Scoot the Boot! My Day Renting a Moped in Japan

Did you ever think of riding a moped scooter? Mopeds are fairly common in the big Japanese cities, but I’d never thought to try one myself. I recently stumbled upon a rental shop and thought “Why not?” Read on to hear about my day and learn more about how you can try it too (even as a tourist)!

Where and Why Did I Rent a Scooter?

Recently I went to Naoshima (直島) in Kagawa Prefecture, an art-focused small island in the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海) most internationally famous for Yayoi Kusama’s giant pumpkin sculpture. The island hosts the Setouchi Triennale art festival every three years (2025 is one of them!), but even if you don’t go for the festival, there’s a lot of art to see around the island in both public and paid spaces. I had a really nice day!

I really enjoyed renting a scooter in Naoshima because the roads are not busy. Many people ride mopeds in Tokyo and it looks absolutely horrifying competing with cars and bicycles for lane space. I was glad that I tried a scooter here rather than Tokyo, it was a great place to have my first ride (and helped me realize I don’t actually want to ride in Tokyo as I’d been sort of considering for a while). Plus the ocean and forest views were splendid!

The Rental Process

As Naoshima is a small, very bicycle-friendly island, there are a few bicycle rental shops right there greeting you as soon as you get off the ferry. My partner and I had been thinking we’d rent a bicycle, but when we saw the big sign at TVC Rental (link below) saying that it’s also easy to rent a moped scooter, our curiosity was piqued, and when we saw that these adorable yellow scooters were an option, we were sold!

We could have also rented a bigger scooter and ridden 2-up, but I wanted to try riding for myself too, so we talked to the staff and requested the two yellow scooters. They took our driver’s licenses (more information on license requirements below), and we filled out some forms and waivers and paid. It was only ¥2500 (less than $17 as of April 2025) per person for the whole day! That’s only ¥1000 more than the bicycles, if memory serves me right.

Anyway, next we went outside to check the bikes. Of course you get a helmet, with a few options for size. The shop has free luggage storage for rental customers, and the mopeds have storage under the seat that can be opened with the key. Also, you can have them put a phone stand on the handlebars so you can use your phone’s GPS (see “Driving Tips” section below), and they give you an easy-to-read English sightseeing map. The staff explained a bit about the local roads and driving rules, and also told us we don’t need to fill the gas tank as it was currently full (most rentals require that, so it was nice to save that time and money). Finally, he told us that one scooter already had scratches, so if we drop that one (not the other one), it would be fine. And with that, we were handed the keys and scooted off!

What Was It Like?

This was my first time driving a moped. It was mostly fun, but a bit disorienting in some ways. I can ride a bicycle with ease, so balance wasn’t a big problem. I’ve also ridden on the back of my dad’s and partner’s motorcycles a lot, so I wasn’t really scared of being on a motorized bike, either.

Overall it felt freeing and almost euphoric! Naoshima is full of great views, and being stuck on a bus might have been a bit stressful (although I’m sure the bus is pretty smooth for tourism anyway). It was nice to try something new, and to get places quickly. In addition to the lovely sea views, the roads were not crowded at all, so traffic was never stressful. I’d really recommend it.

I think my three biggest challenges were the weight of the scooter, accelerating, and parking. First, a moped is obviously heavier than a bicycle. I could hold it with no problem, but I think it made going downhill and making sharp-ish turns a bit challenging and scary.

The next thing to get used to was the accelerator; the accelerator was on the right handle (you turn it forward to accelerate), and it was a bit scary to accelerate at first because I didn’t want to accidentally pop a wheelie. The rear brake is also on the right, not the left (isn’t this opposite from the US?), so it was a bit hard to remember which hand to brake with, and to not use that same hand to turn the accelerator simultaneously. This got me in a bit of trouble one time, when…

Trying to park. Because of the scooter weight and my fear of over-accelerating, I wasn’t so skilled at the fine steering it takes to park. So one time I was parking in a sandy little lot and I got my hands a bit mixed up and accidentally accelerated into a bush and fell. It wasn’t bad, I just had a small scratch on my knee since it was in the grass, and luckily I had been driving the scratched scooter, but I basically gave up on parking after that. I’d pull over and my partner would come over and park it for me, which he’s pretty good at since he rides a motorcycle.

Anyway, all in all, it was a good experience, and I’d recommend anyone who can ride a bicycle to give it a go!

Driving Tips

There are a few things to note before zipping off on your moped. First, a moped isn’t allowed to go over 30 kilometers per hour (about 19 mph). It’s a bit slow, but because the roads aren’t big and there isn’t much car traffic to compete with in Naoshima, it didn’t feel slow.

Next, mopeds have to stick to the left side of the road. Of course, in Japan, you drive on the left, but that’s not exactly what I mean. Mopeds are supposed to stick to the left side of the left lane. Not on the shoulder, that would be dangerous, but just towards the left. Cars will pass you when it’s safe.

About Naoshima specifically, the roads are, at times, twisty-turny, so there are signs for you to beep your horn before some curves to let oncoming traffic know you’re coming. As far as I know, cars and mopeds have to do this. If you’ve ever driven in Japan before, or walked around the countryside, you may have seen the traffic mirrors that are posted at curves and intersections before. Naoshima also has them, but not at every single turn; in come the “toot your horn” signs.

And lastly, touching your phone while driving is a ticketable offense in Japan, so only touch it when you’re pulled over. Also, the phone stands provided are well-built, meaning there is no window for your phone’s rear-camera (so you can’t use it to take scenery videos). Please focus on the road.

Oh, sorry, one more tip. Bring a hat to change into for photos as you’ll have helmet hair!! Priorities, people! *wink*

Who Can Rent a Scooter in Japan?

If you have a Japanese driver’s license, you can also drive a scooter, but that’s not all! Tourists (and new residents who don’t have a Japanese license yet) can also rent scooters with their regular car International Driving Permit (IDP) or home country license + Japanese translation. The former option is applicable to licenses from over 120 countries, while the latter is applicable to licenses from a handful of countries.

Directions/Access/Tips

You can take a ferry from Takamatsu (Kagawa Prefecture) or Uno (Okayama Prefecture). Ferry reservations are not available, and ticket sales start at the ferry ticket office 40 minutes prior. I stayed in Takamatsu and took the ferry to Naoshima in the morning, but there are hotels on Naoshima as well. The ferry from Takamatsu is affordable and quick enough (30 minutes to 1 hour) that you could take it two days in a row if the hotels on Naoshima are expensive or sold out. Two days on Naoshima would be great if you want to see more art, I would recommend it, but I was okay with just one day. The ferry information and timetable is linked below.

Other Spots for Yayoi Kusama Fans

If you are a fan of Yayoi Kusama, the internationally acclaimed artist behind the pumpkin sculpture, you can see her work in at least two museums in Japan (links below). The Yayoi Kusama museum in Tokyo is popular, though I haven’t been yet. Also, the Matsumoto City Museum of Art has an entire exhibit dedicated to her, as Matsumoto (Nagano Prefecture) is her hometown.

Links