The core idea: how an unstaffed car park knows your car
You have found a gap on a side street marked with a big P and a board of prices. This is a koin pākingu (コインパーキング), and the formal name on operators' websites is jikangashi chūshajō (時間貸駐車場), literally time-lending car park. In speech most people just say pākingu or chūshajō. Nobody works there, and that single fact explains everything that happens next, because a car park without staff still has to match each car to its bill.
There are three ways to do it. In the classic lock-plate type, each bay has a number and a metal plate that holds your car; the number is your ticket. In the gate type, a barrier hands you a paper ticket. In the camera type, a camera reads your number plate. Below: a polite question to a passer-by, casual talk with a friend in the passenger seat, and a polite answer to a cashier.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| この近くにコインパーキングはありますか。 | Kono chikaku ni koin pākingu wa arimasu ka. | Is there a coin parking near here? |
| あそこにパーキングがあるよ。 | Asoko ni pākingu ga aru yo. | There's a car park over there. |
| 空いてるかな。 | Aiteru ka na. | I wonder if there's a space. |
| 何番に停めた？ | Nan-ban ni tometa? | Which number did you park in? |
| 三番に停めました。 | San-ban ni tomemashita. | I parked in number three. |
The entrance sign and the bays you must not use
Most coin parkings announce themselves with a tall sign: a large P and a lamp that tells you whether to turn in. 空 is short for kūsha (空車), literally empty car, meaning spaces free. 満 is short for mansha (満車), literally full car: no spaces. Lamp colours vary by operator, so read the kanji, not the colour.
Inside, not every empty bay is for you. The pattern is the same as at the entrance: a short label on the bay or the kerb tells you who it belongs to.
| Label | Reading | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 空車 | kūsha | Spaces free: turn in |
| 満車 | mansha | Full: look elsewhere |
| 月極 | tsukigime | Monthly contract bay, rented by someone else |
| 軽専用 | kei sen'yō | For small kei cars only |
| 予約専用 | yoyaku sen'yō | Reserved in advance through the operator |
| 高さ制限 | takasa seigen | Height limit, often at gate and indoor car parks |
Parking: the lock plate called rokku-ban
Drive into a free bay until your wheels touch the kurumadome (車止め), literally car stopper, the low block at the back. Between your front and rear wheels lies a flat metal plate, the rokku-ban (ロック板), literally lock plate; some operators say furappu-ban, flap plate. A few minutes after you park, it rises under the middle of the car, so the wheels cannot roll over it.
The plate is a lock, not a penalty. It rises for every car and drops only when that bay's charge is paid. The bay number, painted on the ground or printed on the plate unit, is what the machine will ask for.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 車止めまで下がって。 | Kurumadome made sagatte. | Back up to the wheel stop. |
| もうちょっと右に寄せて。 | Mō chotto migi ni yosete. | Pull over a little more to the right. |
| 入庫後、数分でロック板が上がります。 | Nyūko-go, sūfun de rokku-ban ga agarimasu. | The lock plate rises a few minutes after you park. |
| ロック板が上がっている間は、車を動かさないでください。 | Rokku-ban ga agatte iru aida wa, kuruma o ugokasanaide kudasai. | Do not move the car while the lock plate is up. |
Reading the rate board: units, maximums and their hours
The rate board packs two ideas into a few lines. The first is the unit rate: 30分 300円 means 300 yen for every 30 minutes or part of it, often with a daytime line, hiruma (昼間), and a night line, yakan (夜間).
The second is the cap, saidai ryōkin (最大料金), literally maximum charge. It stops the meter climbing, but only inside the window printed beside it. A daytime maximum of 1,500 yen from 8:00 to 20:00 protects you until 20:00; then the night rules take over. Kurikaeshi tekiyō (繰り返し適用), literally repeated application, means the cap applies again in each new period. A cap marked once only, tōjitsu ikkai kagiri, makes long stays expensive.
| On the board | Reading | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 30分 300円 | sanjuppun sanbyaku-en | 300 yen per 30 minutes or part of it |
| 最大料金 | saidai ryōkin | Maximum charge, within the stated hours only |
| 入庫後24時間 | nyūko-go nijūyo-jikan | For 24 hours from the moment you park |
| 当日24時まで | tōjitsu nijūyo-ji made | Until midnight on the day you park |
| 繰り返し適用 | kurikaeshi tekiyō | The cap applies again in each new period |
| 土日祝 | donichi-shuku | Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays |
Before you walk away, ask the board one question: is the time I plan to come back inside the window of the cap? If not, add the unit rate for the hours outside it.
At the pay machine: number, amount, money, receipt
The seisanki (精算機), literally settlement machine, stands at the edge of the car park. Pay before you get into the car. A screen and a recorded voice take you through four steps. The verb on every screen is tōnyū (投入), literally throw in, used for coins, notes and discount tickets alike.
