Note: This article is written by UMUI Rent a Car, which operates the Naha Airport and Omoromachi branches. We have ranked ourselves first, and the information on other companies is based on what we could confirm on each company’s official website as of October 2026.
It is your first trip to Okinawa and you want to rent a car. But where do you go when you land? Where do you pick up the car? And what happens when you return it?
This guide walks through the whole process in order: booking, arriving at Naha Airport, walking to the shuttle stop, the paperwork at the office, driving, returning the car and heading back to the airport. In the second half we introduce five companies that suit first-time renters. Just knowing the flow ahead of time takes a lot of the worry out of the day.
From Booking to Return: The Rental Process in 8 Steps
Step 1: Book your car
Once your travel dates are set, book early. The date when bookings open differs by company. For example, Toyota Rent a Car accepts bookings for Okinawa from 10 months before departure. When you book, compare the pickup office, its opening hours and your arrival flight time. This matters most if you arrive in the evening.
It is also reassuring to check whether insurance is included in the price. At many companies, CDW is charged separately from the displayed rate. At UMUI Rent a Car, CDW and NOC coverage are included in the base price.
Step 2: What to do before you leave
Prepare the driver’s license of every person who will drive. If you hold a foreign license, you will need an International Driving Permit or similar, so check the requirements on our driving licenses page.
At UMUI Rent a Car, you can complete online check-in on your smartphone before you leave. You can enter your details and review the coverage and rental terms in advance. It is available in Japanese, English, Korean and Traditional Chinese.
Step 3: Arrive at Naha Airport and collect your bags
After landing, collect your luggage and head for the exit on the first floor. The first-floor arrivals lobby at Naha Airport has a rental car information counter (9:00-19:00). You do not pick up your car there; that happens at each company’s office. Think of it as an information desk.
Step 4: Walk to the shuttle stop
Leave the domestic terminal through exit 3 or exit 4 on the first floor, and the rental car shuttle stops are lined up on the sidewalk across the crosswalk. Each stop has a number, and it differs by company. For example, Toyota Rent a Car and Nippon Rent-A-Car use “11-A,” Times Car Rental uses “11,” OTS Rent-a-Car uses “10-A,” and UMUI Rent a Car uses “14-C.”
Since January 2026, the first-floor bus stops at Naha Airport have been reorganized, and stop names are changing (OTS Rent-a-Car’s “10-A” is scheduled to become “R-10”). Check the latest number in your booking confirmation email. At the UMUI Rent a Car stop, our staff will be waiting. If no one is there, or you are lost, please contact us through our official LINE.
Step 5: Ride to the office
Take the shuttle bus to the office. The ride differs by company: about 5 minutes for Toyota Rent a Car, about 15 to 20 minutes for OTS Rent-a-Car, and about 20 minutes for Nippon Rent-A-Car and ORIX Rent-A-Car. The official site of Nippon Rent-A-Car also warns that it may take around 1 hour when it is busy. Leave a little room in your plans after you arrive.
Step 6: Complete the paperwork and pick up the car
At the office, your license is checked and the car is explained to you. If you have finished online check-in, your details are already entered, so the paperwork is short. Payment at UMUI Rent a Car is by credit card or electronic money. Please note that cash cannot be used.
If you would like to borrow an ETC card, Toyota Rent a Car and ORIX Rent-A-Car offer them. If anything worries you, do not hesitate to ask the staff when you pick up the car.
Step 7: Drive and refuel
In Japan, cars drive on the left. On roads you do not know, plan a schedule with time to spare. Refueling rules (such as whether to return the car with a full tank) can differ by company and contract. Check your booking information and the rental terms so you are not caught off guard at return.
Step 8: Return the car and head back to the airport
After you return the car, you ride the shuttle bus to the airport. Nippon Rent-A-Car describes a shuttle to the third-floor check-in area of the domestic terminal on return. Decide your return time by working backward from your departure time. The official site of Times Car Rental suggests 90 minutes before your flight as a guide. At other companies too, returning early is the safe choice, allowing for the shuttle and road traffic.
The details of each step are also on UMUI Rent a Car’s rental flow page.
