Things To Know

There are a few important things to know about how I’m laying out this guide / post:

The Route

As I mentioned before, it’s much harder to come up with an itinerary for someone visiting for the second time. This particular route is one that I personally like because it gets you to some places that the regular Japan tourist probably wouldn’t venture. It gets you outside of the regular Tokyo-Osaka-Kyoto circuit, and you have a chance to see a big change in weather / temperature.

There is one problem with this route, though: You’re missing out on all of Western Japan in favor of the North / Northeast. So, keep that in mind when you’re deciding your second trip. Personally I like the North over the West, though, so that’s the whole reason why we’re focusing our time there during round two!

JR Pass

Just like with your first trip to Japan, you’re going to want to get a JR Pass. I’ve always used JRpass.com in the past, but I’m sure any of the JR Pass websites should get you what you need at a reasonable rate. For this trip, getting a JR Pass is 100% necessary. It may seem like a lot to spend ~$500 on a two-week ticket, but it’s going to save you so much in the long run. We’re going to be covering more distance via Japan Rail compared to last time, so don’t forget to order one of these!

Finding Places To Stay

Also like last time, I’m not going to go into much detail on where to stay. That’s going to be up to you. I’ll give you information on the general area, you find a hotel / ryokan / hostel inside that area.

Packing

I’d recommend packing a small rolling suitcase or backpacking it. You’ll be on the train a lot, so big luggage is just going to cause trouble. Pack light, wash your clothes often, and enjoy the ease of smaller luggage. If you have anything that you want to take back with you (and you will), I’d recommend sending it to yourself via postage, or just waiting until you’re in Tokyo / the airport to do your shopping.

Day 1: Fly Into Narita, Transfer And Fly To Sapporo

This time around, we’re just going to fly into Narita and then leave right after to go to Sapporo. Due to potential delays and all that, there are a couple of options here.

1. You could just do a direct flight to Sapporo, if that’s something you’re able to do.
2. You could schedule a transfer for soon after you get in.
3. You could schedule a transfer for later in the evening (if you arrive in the morning) or the early next morning.

I like “the next morning” personally, but it’s up to you. Point is, we’re flying into Narita (because I’m assuming that most people fly into Narita – if you’re not, then adjust accordingly) then getting on another plane to Sapporo. Note that this flight to Sapporo should be ONE-WAY.

Sidenote: If you have the time, and you should, be sure to go pick up your JR Pass at the airport station. You can get them in Sapporo too, but it’s easier if you just get it out of the way.

Days 2-4: Sapporo, Otaru, Nikka Whiskey

Welcome to Sapporo! I hope you found a nice place to stay. Depending on when you visit, it may be very cold and snowy or it may be moderately warm and sunny. Whichever it is, there’s fun things to do in both situations! I’d recommend spending your days doing something like this:

1. Explore Sapporo: There’s a lot to see and do in Sapporo, though most of them have to do with food. Be sure to eat some Jingisu Khan, go to the fish market and have some of the best seafood / seafood donburi you’ve ever tasted, go up the TV tower, visit Ramen Republic AND Ramen Alley, go to the Sapporo brewery, eat some melon, some soft serve, and some melon soft serve, and see the “Boys, Be Ambitious” statue (there are sheep and stuff too).
2. Otaru: Once you’ve gotten Sapporo out of your system, be sure to go to Otaru. It’s a moderately short train ride to the North and you get some awesome ocean views as your train rides right along the coast. If it’s winter and stormy out… the waves crash up against a wall just feet from the train. It’s awesome. In Otaru, at least in the summer, there are tons of shops. The place is pretty famous for its seafood, its various sweets companies (like, ridiculously famous and crowded), and canal. There’s plenty to do here and you can easily spend most of a day walking around.
3. Nikka Whiskey: If you don’t spend your whole day at Otaru, or you have priorities more in line with mine, you’ll want to keep riding the train to Nikka Whiskey Distillery in Yoichi. You will be able to taste some of the best whiskey you’ve ever had, and the tour/story of the place is pretty interesting too. Be sure to go to the bar and sample everything in the book. Don’t be tempted to buy any alcohol-related souvenirs (unless you’re planning to drink it while in Japan), though. You can’t mail alcohol in Japan, and carrying these bottles around will be a pain. You can buy pretty much everything Nikka at the duty free stores in the airport, and they’re often cheaper too.

