Nissan Days
👋 Haisai! I’m CULT.
Today’s Okinawa rental car review is about the Nissan Days.
Japan is a country where public transport costs are high compared to anywhere else in the world. For example, if a family of three travels from Naha to American Village using public transport, the round-trip bus fare is roughly equivalent to renting a compact car for a day. That’s why travelling around Okinawa with a rental car is much more economical than using public transport.
Moreover, Okinawa buses are notoriously late, which can lead to a lot of wasted time. To save time and get a decent vehicle at a reasonable price, I’m reviewing the Nissan Days.
🛬 Vehicle Pickup
This vehicle offers airport pick-up and drop-off services upon request. This service is free, and you can also pick up the vehicle from Kokusai Street. I picked up the vehicle in front of the Korean restaurant Irutalu on Kokusai Street.
This is a car rental service run by someone who also operates a Korean restaurant, and they offer services in Korean, English, and Japanese. Plus, the Korean food here is delicious, so do give it a try. I’ve tried almost all the dishes on the menu 👍
The Korean restaurant is located on Kokusai Street and is closed on Mondays. ⏰ Opening hours are from 5 PM to 2 AM the next day. [Google Map]
I picked up a Days and spent four days travelling back and forth from the southern to the central and northern parts of Okinawa. The fuel efficiency varies greatly depending on the driver, with a typical range difference of about 10-20 km. According to Google Maps navigation, my fuel efficiency was approximately 25 km, but this was my third time renting a vehicle, so I was familiar with how to drive efficiently. Although it has a low engine displacement of 659cc, speeding in Japan can lead to serious trouble, so I recommend driving safely. Following Route 58, you can enjoy a drive with stunning views of the Okinawan coast without any shortcomings. The car does struggle a bit on uphill roads, though. 😅
🚘 Inside the Nissan Days
Now, let’s take a look inside the vehicle. This is the view of the front seats. Due to the narrow width of the vehicle, the distance to the passenger seat is quite short. It’s a cosy setup, perfect for travelling as a pair.
The glove compartment offers simple storage space, making it convenient to store snacks purchased from a convenience store. Additionally, there are cup holders on both sides, allowing you to enjoy a refreshing drink while driving.
When I was living in Europe, I didn’t pay much attention to cup holders, but in Japan, I do. That’s because… Japan is much hotter than Europe. And like this… you can place a cup holder at the air conditioning vent, so canned or bottled drinks stay cool, which is great. This is truly an advanced system.
Last month, I had the chance to drive a Hyundai Kona Electric for work, and that vehicle doesn’t have such an advanced cup holder. Hyundai wants to sell Korean electric cars in Japan… If I were living in the Czech Republic or Korea, I might have considered buying a Kona Electric, but in Japan? I definitely wouldn’t.
The vehicle has been driven for approximately 70,000 kilometres, but this is not a rental car that has been driven for 70,000 kilometres. From what I recall, when it was first used for rental purposes, it had about 60,000 kilometres on it. It hasn’t been driven much for rental purposes since then.
The fuel tank holds 27 litres, and the current driving range is 653 km. This translates to roughly 24 km per litre, but with the air conditioning on, the actual fuel efficiency is lower.
The vehicle does not have a Japanese-style navigation system.
Instead, it is equipped with a monitor that can be connected to your smartphone. You can display Google Maps on the monitor by connecting Google Auto or Apple CarPlay from your smartphone.
Korean users often ask about Korean navigation systems, but I dislike Japanese navigation systems that support Korean. They only display in Korean, but the search function is poor, and they do not provide real-time quick route guidance, so you rarely arrive on time.
That’s why I always drive using Apple CarPlay.
All vehicles at Aozora Rent-a-Car are equipped with this monitor. Even if there is a Korean navigation system, it is installed separately.
To set it up, simply touch the Google Auto or Apple CarPlay icon on the monitor and pair it with your smartphone via Bluetooth. Then, turn on Google Maps and wait a moment for it to display on the screen.
