Welcome to the Motorcycle Travel Guide for Japan. Here’s everything you need to know about travelling overland with a bike in Japan. You’ll find links to our in-depth guides, info on roads, visas, accommodation, paperwork, tips, tricks and loads more.
Contents
This guide is based on our motorcycle ride through Japan during our round the world trip. The guides on this website are constantly updated by us and with info from contributors to keep them current and as helpful as possible.
Motorcycle Travel in Japan
By Andy Davidson
Mad or Nomad - RTW motorcycle travellers
Japan is a phenomenal country, and exploring it by motorcycle feels like riding through a moving postcard—winding mountain passes, neon‑lit cities, quiet coastal roads, and peaceful fishing villages where time seems to slow down. It’s a place packed with the weird and the wonderful, obsessed with bikes, and unlike anywhere else you’ve ridden. You’re going to love every minute of it.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know about motorcycle travel in Japan, with links to our in-depth and dedicated guides so you can plan confidently and focus on having the best adventure possible.
For all our Japan guides and articles in one place, visit the Japan landing page below.
READ MORE: All Japan Motorcycle Guides
Our motorcycle ride in Japan
We spent six months and 5,000 miles exploring the country on our own motorcycles. We wouldn’t have enjoyed it with public transport because we crave the freedom our own transport offers and also because we wanted to see so much.
It was an incredible ride, to read all about our adventures and what we got up to there, have a read of the below two blogs.
READ MORE:
Paperwork for motorcycle travellers in Japan
Japan is strict when it comes to rules – and that includes paperwork.
You will need a passport (visa dependent on nationality), driver’s licence, International Driver’s Permit, vehicle registration, pre-approval email if coming from Russia, mandatory motorcycle insurance and either a Carnet de Passage or Temporary Import Permit.
There’s a lot to cover, so we wrote a dedicated guide specifically explaining the paperwork requirements for motorcycle travellers in Japan.
We also recommend reading the Carnet vs TIP guide for Japan.
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Immigration
The visa situation in Japan makes motorcycle travel easy. UK citizens can enter Japan for up to 90 days without a visa. You’ll get a 90-day stamp in your passport when you enter.
You can extend your visa while you’re in Japan for a further 90 days before it expires. You can do this at an Immigration Bureau (Nyukoku Kanrikyoku). These bureaus are dotted all over Japan in major cities and just need a quick Google to find. Once you arrive, you will be directed by the staff on what paperwork to fill out.
We applied and received an additional 3-month stay; however, it was a little touch-and-go. The staff said we could not receive a further stay purely to extend our sightseeing. It took a little wrangling but they allowed it in the end. So, if you are planning on extending, plan carefully (you can not extend too far in advance either).
You can leave Japan and leave your vehicle in the country. You won’t be asked anything about your vehicle on leaving or when you re-enter.
Detailed info on motorcycle travel paperwork
If you’re planning a motorcycle trip and aren’t used to the different types of paperwork requirements, or are just trying to get your head around motorcycle paperwork in general, have a read of our packed paperwork for motorcycle travellers guide too.
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How to ride a motorcycle in Japan
For motorcycle travellers, there are three ways to ride a bike in Japan.
1. Take your own (foreign registered) motorcycle into Japan by shipping it in or using a RoRo ferry from South Korea or Vladivostok.
2. Fly in and rent a motorcycle or join an organised tour.
3. Fly in and buy a motorcycle.
Let’s look at your options below, and we’ll explain them in more detail.
Help deciding
Shipping into Japan, whether by international shipment or RoRo ferry, is very expensive and time consuming. If you are only going to be riding in Japan for a short period of time – say two to three weeks. Then it may not be worth the time and money to do this. That’s because it takes a lot of time to get around Japan.
You will have spent a lot of money to get there and if you only have a few weeks, you won’t get far before having to turn around to get your bike back to wherever you’re going to ship it from. If you only have a short timeframe for Japan, it’s better to ship your motorcycle to the next destination, fly in and use public transport or rent a motorcycle when you’re there.
However, if you have a lot of time (one to two month plus) then it is certainly worth it. You will have time to get out of the big cities and find the incredible riding routes laced throughout the country. Of course, you’ll end up back on slow going main roads at times, but won’t be pushed for time to get around. You need time to enjoy and experience Japan on your own bike.
Shipping a motorcycle to Japan
If you’re shipping your motorcycle to Japan by plane or cargo ship, then you will need to speak to a shipping company in whichever country you are shipping from for their prices. Check our Shipping Companies Finder page for a list of shippers around the world.
