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Kyoto · Japan

Car hire and driving in Kyoto

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Japan traffic drives on the left. Picking up at ITM means 39 km (24 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q11185210 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2807090.

Drives from Kyoto

Car rental from Kyoto: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Kyoto to IbarakiJapan28 km (18 mi)about 26 min
Kyoto to NeyagawaJapan31 km (19 mi)about 28 min
Kyoto to MinohJapan34 km (21 mi)about 31 min
Kyoto to KadomaJapan35 km (22 mi)about 32 min
Kyoto to SuitaJapan36 km (22 mi)about 33 min
Kyoto to MoriguchiJapan36 km (23 mi)about 33 min
Kyoto to DaitōJapan36 km (23 mi)about 33 min
Kyoto to IkedaJapan37 km (23 mi)about 34 min
Kyoto to ToyonakaJapan37 km (23 mi)about 34 min
Kyoto to Nara-shiJapan38 km (23 mi)about 34 min
Kyoto to IkomaJapan38 km (24 mi)about 35 min
Kyoto to KawanishiJapan38 km (24 mi)about 35 min
Kyoto to TokyoJapan365 km (227 mi)about 5 h 34 min
Kyoto to YokohamaJapan357 km (222 mi)about 5 h 26 min
Kyoto to OsakaJapan43 km (27 mi)about 39 min
Kyoto to NagoyaJapan106 km (66 mi)about 1 h 37 min
Kyoto to SapporoJapan1,016 km (631 mi)about 15 h 30 min
Kyoto to FukuokaJapan515 km (320 mi)about 7 h 51 min
Kyoto to KawasakiJapan364 km (226 mi)about 5 h 33 min
Kyoto to KobeJapan64 km (40 mi)about 58 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Kyoto?

The left, as everywhere in Japan.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.