A coastal drive that rewards a measured pace

The Shimanami Kaido links Onomichi in Hiroshima Prefecture with Imabari in Ehime Prefecture across the Seto Inland Sea. The corridor moves from Honshu toward Shikoku through a chain of islands and major bridges; JNTO’s route outline names Mukaishima, Innoshima, Ikuchijima, Omishima, Hakatajima and Oshima before Imabari. It is famous with cyclists, but a rental car offers a different kind of freedom: you can protect time for a harbor town, a short island walk, or an unhurried meal instead of treating every viewpoint as a race. In autumn, the clear light and coastal scenery are appealing, yet bridge crossings, changing winds and a busy itinerary deserve calm planning.

Set the route and the rental terms before pickup

Choose a simple direction: Onomichi to Imabari, or the reverse. Put both the intended overnight stop and final return location into the booking conversation. A one-way rental can have different availability, fees and return rules from a round trip, so it is better to confirm this before collecting the keys. Load destinations while parked, bring the rental agreement and emergency contact details, and ask whether the car has an ETC card or device if you expect to use toll roads. Do not assume that a cycling map, a ferry connection or a car-navigation shortcut is suitable for your car; follow the vehicle route and road signs.

• Start with one primary destination, such as a waterfront stop on an island, rather than trying to visit every island.
• Save the rental office, accommodation and return location in the navigation system before departure.
• Check the day’s weather and traffic notices, then leave margin for slower bridge approaches, breaks and parking.

Make bridge driving the quiet part of the day

On a bridge, the best photo plan is to keep driving and use an official parking or viewing area later. Give the vehicle room, hold a steady line, watch the road rather than the sea, and do not stop on a ramp, bridge deck or shoulder for scenery. If wind or rain makes the car feel less settled, reduce speed smoothly while staying within the posted limit and keep a generous following distance. Plan a rest before you become tired: a short pause on an island is safer and more enjoyable than searching for a place to stop after concentration has already faded.

Japanese driving rules remain the foundation of a scenic itinerary. Drive on the left, yield to pedestrians, keep every occupant belted, and use a child seat for a child younger than six. Do not drink and drive, and do not operate a phone or navigation screen while the car is moving. Posted signs control the speed; where no sign or marking sets a limit, JAF states that regular automobiles are limited to 60 km/h on ordinary roads and 100 km/h on expressways. On expressways, stay in the driving lane and use the passing lane only to overtake.

Build stops into the journey, not onto the shoulder

The route is not a checklist. Pick two or three planned pauses: perhaps an island café, a seafront walk, or a facility with legal parking. Arriving with time to spare gives the driver a chance to reset before the next bridge. Leave the car only in marked spaces, lock it, and return to the road without rushing. If visibility, wind or fatigue changes the day, skip a stop rather than trying to recover time. The destination will still be there; a relaxed driver is the priority.

Know the safe response if the plan changes

If the car has a problem, first move it out of traffic when it is safe. At night, use the hazard lights if the disabled vehicle must remain on the road. JAF advises people to evacuate to a safe place, such as beyond a guardrail, rather than remain in the car where a rear impact is possible. Use the emergency contact supplied by the rental company and follow its instructions; JAF road service can be reached at 0570-00-8139 or #8139. For an injury call 119, and report an accident to police on 110. On expressways, NEXCO says roadside emergency phones are installed at one-kilometre intervals; the nearby kilopost helps identify your location.

Before the return drive, check the fuel policy, the final traffic conditions and the time needed for inspection. With those basics settled, the Shimanami Kaido becomes what it should be: a thoughtful autumn drive between Onomichi and Imabari, not a dash across bridges.

October in Hokkaido rewards rental-car travellers with clear air, open landscapes and autumn colour. It also asks for a different kind of route planning. Ezo deer can enter the road without warning, particularly as daylight fades. This is not a reason to avoid a self-drive trip; it is a reason to build a calm, daylight-first plan before leaving the airport or your accommodation.

Why the autumn timetable matters

Hokkaido Government information on Ezo deer traffic accidents reports that about 41% of reported deer-related accidents occur in October and November. More than 70% occur between 16:00 and midnight. The same guidance notes that deer are most active around sunrise and sunset, and that a deer may stop rather than run when it sees headlights or hears a vehicle.

Use those facts to shape the day, not to create anxiety. Keep the longest rural section early in your itinerary. Put a real destination—your hotel, a town centre or a planned rest stop—before dusk, rather than treating sunset as the time to start the final mountain or forest section. Navigation arrival times do not include a slower pace for wildlife signs, photo stops, rain or an unfamiliar road.

Build a route with a safe finish

Before departure, look at the whole route rather than only the next turn. Identify the last fuel stop and a sensible place to pause before the more isolated section. Check official road information for closures or weather changes on the driving day, and keep the rental company’s contact details where a passenger can find them. If your plan becomes late, shorten it; a scenic detour is optional, while arriving safely is not.

• Choose an overnight stop that does not require a long, unlit rural drive after dinner.
• Tell every driver when the daylight driving window ends, and agree that the plan may change.
• Keep a charged phone, navigation power cable, water and warm layers in the car for an unplanned stop.