But, you may also need to speak to an agent in Japan to help you release your motorcycle from customs. However, we do know of one motorcycle traveller who managed to ship their bike to Japan and clear customs without the help of an agent.
Check out our recommended motorcycle shipping company for Japan and have a read of our shipping guides too.
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Ferry from Russia to Japan
If you are using a ferry from Russia then you will be coming from Vladivostok using DuWon Ferries.
We have a dedicated and in-depth guide explaining this entire process.
You will need to speak to Yuri from Links Ltd in Russia to help you clear customs there. And you will also need to speak to Chloe from DuWon in South Korea to arrange your tickets and passage on the ferry. You will find all of their info and the complete process in the below guide.
READ MORE: How to Get the Ferry from Russia to Japan
Ferry from South Korea to Japan
To enter Japan from South Korea you can now either use DuWon Ferries or Camellia Line Ferries.
DuWon, as mentioned above, sails from Vladivostok to Japan, but it stops off at Donghae, South Korea along the way where you can board or exit.
You can find info on both ferry service in the below guides.
READ MORE:
How to rent a motorcycle in Japan
Renting a motorcycle or going on a bike tour in Japan is straight forward. Check out our comprehensive recommended companies page to see what’s on offer in Japan.
You will need your passport, driver’s licence and your International Drivers Permit to rent a motorcycle. It’s also worth taking your own riding kit as Western clothing sizes are usually larger than Japanese.
READ MORE: Japan Motorcycle Rental and Tour Companies
How to buy a motorcycle in Japan
Non-Japanese residents can’t buy and register motorcycles. However, it is possible with the help of a company based in Japan called Apex Moto. They help handle the entire process including registration. And can also help with selling the bike after you have completed your trip (unless you want to keep it there for future travels).
Tel: 055-225-5335 (10:00 – 19:00)
Riding in Japan
Japan has two types of roads: the free national road and the jaw dropping expensive toll road. Toll roads will eat away at your budget. If you use a debit or credit card to pay, then they charge the full amount twice and reimburse one payment later. The national roads can be painstakingly slow, especially anywhere near a city. Plot your routes away from major cities, avoid toll roads and you’ll be fine.
You’ll find dedicated guides on fun things to do in Japan in our landing page.
READ MORE: Japan Travel Guides
Accommodation in Japan
Hotels are a big expense in Japan. Turning up at a hotel without a reservation can sometimes appear rude to Japanese and you’d be surprised how full hotels get, so booking online in advance is worth it.
Using web services like booking.com are your best bet for Japan. There are other similar Japanese websites, but they’re tricky to use and complicated.
We used AirBnB for longer stays as it proves a lot cheaper than hotels. We used an AirBnB for a four-week stay in Osaka and a three-week stay in Kyoto, had the entire apartment to ourselves and saved a mini fortune.
Love Hotels are also a good option. Before you spit out your breakfast in disgust, let us explain… Love Hotels in Japan are not the seedy and gross hotels that spring to mind. They’re immaculate, well looked after and socially acceptable establishments… that can be booked out for the hour. They’re dotted all over the country and are easy to spot. The prices are listed outside and you can book the room for 8 hours for a much cheaper rate than most hotels. The love hotel room is more often than not, twice the size of an average hotel room, packed with amenities, easy to check in and out and cheaper. Check them out!
For a rough idea, expect to pay 20 USD for a dorm room hostels, 50 USD for a hotel room, 30 USD for a Love Hotel and 10 USD for a campsite.
Motorcycle camping in Japan
There are three types of campsite in Japan: privately owned campsites, official free campsites or wild camping.
The privately owned campsites can prove quite expensive. They are lovely though, usually very well looked after and super clean.
The official free campsites are dotted all over the country and excellent. They don’t usually have showers but do have working toilets. They’re an excellent way to save money. We recommend the fantastic Facebook group Free camping and hotsprings in Japan. Download their map to your Google maps and you’ll see hundreds of great campsites spread across the country.
Wild camping is relatively easy in Japan. As long as you tuck yourself out of the way and disappear in the morning you won’t have a problem.
Top tips
- Very little English is spoken outside of major cities. Prepare to get good at Japanese charades
- However long you think it’ll take to get somewhere, double it
- Cash is king in Japan
- 7-Eleven is your best friend. They’re a huge franchise in Japan, use them for free wi-fi, to cool down, for their clean high-tech toilets and tasty and cheap food. Also, we only ever withdraw money from ATMs in 7-Elevens as there’s no charge.
- Try to avoid visiting during major national holidays like Golden Week. Cheery Blossom season is also pretty mad.
- We recommend using skyscanner.net to book your flights to Japan. When you’re selecting dates, click ‘flexible dates’ and select the whole month. You’ll then find the cheapest dates.
