedometer, etc. Then they will hand you your title, contract, and other documents to have after which you are free to leave with your new car!
Leasing a Car
Leasing can be a great option for those not planning to be on JET for more than a year or two. When looking for leasing a car, you usually want to search コミコミ meaning complete or comprehensive (package). This type of package typically will include costs and services that are associated with the car depending on the company. Here’s an example of services* you could expect:
- Monthly Payments – The lease payments are bundled into a fixed monthly fee.
- Vehicle Maintenance – Routine maintenance costs, such as oil changes, inspections, and scheduled servicing.
- Insurance – Basic insurance coverage, including liability insurance.
- Road Tax – The annual vehicle road tax.
- Shaken Renewal – The Shaken is a mandatory vehicle inspection required in Japan, and the lease package may cover the cost of Shaken renewal during the lease term.
- Unlimited Mileage
- Replacement Vehicle – In case of a breakdown or maintenance that requires an extended period, the leasing company may provide a replacement vehicle.
- 24/7 Roadside Assistance.
- Vehicle Registration – The initial vehicle registration costs.
- Comprehensive Support – Some lease packages may offer additional support and services, such as assistance with tolls or navigation systems.
*services list provided by Akita JET wiki.
In Tokushima there are a few places to lease a car from when searching under the terms コミコミ. Fukumoto, Econori, Okamoto, Koala Club, and Carmo are among a few.
Car Inspection and Taxes
Shaken
All cars in Japan have a biennial Japanese Compulsory Insurance Inspection, or shaken, performed every two years. A series of procedures must be conducted every two years to ensure that all vehicles are safe to drive on the road, the vehicle has not been illegally modified, and determine the amount for the payments of the Japanese Compulsory Insurance (JCI) and weight tax for the upcoming two years. The inspection has to be carried out at an authorized service garage which can be found as stand alone shops or at most dealerships. What needs to be inspected is this:
- Exterior – No extreme body kits that increase the exterior dimensions or illegal modifications
- Wheel alignment – Wheels must be in-line and able to correctly turn
- Speedometer Inspection – Must be accurate
- Headlamp Inspection – Must be correctly placed and aligned
- Brake Inspection – Must operate without fault or excessive noise
- Exhaust Gas/Muffler Inspection – Tests carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions along with exhaust noise level
- Undercarriage Inspection – Inspects suspension parts and checks for rust
*Please note if you fail to meet the test standards, repairs will have to be made on the car before the inspection can be carried out.
This inspection does vary in cost depending on the place you go to, the age of your vehicle, and the type (kei-car, white plate, etc.). There are two types of costs for shaken generally: the basic charge for the inspection and the law-regulated expenses (biennial weight tax payment, compulsory vehicle liability insurance, etc.) All of these payments will be completed at the same time if you go to a service garage to carry out the inspection. Breakdown of these costs could like this varying depending on your area:
| Basic charges for Shaken/JCI inspection (prices vary from garage to garage) | |
| Law-regulated 24th-month inspection fee | Approx. 20,000 |
| Safety standards conformity inspection fee | Approx. 10,000 |
| Agent fee | Approx. 10,000 |
*Maintenance fees and other costs may be required on top of the above costs if the vehicle is not in a condition to pass the inspection.
For shaken you need to have your JCI inspection certificate (自動車検査証), your road tax payment receipt (自動車税納税証明書), and your certificate of compulsory vehicle liability insurance (自賠責保険証書).
Taxes
| Law-regulated expenses (fixed) for cars younger than 13 years old | ||||
| Item | Kei-cars | Cars weighing 1 ton or less | Cars weighing more than 1 ton | Cars weighing more than 1.5 tons |
| Automobile weight tax | 6,600 | 16,400 | 24,600 | 32,800 |
| Compulsory vehicle liability insurance | 11,200 | |||
| Revenue stamp tee | 1,100 | 1,200 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
*All units are in yen
You will receive a notice to pay your road tax at your city hall on the 1st of April every year, as long as you owned the car prior to this date. It’s important to not lose the road tax payment receipt after completing the payment and it should be stowed with your other car documents.
ETC Card
Another potential accessory to keep in mind is the ETC card (Electronic Toll Collection). This card makes it so it’s much cheaper to travel on the toll roads throughout all of Japan, especially the bridges from Shikoku in Kagawa and Tokushima.
In order to acquire an ETC card, you must have a Japanese credit card that you can link to when filling out your ETC card application. It can be any credit card as long as it’s based in Japan. For those who have a hard time applying online due to name issues, it’s been successful for some with the same issue when they apply for the card in person at some location if it’s possible.
You will also have to have someone install an ETC reader in your car to be able to to use it.
For more information on ETC’s feel free to read [here] TBA!
Bus Service
Tokushima does have local and long-distance bus services available for use. There are many different bus lines around Tokushima, also generally running twice an hour between 6:00 and 22:55.
