Japan is a great country for sightseeing and travel — if you can afford it. Transportation costs are at least double that of the USA. It costs around US $85 just to travel 300 KM (about 190 miles) by the “bullet train” (Shinkansen in Japanese). Want to save some doe and meet people? Try hitchhiking! I do and I love it!
I first came to Japan in 1972 while in the US military stationed near Tokyo. A couple years later I decided to become a missionary to the Japanese people and tell them about Jesus Christ. Missionaries need to “live by faith”. This also means to live within one’s income. I needed to travel the country to “preach the Gospel” but could not always afford public transportation. My partner and I often opted to hitchhike. We usually got to our destination that day, and if we didn’t, often the person that picked us up took us to their home where we spent the night and sometimes several days.
I wish I had kept a record of all my adventures hitchhiking in Japan. If I had, I would have a book by now which might have even been a best seller. LOL! At the very least, it would have made interesting reading for me in my old age. I will be 67 in June this year of 2017.
I define hitchhiking as getting rides from total strangers. Therefore it does not include rides from associates, friends or family.
What kind of people pick me up?
Kind people, unselfish people, people who care about others. Some are fond of Westerners, some study English and want to practice using it, some lived in the USA and want to repay the kindness they received from Americans, some have hitchhiked in their university days and understand people who do, some have broken hearts (often marital problems or broken love relationships) and wish to pour out their hearts to somebody, some are lonely, and some know they are prone to be sleepy driving on the expressway and wish to have someone to talk with in order to help them stay awake! Some drivers have correctly identified me as a Christian missionary even before I tell them so! They are usually the most open to hearing the Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from the Bible than most Japanese. To meet such people and have an opportunity to share the Truth with them makes it worth all the discomfort of the hot sun, rain, wind and snow I sometimes face while hitchhiking.
How do I hitchhike? Read a page of tips I compiled!
Since August of 2003 I have been keeping statistics of my travels.
Pioneered Hitchhiking in Guam!
Reading Time: < 1 minute Fun hitchhiking and meeting new people on the Pacific island of Guam.
Continue reading →The End of My Adventures Hitchhiking in Japan
Reading Time: < 1 minute My days of hitchhiking in Japan are over. On May 5th, 2018 I will start a brand new life in … Continue reading →
Hitchhike Adventure During Golden Week 2005
Reading Time: 6 minutes This is another adventure I had on my old kt70com/~jamesjpn site which I am reposting. It occurred from April 27 … Continue reading →
Hitchhike Adventure During Golden Week
Reading Time: 9 minutes Another oldie goldie adventure from my old website I am reposting. On April 30, 2004, I hitchhiked 500 kilometers from … Continue reading →
Hitchhike Adventure From Niigata City to Nagano and Tokyo
Reading Time: 4 minutes This is an article I wrote at the end of August 2005. It was only my old website which is … Continue reading →
Tips On How to Hitchhike in Japan
Reading Time: 4 minutes With another man also hitchhiking! His partner with him took the photo. Due to popular request I have complied a … Continue reading →
Distances Hitchhiked Since year 2005 / Sharing Christ with the Japanese
Reading Time: 3 minutes A white American hitchhiked throughout Japan consistently over a 20-year period.
Continue reading →Hitchhike Adventure to Aomori City and Kanto
Reading Time: 5 minutes On September 17th, 2016, I hitchhiked from the crossroads of Route 345 and Route 7 near Gatsugi Station in Murakami … Continue reading →
First Hitchhiking Adventure of 2016 from Niigata City
Reading Time: 5 minutes On March 4th, 2016 I hitchhiked 100 kilometers or about 60 miles to the city of Tokamachi. It is a … Continue reading →
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