There’s more to do in and around Hokkaido, depending on when you’re visiting. If you’re there during the winter, things like skiing and snowboarding will be options. If you’re there during the summer you might want to explore the outer reaches of this Northern Island, or go to Showa Shinzan for some hot spring time.

Days 5-6: Travel Day / Hakodate / Aomori / Sendai

Since we’re taking the train from Sapporo, you’ll have a lot of time to stop, look around, and then get back on (thank you JR Pass!). Do keep in mind that during the winter trains are often delayed, so make sure you’re flexible! Whatever you do, I’d recommend stopping and staying in one of these places for one or two of the nights, otherwise you’re in for a 12ish hour train ride back to Tokyo.

1. Hakodate: This city was the first in Japan to open its ports to foreign trade back in 1854 so it has some interesting architecture and influences going on. That being said, there was a huge fire in 1934 that wiped out a lot of it, so keep that in mind. It also has the Goryoukaku Fort, which is an awesome star-shaped fort (hard to see from the ground, though). The history of this fort is pretty interesting too, but I’ll leave that to your own curiosity should you choose to follow it.
2. Aomori: Probably my favorite place of the three, this city is at the Northern edge of Honshu (the main island) and also where the shinkansen starts and ends, depending on which direction you’re going. If you can get to Aomori, the rest of the ride back towards Tokyo should be pretty fast and easy. I don’t think you could spend several days here (at least on a 2-week trip), but if you do be sure to check out the Modern Art Museum, the Jomon Museum, and anything you can find that’s apple related. Basically, Aomori = Apples, so if you’re here during apple season then… good for you! Also be sure to try the vinegar, black garlic, and whatever other foods you can get your hands on. Aomori food is pretty awesome, and will be a nice refresher after all the Jingis Khan, beer, and seafood that you ate in Sapporo.
3. Sendai: Of course there’s Sendai as well, which is very close to where the Tohoku Earthquake of 2011 hit. The city itself is pretty much business as usual, though if you go outside the city to try to visit places like Ishinomaki (to go to Cat Island?) you’ll still see a lot of cleared land from where the tsunami hit. There’s plenty to do in Sendai, though when I’m there it’s usually to go to Cat Island, so… there you go. Sendai is also a good spot to stop for the night if it’s getting late and trains are running out.

Days 7-10: Travel, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji

Days 7-10 are going to depend on how long you spent in Northeast Japan. First you should spend some of it traveling to Tokyo. If it’s early enough, keep going to Mt. Fuji. If not, stay the night and then leave again in the morning. Don’t worry, we’ll be back.

In terms of “Mt. Fuji”, though, there are a lot of options. There are so many places on and around Mt. Fuji that are worth visiting that I’d need an entire other article or two to go through them. So, you’ll need to do the research for that on your own. It’s going to depend on things like whether or not you want onsen, whether or not you want to climb it, or whether or not you want to ride roller coasters. If it’s the last option, then be sure to go to Fuji-Q highland. There’s onsen there as well. Two of my favorite roller coasters are at Fuji-Q, and I don’t say that lightly.

Anyways, spend a couple days in and around Fuji. If you run out of things to do here you can always move on to the next section early and then go back to Tokyo a little early too.

Days 10-12: Things You Missed

These days are for things that you missed last time. What did you want to do that you couldn’t? Snow monkeys? Nikko? What else? There had to have been something, even if it’s just going back to Tokyo to sit in an arcade all day to play Gundam Extreme.

Alternatively, you could also head West for a day or two. I wouldn’t go too far (as that will be another trip… let’s say your third one), but feel free to look around and see the things you want. These are free days after all, and Mt. Fuji provides a nice “middle ground” between Tokyo and the West.

