Hitchhiking does present its own unique challenges, but the purpose of this article is to demonstrate that not only is hitching possible, it's downright easy... once you know how.
A useful rule of thumb (pun intended) is that if you can get somewhere on a train for less than 2000 yen, hitchhiking the distance is unlikely to be worth the trouble – for instance destinations around Tokyo such as Mount Fuji, Hakone and Nikko – until you actually get there, that is. All three regions have expensive local transport but plenty of unhurried tourists driving about, always a good combination for the hitchhiker.
Aside from SA/PAs, the second way to get on the expressway is to hitch outside an interchange. ICs do tend to be a bit closer to town, but in Tokyo they are usually in the middle of very heavy traffic and with few, if any, places where hitching is even remotely possible, so getting rides also takes considerably longer. It is generally preferable to sit on a local for an extra half an hour and maybe even pay a few yen for the privilege of not having to choke on exhaust for an hour.
The third method would be to take a long-distance bus that uses the expressway and stops at a parking area along the way. However, cataloguing which routes go where on which roads and which service areas they stop at would be a fairly difficult enterprise, you'll also need to buy a rather expensive bus ticket just to get on the thing, and you'll probably freak out the bus attendants who will certainly notice if the only ''gaijin'' on the bus doesn't come back from the break.
Once you've made it onto the expressway, it's easy to keep bouncing from one SA/PA to the next one, but a decent highway map is imperative so you know the best place to get off if your destination and your driver's path diverge. It's entirely possible to cover 500 kilometers or more in a single day by using expressways.
Note that it is '''illegal''' to stop a car or walk on foot anywhere on the expressway itself, including tollbooths, and you will be rapidly picked up by the highway police if you try. Do not allow your driver to drop you off outside a service area.
Other traditional favorites include the offramps of roadside gas stations and convenience stores. The keys are '''visibility''' and '''accessibility''': drivers have to be able to spot you in advance, and they have to be able to stop and pick you up without endangering themselves or others.
Note that it is '''illegal''' to hitchhike near road crossings or from bus stops, although in rural areas where buses drop by just 2-3 times a day the latter is often tolerated. The very end of a merging lane after a crossing is also OK, as long as you are more than 5 meters away from the crossing itself. In general, hitchhiking is legal and Japanese police don't hassle hitchhikers, but they do have fairly wide-ranging powers to act on anything that disturbs or distracts traffic, so use common sense.
The top worries of a Japanese driver when they see a hitchhiking gaijin are: Can he '''communicate'''? Does he know how to behave? The quick way to answer those questions is with a sign: ___{_________I (''Nihongo dekiru!''), literally "Japanese can!", is just six characters and works like a charm. And you don't really need to know Japanese all that well to use such a sign, as long as you can communicate... somehow...
Second on the agenda is '''appearance'''. This is not the place for a mop of unruly hair, ripped jeans and sunglasses — foreigners are by default scary, and you need to do your best to look like you stepped out of an L.L. Bean catalog. Neat trousers, clean shirt, a hat to protect you from the sun instead of sunglasses. If you have a huge rucksack, hide it off to the side.
With these down pat, it's time to '''assume the pose''' and hitch. Hitchhiking being an unusual phenomenon, the best-recognized pose will be the classic Western style: left hand extended straight, thumb up, facing traffic and a winning smile on your face. Try to look drivers in the eye as they approach and perhaps even make a small bow of appreciation, especially if they slow down to take a better look at you or, better yet, loop back for a second look. And persevere: you may get picked up by the first car, or you may have to wait a while, but you ''will'' be picked up sooner or later.
Once the car does stop, a window will roll down and you will almost always be asked a simple question: ''Doko made?'' ("To where?") Do not make the mistake of giving your final destination, as the driver may assume that you will insist on going all the way. (This is also why it's usually not wise to use a destination sign.) Instead, pick the nearest major waypoint and state ''X no h?'' ("In the direction of X").
Distasteful as it may be to get up at 6 AM on vacation, as a hitchhiker you must get an '''early start'''. Many of the longest rides are available early in the morning, and your hitchhiking day will come to an end when the sun goes down.
If the weather is bad, it's best to give up hitchhiking for the day and figure out something else to do. A sodden figure standing forlornly in the rain with his thumb out is not a pitiful figure in Japan, he's a dangerous lunatic.
While a single girl (or woman) is likely to get picked up very fast, this has its risks: Japan has its fair share of perverts and predators and a lone hitchhiker in a foreign country is a vulnerable target.
