NISHIWAKI

The mountains at Nishiwaki are almost untouched old-growth forest. There are thorny plants, and wasps. If you are getting out of the car, wear long sleeves and long trousers — keep bare skin covered.

If you are going into the river, the footing is slippery. Non-slip river shoes are the thing to bring. Walk slowly, and watch your feet.

In Hyōgo Prefecture's records (from 1996 onwards) there is no report of a bear injuring anyone in Nishiwaki. The prefecture monitors the bear population through fixed-point surveys.

It is still a wild area, so please help us avoid attracting wildlife: never leave food waste or rubbish behind in the mountains.

If a bear is sighted in the area we use, we cancel the tour for safety and refund the full amount.

Proper forest tracks through thick forest. Some sections are narrow, and there are places where a tight U-turn is unavoidable. On the steep sections only one car goes in at a time, and we grade the ruts and check the gradient beforehand so nobody rolls the car or gets bogged.

Outside opening hours (overnight, for example) there is no staff cover. You can leave a message on the answerphone, but we respond during the next opening hours. Use that for anything that is not urgent.

In an emergency — an accident, an injury — call 110 (police) or 119 (ambulance) straight away, without hesitating. Safety comes first.

Also, never go into the mountains (the course) outside opening hours. Recovery and towing up there is realistically very difficult, and it is dangerous. Normal use of the site — the campsite, ordinary parking — is fine.

If you are returning the car outside opening hours, put the key in the key drop box outside reception.

Bookings are taken through the official site only (laugh-and-rough.manten.world). We don't take bookings by phone — check availability on the site and book there.

The booking is credit card only, paid at booking.

Anything added on the day is settled on the day, at the base. You can pay by credit card or PayPay.

If you cancel a booking for your own reasons, the cancellation fees below apply (counted in days before the booking date). We refund what you paid at booking, minus the cancellation fee.

Date changes

• Tell us 8 days or more before the booking date and you can change the date once, free of charge.
• Date changes are not possible from 7 days before onwards (the cancellation fees above apply).

Simple pricing based on how long you have the car (all tax incl.).

Extra hours are ¥3,300 an hour (tax incl.). If the day is going well, just keep going a bit longer.

CDA (optional vehicle damage cover) is Laugh & Rough's own scheme, so you can get stuck in without worrying about the car. ¥5,500 per day (tax incl.).

• Mirrors, bumpers, a cracked light — mid-level damage where the repair comes to under ¥100,000 → you pay ¥0
• Rolling the car, damage that stops it being driven — major damage or a write-off where the repair is ¥100,000 or more → you pay up to ¥300,000 (we cover the rest)

Important: CDA applies only if you follow the course rules and drive safely. Damage caused by driving that breaks the terms — leaving the marked route, dangerous or reckless driving, ignoring staff instructions — is not covered, and you pay the full cost of the damage. Safety first, adventure second.

Scrapes from branches and grass out on the course, and mud, are on us — that is the Scratches Welcome policy. Badges of the adventure.

Serious damage caused by driving that ignores the rules is a different matter: it falls outside CDA and you pay the full amount (see above). That is what keeps everyone safe.

Repair and replacement costs are set out in the Vehicle Repair Fee Schedule. We keep those prices below normal repair rates wherever we can.

With CDA, and if you kept to the course rules, your share of even major damage or a write-off is capped at ¥300,000. We cover anything above that. What you pay depends on whether you took CDA.

• CDA taken and rules followed: you pay up to ¥300,000
• No CDA, or damage from breaching the terms or driving recklessly: you pay the full cost of the vehicle (up to ¥700,000, tax incl.)

On top of that, if the car cannot be driven back and has to be recovered, there is an NOC (loss-of-use fee) of ¥50,000 plus the towing cost (at cost).

Individual repair and replacement prices are set out in the Vehicle Repair Fee Schedule.

(Which is exactly why CDA at ¥5,500 a day is worth taking.)

When a car is out of action after an accident or a breakdown, we cannot rent it out while it is inspected, cleaned and repaired. NOC covers that lost business.

• Returned under its own power: ¥20,000
• Not returned under its own power: ¥50,000 (plus the towing cost, charged at cost)

Yes — return it full. If the tank is not full, we charge fuel based on the distance driven (calculated at ¥200 per litre) plus a ¥550 refuelling fee. That works out dearer than the pump, so filling up before you hand the keys back is the cheaper move. The nearest petrol station is a fair way off, but bring it back full.

You need a standard driving licence. An International Driving Permit (IDP) or a foreign driving licence is also accepted.

Yes — there is no limit on the number of drivers. Every driver has their licence photographed at the base on the day, so everyone who drives must bring their physical licence.

There is no practice drive and no briefing on site. Instead, we walk you through the course and the driving points in a video beforehand. Watch it after you book, so you arrive knowing what is coming.

Straight answer: the course has narrow sections and places where a tight U-turn is unavoidable. We don't recommend it if you are not confident behind the wheel. You can come with someone who is, or we can put you on an easier route — tell us when you book.

Yes, families are welcome. Driving is limited to holders of a standard licence, but anyone can ride along. Child seats and booster seats are lent free of charge — book them in advance.

One exception: the Golden Rooster legend mission runs for hours over long stretches of mountain track and shakes you about the whole way, so for safety, children aged 3 and under cannot ride along or take part. For shorter, gentler use — playing in the river, say — children of 3 and under are welcome.

Children aged 4 and over should use a child seat or a booster seat, whichever suits their size.

Only some of the cars take pets, and there is a limited number of them. Ask us in advance if you want one.

Four, as standard.

Open 9:00–17:00, and the last start is 16:00.

If you get back after hours, put the key in the key drop box outside reception (we go through the details on the day).

No. We lend you a phone on the day. The riddles, SOS (emergency contact) and directions all run on that one device, and it works outside mobile coverage.

Light rain or ordinary rain and we run as planned. The forest in the rain has a force the sunny days don't.

We do call it off if a heavy rain, storm, flood or blizzard warning is issued for the area we use, or if an approaching typhoon or similar makes it unsafe to run. If we cancel, there is no cancellation fee — you get a full refund or a free date change.

Wild. Not reckless. This is what is watching over you.

• An SOS button on the phone we lend you — emergency contact even outside mobile coverage
• GPS tracking of where you are
• Cameras front, back, both sides and inside the car
• An emergency response bag on board
• Unlimited third-party, property and passenger cover

The in-car cameras record continuously, for safety and to cut your highlight film, but nothing goes on social media unless you say so. In the survey after your trip you choose one of three: post as is, post with faces hidden, or do not post.

Laugh & Rough is not a service for borrowing a car to get from A to B. It is a self-drive adventure your own car will never take you on, and the memories that come out of it. The Jimny is the partner that gets you there.

Think of it as a door out of the everyday: one booking and you are somewhere else entirely. The destination is not the experience — the road there is.

Yes. You can drive on an International Driving Permit (IDP) or an accepted foreign driving licence — bring the physical licence with you. A translation device is on site at the base for check-in and anything you want to ask, and the missions are built to work without Japanese: the phone we lend you handles the riddles, the directions and SOS.