Five Companies for First-Time Renters
1st: UMUI Rent a Car, Naha Airport Branch
It may sound self-serving, but we put ourselves in first place. What suits first-time renters is that there is less to puzzle over on the day. CDW and NOC coverage are included in the base price, so there are no insurance fees to add at the counter. You rent at the price you booked.
Compact Car A costs ¥6,600 for 24 hours and ¥4,400 per day from the second day (regular season, tax included, as of October 2026; ¥11,000 for 24 hours in peak season). For example, two days in the regular season comes to ¥6,600 + ¥4,400 = ¥11,000, with insurance included. There are 8 vehicle classes, from compact cars to minivans and luxury minivans.
We are open 8:00-20:00 every day, and you can finish the paperwork in advance with online check-in. One-way rental (returning the car to another office or location) is not available, so the car needs to be returned to the office where you picked it up.
| Address | 1-325 Toyosaki, Tomigusuku, Okinawa |
|---|---|
| Hours | 8:00-20:00 (open every day) |
| Shuttle | Free shuttle from Naha Airport (stop 14-C) |
| Sample price | Compact Car A: ¥6,600 for 24 hours, ¥4,400 per day from day 2 (regular season, CDW and NOC coverage included) |
| Advance paperwork | Online check-in (Japanese, English, Korean, Traditional Chinese) |
| Payment | Credit card or electronic money (no cash) |
2nd: Toyota Rent a Car, Naha Airport Branch
A major company with offices nationwide, and a name that many first-timers have heard of. The shuttle ride to the office is about 5 minutes, so the trip from the airport is short. It is open 8:00-20:00 every day, and if a delay means you arrive outside opening hours, the car is handed over within the next day’s opening hours. Self check-in and ETC card rental are also available. The official site says the shuttle requires advance reservation.
CDW is ¥1,100 per 24 hours (¥2,200 for some larger vehicles), and the “Anshin W Plan,” which also waives the NOC, is ¥1,650 per 24 hours; both are separate from the displayed rate. One-way rental to another office is possible within the main island of Okinawa.
| Address | 2-15-11 Akamine, Naha, Okinawa |
|---|---|
| Hours | 8:00-20:00 (open every day) |
| Shuttle | Free shuttle (stop 11-A, about 5 minutes to the office; advance reservation required) |
| Insurance | CDW from ¥1,100 per 24 hours; “Anshin W Plan” ¥1,650 per 24 hours (separate from the displayed rate) |
| One-way rental | Return at branches on the main island of Okinawa (not available on outlying islands) |
3rd: Nippon Rent-A-Car, Toyosaki Office (Naha Airport)
A major nationwide company that handles Naha Airport shuttle pickups at its Toyosaki Office. The stop is “11-A,” and the office is about 20 minutes away. The official site says the shuttle may take around 1 hour when it is busy, so allow extra time in your plans during peak travel seasons. On return, there is a shuttle to the third-floor domestic check-in area of the airport.
CDW is ¥1,100 to ¥2,200 per day (depending on class), the “ECO” plan that waives the NOC is ¥440 per day, and the “Full Support” plan that combines both starts at ¥2,200 per day. Please check the official website for opening hours and other details.
| Address | 3-95 Toyosaki, Tomigusuku, Okinawa |
|---|---|
| Shuttle | Free shuttle (stop 11-A, about 20 minutes to the office; around 1 hour when busy) |
| Insurance | CDW from ¥1,100 per day; NOC waiver “ECO” ¥440 per day; “Full Support” from ¥2,200 per day (separate from the displayed rate) |
| Hours | Please check the official website |
4th: Times Car Rental, Naha Airport Branch
The office is in Kagamizu, Naha, about 1.5 km from the airport, which makes it one of the offices close to the airport. Leave through a domestic terminal exit, cross the crosswalk, and head to shuttle stop “11,” where a staff member waits. The same directions are given for international arrivals. The official website is also available in English, Traditional Chinese and Korean.
