How to Use Self-Service Petrol Stations in Okinawa
👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today, let’s briefly explore how to refuel when returning a rental car in Okinawa, and how to use self-service petrol stations.
For Japanese people, it’s a very straightforward process, but for other foreigners, there are often petrol machines that don’t support English. However, the principle is the same, so once you understand it, anyone can refuel easily.
📌 Location of Petrol Stations
Unmanned petrol stations are easy to find anywhere in Okinawa, but it’s usually best to refuel near your car rental return location. Most car rental offices in Okinawa are slightly south of Naha Airport, so I’ll use the ENEOS petrol station I frequently visit as an example. For your information, ⏰ the operating hours for unmanned petrol stations are 24 hours.
Self-service petrol stations look roughly like this. The photo isn’t of the ENEOS brand, but just keep in mind that this is the general vibe. Not much different from other countries, right?
🛢️ Let’s Refuel
First, park your vehicle near the fuel cap and turn off the engine.
In Japan, the fuel cap is usually located on the left rear side from the driver’s perspective. However, there are some unusual vehicles with the fuel cap on the right rear side, so it’s good to check in advance. The fuel cap lever is typically a switch with a fuel cap mark located at the bottom of the driver’s seat, which you pull to open the lid.
Don’t worry, I always explain where it is with photos when I review rental cars 😘
As for the colour of the fuel caps, from left to right: 💚 Green is diesel, 💛 Yellow is premium petrol, ♥️ Red is regular petrol.
Most of the vehicles you rent will likely use ♥️ Red for regular petrol.
This is usually where you might get stuck at a self-service petrol station.
Japanese people can manage on their own, but for foreigners, since you won’t have a membership, just touch the option that seems unrelated to you, and the payment methods will appear. Here, you should select 💳 CREDIT card.
This petrol station does not support English, and although it says Apple Pay is available, it didn’t work. If English were available, it would be much easier.
I will touch the credit card icon because I will be paying with a credit card.
Insert your credit card into the card slot and wait for a moment, then the card will be returned.
The payment method is post-payment, meaning the final fuel amount is charged 1-2 weeks after refuelling. Therefore, you should ensure the equivalent amount is reserved even after returning to your home country.
After retrieving your card, you can now select the type of fuel. Typically, it’s regular gasoline, so you would touch the red button. If you’ve rented a luxury sports car, press the yellow button for premium fuel, and for diesel vehicles, press the green button to refuel.
Then, insert the fuel lever into the fuel port that was opened in advance and start refuelling.
Most self-service petrol stations in Okinawa do not have a clip to hold the petrol lever, so you need to hold it by hand until the refuelling is complete. I did see one self-service station with a clip, but it’s easier to assume they don’t have them. When you hear a click from the petrol lever, it means the refuelling is finished, so remove the nozzle and close the petrol cap.
Then, return the nozzle to its original position, and a receipt will be printed.
This is how the receipt is printed, and it might be useful to keep it safe when returning the rental car, as disputes related to refuelling can often arise. Once you’ve refuelled, you can head to the rental car office to return the vehicle. Quite simple, isn’t it?
I’ll be back with more helpful information for your Okinawa travels. Matayasai 👋
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