How to ride
To ride a bus in Japan, generally you will board via the doors in the middle and take a ticket. The further you ride, the higher the cost becomes. You can know the total by looking at the price board at the front of the bus and looking at the number that matches the one on your ticket. When you want to get off at a station, press the button BEFORE the bus arrives at that station (they do skip stations when no one is there or no one wants to get off there)! Once the bus stops, walk to the front and deposit the money and ticket stub into the payment machine. You do need exact change for buses, though you can make change while the bus is moving at the front using the machine.
Most buses in Tokushima do not use Suica, Pasmo, or any other IC cards like the rest of Japan uses. Some cities have begun to use the IC cards in Tokushima, but not all cities use it yet, so it’s still better to bring coins for the bus fare with you just in case. If you do get an IC card for the bus, you can refill it at the convenience store. The trains do not use IC cards at all so you will still need to use cash or a card at the ticket stands.
Here are more helpful sites to use for local buses in Tokushima:
- Tokushima Bus Navi– A website that allows you to view live bus routes. Helpful as Tokushima buses are often very late.
Long Distance
There are also plenty of buses that travel long distances around Shikoku or onto the mainland. This is often a more cost effective way of traveling than driving off the island (unless you have an ETC card).
You can use bus services like:
These are highway bus services that can take you to cities close by or far away.
Train Service
Tokushima does have JR train lines available for public use. A fun fact about Tokushima train lines is that Tokushima is one of the only prefectures that still uses diesel trains, those slowly, hybrid trains are being introduced! Trains run fairly infrequently, and stop running much earlier than in other places. Similar to the buses, trains run twice an hour (on most lines), ending service around 22:55 or earlier depending where you are coming from or going to.
There are no train lines connecting the island region of Shikoku to the mainland (Honshu). Because of this, you often have to pay the so-called “Shikoku Tax” to get anywhere on Honshu. Tolls can add up when driving to the mainland, so many people choose to take the bus or ferry to get to Honshu instead.
Generally, both the train and bus run twice an hour from around 6:00 to 22:55. You can view the train map and its stops via this PDF. Trains in Tokushima do NOT use IC cards (Suica, Pasmo, etc.), meaning you will always pay in cash. The ticket machines (and conductors) do give change unlike the bus.
Tokushima has six different train lines:
- JR Naruto Line
- JR Kotoku Line
- JR Mugi Line
- JR Tokushima Line
- JR Dosan Line
Ticket cost will be dependent on the stop you will be arriving at. Each station has a board displaying the cost of the ticket from the station you are getting on at. You will then need to purchase a ticket of that price at the ticket machine inside the station before boarding. When you get off the train, give your prepaid ticket to the conductor at the exit.
Tokushima trains sometimes operate as a one-man (ワンマン) train, meaning there is only one conductor. These cars often have a specific entrance and exit, so be aware when getting on and off.
A fun feature about some of the stops along any of the Tokushima lines is that some stations do not have ticket machines. In the case you encounter a station without a ticket machine:
One-man:
Similar to buses, you will take a ticket when you get on the train. When you reach your stop, go to the front of the car and drop your money and ticket into the payment machine, or give your payment and ticket to the conductor who will be waiting there.
Normal train:
The conductor will be walking up and down the car checking tickets. You can pay the conductor in cash if you tell them where you got on/where you will get off, and receive a ticket to give to them as you get off the train at your stop.
If you’re going to Tokushima Station, skip the payment step and pay inside the station as detailed below!
Exiting at Tokushima Station
If you are getting off the train at Tokushima Station, the process will be slightly different.
If you have already paid for a ticket:
Simply insert the ticket into the ticket gate and exit.
If you did NOT pay for a ticket yet:
You will need to go to the fare adjustment counter and pay the fare in cash. If you pulled a ticket as you got on the train, give the worker your ticket and they will tell you how much you owe. If you did NOT get a ticket from the train, simply tell them where you got on (佐古から [sako kara], for example) and they will charge you accordingly.
Ferry Service
There are few ferry services off the island as well. One popular ferry is the Nankai Ferry which can take you to Wakayama. There is also the Ocean Tokyu Ferry which can take you to Kita-Kyushu and Tokyo. These ferries can vary in price depending on the time you are going and you can board on foot or in your car (for an extra charge depending on the weight of your car). Ferry tickets are usually bought in person at the ferry port.
The Nankai Ferry to Wakayama can also be used as a cost effective way to get to Osaka. When buying a ferry ticket at the counter, you can ask for a ticket directly to Namba Station. They will print you 2 physical tickets—one for the ferry from Tokushima to Wakayama, and a train ticket from Wakayama Port to Namba Station via the Nankai Line. This is the cheapest way to get from Tokushima to Osaka, costing only ￥2,500! You can do the same coming back from Osaka if you go to the ticket counter on the 3rd floor and ask for a ticket to Tokushima via Wakayama Port.
*Note: The Nankai ferry service was announced to be cancelled in 2028.
