Haruto Uzumaki
渦巻ハルト
- 24 Apr 2022
- 382
- 470
Yes, it's possible to hitchhike in Japan in 2025. So how did it go for me? I'll share my experience with you, including the difficulties and things you should know.
I'll start with an overview of the timeline on my story. I came to Tokyo on the second to last week of April, just in time to prepare for an event I was to attend there. Limited money, but I was determined to go to this event to advance in my goals and further develop some connections. Additionally, I wanted to be able to meet some Japanese friends I have been talking with online for a long time, one living in Nagoya. How was I going to accomplish this with a small amount of money? Two ways, hitchhiking and couchsurfing. However, net cafes (ネットカフェ) would be the next alternative in case I couldn't couchsurf (which ended up being the case). Sidenote, don't use couchsurfing site for couchsurfing, use couchers.org or other free alternatives.
Upon arriving in Japan, I quickly realized that the net cafe address I had chosen to stay at no longer existed somehow (maybe the information wasn't up to date online during my planning 6 months prior). Basically, this led me to find other net cafes which ranged from being far too expensive and being slight rip-offs to even being so bad I did not stay in them and just took a shower only. One had a shower room so comically small I basically only had enough space to open and close the door... I still don't know how I got out of there in time with my luggage...
Anyway, I add this info because net cafes will be a crucial role in your hitchhiking experience, in the event you cannot hitchhike successfully for some days and don't want to shell out ridiculous amounts of money for a hotel (and even hostels can be quite expensive and not as flexible as net cafes). With a net cafe, you can get a shower for as little as 300-500 yen for 30 minutes, with typically around 150-200 yen for 15 minutes extensions. Try to store your luggage somewhere else if possible, and put your clothes in a bag to bring with you into the shower room. If you need to sleep indoors for 6 hours, a net cafe can have you covered with a small room for as little as 1500-2000 yen for 6 hours, depending on which one you go to. In Tokyo, I recommend Manboo (マンボー). In Osaka, I recommend Popeye Media Cafe (ポパイ). Mileage may vary for other prefectures and net cafe chains.
Now to the actual hitchhiking experience. After attending the event and meeting the first friend in Tokyo, it was time for me to set out towards Nagoya to meet my next friend. At this point much of my money had been stolen and if I didn't have a reason to hitchhike before, I definitely had one by then. Following the advice from John Daub | Only in Japan, I bought a thick marker (for the best price go to a supermarket, but they exist at convenience stores for around 200 yen) and managed to attain cardboard (段ボール) for a sign. Getting cardboard can be tricky as even though many stores receive tons of cardboard boxes for item shipments, the disposal process can be hard to snipe and some stores like Don Quixote will even charge you for their used cardboard boxes (outrageous, we're doing you a service by taking them away for you!), but no need to worry because I figured out the most optimal thing to do. Unlike most sources which say to target large supermarkets, the best way is truly to walk through a restaurant strip like one you may find in kabukicho, and often you'll notice some broken down cardboard boxes being left out on the street or in a corner next to the store for disposal. Just out of courtesy, make sure to ask the restaurant owner 「段ボールを取ってもいいですか？」（danbōru wo totte mo ii desu ka?）／「段ボールを受け取れますか？」（danbōru wo uketoremasu ka?）, and surely they will be happy to let you take them freely.
Okay, we've got the requirements for setting up a sign. What do you write on it? Well, various things work, but generally make it clear where you want to go, and also add a "compromise" of where you're willing to be taken to. So for example, I wanted to go to Nagoya, but from Tokyo that is a far distance, so I made sure it was clear I would be fine going just to a service/parking area. What's that, you ask? SA/PA are just the equivalent of "rest stops" in Japan, on the highway. These are important because they serve as easy "checkpoints" to continue your journey to the final destination in case someone can't take you the entire way. Something to keep in mind about these though: there are two parts to a service/parking area, 上り and 下り (upper and lower levels). Despite John Daub having no issue being dropped off at the upper level and hitchhiking from there (highway patrol passing him many times with no issue), for some reason the highway patrol stopped me and made me go downstairs to the lower level because the "rules" say you can't do it on the upper level in case you get stuck there with no one picking you up (which makes no sense because that could happen to anyone even if they had a car, if they run out of gas or their car breaks down). In hindsight I should've asked to be shown this "rule", because as far as I know it's completely legal to hitchhike at the upper level. However, I complied and went down to the lower level. Once you go down to the lower level, you can't get back to the upper level without entering the highway again by car. Keep that in mind when hitchhiking from a service area.
