Chauffeur service in Japan

BlaakLane.com provides chauffeur, black car and limousine service in 10 Japan cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Nagoya, Yokohama, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Niseko, Naha (Okinawa), Kobe. Every city page lists the airports served, the pickup rules, the business districts and hotels we drive to most and the intercity runs booked from there. Trips are booked on one account at a fixed fare shown before you confirm, with flight tracking on every airport pickup.

Chauffeur service across Japan: airports, arrivals and entry

Japan's main gateways are Tokyo's two airports, Haneda (HND) and Narita (NRT), plus Kansai International (KIX) for Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe. Haneda handles most long-haul flights at Terminal 3 and domestic flights at Terminals 1 and 2; Narita spreads carriers across Terminals 1, 2 and 3, about 60-90 minutes from central Tokyo by road. Nagoya's Chubu Centrair, Fukuoka and Sapporo New Chitose (CTS) cover the regions. Japanese airports assign chartered cars to marked pickup bays, and that is where a BlaakLane.com chauffeur meets you after tracking the flight. Meet and greet with a name board in the arrivals lobby is an add-on, available in selected locations.

Travellers from many countries enter visa-free for short stays. The Immigration Services Agency of Japan publishes current rules, and filling in Visit Japan Web before departure speeds up immigration and customs.

Long-distance drives worth booking

Japan's rail network is excellent, yet a car wins when you carry ski gear, travel as a family or need door-to-door timing. Expressway tolls are paid electronically.

Between Tokyo and Osaka, most people take the Shinkansen; book a chauffeur at each end, for example from Tokyo Station, and the car meets the train.

Driving side, traffic and seasons

Japan drives on the left. Central Tokyo roads are orderly but slow, and the Shuto Expressway can back up badly on Friday evenings and before holidays. There are no congestion charges, and hotel forecourts handle drop-offs efficiently. Parking and gratuity are added at the actual amount; tipping is not customary in Japan, so it is entirely your choice.

Timing matters more than weather. Cherry blossom season runs from late March to early April, Golden Week clusters holidays from late April into early May, and the O-Bon period in mid-August sends millions onto the roads. June and early July bring the rainy season, and typhoons are most likely from August to October. The Sapporo Snow Festival fills Hokkaido in early February, Kyoto's Gion Matsuri takes over July, and autumn foliage peaks through November. Ski resorts such as Niseko run from December to March.

Matching the fleet to Japanese trips

• Luxury Executive Sedan: a business traveller between Haneda and Marunouchi or Roppongi.
• Executive First Class Sedan (Maybach): senior executives and guests of hotels and concierge desks who want the quietest cabin.
• Standard Black SUV or Executive Black SUV: families with six large cases, or skiers heading to Niseko.
• Sprinter Van: incentive groups touring Kyoto temples; Sprinter Luxury Jet Van for seven executives with carry-on bags only.

Hourly bookings have a 3-hour minimum, which suits a day of site visits. See the fleet for capacities.

Luggage planning changes the vehicle choice. On the Tokaido, Sanyo and Kyushu Shinkansen, bags with total dimensions over 160 cm need a seat reserved with an oversized-baggage area, so many visitors send large cases ahead by overnight courier and travel with carry-ons. A chauffeur can then take the bags that remain from the airport to the first hotel in a smaller car. Child seats are free on request in most cities, and Japanese hotel bell staff are well used to receiving chartered cars at the main entrance.

Business and leisure hubs

Tokyo's commercial core runs from Marunouchi and Otemachi to Shinjuku, Shibuya and the Minato ward towers, with Tokyo Big Sight hosting large exhibitions. Osaka's Umeda and Namba districts anchor the Kansai economy, and Yokohama's Osanbashi Pier welcomes cruise ships; see the Yokohama cruise pier page. For leisure, Kyoto, Hakone's hot springs and Hokkaido's powder snow draw repeat visitors. Plan with the Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto pages, and browse Japan National Tourism Organization guides.