Days 13-14: Tokyo, Shopping, Going Home

Once again there has to be some time for shopping / Tokyo touristing. There’s always a lot to do in Tokyo, though I tend to avoid the city as much as possible. Come back, get your omiyage done, and head on out. Don’t forget to pick up your Nikka Whiskey at the duty free shop in Narita (and leave some space in your suitcase as well).

For A 1-Week Trip

To turn this into a 1-week trip instead of a two, you’ll want to cut out the Fuji part, the “things you missed” part, and then shorten up your time during days 5-6 to just one day if you can. Of course, you can now adjust more appropriately on your own since you’ve been to Japan before and know what you like and don’t like, but that’s where I’d use the ol’ trip razor.

I hope this helps some of you to plan your second trips to Japan! Let me know in the comments what kind of second trips you’d plan if it were you. Surely it will help out some other people planning second trips who don’t have the same tastes as me :)

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But foreign culture slipped in in more obvious ways too. One of the biggest eras of Japanese history was the Meiji Restoration, when Japan opened up to the world and invited foreign influence into the country.

Even with all of that foreign influence in Japan, it’s surprising that one of the most longlasting figures from the Meiji era has been an American man. Even though William S. Clark has been dead for over a century, most people in Japan recognize his legacy today.

Soldier, Scientist, Gentleman

William S. Clark was a badass 19^th century renaissance man. He was a colonel in the Civil War, the president of a university, and the president of a mining company. Plus, like all men of that era, he had sweet facial hair.

The knowledge we want, the mustache we need.

But none of these things are why Clark is remembered today in Japan. Clark is known for his work as a foreign advisor to Japan during the Meiji Restoration.

He was hired on by the Japanese government to establish a college in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island and bring Western-style education to Japan.

A former president at an American university, Clark had no trouble getting into the swing of things. He built Sapporo Agricultural College from the ground up, quickly bonding with local leaders and, of course, the students themselves.

Clark’s time in Sapporo was especially appreciated because of Hokkaido’s standing in Japan. At times, Hokkaido can feel very isolated from the rest of Japan; a separate, distinct, sometimes underdeveloped island.

The fact that Clark put so much hard work and care into working with people in Hokkaido meant a lot to the people there. It was clear to them that Clark cared a great deal about Hokkaido’s well-being.

But Clark’s time in Hokkaido wasn’t to be long. He returned to the US after a little under a year in Japan.

As he left, Clark said something that put him in the history books. He shouted to his students

Boys, be ambitious!

. . . well, maybe. There are a ton of different stories about what Clark actually said that fateful day. Variations include:

• Boys, be ambitious, like this old man!
• Boys, be ambitious for Christ!
• Boys, be ambitious! Be ambitious not for money or for selfish aggrandizement, not for that evanescent thing which men call fame. Be ambitious for that attainment of all that a man ought to be.

But even if we don’t have the quote right, it doesn’t matter. Clark’s legacy has been imprinted upon Japan.

Immortal Words

“Boys, be ambitious” (or 少年よ大志を抱け) has become familiar saying in Japan. It’s not the kind of thing you hear in everyday conversation, but it’s something that people (especially around Hokkaido) know about. I’d compare it to the English saying “Keep calm and carry on.”

Even if it’s not an idiom people use every day, it’s been immortalized in other ways. “Boys, be ambitious” can be found carved into stone and written in metal in tributes to Clark.

But it doesn’t stop there. “Boys, be ambitious” is used in ads, TV shows, anime, movies, music, and virtually any other form of media that you can think of.

Given few, if any, of the media that use the saying have anything to do with Hokkaido or Clark, but that’s beside the point.

Even if only a few Japanese people know who William S. Clark is, I’d expect that he’d be happy that his message has been carried so far for so long, inspiring people across Japan to be a little more determined than they might normally.

TofuguTV Season 1.5, Or 2, Or 1

When we go back this time, we’re going as a team. None of this “take footage of myself Survivorman style” ridiculousness. There will be two people on camera (Viet & Hashi) and we’re going to have great equipment (5d, 7d, plus more side dongles and widgemawoozles than you can shake a tripod at). We’ve also been practicing quite a bit over the last month trying to hone our craft and learn how to make a documentary style show. I hope it really shows in this show, because we really, really want to make something a lot more professional than what we’ve been doing in the past.