- It’s worth having mobile data in Japan for navigation and translation apps. We found the easiest way to get data is to use an eSIM service like Holafly, where you can download a SIM onto your phone and sort your data before you even arrive in the country.
Read more on motorcycle travel in Japan
Thanks for checking out our Motorcycle Travel in Japan Guide. We hope you enjoyed it! Here’s a few more articles on motorcycling in Japan that we recommend you read next.
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We hope you found the Motorcycle Travel Guide for Japan helpful. If you’re planning a trip there or have any questions, please post a comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
This is a bit confusing. On your site the Japan intro says:
“Japan is a phenomenal blend of culture, architecture, stunning scenery and fascinating ancient history. And riding a motorcycle through this incredible country is the best way to explore it and uncover its hidden gems. Japan is seriously addictive and you’re going to love it.”
Then this whole article basically says you spent 5 months rode 5000 miles and you feel it’s overpriced, crowded, you don’t really recommend it as a destination.
Which is true?
Hi Charlie, thanks for your comment!
I can see how that may be confusing. Please allow me to explain… Both are true.
Japan is an incredible country, well worth visiting and riding a bike there is the perfect way to explore. But, as you also rightly pointed out I did write that it is expensive and busy.
I explained in this article that because of the above reasons you mentioned, it is not worth riding your own bike (a foreign vehicle that you have temporarily imported into Japan) if you are riding there for a short period of time.
If you’re flying in and renting a bike or joining a tour for a short period, then great! You do away with all the massive costs of shipping in and your routes and roads are planned for you. Easy.
If you are going to Japan for an extended period of time, like we did for 5 months then it is definitely worth riding as it’s the best way to get around the entire country over a long period. But only if you have the time. The fact that it takes a long time to get anywhere wont matter and you can spend more time searching out the great riding routes. You also won’t spend all your time on public transport.
So, yes it is an amazing country and you’ll love riding there – IF – you have the time for a long trip with your own motorcycle or if you are going to rent or join a tour.
I appreciate that the article is a little confusing. I will amend it this week to make it clearer.
Thanks again for getting in touch,
Cheers,
Andy
Thanks for the reply. 👍👍
I ultimately decided on a Vietnam 1/2 street 1/2 Enduro ride. We’ll see how that goes! Excited and nervous at the same time!
Hey Charlie, no worries and that sounds like a great trip! Vietnam is awesome, we were just there riding through Ha Giang three months ago. Have a great trip mate and all the best!
Cheers,
Andy
That’s not the impression I got from reading the article
Loving reading your stories. and seeing the photographs of Japan. Very inspiring and making us want to go next year. Did you use a translation app to communicate?
Hi Jenni, thanks very much for your comment!
That’s brilliant! You should definitely go, you’ll love it 😀 If you want more ideas on places to go there, we have loads more guides in the Japan section.
We just used Google Translate. You can download a language for offline use so you don’t need to have wifi or connectivity. But quite often, even without the app, you can get what you want to say across with a few hand signals and big smiles! You might find this article interesting: 5 Tips for Communicating when Travelling
Thanks again and all the best!
Andy
Great article and very helpful for our upcoming ride in Japan thank you
Hi, thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the read.
Cheers!
Andy
G’day Andy,
Thanks for the excellent info and pics.. We’re hiring a bike in Japan in Oct 2026, so all super useful info..
It’s not clear when you went.. the articles say published in 2019 but updated in 2025.. It would be helpful to have a travel date so I can tell how current the prices & info is..
Also.. I think there is an error with these links:
READ MORE:
Travel Blog Japan: Land of the Rising Sun 1
Travel Blog Japan: Land of the Rising Sun 2
… but both links point to part 2.. thought you’d like to fix this up.. 🙂
Are you coming to NZ.. or have you been?
Cheers, Jerry
Hi Jerry,
Thanks for reading and for the kind words — great to hear you’re heading to Japan, you’re going to love it. It’s an incredible country to ride.
On the dates: the published date is when the guide first went live, and the updated date reflects when I last went in to refresh prices, add notes, or include reader feedback. Because it’s a travel guide, I keep it continually updated, so the original travel date isn’t shown there.
If you want to see exactly when we were in Japan, that’s all in the Travel Blog posts — those show the real‑time trip with dates. And thanks for flagging the broken link; that’s fixed now.
For reference, we were in Japan between 2018–2019. You can see all our routes and blog entries here: Our Adventures.
And yes — we were in NZ in 2023 before shipping to the Americas. Absolutely loved it.
Thanks again, Jerry. Wishing you an amazing trip.
Andy