Rental Car from Odawara to Otsuki

Hi all,
I just want to get advise on whether it's possible if I rent a car at Odawara Station and use it for sightseeing around Hakone & Fuji Five Lakes, then return in the evening at Otsuki Station?

Is it doable in about 12 hours that I had? The route can be from Otsuki to Odawara also.

3 companies exist and possible for one-way use.
but 1(Eki-ren) have not ENG page.
http://rent.toyota.co.jp/en/index.html
https://nissan-rentacar.com/english/

one-way use needs regular fee + one-way fee.
regular fee : around 5000Y (small class)
one-way fee : under 6000Y

gas : under 1400Y/100km
http://goo.gl/maps/dQL0t (straight route)


Also read [PDF] and watch!!
http://www.hokkaido-drive.jp/english/pdf/handbook_en.pdf
http://youtu.be/VxE_PS-54Js

TQ DETT... is it doable in one day? I also have a choice to start at Odawara and back to Odawara, is it also doable in one day?

is it doable in one day?

Yes, it is easily done in a day

I also have a choice to start at Odawara and back to Odawara

That's probably preferred because avoiding the drop off fee will save you quite a bit of money.

is it also doable in one day?

No problem

To take in Hakone and Fuji Five Lakes in just one day is very rushed. We drove around the lake area for a couple of days and still had not seen all we wanted to see. For Hakone we had done the classic loop in a day and on a separate occasion drove around the area in a day and only then did we barely covered most of the sites in Hakone.

Another concern is that if it is your first visit to Hakone and are planning to take the ropeway and the lake cruise, you have to backtrack to pick up your car. So you have to put that into consideration as well.

Thank William for you feedback and concern. I'm not finalize my plan yet. I don't really decide yet whether to go Fuji Five Lakes or Hakone or both, so now I'm searching an info, which is a better deal. If I opt for rental car, the primary destination definitely it will be Fuji Five Lakes (at least Kawaguchi-ko and Yamanaka-ko) and if time premited, go to Gotemba Premium Outlet and Lake Ashi in Hakone.
Another option is using Hakone Free Pass from Odawara.

My plan is on 29 April 2013, which one is recommended? I think it's somewhere during GW.

Between Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes personally I would also choose Fuji Five Lakes. Late April is a good time for flower lovers there. From mid to late April it is still cherry blossom season in the lake area. We were there during the latter half of April this year and enjoyed beautiful sakura in Kawaguchi-ko together with pink moss. Also during late April there are a few festive events going on there that may prove interesting and fun to see.
http://www.fujisan.ne.jp/season/spring_e.php

If you are driving around the lake area, don't miss out the spectacular pink moss park near Motosu-ko. The pink moss festival there is scheduled to open next year from April 20 to June 2.
http://www.shibazakura.jp/index.html

Having said the above my thought maybe a bit bias by the fact that we managed to see Mt. Fuji from the lake area and not from Hakone. Hakone IS a more popular destination for foreign visitors especially for a first time visit as it has a Japan-in-a-nutshell feel. We like our trip to be F&E but to go on the classic loop in Hakone it moves along more or less like a conveyor belt and you just follow the crowd. Speaking about crowd, there will definitely be more during the Golden Week period and I suspect situation would be more serious in Hakone whereas in the lake area they are more spread out as there is no "conveyor belt" route to follow.

Whoops, didn't realize you intended to see both Hakone and the Fuji Five Lakes in a single day. Yes, doing both would be extremely rushed.

I don't really decide yet whether to go Fuji Five Lakes or Hakone or both, so now I'm searching an info, which is a better deal. If I opt for rental car, the primary destination definitely it will be Fuji Five Lakes (at least Kawaguchi-ko and Yamanaka-ko) and if time premited, go to Gotemba Premium Outlet and Lake Ashi in Hakone.

I would choose one or the other. Fujigoko would be better with a rental car, but its not needed so much for Hakone. Obviously you won't be able to see everything, but you should be able to get in most of the main attractions.

Hakone IS a more popular destination for foreign visitors especially for a first time visit as it has a Japan-in-a-nutshell feel.

Agreed, first time visitors usually choose Hakone, especially for the easy public transport compared to Fujigoko.

Having said the above my thought maybe a bit bias by the fact that we managed to see Mt. Fuji from the lake area and not from Hakone.

Many people make the mistake of thinking they will see Fuji from Hakone, and while it is possible, its also not very probable. If seeing Fuji is a priority then you should choose Fujigoko instead.

Thanks everyone for the answer... Just for info, I'm not first time going to Japan but some of my friend will be first time... At first, I tend to choose Hakone because I think that during GW, road a round lakes will be traffic jam... But from all feedback here, it seem that crowd at Hakone is even worst... So, now maybe I'm leaning towards Fuji Five Lakes back...

Another point... I googles and found out that threre are quite a number of rental car around Odawara Station... Is it ok if I just walk in without reservation during that day to rent a car?

To minimize the risk of not getting one, it is better to book your rental car in advance. ToCoo is a popular budget rental agency.

http://www2.tocoo.jp/?file=rentcar_inbound/branch&id=23334&prefecture=...

http://www2.tocoo.jp/?file=rentcar_inbound/branch&id=02317&prefecture=...

We like Toyota as their GPS are more up-to-date and a couple of times we get a full English GPS with the monitor screen also in English. Unfortunately rental fee from Toyota is sometimes more expensive.

http://rent.toyota.co.jp/rental/1-4-1-2.asp?sFlg=3&sCount=&rCode=63701...
http://rent.toyota.co.jp/rental/1-4-1-2.asp?sFlg=3&sCount=&rCode=63701...

Thanks again William5. You are very helpful...

I just want to ask more about ToCoo... Is it an equal price that I will got if I book via ToCoo website compare to booking direct with rental car company (Toyota, Nissan, Nippon etc)?
From my understanding, GPS in Japanese is inclusive in rental fee but GPS in English come with additional cost, am I right?

Another seperate question, is it possible to drive until Fuji 5th level station on 29 April 2013?

Most of the time ToCoo offers a more competitive rate than through individual rental car companies unless occasionally those companies put up some special discount deals. Toyota runs its own rental service and its rate is usually higher. Only once in Hokkaido did we manage to get a Toyota through ToCoo. But do check and compare. In some areas such as Shikoku Toyota rate is the same as ToCoo and whenever that is the case we go for Toyota.

There is no additional charge for English GPS, just that it may not be available all the time - all the reason for an early booking.

We haven't driven up Fuji 5th station but I can't see any problem doing it during your time of visit. Just note that it is not the best spot if you are only after a Mt Fuji view.

Thank William5, really appreciate the info given... By the way, how many days you rent your car before?

"how many days you rent your car before?"

I don't quite understand your question! We have gone for car rental in Japan many times before, some short 1-day drives and some longer road trips up to 3 weeks in Hokkaido. For the Fuji Five Lakes area we rent from Kawaguchi-ko this April and did a loop driving up to Yamanashi and Guuma Prefectures for 2 weeks spending a couple of days in the lake area.

William5, Sorry for misunderstood you.. What I meant was how many day days you reant for Fujigoko trip and it's already in your reply... Thanks again.