With its sparsity of English maps and almost no wireless internet,
GPS navigation will be a life saver in Ishikawa. Try it out in your rented vehicle!
An English speaking GPS
will make your drive more comfortable.
In Ishikawa, English language maps and wireless internet zones are few and far between. The GPS navigation built into cars will be your best friend when it comes to finding your way around. Make sure you get the hang of this system before you hit the road! Chinese and Korean navigation systems are also available at some car rental companies, so ask the staff for your language of preference when you make a reservation.
Destination input the easy way.
Most GPS navigation units can recognize a destination simply by its phone number. Even if you decide to take a detour along the way, as long as your final destination is set in the GPS, it will improvise a route as you wander along. If you have trouble configuring the settings, the rental staff will be happy to set your destination into the GPS before you leave, so feel free to ask for help.
Some navigation systems have a function called MAP CODE which can help you find destinations that don’t have a phone number.
Just remember, you can’t alter the destination while the car is in motion. Make sure you come to a full stop and pull the hand break before using the GPS navigation.
Set up your navigation before heading out!
There are various models of GPS navigation systems, but the way to use them is basically all the same. Here is an explanation of how to set your destination by its phone number, how to add multiple destinations, and more for a successful journey!
1. Choose 目的地 (destination) on the touch panel.
Have you decided where you want to go? If so, press 目的地 on the main menu!
2. Choose 電話番号 (phone number) on the touch panel.
You will see a series of options for indicating your destination, such as the name of the place, the genre, the address, etc. Among these, press 電話番号 (phone number)
3. Insert the phone number of the destination 
Japanese phone numbers are comprised of 10 digits. The first three digits of the phone number is the area code. (The area code of Kanazawa is 076) When you insert the phone number in the GPS navigation, make sure to include all 10 numbers including the area code!
4. Press 目的地をセット to start the navigation!
Once you have entered the phone number, all you have to do is press 目的地をセット to set the destination! Using GPS navigation is pretty easy, right?