Anyway, back to writing the sign. Mildly embarrassingly, despite having decent Japanese proficiency by now, I can't write Japanese to save my life unless I see the kanji from somewhere else (basically can't write from memory), so I looked up the kanji strokes for each kanji to create my sign (at least upon sharing it with a friend they said it looked written at the level of a Japanese person). It was a bit suboptimal and originally said 「名古屋へ」and「日本語OK」on one side with the other side saying 「SA/PA」, but eventually a Japanese person kindly rewrote a better sign for me that read 「名古屋まで」 and「サービスエリアまででもOK」 because the average Japanese person doesn't actually know what "SA" or "PA" stands for.
Alright, we've finally got our sign, now what? Well now, we have to pick an optimal location to hold it. That took a while for me because I didn't fully understand the way the highways worked and ran (and still don't), so I basically spun my wheels for a while, and will try to provide info to make sure that doesn't happen for anyone reading this. I first tried to find the closest service area or parking area near me, since I could not really move far with my broken luggage, and I eventually got close to the Yoyogi PA. I thought if I could just get to the PA, I would be able to move on from there quite easily. However that proved to be a little difficult, and as it turns out, the highway that PA was connected to essentially only went around in a loop and would never be able to take me towards Nagoya. A kind Japanese woman saw me out at night trying to hitchhike to the PA, and told me (mostly in English) that Nagoya is in the opposite direction. I still thought that maybe if I could get to the PA, I could get a ride towards the other direction so I kept trying for the rest of the night, getting some snacks intermittently from the convenience stores and trying till the morning. Took a few rests in between and eventually another kind Japanese woman came up to me (again in English) and asked me if I was okay and let me know that my hoodie + mask made me look suspicious for hitchhiking (unfortunately the mask is almost mandatory for me due to various reasons). She eventually came back with two of her friends and gave me an improved sign + a goodie bag and we all had a wholesome moment
they told me a better place to try is the 246 highway in Shibuya since there's no way to get to my destination from the current area so I set out towards Shibuya. After a lot of toil and asking around to get to the right highway I eventually reached the area near the 246 ramp to the highway.
I had to acclimate but eventually found I could basically live under the highway, so I did, and held my sign almost daily to oncoming traffic. Still had no success yet in hitchhiking though many people did look with a face of interest or support, so I kept going for over 10 days. However, over that period someone started targeting me to try and steal my stuff, and long story short once again even more of my money that I just made back got stolen again. It was of course hidden extra carefully but it seemed someone perfectly snatched the money and left everything else in the bag looking completely untouched (right before I was about to buy locks but couldn't because the store wasn't open yet). So definitely, if you are staying outside or leaving your belongings unattended in a special place like under a highway, still buy locks at least and lock up your bags and belongings (DAISO has these locks for 100 yen and even big strong locks for 500 yen).