Drive for the road you can see

In Japan, drive on the left and give priority to pedestrians. Obey every signed speed limit. JAF explains that, where no limit is signed, regular automobiles are limited to 60 km/h on ordinary roads and 100 km/h on expressways; these are legal ceilings, not a promise that a particular dark or wet road is suitable for that speed. Reduce speed smoothly when visibility, curves, surface conditions or roadside vegetation limit what you can see.

Watch both verges, especially where the road meets woodland or open fields. At night, reflected eyes may be the first sign of a deer. If you see one animal, ease off the accelerator, brake progressively if it is safe, keep your attention in your lane and look for a second or third animal. Ezo deer often move in groups. Avoid a sudden manoeuvre that could put the vehicle into an oncoming lane, a ditch or another road user.

If a deer is on or near the road

Take your foot off the accelerator, create space and be prepared to stop. Do not assume the animal will leave the road just because the car is approaching. Use hazard lights only when they are appropriate for warning following traffic, and do not stop in a dangerous position for a photograph or a closer look. Once the road is clear, continue at a pace that lets you react to another animal beyond the first.

If a collision or other incident occurs, protect people first. Move only if it is safe to do so, follow the rental company’s accident procedure, and contact emergency services or police when required. Japan’s emergency numbers are 119 for ambulance or fire and 110 for police. Keep the location from your navigation screen and do not drive away from an accident scene.

A better Hokkaido memory

A good autumn self-drive day leaves time for the landscape without turning the last hour into a race against darkness. Plan the route, follow signs, treat wildlife-warning areas seriously and give yourself permission to skip one more stop. That margin is what makes a Hokkaido rental-car journey feel relaxed, safe and genuinely enjoyable.

Practical references: Hokkaido Government’s Ezo deer traffic-accident guidance, JAF’s driving rules for Japan, and the National Police Agency’s traffic guidance for foreign drivers.

Autumn road trips in Japan can begin with clear air at breakfast and a pale veil of fog a few kilometres later. This is especially easy to underestimate when a rental-car itinerary has an early hotel departure, a mountain viewpoint, or a rural station on the map. Fog is not a reason to panic or to chase the schedule. It is a reason to make visibility—not the planned arrival time—the decision point.

Build extra time into a fog-prone morning

Before collecting the keys, look at the local forecast and the route you actually intend to drive. On the morning itself, check current weather and any road or expressway notices before leaving. A route that is comfortable in dry daylight may demand more attention when the horizon disappears. Give yourself a flexible first appointment, and keep one simpler alternative in mind. If the view from the car park is already poor, delaying a scenic detour is often the most sensible choice.

Do the small setup jobs while stationary. Clear the windscreen inside and out, confirm that the demister and wipers work, and locate the headlight and hazard-light controls in the rental car. Enter the next destination before moving. Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) states that drivers must not use a mobile phone or be distracted by the car-navigation system while driving. A passenger can manage directions; a solo driver should pull into a safe, legal place before changing a route.

Drive for the distance you can actually see

Once fog appears, reduce speed smoothly and leave much more room ahead. Posted speed limits remain the maximum permitted; they are not a target for every condition. Choose a speed that lets you stop within the clear road you can see, without abrupt braking. Keep your attention far ahead for lane edges, stop lines, pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles that may emerge late from the grey. Avoid overtaking simply to recover a few minutes.

Japan drives on the left, and JAF also reminds drivers to yield to pedestrians. In low visibility, that means treating crossings, side roads and parked vehicles as places where another road user may be harder to notice. Use the vehicle lights correctly for the conditions, but do not assume that brighter light makes a foggy road clear. Follow road signs, lane markings and any instructions from road authorities rather than another driver’s pace.

• Keep both hands available for steering; put the phone away before departure.
• Increase following distance gradually rather than making sudden inputs.
• Watch the road surface as well as the vehicle ahead; wet leaves and damp paint can reduce grip.
• Let a tailgating vehicle pass only when there is a safe, legal opportunity.

Choose a proper pause, then restart calmly

If the fog thickens beyond your comfort level, do not make an unplanned roadside stop just to consult a map. Select a designated parking area, roadside station, service area or a lawful exit when it is safe to reach one. On an expressway, JAF says drivers must not use the shoulder; it is not a routine rest space. At a proper stop, check the weather again, warm up, clean the glass and decide whether waiting is better than continuing.

When you set off again, take a moment to reacclimatise. Recheck mirrors, look for people walking between parked cars, and merge slowly with a clear view. JNTO notes that roadside stations can provide a place to rest and local travel information, but facilities vary, so do not assume every stop has the same services or opening hours. A calm pause can also prevent a rushed decision later in the day.

Make the safe plan the successful plan

The useful goal on a foggy autumn morning is not to prove that you can keep the original timetable. It is to arrive without forcing the car, the navigation or your concentration. Wear seatbelts in every seat, keep left, respect signed limits and remain ready to yield. Those fundamentals, combined with time margin and a willingness to pause, turn an uncertain start into a more comfortable rental-car day.

Official references: Review JAF’s Traffic Rules in Japan and JNTO’s rental-car guidance before your trip.