Even though it’s a compact car, it comes with a wide range of options. Every time I drive with Aozora Rent-a-Car, I always feel that it has too many features for a rental car. It even has a 360-degree around-view camera and a dashcam as standard. This makes parking very easy, even for novice drivers.
Oh, and parallel parking is something beginners often find challenging, right? In Okinawa, there’s hardly any need for parallel parking except at Umikaji Terrace. But when you go to Umikaji Terrace, you’ll see many people struggling with parallel parking, so don’t feel disheartened if you’re a beginner driver. Everyone’s a beginner at some point.
Now, let’s take a look at the lower part of the driver’s seat. In Japanese kei cars, it’s common to find a foot pedal system. The small foot pedal on the left is the side brake, the centre is the regular brake, and the right is the accelerator pedal. In Europe, most side brakes are either a button or a hand stick, aren’t they? In Korea, I understand that foot brakes are mostly found in older vehicles or delivery vehicles, and have largely disappeared otherwise.
This is what the back seat looks like. Although it’s a four-seater vehicle, if four people are on board, there’s no room for luggage. That’s why I refer to this vehicle as a 2-3 seater.
🧳 Trunk Capacity
When used as a four-seater… once you put in a 28-inch suitcase, that’s it. The other three people won’t be able to load their suitcases. That’s why I never say this vehicle is a four-seater.
If you fold down one of the back seats to make it a three-seater, you can fit quite a lot of luggage. It’s structured to accommodate about 1-2 small suitcases per person. Essentially, with three 28-inch suitcases and either a 20-inch or 24-inch suitcase, that’s the maximum for a three-seater. If it’s a two-seater… there’s no need to worry.
🛢️ Refuelling and Vehicle Return
The fuel lever of the Days is located at the lower right of the driver’s seat. Pulling it will open the fuel cap. The fuel cap is located on the left side at the rear of the vehicle.
Before returning the vehicle, make sure to fill up the petrol tank completely. Also, remember to keep the receipt safely.
- Related post: How to Refuel at an Unmanned Petrol Station
This is the final amount spent on fuel after travelling twice from Naha to the northern part of Okinawa.
I drove approximately 360km over about four days, and the amount of petrol consumed was 22.23 litres. With the air conditioning on full, the approximate fuel efficiency comes to 16.2km per litre. Quite decent, isn’t it?
Anyway, make sure to keep your fuel receipts safe. Although it’s unlikely, disputes regarding fuel do occasionally arise.
Since this is my third time renting with Days, the fuel efficiency is quite good, but it might decrease a bit when you drive. When I first picked up the vehicle, it could travel 653km on 27 litres, and by the time I returned it, it had reached 907km.
Nissan’s S-Hybrid system, which is somewhat of a pseudo-hybrid system, requires a bit of understanding. You need to charge the battery when going downhill, and if you have a good grasp of the regenerative braking system, I think you can drive efficiently and enjoyably.
You will return the vehicle in an open space in a residential area a little away from the airport. Although you can also do this at the Irutalu Korean restaurant on Kokusai Street, you need to come here if you want a shuttle to the airport. If there’s an extra seat available, a staff member will drive this vehicle and drop you off at the airport. If not, they will transfer your luggage to a larger vehicle and send you to the airport.
The reason for this inconvenience is that pick-up or drop-off at the airport is prohibited by law.
📝 How to Book
You can make a reservation on the Aozora Rent-a-Car website. I’ll leave the link below, so check your schedule there… If the vehicle you want isn’t available, it’s a good idea to look at other options too! Also, by entering the coupon code, you can get a 10% discount on the total amount, so be sure to use it.
With that, I’ll wrap up the review of the best value-for-money Okinawa rental car, the Nissan Days. See you again in the next review, Matayasai 👋
- Coupon Code: AOSORA_CULT1