As for '''who will pick you up''', the range of humanity you will encounter is surprising and, once you've crossed the threshold into their car, the generosity and trust will amaze you. You will be picked up by young couples, grizzled old farmers, families with small children, traveling salesmen, single women, ''yakuza'' mobsters, Buddhist monks... and, almost without exception, you will be offered drinks and snacks, bought lunch and quite possibly offered a ''tatami'' for the night. But try to distinguish between offers of genuine goodwill and interest and offers out of duty or perceived obligation, as your driver is likely to feel that he is a host and he must treat you as an honored guest, despite any inconvenience or even financial expense that this might cause.
As a guest, you will not be allowed to pay any of the expenses, but an effort to contribute something for gas and toll fares will most likely be delightfully refused. Be thankful for this, as Japan's expressway tolls are ''extremely'' high: for example, the trip from Tokyo to Osaka costs around ¥8000 in tolls alone.
Japan is the country of gifts, and counter gifts called (okaeshi). It might be a good idea to carry some small souvenirs of your country or hometown, like a country pin, or cookie (wrapped of course), or airline bottle of liquor even. With this you will have really sealed a wonderful human interchange, and you may even make a friend for life (Why not give your email address too?).
Lots of expressways radiate off Tokyo's local highway system (___s ''shuto''). So what you want to do is pick a destination, match it to an expressway, and get to the closest PA/SA. Here's the list in clockwise order from west to east, you will probably find it useful to consult a 1:10000 Japanese map to get your bearings. Most English highway signs will not distinguish short and long vowels, but your driver will, so pronounce it right!
A preliminary notes about buses: in general, Tokyo's commuter bus system sucks. They run very infrequently (typically 1/hr in the boonies), have a lunch break of several hours, and stop running early. Try to get to the bus station before 11 in the morning, or you'll probably have to wait until 2 in the afternoon for the next one!
'''Directions''': Go to T?kaichiba (_\___s__) station on the JR Yokohama line through any one of a number of connections (Shibuya to Nagatsuta via Tokyu Den-en-toshi, Shibuya to Shin-Yokohama via Tokyu Toyoko, Shinjuku to Machida via Odakyu, etc.) The train trip is only 30 minutes, but it's a few hilly kilometers to the PA, so consult an area map before you set off - you'll find a good outside the North exit of the station. You will need to head East down the expressway about 2-3 kilometers. This is easiest along the Northern edge of the raised expressway. There is a small overpass very close to the PA, cross over it and walk down the slight hill. There is an area here where you can jump the 1.5m fence, or alternatively walk to the far Eastern end of the PA and go in the open entrance for highway bus passengers.
'''Alternative''': Y?ga IC (_p__), near Tokyu Den-en-toshi line (___}_c___s_s__) Y?ga station (_p___w)<br> '''Last verified''': March 2008<br> Go to Y?ga station (_p___w) on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi line and walk about 8 minutes direction west along the expressway to McDonalds restaurant. The ramp infront of the restaurant is for the T?mei Expressway direction south. Since there is no good place for hitchhiking on the street, it is better to talk to people at the parking or at the drive thru. Ask if they go to K?hoku PA or Ebina service area. Ebina SA is about 30km south of Tokyo - big parking area with many cars passing direction Nagoya or even to Osaka.
'''Directions''': Get to Kichijoji (_g____) via Keio Inokashira from Shibuya or JR Chuo from Shinjuku, switch to JR Chuo (preferably a ''kaisoku'' commuter express to Takao, otherwise you'll have to change trains a few times) and go to either Toyoda (_L_c) or Hino (____). From Toyoda station (north exit), take Keio bus __04 from platform 2 to Ishikawacho-higashi (________). They run from 7:35 to 18:15, usually at 35 past the hour, but there is no 12:35 bus. The same bus runs to Hino station so you can catch it from there too. The distance is about 3 km and the bus route is reasonably straightforward, so it is also walkable if you're in the mood.
Once at Ishikawach?-higashi, backtrack to the lights (I'm assuming you're coming from Toyoda), you'll see the highway on your left. Go to the highway, but not under it -- turn left, up the hill, then open the gate that you are not supposed to open, walk up to the SA fence and jump over the one-meter gate if it is locked. You're in!
''Note'': Chuo branches a few times, be sure you know what branch you want to go to and what branch your driver will go to. The first is Ootsuki Junction (____), where the road splits between the Nagano and Fujiyoshida branches; the last SA before the junction is Dang?zaka (_k____).
