google map

Hi,

Taking Japanguide advice, renting car and driving to Noto, Ogimachi and Okuhida.

Is Googlemaps reliable? Timewise and routes? Also, the directions are in Japanese, and I cannot read Japanese.....????

Any suggestions?

Thank you, PH

Once you done your search with start and finish destinations, just zoom in on the blue line in the maps to see the road names in your language.

Google Maps is a lifesaver in Japan.

the directions are in Japanese, and I cannot read Japanese.....????
I am almost certain that your rental car will come with GPS. Ask for an English version, if unavailable, no problem; the system is piece of cake, just enter the phone number of your destination, the rest is just "child's play".

Thanks for all your answers.

I'm an old-fashioned senior, want a paper map and written instructions as back-up. So don't want to depend solely on english gps system.

I've tried zooming in on blue line, and can see "turn left" "onto" in English, but Japanese characters appear.

Also, main google directions-"Follow 能越自動車道(無料区間), 国道249号線 and のと里山海道(無料区間)/能越自動車道 to 県道271号線 in 輪島市 三井町洲衛" pretty useless.

Thanks, ph

The blue line is on the map. Not the text in the white box to the left of the map.

Very unlikely your rental car comes with an English "speaking" Navi system. There is just no market for producing an english version car navi.
We always use Google Maps on our tablet and/or smartphone. Works fine. All text and locations are in English, nothing to worry.
Even the instructions "turn left, turn right" are spoken with an british accent.

But 1 thing be aware: Sometimes "she" sends you the shortest route...not the fastest. But you get options.

Will be no problem. I used Google maps during my driving trip in Fuji Five Lakes. You will only get simple english and not the full road names. It will only be turn right, turn left, 100m, etc. all in English. Make sure you have all your address in both English and Japanese.

Hope this helps!

@Alishan: actually most rental cars that come with gps can be set to English.

Thanks for your attempts at helping me, I really appreciate it.

But, must be some setting on my googlemap. When I click on "blue" line, I see english "turn right, go straight, etc." but those directions are followed by Japanese characters (Turn left at 新高岡駅北口（交差点) thus I don't know what road/highway to take.

Also, I read on another forum, that googlemaps will give explicit directions for train travel, example-platform, steps for finding station, etc. I do not see that on my google maps.

BTW, I am in US.

Thanks, PH

What are advantages of taking expressways?

For example, we will drive from Okuhida to Kurobe Unazuki station. Google maps shows expressway 2 hours, non-expressway 2.5 hrs.

Besides "saving" 30 minutes travel....??? what is toll fee?

Thanks, ph

Even if you knew Japanese, the road names tend not to help so much as roads are very often not labeled. Furthermore even if google displayed them in English that wouldn't help you read the road signs which are absolutely in written in Japanese when they are labeled, maybe with some way points labeled in English. If the directions have a number in the street name that would also likely be the most important think you need to focus on as the rest would be the equivalent of US HIGHWAY x or INTERSTATE y.

However in my experience the gps is extremly accurate and good about giving you plenty of warnings when to turn. Like three or four each and it's dead on the mark. I've rarely gotten turned in a wrong direction just following the map and absolutely never gotten so lost that I couldn't find my back the right way.

I do not see the problem, the direction is in English but the street names are in Japanese. You can still following the directions right. Street names are often not mentioned except main roads.

You can still use alphabetic search to find you destiny in google.

Thank you!