After that, multiple attempts were still made on my belongings which prompted me to leave as soon as possible while I still could, because it was clear I was being targeted by someone and I would be in trouble if anything else important got stolen (I have reason to believe these attempts may have been by the 顕正会). Also, in general it just wasn't an optimal area to experience kindness from strangers (central busy Shibuya area). I got a taxi to take me to the next parking area ahead towards my goal, however they dropped me off at the bottom and I wanted to hitchhike from the top (plus it was about to rain and the bottom basically did not have any facilities for me to enter freely, so I ended up getting another taxi to take me onto the highway so I could get to the upper level. Ended up being a waste of money as you know, because once I tried to hitchhike from there the next morning, I got sent back down. From there I tried to figure out what to do or where to go and asked some police officers nearby if I could get to Nagoya from a nearby highway ramp I saw, and yes I could, so I went back and got my belongings and dragged them all the way to that area (which took hours). By the time I got there it was about 18:00 and I sat for a while, eating some snacks and watching the movement of the traffic to gauge how I should position myself and when I should hold my sign. Started holding it for a while and decided to keep going just until 1000 cars passed and then I would stop, since it got dark.
Luckily I was right in front of a McDonald's, so I bought some fries and enjoyed their warmth in the cold, and tried to figure out what to do next. I wasn't sure but eventually decided to go back to McDonald's, and bought a 40 yen barbeque sauce packet as "dine-in" just so I could go sit at the table and charge my phone instead of be outside in the cold with a dead phone. Then the McDonald's eventually closed by 0:00 and I went back outside, and walked around a couple times, right when I came back, a van eventually pulled up and a guy came out and told me to hop on, I was confused because I wasn't even holding a sign anymore, thinking it was too late to even bother trying but he knew I was trying to hitchhike and let me in. I determined it was safe enough (and that I had nothing to lose anyway) and put my luggage in and came with him. Interestingly enough, he turned out to be going back home to Aichi prefecture , which is where my destination was located within, so it was a coincidence that he happened to live where I wanted to go, without me even holding the sign up to him. He eventually told me the reason I never got picked up is because my mask and that I should smile, otherwise I can be seen as suspicious and scary. It's definitely interesting to me that despite the fact that so many Japanese people were wearing a mask even inside their car, this is the general consensus for hitchhiking. Either way, finally found success and wouldn't have it any other way. The best part is that he even offered me to live with him, and I accepted. We got to know each other along the way and eventually we reached his place at around 5 am. By the way, he's a bhuddist monk, and I eventually realized that I am actually living in a temple now, so yeah, what an enriching and unique experience Successful hitchhiking and couchsurfing all in one.
So to recap (with the help of ChatGPT) on what to take from my experience:
1. Prepare Before You Go
Bring a Thick Marker & Cardboard: Easily found at supermarkets or convenience stores (~200 yen). Get cardboard from restaurant strips that leave cardboard out for disposal.
Know Basic Japanese Phrases:
To ask for cardboard:
「段ボールを取ってもいいですか？」 or「段ボールを受け取れますか？」
2. Writing Your Hitchhiking Sign
Avoid Abbreviations: Most locals don't recognize "SA/PA." Instead write:
「(destination)まで」("To destination")
「サービスエリアまででもOK」(Okay to drop me off at a service area)
Legible, Clean Kanji: Look up stroke orders if you're not confident.
3. Where to Sleep & Shower on a Budget
Couchsurfing: First option, but not always available. Use couchers.org or other free sites, not couchsurfing.com, which has fallen from grace.
Net Cafes (ネットカフェ):
Tokyo Recommendation: Manboo (マンボー)
Osaka Recommendation: Popeye Media Cafe (ポパイ)
Showers: 300–500 yen (30 mins), 150–200 yen for 15 min extensions
Overnight stay: ~1500–2000 yen for 6 hours
Pro Tip: Store luggage elsewhere if possible to save space and hassle.
4. Choosing the Right Spot
Rest Areas (SA/PA):
Upper level (上り): Preferred but may be restricted by highway patrol and can only be reached via road vehicle.
Lower level (下り): Always accessible but harder to continue from.
Highway Entrances: Areas like Route 246 in Shibuya are more promising.
Be Aware of Highway Layouts: Some routes loop and don't go in your desired direction.
5. Safety and Practical Tips
Avoid Suspicious Behavior: Don't wear a mask when holding the sign—try to smile instead.
Appearance matters more than expected.