So, I’m considering the last Season (which isn’t even all published yet) a test-run. So, it’s like Season 0.5, or something like that. I learned a lot from that trip and want to apply that knowledge and more to another month of shooting, and this time there will be multiple cameramen.

New Places!

We only have a few places really planned out, but they’re big deals. The first scheduled place we’ll be heading to the Snow Festival in Hokkaido to see the snow sculptures, ice sculptures, ice bars, and giant snow slides (will have to take multiple shots of this until we get it right / I’ve had enough slide time).

The second scheduled place is the big Yuki Gassen tournament also in Hokkaido. That’s basically just a big professional snowball fighting contest. I’m pretty stoked. I’m also hoping one of the teams is short a player due to some kind of “unfortunate” accident… *cough, cough*

On top of the scheduled places, we have many unscheduled places we plan to go to as well. So many of them are places you’ve probably never heard of or dreamed that they even existed. I’ve been keeping a giant list, so there’ll be more than we could ever hope to go to in our time there. I’m sure you’ll hear more about these places at a later date.

Old Places!

There are also some places I want to go back to. Of course, there’s Cat Island, Japan. All those Cat Island sequel titles aren’t all that ridiculous anymore, are they? I’ve gathered that you folks pretty much love cats more than almost anything.

There are a few places I want to refilm from Season 1, too. Places like Jigokudani (where monkeys go to hang out in hot springs) and Okunoshima (Rabbit Island) come to mind, but there might be a couple of other places that we’ll re-go to as well.

With all the practice we’ve done, the new equipment, and not to mention an actual crew… well, I just think some places deserve another shot. No pun intended.

Research & Resources

It’s not all fun and games, though. I also am planning to do research and collect resources for posts, TextFugu lessons, and more. Lots of opportunity to take pictures and video that can be used to help you to learn Japanese. No better place to do it than Japan, don’t you think? Hopefully you’ll start to see these particular fruits of labor sometime in March or April.

When We’ll Be Going

We’re going to spend the month of February gallivanting around taking video of things in Japan. For the most part we don’t have a schedule and won’t plan things until the day or two before, so we won’t really know where we’ll be and when.

This also means that things will be on a limited schedule here on Tofugu. Posts are getting cut back to 5 a week (sometimes more, never less) and responses to email will probably be slowed down. We’ll try to keep things running as normally as possible, but since we’re all traveling around at the same time it’s going to be a little more difficult than usual.

So, that’s it. Just letting you know what’s up. We’re all very excited and we’ve all been working very hard getting ready for this. I hope we can do a good job filming and editing to bring you a taste of Japan that you probably haven’t seen or heard of before.

P.S. And, in case you wanted it (we all know you did), our wonderful artist Aya has put together a desktop background based off the header image on this post. Enjoy!

1280 x 800, 1440 x 900, 1680 x 1050, 2560 x 1440

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The Hayakita Yukidaruma-kai (yukidaruma means snowman, kai means company or group) sent a commemorative snowman to encourage Yoshihiko Noda (the prime minister of Japan), who referenced snowmen in his victory speech when he said, “Managing a government is like pushing a snowball up a hill in order to make a snowman. We cannot have any more infighting, as this is like the snowball falling back down the hill and just getting heavier. We must pull together to push the snowball back up the hill for the sake of the public. Together, with all of you, I will work so that the people of Japan will not regret choosing us as the ruling party of Japan.”

This show of gratitude by Hayakita was also a smart publicity move for the remote town. Located in the boonies of Abira County, Hokkaido, Hayakita has done the impossible in creating both interest and income from snow. In this clever ploy, they have greatly increased their revenue in what would normally be their off-season. The town also has its very own snowman post office complete with a snowman mailbox and a snowman roof. Cute!

