For lovers of travel in tranquility: an ode to exploring Japan by private car

Embark on an epic adventure through the historic sites and ancient landscapes of Japan without the hassle of public transport, and be prepared to fall in love.

As any seasoned traveller will tell you, the best kinds of journeys are those where you have the time, space and tranquility of mind to form an emotional connection with a place. In many ways, it's a little like falling in love. You create memories that become part of you, that shape your outlook and that bring that same sense of wonder, of delight, and excitement back to you when you call them to mind in later years. This was how it was for us when we first visited Japan, and we want our guests to fall in love with it just as we did.

At times, travel can be stressful. For family groups especially, the need to keep an eye on the younger ones while listening out for that announcement of your train in an unfamiliar language; rushing with heavy bags and hurrying along the older members of your group (with or without success); it can leave you wishing you'd booked an additional week just to recover.

Travelling by private car removes the urgency and inconvenience and lets you concentrate on the experience of being. Instead of having to catch your breath after rushing for your train, you can relax and enjoy the scent of cherry blossom, or the salty sea breeze as you travel on coastal routes, sitting with your family in your comfortable luxury car, transfixed by the miraculous landscape gliding past outside, while your driver answers any questions you might have about the sights. 

No longer is your journey a series of hurdles and the fear of missed connections. Instead, it's an opportunity to truly engage with the world around you, to allow yourself a step back, relaxing in a comfortable seat and watching Japan unfold around you. It's not just a journey to your destination. With a private car tour, your journey becomes part of the destination too.

Japan is home to some of the world's most spectacular scenery, much of it accessible via an array of famous and varied scenic road trip routes that let you marvel at your surroundings before you've even stepped out of your car. Travelling in this way puts you in close communion with these landscapes and hidden wonders, and the experience of them unfolding before your eyes as you pass through gives a true sense of discovery that you just can't get on public transport. 

The Bandai Azuma Skyline Roadway is one such route. It passes high over a forested valley that in autumn becomes a dazzling sea of red and gold; while the Tochigi Irohazaka is a famous winding road that leads up onto the Akechidaira Plateau. From here you can look out over Kegon Waterfall and Lake Chuzenjiko, and if you choose, explore further on foot. Travelling by private car, you can take in so much more of Japan than you would see otherwise. Even better, you'll be in the ideal of peaceful relaxation to enjoy it.

At Japan Private Drivers, we want our guests to have the very best experience of Japan possible. That means comfort, tranquillity, and time spent with your loved ones, without the inconveniences that can occur with other means of transport. With our tours, there's no need to worry about disapproving looks on public transport for eating a snack, or talking excitedly about the next part of your journey. With us you can relax and be yourself. We will take care of the details, and leave you to experience wonder in comfort.

Our guests arrive in Japan for a holiday. But they leave finding they've fallen in love.

Wanping Aw

on behalf of Japan Private Drivers

A subsidary of TokudAw Inc.