Protect Your Belongings: Use DAISO locks (100–500 yen) even if hiding your bags under a bridge.
Theft is real, even in low-crime areas.
Ask for Directions: Kind locals may help or offer better spots.
6. Patience Pays Off
Expect Delays: It may take 10+ days of trying.
Trust the Process: Often, it's a chance encounter that makes it happen.
Keep Spirits High: A simple smile or human interaction can change your fate.
7. The Unexpected Happens
You might get more than a ride—maybe a new friend, even a new home. The person who helped you may turn out to be someone special, like a monk inviting you to stay at a temple.
______________________________________________
Feel free to ask questions or ask for clarification!
I'll start with an overview of the timeline on my story. I came to Tokyo on the second to last week of April, just in time to prepare for an event I was to attend there. Limited money, but I was determined to go to this event to advance in my goals and further develop some connections. Additionally, I wanted to be able to meet some Japanese friends I have been talking with online for a long time, one living in Nagoya. How was I going to accomplish this with a small amount of money? Two ways, hitchhiking and couchsurfing. However, net cafes (ネットカフェ) would be the next alternative in case I couldn't couchsurf (which ended up being the case). Sidenote, don't use couchsurfing site for couchsurfing, use couchers.org or other free alternatives.
Upon arriving in Japan, I quickly realized that the net cafe address I had chosen to stay at no longer existed somehow (maybe the information wasn't up to date online during my planning 6 months prior). Basically, this led me to find other net cafes which ranged from being far too expensive and being slight rip-offs to even being so bad I did not stay in them and just took a shower only. One had a shower room so comically small I basically only had enough space to open and close the door... I still don't know how I got out of there in time with my luggage...
Anyway, I add this info because net cafes will be a crucial role in your hitchhiking experience, in the event you cannot hitchhike successfully for some days and don't want to shell out ridiculous amounts of money for a hotel (and even hostels can be quite expensive and not as flexible as net cafes). With a net cafe, you can get a shower for as little as 300-500 yen for 30 minutes, with typically around 150-200 yen for 15 minutes extensions. Try to store your luggage somewhere else if possible, and put your clothes in a bag to bring with you into the shower room. If you need to sleep indoors for 6 hours, a net cafe can have you covered with a small room for as little as 1500-2000 yen for 6 hours, depending on which one you go to. In Tokyo, I recommend Manboo (マンボー). In Osaka, I recommend Popeye Media Cafe (ポパイ). Mileage may vary for other prefectures and net cafe chains.
Now to the actual hitchhiking experience. After attending the event and meeting the first friend in Tokyo, it was time for me to set out towards Nagoya to meet my next friend. At this point much of my money had been stolen and if I didn't have a reason to hitchhike before, I definitely had one by then. Following the advice from John Daub | Only in Japan, I bought a thick marker (for the best price go to a supermarket, but they exist at convenience stores for around 200 yen) and managed to attain cardboard (段ボール) for a sign. Getting cardboard can be tricky as even though many stores receive tons of cardboard boxes for item shipments, the disposal process can be hard to snipe and some stores like Don Quixote will even charge you for their used cardboard boxes (outrageous, we're doing you a service by taking them away for you!), but no need to worry because I figured out the most optimal thing to do. Unlike most sources which say to target large supermarkets, the best way is truly to walk through a restaurant strip like one you may find in kabukicho, and often you'll notice some broken down cardboard boxes being left out on the street or in a corner next to the store for disposal. Just out of courtesy, make sure to ask the restaurant owner 「段ボールを取ってもいいですか？」（danbōru wo totte mo ii desu ka?）／「段ボールを受け取れますか？」（danbōru wo uketoremasu ka?）, and surely they will be happy to let you take them freely.
