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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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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."

1. The hardest part is getting on the expressway
Lisa and I were told that once we were on the expressway at various service areas, hitching would be a piece of cake. My hitching guru Jonathan warned me that hitching out of Hiroshima was the hardest location for him. Great, it was our first attempt and we were already told it was hard. We positioned ourselves right next to a stop light, about 200 meters away from the onramp for the expressway. Standing there we realized we really had no idea what we were supposed to be doing. Then, well, we held up the sign, smiled really big, and hoped these techniques would take us somewhere. Our sign read 'Fukuoka, or in that direction.' We got a lot of funny stares and many Japanese people that tried to avoid my eye contact. Once eye contact is made you are halfway there. After 15 minutes a car with a young guy and his grandpa pulled over to the ...