One thing to note: if your flight arrives late, please be careful. Hours are 9:00-18:00 every day, and the site says it cannot accept customers on flights arriving after 18:00. If you arrive in the evening, compare these hours with those of other companies. CDW is ¥1,100, ¥1,430 or ¥2,200 per 24 hours (by class), and the “Anshin Coverage Course,” which also waives the NOC, adds ¥1,100 per 24 hours. A one-way option is described, but some offices cannot accept it, so check before you book.
| Address | 457-1 Kagamizu, Naha, Okinawa |
|---|---|
| Hours | 9:00-18:00 (open every day). Flights arriving after 18:00 cannot be accepted |
| Shuttle | Free shuttle (stop 11, staff waiting) |
| Return guide | 90 minutes before your flight |
| Insurance | CDW ¥1,100 to ¥2,200 per 24 hours (by class); “Anshin Coverage Course” +¥1,100 (separate from the displayed rate) |
5th: ORIX Rent-A-Car, Naha Airport Branch
The office is inside “Rent-A-Car Station Okinawa” and has a dedicated counter for foreign-language service. It is open 9:00-19:00, and the shuttle ride from the airport is about 20 minutes. For departures from September 1 to December 24, 2026, a campaign rate starting at ¥4,400 for 12 hours is also listed (please check the official website for eligible classes and conditions). CDW is optional, at ¥1,100 per 24 hours (¥2,200 for higher classes). One-way rental within the main island of Okinawa is also available.
| Address | 1-1174 Toyosaki, Tomigusuku, Okinawa (inside Rent-A-Car Station Okinawa) |
|---|---|
| Hours | 9:00-19:00 (may vary over the New Year period) |
| Shuttle | Free shuttle (about 20 minutes to the office) |
| Insurance | CDW from ¥1,100 per 24 hours (optional, separate from the displayed rate) |
| One-way rental | Available within the main island of Okinawa |
The Five Companies Compared by the Day’s Flow
| Company | Hours | Shuttle stop | Ride to office | Insurance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UMUI Rent a Car | 8:00-20:00 | 14-C | – | CDW and NOC both included |
| Toyota Rent a Car | 8:00-20:00 | 11-A | About 5 min | Separate (Anshin W Plan ¥1,650 per 24 hours) |
| Nippon Rent-A-Car | Please check the official site | 11-A | About 20 min | Separate (Full Support from ¥2,200 per day) |
| Times Car Rental | 9:00-18:00 | 11 | About 1.5 km from the airport | Separate (Anshin Coverage Course +¥1,100 per 24 hours) |
| ORIX Rent-A-Car | 9:00-19:00 | Please check the official site | About 20 min | Separate (CDW from ¥1,100 per 24 hours) |
How First-Timers Can Choose
- You want less paperwork and no extra fees: UMUI Rent a Car, with insurance included and online check-in
- You feel better with an office close to the airport: Toyota Rent a Car, with a shuttle ride of about 5 minutes, or Times Car Rental, about 1.5 km from the airport
- Your flight arrives at night: UMUI Rent a Car or Toyota Rent a Car, open until 20:00 (Times Car Rental cannot accept flights arriving after 18:00)
- You want to return the car at a different office: Toyota Rent a Car or ORIX Rent-A-Car, which allow one-way rental within the main island of Okinawa
- You want to talk things through in a foreign language: ORIX Rent-A-Car, which has a dedicated foreign-language counter
Five Notes So You Do Not Get Flustered on the Day
- Save your shuttle stop number in your phone: It differs by company and may change. Saving a screenshot of your confirmation email is handy.
- Work out your return time backward: Allow for the shuttle to the airport and road traffic, and return the car early.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pick up the car at the airport counter?
The rental car information counter on the first floor of Naha Airport (9:00-19:00) is an information desk. You pick up your car at each company’s office.
Do I need insurance even as a first-timer?
Check the coverage in advance, just in case. CDW waives the deductible only, and the NOC (Non-Operation Charge) is separate. At UMUI Rent a Car, CDW and NOC coverage are included in the base price. For details, see our compensation page.
Summary
Renting a car for the first time is not difficult once you know the flow. Check the opening hours and shuttle stop when you book, finish the paperwork before you leave, and leave plenty of time for the return. Keep these three things in mind and the day gets much easier. If you would like to rent with insurance included and less paperwork, please consider UMUI Rent a Car, Naha Airport Branch. Our whole team looks forward to meeting you in Okinawa.
Note: Prices, insurance, opening hours, shuttle stops and other details are based on what was published on each company’s official website as of October 2026. Please check each company’s official website for the latest information.
Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons (CC0 / CC BY-SA 4.0). Each photographer is credited in the photo caption.
Featured image: そらみみ / CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)
