ETC

To pay the expressway tolls in Japan, it helps to have an Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) card. This allows you to make automatic cashless payments instead of needing to stop at tollbooths and pay in cash. There are even special lanes at the tolls for holders of ETC cards, which makes driving the expressways as seamless as possible. In fact, the card provides more than just convenience as there are also discounts for using an ETC card. One is the Late Night discount, which applies to designated highways between midnight and 4:00 a.m. The other is the Holiday discount, which applies 24 hours a day at weekends and on holidays. The discounts are not cumulative — whichever is greater applies. As a foreigner in Japan, you have three main options to acquire an ETC card. Please keep in mind that you will not be able to get an ETC card if you do not have a valid Japanese driver’s license. You may also need to be listed as a registered user of the vehicle (使用者 – shiyousha), but this will depend on the method you decide on. 1. Credit Card Companies The first option is to use a credit credit…