The workers pack snow into styrofoam snowmen and send them off to folks in warmer climates who placed their orders either online or at their local post office. The snowmen cost 4,000 yen (~$52) for 18-inchers, and 5,000 yen (~$65) for 22-inchers. Seems pretty expensive to me. Especially for something that isn’t going to last very long. With more than 65,000 units shipped since 1986 though, Hayakita seems to be doing pretty well for themselves regardless.

Unfortunately, Abira has been suffering from less than ideal amounts of snowfall lately, which has forced Hayakita Yukidaruma-kai to import snow from the town of Yubari. The organization is distributing “snowman kits” to villagers there who then fill them up with snow and bring them back to the Hayakita post office.

Picture unrelated. Just creepy.

“A snowman year-round, delivered” is the proud motto of Hayakita Yukidaruma-kai. Just imagine the joy and excitement of all the little Japanese children waking up to a real snowman and touching snow for the very first time, their little eyes twinkling, their little Japanese faces all aglow with the joy of this wondrous experience made possible by the nice folks over at Hayakita Yukidaruma-kai. All to have it instantly melt before their eyes. Merry Christmas!

You also may have noticed that these snowmen have no arms and are made up of only two balls of snow instead of three as they are in the West. Why, you ask? Well, in Japanese, snowmen are called yukidaruma. The name is a combination of yuki (snow), and daruma which is the Japanese name for an ancient Buddhist monk. Nowadays, many Japanese buy little red darumas as good luck charms. These dolls are purchased at the end of the year to make a wish. People fill one eye in when they get it, and they fill in the other eye a year later if their wish comes true.

The resemblance between these dolls and Japanese snowmen is pretty self-explanatory, and we can safely assume that the origins of the Japanese snowman are rooted in Buddhism.

But why are daruma dolls armless in the first place? Another good question. It is said that Bodhidharma meditated before a wall for so long (nine years!) that his arms and legs atrophied and fell off, so the doll is modeled accordingly. Daruma dolls are hollow with a round shape and are weighted at the bottom in such a way that they will always return to an upright position when toppled. In Japanese this is referred to as an okiagari. Oki means “to get up” and agari means “to rise.” This characteristic of the daruma doll has come to symbolize success, overcoming adversity, and recovering from misfortune.

Darumas are often illustrated alongside the phrase Nanakorobi Yaoki, which translates to “seven times down, eight times up.” Pretty motivational, I think. Daruma-dude, you’re an okay guy.

P.S. Think yukidaruma are just as cool as homegrown American snowmen? Like us on Facebook.
P.P.S. Think this snowman business is a silly idea and can’t believe it’s a success? Follow us on Twitter.

Perhaps it’s climate change. Perhaps it was the particularly hot summer and the lack of acorns. Perhaps it’s because of habitat loss… who knows. All I know is Japanese bear attacks have hit a sharp rise, and that’s no good.

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Between April and September, 80 people were hurt and four people got killed by bears. On top of that, they’ve had to shoot a lot more bears, because they’re coming into towns, cities, and so on. I’m guessing most of the bears are up in the northern island of Hokkaido (they’re known for bears), but this is still a bit scary for someone like me who has an irrational fear of bears and will be traveling all over Japan next month for TofuguTV.

Watch the video if you want to learn less than you just learned. Basically, I’m just worried about bears. Besides the technique provided in the video, how do you defend yourself against bears? Any tips? Remember, Japanese bears are smaller, several times more efficient, and possibly wearing mech suits. Totally changes everything.

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15 Questions, 1 Answer:

Go Hitchhiking!

1. Trains are so comfortable, not to mention punctual. Why should I hitchhike?

Hitchhiking is more than a just means of transportation. It’s a conversation. It’s a story. Every trip is unique. In Japan in particular, you are likely to find yourself in crazy/amusing/interesting situations with surprising frequency. During my trip, I was invited to a hockey party, climbed a mountain, attended festivals, taught at a school for a day, earned my keep at a ryokan, and met a ton of incredible people. At first I thought I was just lucky, but the adventures kept on coming!

