2 people, 660 cc car ok for winter?

I want to rent a car to go from Takayama to Shirakawago in the winter. I have never driven a keijidousha 660cc car before. Do you think such a small car is powerful enough for 2 people for travelling in the winter? I'll be using only toll roads or national highways.

K-car is OK for up to 4 people so don't worry, but the area around shirakawa-go could be seriously snowy, so you should be careful.

No problem.
You'll have to winter tire just to make sure.
Please ask about a winter tire at the rent a car shop.

Just keep in mind that winter tire used in Japan is studless one and difficult to tell by its appearance.
I think all cars to be rent in that area equipped with winter tire,
and unless you are going into deep uncivilized area you won't need tire chains.

Another tips is that most 660 cc K-Cars are front wheel drive,
which is a drive system more stable than rear wheel drive.

thank you for all your answers. Just one more question, would a 660cc car just as safe as a 1000/1300cc car in winter snowy conditions?

The more power the engine has, the less likely you are to get stuck, even with winter tires, so I would say the larger engined car would give you a slight advantage.

Anita,

A larger car will also be heavier and have larger tyres ("Kei" cars have tiny tyres) making them safer in wintry conditions. I would recommend getting a proper car for such conditions.

I've never been to Shirakawago, but from my experiences of driving in hilly countrysides including snowy mountains, a 4WD is better than larger or smaller cars.

We got stuck at an uphill curve while driving a car with a fairly larger engine. We changed to a slightly smaller engine but a 4WD and stopped having these problems. I've even seen a huge van stuck at our neighborhood uphill corner, but we never get stuck there with our slender 4WD.