In June 2025, I took 10 days of annual leave to go on a self-driving trip with my family to Hakone, Lake Kawaguchi, and Hokkaido. On the first day, we flew from Taipei Songshan Airport to Tokyo Haneda Airport via Japan Airlines. The flight was slightly delayed during takeoff, but we were in good spirits. We had an in-flight meal from Japan Airlines, which we hadn’t had in a long time, and it was still just as delicious as ever.
After arriving at Haneda Airport, we waited for the Budget rental car company to pick us up and take us to their Haneda Airport branch. The car they rented us was a beige Toyota Sienta.
The car was quite easy to drive. The three of us brought four large suitcases and one small one. One of the large suitcases also contained a smaller suitcase inside, as Japan Airlines allows each person to check in two pieces of luggage up to 23kg each. The Toyota Sienta could fit three large and one small suitcase in the back, and we placed the remaining large suitcase on the backseat.
Our plan for the first day was to head to Hakone for sightseeing and an overnight stay. Unexpectedly, we hit traffic in Tokyo. Driving in Tokyo for the first time felt similar to driving in Taipei—crowded but manageable. Thankfully, we made it safely onto the expressway. We planned to take a short break at the Ebina Service Area, and to our surprise, it was packed with cars. Luckily, we found one available parking space in the middle.
After using the restroom, we discovered there was free hot green tea available inside the service area.
↑ Free green tea and hot water at EXPASA Ebina (Outbound) Service Area
In addition to buying some bread at the Ebina Service Area, we also spotted a takoyaki stall outside called “Ebina Meicha-ya.” It had been a while since we’d had good Japanese takoyaki, and it was delicious.
After finishing our snacks, we continued our drive to Hakone. Since many shops in Hakone tend to close by evening, we didn’t linger too long and wanted to arrive earlier. We hadn’t expected the Ebina Service Area to be one of the most popular rest areas in Japan—no wonder it was so crowded even on a weekday.
Ebina Service Area (EXPASA Ebina Outbound: toward Nagoya)
Website：https://sapa.c-nexco.co.jp/sapa?sapainfoid=10
Address：5 Chome-2-1 Oyaminami, Ebina, Kanagawa 243-0418日本
Phone：+81462325051
Map：
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