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It all started as a telephone conversation on a cold and dreary Tuesday evening, when Lisa and I were realizing we didn’t want to stay in Hiroshima for the long winter weekend. Our disposable cash flow was running low, putting us in quite the predicament. Times like this we wished we didn’t live in one of the most expensive countries in the world. In addition while reviewing a map, our list of places to still-visit was short, and most locales were quite a distance away, involving lots of yen to get there. We made up our minds to go to Nagasaki, but how in the world would we get there without breaking the bank? Do as Jonathan would do- hitchhike! Indeed it was on my list of ‘Things to do Before Leaving Japan’ and would be a great adventure for the long weekend. By Friday I had lined up some contacts for accommodation and Lisa learned important hitchhiking kanji like ‘in the direction of ________.’ We packed some clothes, a pen, paper, and a guidebook with roadmaps. Apprehensively we set out on our journey. Read on and learn from our “Top Ten Tips to Hitchhiking in Japan.”

The Destination is not Important. It’s the Journey that Counts

Casey Lary
2007-04-27 21:35:25

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Isaac, whose email was whitedayforever@docomo, happily took us in. Like Akihiro and Kenji, he had no idea what he was getting himself into. White Day is like Valentine's Day in Japan. On Valentines Day girls give boys chocolate. On White Day, boys return the favor. A guy that has an email like that is definitely a keeper.

Isaac was awesome. One of the coolest people I have met in Japan. Similar to how Brian is a white guy trapped in a Japanese body Isaac is a Japanese guy trapped in a white body. He is officially Canadian, but has lived in Japan his whole life since his dad teaches at the University in Kumamoto. It was so bizarre for us to be with Isaac since certain things he did were so Japanese, when we expected him to be like us. Some English words and phrases were so foreign to him. For example, he asked 'what's water skiing?' After a chill sober dinner due to the excessive partying the night before for all of us and morning of exploring the castle, we bade farewell to Isaac telling him to visit us soon in Hiroshima. He has a rather bizarre job as a translator for a Hula Dancing Company in Japan. I am a huge advocate for Tatami Timeshare and Couchsurfing after my trip to Vietnam and this Nagasaki trip.

8. There is always room for one more
The next morning we were headed back to Hiroshima. Isaac helped us get to the expressway, again located far from the city center. We were easily picked up by a lady who seriously just wanted to have foreigner friends and went out of her way to get us on the freeway. At the service area 2 old guys picked us up and in no time were back in Shimonoseki. While eating a late lunch, Lisa strategically placed our Hiroshima sign on the table for possible cars to see and pick us up. A group of 4 guys saw our sign and were eager to take us, yet they only had one open seat in their car. 10 minutes later they came back and said they could take us. We get to the car and one of the guys was in the trunk with all their kendo stuff so we could sit in the backseat! We had a crazy roadtrip with them all the way back to Hiroshima singing 80's songs (Hey Mickey You're so Fine...) and planning to break through the toll
bar when we got off the expressway. This was out of control. I felt like I was on a family car trip. In addition to the insanity, one of the guys knew one of the English teachers at my school. Hiroshima gets smaller by the day. We are scheduled to go out together again sometime! At 9 pm we arrived at the same corner that we started out on in Hiroshima. We went full circle. Our adventure to Nagasaki was a success. Sweet Victory

9. It's a great way to practice your Japanese
Only one of our 12 drivers spoke English. We had to speak Japanese the entire time. It felt somewhat like sorority rush every time we got into a new car: we exchanged names, interests and tried to look appealing so they didn't regret picking us up.

10. Hitching saves tons of money!
We saved over $200 (times 2) that weekend by hitching and using Tatatmi Timeshare. In total we spent just about $150 dollars. We also managed to try every famous food from every area we visited, leaving out Kumamoto because raw horsemeat sounds less than appetizing. I have become more open to strange foods in Japan, but I draw the line at horse, whale and dog meat. I swear I will try a bug in Beijing! Not only was our trip cheap, it was honestly one of the most fun and exhilarating things I have done in Japan! Being able to meet all the different Japanese people was great and hopefully we added a little fun to their lives as well. People make the place and there is no better way to meet the people than sitting with them in a car for extended amounts of time.

I never want to pay for transportation again!