Japan Expressway Pass and Tolls: ETC Guide for Visitors 2026

How expressway tolls work in Japan

Most expressways in Japan charge tolls. On NEXCO expressways you usually take a ticket when you enter and pay at the exit tollgate; on the Shuto Expressway (Shutoko) in Tokyo you pay a distance-based toll. Every tollgate has lanes marked by payment type:

Cash must be in Japanese yen. NEXCO CENTRAL says the listed credit cards are accepted at General lanes without a signature. Tolls are charged by the expressway operators, not by the rental company, so check the official route search before a long drive: NEXCO toll and route search (DrivePlaza).

ETC-only entrances are increasing

Cash and card payment is becoming less available, especially around Tokyo:

• Shuto Expressway: ETC-only entrances are planned to reach 134 in total during fiscal 2026, and Shutoko aims to make all tollgates except some mainline gates ETC-only by spring 2028. At these entrances, cash, credit cards and handing over an ETC card are not accepted.
• NEXCO expressways: more and more tollgates are ETC-only, with new ones opening into November 2026.
• If you enter an ETC-only gate without ETC: go to the lane marked サポート (Support), stop before the bar and follow the staff's instructions over the intercom. Never reverse, make a U-turn or get out of the car.

For a visitor starting at Haneda, this is the main practical reason to ask for an ETC card: many Tokyo on-ramps can no longer be used without one.

ETC cards for rental cars

ETC needs two things: an on-board ETC unit in the car and an ETC card inserted in it. ETC cards are issued through credit card companies in Japan, so visitors normally use a card supplied with the rental car. NEXCO EAST advises asking the rental company when you book.

With Go on Rent-a-Car:

• Tolls are not included in the rental price; they are paid by the customer. Our rental terms list tolls among the costs charged at actual cost.
• Ask us about ETC card availability before your trip — for example by replying to your booking email.
• Return the ETC card and its cables with the car at Haneda Terminal 3, P5 car park 8F, as our emergency and driving guide reminds you.
• Without an ETC card you can still use the 一般 (General) lanes where they exist, paying in yen cash or by credit card.

Expressway passes for foreign visitors (as of November 2026)

The Japan Expressway Pass (JEP) and the Central Nippon Expressway Pass (CEP) are no longer available, according to JNTO's page updated 22 January 2026. The regional passes currently listed are:

Who can buy them: holders of a non-Japanese passport, and Japanese nationals with permanent residence abroad, with a licence valid in Japan. Passport and licence are checked when you apply.

Where they are sold: only through participating rental car companies, together with a rental car and the ETC card that the pass is linked to. Prices exclude the car and the ETC card rental. The pass cannot be extended midway. The Tohoku pass accepts applications until 31 March 2027. The SEP excludes the Honshi bridges and urban expressways. Check the official page of each pass before you book.

Some domestic discount passes are not an alternative: the 2026 "HOKKAIDO LOVE! Doctoku Free Pass" states that rental ETC cards cannot be used.

Is there an expressway pass for Tokyo or Haneda?

No pass on JNTO's current list covers Tokyo, the Shuto Expressway or the expressways around Haneda; when the Japan Expressway Pass was launched in 2017, it already excluded expressways in and around Tokyo. Go on Rent-a-Car does not take part in any expressway pass programme and does not sell passes. For drives from Haneda — to Hakone, Mt Fuji or elsewhere — you pay the regular tolls.

Estimating tolls from Haneda

A drive from Haneda usually combines the Shuto Expressway and a NEXCO expressway:

• Shuto Expressway (from 1 October 2026): distance-based, ¥32.472 per km for ordinary cars, minimum ¥300, with the toll capped at the 55 km level. Cash drivers pay a basic fare at the entrance, which on most sections equals the ETC maximum fare; credit card payment is charged like cash.
• NEXCO expressways (for example toward Hakone or Mt Fuji) are charged separately, according to the section driven.

Exact amounts depend on your route, entrances and exits, so we do not quote a single figure. Enter your start and end points in the DrivePlaza route search before you leave.

Checklist before you drive

1. Book your car and ask us about ETC card availability before your trip.
2. Check your licence: driving in Japan with a foreign licence.
3. Read the Japan road rules for visitors.
4. Carry some yen cash in case you use General lanes.
5. Slow to under 20 km/h in ETC lanes; if a bar does not open, stop and follow staff instructions.
6. Return the ETC card and cables with the car — see our Terminal 3 pick-up and return guide.