Hitchhiking in Japan where to hitch · Where to hitch in Hitchhiking in Japan
All Destinations | Europe | Asia | North America | Africa | South America | Oceania | Hotels
Where to hitch in Hitchhiking in Japan
Where to hitch in Hitchhiking in Japan
It is almost impossible to hitch out of Tokyo or any large Japanese city by waving your thumb on the Ginza. Thus, to get out, you have to find the places where drivers going out congregate, which in practice means service areas (サービスエリア sābisu eria, SA) or parking areas (PA) on the large toll expressways (高速道路 kōsokudōro) connecting Japan's major cities. As you might guess, service areas are larger and better equipped than parking areas (with the special exception of Mekari/Dannoura, see below), but surprisingly few Japanese are familiar with the difference so it's easier to label them all service areas.
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.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Hitchhiking in Japan
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Hitchhiking in Japan - updated May 2024
SAVE up to 75% on Last Minute deals! Search for discount Hitchhiking in Japan hotels, motels, apartments, hostels, guest accommodations and vacation resorts. Book now and pay at the hotel. Instant email confirmation!
>>> SEARCH FOR DEALS <<<
WHERE TO TRAVEL NEXT IN 2020
Hitchhiking in Japan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.