Newer machines take cards, IC cards and QR code payments; older ones may take coins and 1,000-yen notes only. A teikeiten (提携店), partner shop, may give you a sābisu-ken (サービス券), a discount ticket you feed into the machine before paying.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 駐車番号を入力してください。 | Chūsha bangō o nyūryoku shite kudasai. | Please enter your parking number. |
| 料金は千二百円です。 | Ryōkin wa sen-nihyaku-en desu. | The charge is 1,200 yen. |
| お金を投入してください。 | Okane o tōnyū shite kudasai. | Please insert the money. |
| 領収書が必要な方は、ボタンを押してください。 | Ryōshūsho ga hitsuyō na kata wa, botan o oshite kudasai. | If you need a receipt, press the button. |
| ロック板が下がりました。 | Rokku-ban ga sagarimashita. | The lock plate has gone down. |
| 精算後は、速やかに出庫してください。 | Seisan-go wa, sumiyaka ni shukko shite kudasai. | After paying, please drive out promptly. |
Beyond the basics: gate car parks and camera car parks
The gēto-shiki (ゲート式), gate type, is common at supermarkets and hospitals. At the entrance the hakkenki (発券機), ticket machine, gives you a chūsha-ken (駐車券), a parking ticket, which now plays the role of the bay number. You pay at a jizen seisanki (事前精算機), a pay-in-advance machine, or at the exit gate from the driver's seat.
The kamera-shiki (カメラ式), camera type, has neither plates nor tickets. At the machine you enter the four large digits on your number plate, or your arrival time, touch your car on the screen and pay. Drive in and out slowly so the camera can read the plate. Cyclists have their own version, the chūrinjō, covered in the post on bicycle rules; seisan and ryōshūsho reappear at the self-service pump in the post on gas stations.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 駐車券をお取りください。 | Chūsha-ken o otori kudasai. | Please take your parking ticket. |
| 駐車券はお持ちですか。 | Chūsha-ken wa omochi desu ka. | Do you have a parking ticket? (a cashier) |
| はい、これです。何時間無料になりますか。 | Hai, kore desu. Nan-jikan muryō ni narimasu ka. | Yes, here it is. How many hours are free? |
| 車のナンバー、覚えてる？ | Kuruma no nanbā, oboeteru? | Do you remember the car's plate number? |
| Type | Reading | What identifies your car | What you do at the machine |
|---|---|---|---|
| ロック板式 | rokku-ban-shiki | The bay number | Enter the bay number, pay, wait for the plate |
| ゲート式 | gēto-shiki | The paper ticket | Insert the ticket, pay, the barrier lifts |
| カメラ式 | kamera-shiki | Your number plate | Enter the plate digits, choose your car, pay |
| 月極駐車場 | tsukigime chūshajō | Your contract and fixed bay | Nothing: rent is paid monthly |
When something goes wrong: calling the operator
Every rate board carries a phone number, often a free number beginning 0120, and a kanri bangō (管理番号), a management number identifying the car park. The operator wants three things: that number, your bay number, and the problem. Give them in that order. Here you are calling politely from beside your car.
| Japanese | Romaji | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| もしもし、駐車場の精算のことでお電話しました。 | Moshi moshi, chūshajō no seisan no koto de odenwa shimashita. | Hello, I'm calling about paying at one of your car parks. |
| 管理番号は1234です。 | Kanri bangō wa ichi-ni-san-yon desu. | The management number is 1234. |
| 三番に停めていますが、ロック板が下がりません。 | San-ban ni tomete imasu ga, rokku-ban ga sagarimasen. | I'm parked in bay three, but the lock plate won't go down. |
| 間違えて四番を精算してしまいました。 | Machigaete yon-ban o seisan shite shimaimashita. | I paid for bay four by mistake. |
| お札が戻ってきてしまいます。 | Osatsu ga modotte kite shimaimasu. | The machine keeps giving my note back. |
| 駐車券をなくしてしまいました。 | Chūsha-ken o nakushite shimaimashita. | I've lost my parking ticket. |
Common mistakes at Japanese coin parking
Typing the neighbour's bay number. The cause is memory: you recall the number in front of the next car. The machine takes payment for any occupied bay. The fix is a photo of your number, and a glance at the amount: if it does not match your stay, stop.
Trusting the maximum overnight. The cause is reading saidai ryōkin as a daily cap when the board limits it to 8:00 to 20:00. The fix is to read the hours printed beside every maximum and add the night rate.
Moving the car after the plate has risen. You park crooked, buy a drink, return to straighten up and scrape the plate. Straighten up at once.
Paying, then chatting. The cause is assuming a paid bay stays open. The plate rises again after a few minutes, so pay last, when everyone is in the car.
Parking in a tsukigime bay because it is empty. The label is small and the space looks free, but it is someone's rented bay. Read the kanji on each bay before you reverse in.