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Otaru · Japan

Car hire and driving in Otaru

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 CTS means 73 km (45 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 Otaru

Car rental from Otaru: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Otaru to SapporoJapan31 km (19 mi)about 29 min
Otaru to EbetsuJapan45 km (28 mi)about 42 min
Otaru to TomakomaiJapan79 km (49 mi)about 1 h 12 min
Otaru to AsahikawaJapan128 km (79 mi)about 1 h 57 min
Otaru to HakodateJapan159 km (99 mi)about 2 h 25 min
Otaru to ObihiroJapan181 km (113 mi)about 2 h 46 min
Otaru to KitamiJapan243 km (151 mi)about 3 h 42 min
Otaru to AomoriJapan265 km (165 mi)about 4 h 2 min
Otaru to KushiroJapan275 km (171 mi)about 4 h 12 min
Otaru to HirosakiJapan292 km (181 mi)about 4 h 27 min
Otaru to HachinoheJapan302 km (188 mi)about 4 h 36 min
Otaru to MoriokaJapan388 km (241 mi)about 5 h 55 min
Otaru to TokyoJapan841 km (523 mi)about 12 h 50 min
Otaru to YokohamaJapan870 km (541 mi)about 13 h 16 min
Otaru to OsakaJapan1,057 km (657 mi)about 16 h 7 min
Otaru to NagoyaJapan958 km (595 mi)about 14 h 36 min
Otaru to FukuokaJapan1,408 km (875 mi)about 21 h 28 min
Otaru to KawasakiJapan860 km (534 mi)about 13 h 7 min
Otaru to KobeJapan1,070 km (665 mi)about 16 h 19 min
Otaru to KyotoJapan1,014 km (630 mi)about 15 h 28 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 Otaru?

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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.