Four Itchy Feet

September 15, 2025. Akan, Japan.

When you’re driving in the middle of nowhere, the last thing you want is for disaster to strike. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when a rear tire on our rental car exploded, leaving a gaping hole in its side. The country road was eerily quiet, with no cars in sight. We were six hours away from the nearest town on foot, with no spare tire in the trunk—just a huge battery controller in its place for the hybrid car. The full weight of our predicament sank in: We were truly stranded.

Just as hope was fading, an RV appeared over the hill. An incredibly kind Japanese man got out and, after assessing the situation, found the emergency contact on my rental agreement and called the company. That call got a tow truck on its way, but our troubles weren’t over.

The rental company called and said that for “safety reasons” we couldn’t ride in the tow truck and that they were terminating my contract. We refused to hand over the car keys and paperwork, telling them that for “safety reasons” they couldn’t just leave us stranded. After a lot of back and forth through a translator, we reached an absurd compromise: a taxi would be sent to follow the tow truck 45 kilometers to a tire shop. I would have to pay for the taxi and the new tire. All told, the ordeal cost me over $200, despite having paid over $100 for full-coverage insurance.

While we waited, the kind man from the RV returned. Seeing the tow truck had arrived, he got something out of his RV and returned with two glasses of cold green tea. He was an absolute angel. We finally got to the tire shop, paid the taxi and for the new tire, and arrived at our hotel around 9 PM.

Over the past 52 days in Japan, we’ve rented cars at least seven times. While we’ve had wonderful experiences with Toyota Rental, this time we chose Orix Rental. They were a bit cheaper, and we wanted a nicer car for our longer, more rural drives in Hokkaido. This was our first time running into trouble, and the language barrier made things difficult. Despite the struggle, we still have faith in the kindness of the Japanese people and hope to resolve the issue when we return the car in a couple of days.

Please don’t let our experience discourage you from renting a car to explore beautiful Hokkaido. Just make sure you use Toyota Rental and, for God’s sake, check for a spare tire before you go!