one day rental car itinerary

Hi. I will be staying in Kanazawa 2 nights and I am thinking of renting a car for a single day to explore surrounding areas. I would like to go to Shirakawa-go and Takayama. Is there a good driving loop back to Kanazawa to see other places all within a day and without going too far off main roads? I am English-speaking only and also don't want to rush getting lost. Any suggestions on a driving itinerary would be greatly appreciated! Also, is it difficult to find parking in Shirakawa-go and Takayama? Thank you!

Why no parking???
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Hi, I am living in Japan and drive. My experience is driving in Japan is not that difficult.

1) All the signs are in English, the only thing is the left side driving. If you are not used to that it will take some time to get used to it. You mention you are English speaker, but which country I dont know. If you from England you have the benefit.
2)If you take highway you can use ETC card for payment to use highway or just old cash.
3) traffic rules are more strict and penalties are more expensive. There are a lot of speeding cameras on the highways if you take the highway.
4) Do you have international driving licence?
5) Navigation of cars is in Japanese, although some rental car companies have English version. You can use google maps or maps on your smartphone also for navigation.
6) Parking outside big cities is cheap and easy.
7) Morning and evening on the major highways or big roads are really busy.
8) Dont drink even on drop of alcohol.

If you have questions just let me know. Enjoy driving in Japan

Hi Deb

If you are driving I would strongly advise to go to the more remote Gassho villages. We enjoyed those much more than the more touristy ones close to the highway.

Also must rental cars come with navigation device. Ask the shop to set it in English. It might not be 100% English but still quite good.
Some car rentals will also give you an ETC card. In my experience you need to specially ask for it. It is useful but for just one day it's also find to just pay in cash.

If you have time I would go to an Onsen close to some of the Gassho villages. But Gassho villages and Takayama might be enough for one day. You still need to go back to Kanazawa.

Enjoy your trip to Japan!