Okay, we've got the requirements for setting up a sign. What do you write on it? Well, various things work, but generally make it clear where you want to go, and also add a "compromise" of where you're willing to be taken to. So for example, I wanted to go to Nagoya, but from Tokyo that is a far distance, so I made sure it was clear I would be fine going just to a service/parking area. What's that, you ask? SA/PA are just the equivalent of "rest stops" in Japan, on the highway. These are important because they serve as easy "checkpoints" to continue your journey to the final destination in case someone can't take you the entire way. Something to keep in mind about these though: there are two parts to a service/parking area, 上り and 下り (upper and lower levels). Despite John Daub having no issue being dropped off at the upper level and hitchhiking from there (highway patrol passing him many times with no issue), for some reason the highway patrol stopped me and made me go downstairs to the lower level because the "rules" say you can't do it on the upper level in case you get stuck there with no one picking you up (which makes no sense because that could happen to anyone even if they had a car, if they run out of gas or their car breaks down). In hindsight I should've asked to be shown this "rule", because as far as I know it's completely legal to hitchhike at the upper level. However, I complied and went down to the lower level. Once you go down to the lower level, you can't get back to the upper level without entering the highway again by car. Keep that in mind when hitchhiking from a service area.
Anyway, back to writing the sign. Mildly embarrassingly, despite having decent Japanese proficiency by now, I can't write Japanese to save my life unless I see the kanji from somewhere else (basically can't write from memory), so I looked up the kanji strokes for each kanji to create my sign (at least upon sharing it with a friend they said it looked written at the level of a Japanese person). It was a bit suboptimal and originally said 「名古屋へ」and「日本語OK」on one side with the other side saying 「SA/PA」, but eventually a Japanese person kindly rewrote a better sign for me that read 「名古屋まで」 and「サービスエリアまででもOK」 because the average Japanese person doesn't actually know what "SA" or "PA" stands for.
Alright, we've finally got our sign, now what? Well now, we have to pick an optimal location to hold it. That took a while for me because I didn't fully understand the way the highways worked and ran (and still don't), so I basically spun my wheels for a while, and will try to provide info to make sure that doesn't happen for anyone reading this. I first tried to find the closest service area or parking area near me, since I could not really move far with my broken luggage, and I eventually got close to the Yoyogi PA. I thought if I could just get to the PA, I would be able to move on from there quite easily. However that proved to be a little difficult, and as it turns out, the highway that PA was connected to essentially only went around in a loop and would never be able to take me towards Nagoya. A kind Japanese woman saw me out at night trying to hitchhike to the PA, and told me (mostly in English) that Nagoya is in the opposite direction. I still thought that maybe if I could get to the PA, I could get a ride towards the other direction so I kept trying for the rest of the night, getting some snacks intermittently from the convenience stores and trying till the morning. Took a few rests in between and eventually another kind Japanese woman came up to me (again in English) and asked me if I was okay and let me know that my hoodie + mask made me look suspicious for hitchhiking (unfortunately the mask is almost mandatory for me due to various reasons). She eventually came back with two of her friends and gave me an improved sign + a goodie bag and we all had a wholesome moment
they told me a better place to try is the 246 highway in Shibuya since there's no way to get to my destination from the current area so I set out towards Shibuya. After a lot of toil and asking around to get to the right highway I eventually reached the area near the 246 ramp to the highway.I had to acclimate but eventually found I could basically live under the highway, so I did, and held my sign almost daily to oncoming traffic. Still had no success yet in hitchhiking though many people did look with a face of interest or support, so I kept going for over 10 days. However, over that period someone started targeting me to try and steal my stuff, and long story short once again even more of my money that I just made back got stolen again. It was of course hidden extra carefully but it seemed someone perfectly snatched the money and left everything else in the bag looking completely untouched (right before I was about to buy locks but couldn't because the store wasn't open yet). So definitely, if you are staying outside or leaving your belongings unattended in a special place like under a highway, still buy locks at least and lock up your bags and belongings (DAISO has these locks for 100 yen and even big strong locks for 500 yen).