Hitchhiking is a thrilling breath of fresh air from the typical tourist routes and agendas. The fact that it’s much cheaper is an added bonus. In my books, there’s no better way to travel in Japan.

2.  The Japanese generally have strong boundaries against people “outside” their social network.  In spite of this cultural trait, you managed to get people to not only pay attention to you, but let you hitchhike with them.  Why do you think that is?

I think that, to some degree at least, stereotypes don’t apply for hitchhikers. It’s true that the Japanese can be more closed off to strangers, but my drivers were generally open and outgoing. This is no doubt because of the very biased sample I had; even if only one in fifty drivers would dare to invite a stranger into their car, that one in fifty is exactly who would stop and cheerfully offer me a lift. There’s also a very strong culture of hospitality in Japan, such that once you are in the car, you are on the “inside,” so to speak.

As for specific motivations, I was curious about this as well, and asked some of the drivers why they chose to stop. I wrote about their answers in a blog post I wrote here.

3.  Japan is known for its regional identities.  Do you think that hitchhiking worked particularly well in an area like Hokkaido, or do you think it would work equally well in Kanto or Kansai?

While Hokkaidans certainly have a reputation for being friendly and laid back, I’ve read accounts of successful hitchhiking in many other parts of Japan as well. In general, rural areas are better for good, frequent rides. I’d like to try hitchhiking in Shikoku and Kyūshū next.

4.  Hitchhiking has kind of a bad rap in the US because of its negative and scary image in the media. What do Japanese people generally think of hitchhikers?

I’m not sure how hitchhikers in general are viewed, but a lot of people I met were afraid for my safety. “I can’t believe you just hop in the car with so many strangers!” Hitchhiking is quite rare in Japan and is something that most people there would never consider doing.

That said, I think people generally overestimate the danger involved. I know this sounds a bit morbid, but I think, statistically, I was far more likely to be hurt in a car accident than at the hand of a maniacal, chainsaw-wielding madman.

Still, I always look for clues to expose potentially dangerous drivers. If you can see a bloody knife under the seat, hastily covered by an extremist anti-establishment magazine, perhaps you should think twice. 危ない, でしょう…

5.  What kinds of people usually picked you up?  Did you notice any patterns?  Who should future hitchhikers wave wildly at for their best bet as a ride?

Actually, there were almost no patterns in the types of people who picked me up. I got rides with students, retirees, businesspeople, cooks, farmers, a hairdresser, a professional cyclist, and even a CEO. I wouldn’t give up on any car unless the seats were full (or if that bloody knife were visible of course).

I’m a fan of statistics, so I collected some information about each ride and driver during the trip. I’ll be posting more details on my blog in future.

6.  Did you speak Japanese a lot while riding with your hitchhiking hosts or were they more interested in getting free roadside English lessons?

I spent a lot of time speaking Japanese on the trip, which was great for me. It really took me out of the “English bubble” I’d been living in, and my Japanese improved a lot as a result. Kids in particular were great to chat with, and never shy about asking questions.

Regarding people looking for English lessons, this woman was the only one. Overall though, not many of the drivers who picked me up could (or dared to) speak English.

I’d say that understanding some Japanese is fairly important to having a good time hitchhiking there. A basic vocabulary should be fine, and you can get from A to B even without that, but they will be quiet rides if you’ve got nothing to work with. Some hitchhikers even hold a sign saying “日本語できる” to help their chances of a ride, but I found it not to be necessary. (Even destination signs are generally not needed except in special circumstances, and can often work against the hitchhiker.)

6.  What was the worst situation you found yourself in while hitchhiking, and how did you manage to get out of it?

Luckily, I was never in truly dire circumstances. It helped that I had lots of good advice via The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Japan, by Will Ferguson.

I ended up lost for several hours in Tomakomai, at the mercy of convenience store employees’ directional abilities. Of course getting lost is part of traveling, and I was eventually helped out by a friendly surfer named Osamu.

7.  Japanese people can be OVERLY accommodating sometimes.  What was the most over the top gesture of hospitality that you encountered?

Would you call a marriage proposal over the top? She explained that she had no husband and said, “You’re good looking and I’m rich — kekkon shimashou ka?”

