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.
Adventure from Aomori to Niigata via Misawa and Fukushima
Reading Time: 2 minutes Yoko Kosaka Sept. 22, 2009: This is a continuation of my previous post. The return to Niigata from Aomori took … Continue reading →
Adventure from Niigata to Aomori via Fukushima
Reading Time: 2 minutes The Tohoku area of Northern Honshu, Japan. The red light shows my usual route to Aomori City, and the blue … Continue reading →
Picked up by an 85 year old driver
Reading Time: < 1 minute An 85 year old man who picked me up. Sept. 4, 2009: After waiting about 15 minutes for a ride … Continue reading →
Hitchhike adventure to Noda city, Chiba Prefecture
Reading Time: < 1 minute Natsuki (22) who took me to Echigo Kawaguchi August 18: On a hot summer day I traveled in four vehicles … Continue reading →
The return home from Osaka
Reading Time: 2 minutes Mr. and Mrs. Itou August 11: Today is the last day of my road trip since last July 25th. It … Continue reading →
Hitchhike adventure from Oita City to Mount Rokkō, Kobe
Reading Time: 3 minutes August 8: It was fine weather, a Saturday and close to the beginning of the Obon Festival when family travel … Continue reading →
Adventure from Kita-Kyushu to Oita City
Reading Time: < 1 minute Youji and Miki August 5: I hitchhiked to Oita City down route 10, a distance of over 60 kilometers in … Continue reading →
Adventure from Fukuoka City to Kitakyushu
Reading Time: < 1 minute New friend Shizu with Mannah, daughter of Caleb and Tabita The third driver was a lady, Mrs. Kuwahara. She has … Continue reading →
Adventure from Kobe to Fukuoka City
Reading Time: 2 minutes August 2: Today I needed to travel as far as Fukuoka City in Kyushu – a long distance of over … Continue reading →
Adventure from Hamamatsu to Otsu City
Reading Time: 2 minutes July 30: After a short wait at Hamamatsu Nishi IC, Mr. Sawaguchi took me to the Miai parking area near … Continue reading →
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