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.
2013 Golden Week Hitchhike Adventure to Aomori
Reading Time: 3 minutes From April 27th to April 29th I hitchhiked 986 kilometers in 12 vehicles From Niigata to Aomori Prefecture and back. … Continue reading →
Adventures in Kanto
Reading Time: 5 minutes From March 16th to the 19th I traveled to and around the Kanto area of central Honshu in 15 vehicles, … Continue reading →
First all day hitchhike adventure of 2013
Reading Time: 4 minutes On February 22nd, I hitchhiked from Niigata to Osaka, the first all day hitchhiking trip this year. My destination of … Continue reading →
Year 2012 Hitchhike Distance Chart
Reading Time: < 1 minute The chart shows the distance travelled by hitch hiking in Japan from 2005 to 2012. The final trip of the … Continue reading →
November 2012 Adventure to Aomori
Reading Time: 3 minutes Today was cloudy when I started out on my journey to Aomori city, 470 kilometers from home. I wore for … Continue reading →
Autumn Adventure to Saitama
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was fine weather when I started out from Niigata City at 10 a.m. My destination was Sayama City in … Continue reading →
Tribulated trip to Osaka
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been about half a year since visiting the Kansai area of Japan. “Kansai” literally means, “Western Barrier” and consists … Continue reading →
Two Adventures through Northeast Japan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Having fun hitchhiking in northern Japan, making new friends, and saving a bucket of cash.
Continue reading →Treated to an Oyster snack
Reading Time: 2 minutes Getting treated to an oyster snack on my 400-mile hitchhike adventure in Northern Japan.
Continue reading →Rescued by two Muslim men from Pakistan on a rainy day
Reading Time: 7 minutes July 16, 2012: The previous day I sprained my back while on the road in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. This … Continue reading →
Comments
Hitchhiking In Japan — No Comments
HTML tags allowed in your comment: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>