Another time, a man offered to drive me to the nearest city, but only if I stayed at his house for three days. I politely declined that one.

In general though, the gestures of hospitality were wonderful. I can’t overstate the kindness I was shown.

8.  Where did you usually stay once your ride for the day finished?

Because I had a tent, I was able to stay almost anywhere. I pitched it in parks, near beaches, and campgrounds where possible. Youth hostels were also nice for a break from camping.

To get a complete picture of where I stayed, I have prepared the following pie chart.

9.  Did you use any online resources to help you find housing, rides, etc like couchsurfing.org?

I did use couchsurfing, but only once. One of the great things about my trip was its lack of planning — on a given day I could go as far as I wanted or not go anywhere at all, which made arrangements with hosts tough to make. The one time I did use it was excellent, though. I highly recommend joining the couchsurfing community.

10.  Should girls feel equally safe hitchhiking in Japan as guys?  What is your advice for the hitchhiking ladies of Japan?

Japan is one of the safest countries in the world, but it’s ultimately up to the girl to decide whether it’s safe enough. Girls who are hesitant could try hitchhiking with a friend. Or with me :P

11.  What was the wonkiest car you ever rode in while hitchhiking?

I felt pretty cool sitting in Kawaii-san’s SK-139. I wrote about the ride here.

12.  What season is best to hitchhike in?

I’d avoid the rainy season and the winter months if you’re camping.

13.  What happens when no one picks you up?

Wait longer!

The “hitchhiker’s mantra” can be very comforting during the longer stretches of waiting. Eventually, someone will stop.

On average, I waited about 20 minutes per ride. The longest I ever waited was 1.5 hours. I received 59 rides during my trip though, and with that many rides you’re bound to have one or two tough waits.

14.  Did you ever get caught in a storm?  What did you do?

Usually, when it rained I was lucky enough to have shelter. コンビニ are great for this*.

There were times when I tried to hitchhike in heavy rain, but I rarely had success. Rain works against the hitchhiker. One might think you’d benefit from drivers’ sympathy in the rain, but bad weather has the even stronger effect of making everyone look a little more sinister. Picture dark gray clouds, blankets of rain, and Mother Teresa standing on a street corner. Is she concealing a knife? Possibly. Never trust a wet nun.

*I took an informal poll of my drivers and discovered that their preferred convenience store was split 50/50 between 7-11 and Seikomart. No love for Lawson, sadly.

15.  In your experience, what should future hitchhikers avoid doing so as to maximize the good times and limit the bad?

May I offer a top ten?

1. Read The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Japan. It’s full of useful information and even possible routes to take. The list below is good, but it’s no replacement.
2. Try to stay in rural areas (urban hitchhiking is possible, but it’s harder and less rewarding)
3. Bring a good map, a camera, and a journal.
4. Be as outgoing, talkative, and generous as possible with your drivers. They will generally act likewise.
5. If possible, bring small, inexpensive gifts for your drivers and hosts. You will want to show your gratitude, if only with a small token.
6. Bring a tent to save money (also, like turtles, you’re never truly stranded when your home is on your back).
7. Be clear that you need not reach your destination in one ride. When asked where you’re going, phrases like “西のほう” or “[name-of-town]のほう” work well).
8. Understand that some people will offer to help you only because they feel obligated. Try to recognize these situations and politely decline.
9. When possible, wait on the edge of town to avoid local traffic.
10. Stop hesitating and do it! Get out there, hold out your thumb, and smile. Adventure awaits.

This post was a collaboration between Nick W. and David Martindale, which was started through a call for travel stories to feature in the Tofugu blog post series called Japan [Off the Beaten Track].  If you have interesting travel stories, suggestions for a featured location, or anything else you would like to share about traveling in Japan, please contact Nick W. at nick@tofugu.com.

David Martindale recently returned from Japan, where he taught English for a year at an amazing school in Kawasaki. After teaching, he embarked on a month-long hitchhiking trip, about which you can read more on his blog called Hitching Without A Hitch.