Directions: Take the T?bu T?j? (________) line from Ikebukuro to Tsuruse station. From the station, take Raifu Basu #4 to the Sentoraru By?in (_Z_________a_@) stop, as usual it runs once per hour except during lunchtime. The bus will deposit you on the wrong side of the parking area, cross the bridge to get to the side going away from Tokyo. Alternatively, you can walk the 3 km or so from Fujimino station; there should also be a bus from Fujimino, but it didn't seem to exist...
'''Directions''': Go to Hasuda station on the JR Utsunomiya (_F_s_{) line, starting from Shinjuku or Tokyo. Take the east exit and locate platform #3, take T?bu (____) bus #4 to Shiyakusho-mae (_s_____O). Right before the stop the bus actually goes under the expressway, return to the bridge (don't go under it!) and head a few hundred meters up the hill/to the north along the expressway until you reach the PA. The gate may be locked, but the fence is low and jumping over it is no problem.
This highway was the bane of the hitchhiker, as there appeared to be no decent way of getting onto it but the relatively new Tsukuba Express railway line (opened 2005) has two stations near PA/SA. The nearest real service area, Moriya SA (___J), is easily reached by Tsukuba express plus a 3 km walk. The IC and PA listed above are unexplored possibilities. One sure way: take a ¥2000 train to Mito and start there...
Warning: If you get on at Muk?jima IC, the road soon joins Shuto C2, after which C2 branches off again towards the T?hoku Expressway. Make sure you know where your driver is going!
What, you're going to hitchhike to catch your flight!? Do yourself a favor and take the train, Keisei'll get you there for 1000 yen._@If you insist, you could try to catch the Expressway Bayshore Line (_____p____) from Odaiba or Shin-Kiba, which transforms into the Higashi-Kant?.
Your driver may exit the expressway just so you can get off, but this is a waste of time and money for him, as he has to fight his way back and pay an extra toll, so don't count on it. The driver may also try to drop you off at a tollbooth or at an interchange, which will either get you in hot water from the authorities or dead from being hit by a car. The least of three evils is thus getting dropped off at a service area.
Moral of the story: when near a big city, feel free to reject rides that aren't going close enough. There will be more.
The Shuto network is an indecipherable tangle that looks vaguely similar to the Tokyo subway system, except that most stations are accessible only when going in one direction and you have 5 seconds to decide whether to exit. The parking areas are omitted from most maps, only specialty maps will usually show them. One convention worth learning quickly: all routes and lanes going towards the center are ''nobori'' (____, going up), whereas routes and lanes exiting Tokyo are ''kudari'' (____, going down). The majority of Shuto parking areas are ''nobori''-only, a small saving grace for the hitchhiker coming in, but yet another reason why they're useless for exiting Tokyo.
Located at the very beginning of the Shuto, in Setagaya.
Small. Somewhat oddly located right next to a row of tollbooths and an exit (which thus cannot be used even illegally, since they'll spot you if you try to walk it!). If you do find your way out, Meidaimae station at the crossing of both Keio lines is nearby (ask for directions).
A pathetic one-lane excuse for a parking area quite literally suspended three stories above the earth. Climbing over the fence would be easy if the drop weren't likely to kill you; there's also an expressway entrance nearby, but as noted earlier, walking on it is highly illegal and dangerous to boot. The third option was shown to me by a janitor to whom I pleaded my distress: at the furthestmost tip (from your arrival point) of the building is a door, which leads to a staircase, which leads outside. The doors along the route may, or may not, be locked. Once you do get out, one block straight and a few to the right will get you to Yoyogi station on the Yamanote/O-Edo lines. (Odakyu line Minami-Shinjuku station is also nearby.)
Note that it might theoretically even be possible to get into the PA this way, literally through the back door, but I wouldn't recommend it -- if the doors are locked you're out of luck, westbound is towards Tokyo, not out of it, the Shuto splits into about 17 different directions soon after the PA, and the PA deservedly gets little enough traffic as it is. And you'll annoy the friendly janitor.
Located beside a highway entrance spiral, this one may actually be accessible from the ground. Kita-Ayase (_k____) station on the 'Tokyo Metro' Chiyoda subway line is about half a kilometer to the east along the large road that crosses under the highway between the entrances.
Shuto S1 becomes C2 and merges briefly with 6 before splitting off again and heading off to Tokyo Bay. Confused? You will be.
Well, I can offer you the reassuring advice that it exists. And you even have a 50% chance of going in the right direction.
Small. Close to Wak?-shi. Often omitted even from highway maps since it doesn't belong to either the kousokudouro or the shuto systems!
The former is a better book for someone who intends to take the journey, while the second is a good read, in the style of the Bill Bryson travel books.