After that, multiple attempts were still made on my belongings which prompted me to leave as soon as possible while I still could, because it was clear I was being targeted by someone and I would be in trouble if anything else important got stolen (I have reason to believe these attempts may have been by the 顕正会). Also, in general it just wasn't an optimal area to experience kindness from strangers (central busy Shibuya area). I got a taxi to take me to the next parking area ahead towards my goal, however they dropped me off at the bottom and I wanted to hitchhike from the top (plus it was about to rain and the bottom basically did not have any facilities for me to enter freely, so I ended up getting another taxi to take me onto the highway so I could get to the upper level. Ended up being a waste of money as you know, because once I tried to hitchhike from there the next morning, I got sent back down. From there I tried to figure out what to do or where to go and asked some police officers nearby if I could get to Nagoya from a nearby highway ramp I saw, and yes I could, so I went back and got my belongings and dragged them all the way to that area (which took hours). By the time I got there it was about 18:00 and I sat for a while, eating some snacks and watching the movement of the traffic to gauge how I should position myself and when I should hold my sign. Started holding it for a while and decided to keep going just until 1000 cars passed and then I would stop, since it got dark.
Luckily I was right in front of a McDonald's, so I bought some fries and enjoyed their warmth in the cold, and tried to figure out what to do next. I wasn't sure but eventually decided to go back to McDonald's, and bought a 40 yen barbeque sauce packet as "dine-in" just so I could go sit at the table and charge my phone instead of be outside in the cold with a dead phone. Then the McDonald's eventually closed by 0:00 and I went back outside, and walked around a couple times, right when I came back, a van eventually pulled up and a guy came out and told me to hop on, I was confused because I wasn't even holding a sign anymore, thinking it was too late to even bother trying but he knew I was trying to hitchhike and let me in. I determined it was safe enough (and that I had nothing to lose anyway) and put my luggage in and came with him. Interestingly enough, he turned out to be going back home to Aichi prefecture , which is where my destination was located within, so it was a coincidence that he happened to live where I wanted to go, without me even holding the sign up to him. He eventually told me the reason I never got picked up is because my mask and that I should smile, otherwise I can be seen as suspicious and scary. It's definitely interesting to me that despite the fact that so many Japanese people were wearing a mask even inside their car, this is the general consensus for hitchhiking. Either way, finally found success and wouldn't have it any other way. The best part is that he even offered me to live with him, and I accepted. We got to know each other along the way and eventually we reached his place at around 5 am. By the way, he's a bhuddist monk, and I eventually realized that I am actually living in a temple now, so yeah, what an enriching and unique experience
Successful hitchhiking and couchsurfing all in one.So to recap (with the help of ChatGPT) on what to take from my experience:
1. Prepare Before You Go
Bring a Thick Marker & Cardboard: Easily found at supermarkets or convenience stores (~200 yen). Get cardboard from restaurant strips that leave cardboard out for disposal.
Know Basic Japanese Phrases:
To ask for cardboard:
「段ボールを取ってもいいですか？」 or「段ボールを受け取れますか？」
2. Writing Your Hitchhiking Sign
Avoid Abbreviations: Most locals don't recognize "SA/PA." Instead write:
「(destination)まで」("To destination")
「サービスエリアまででもOK」(Okay to drop me off at a service area)
Legible, Clean Kanji: Look up stroke orders if you're not confident.
3. Where to Sleep & Shower on a Budget
Couchsurfing: First option, but not always available. Use couchers.org or other free sites, not couchsurfing.com, which has fallen from grace.
Net Cafes (ネットカフェ):
Tokyo Recommendation: Manboo (マンボー)
Osaka Recommendation: Popeye Media Cafe (ポパイ)
Showers: 300–500 yen (30 mins), 150–200 yen for 15 min extensions
Overnight stay: ~1500–2000 yen for 6 hours
Pro Tip: Store luggage elsewhere if possible to save space and hassle.
4. Choosing the Right Spot
Rest Areas (SA/PA):
Upper level (上り): Preferred but may be restricted by highway patrol and can only be reached via road vehicle.
Lower level (下り): Always accessible but harder to continue from.
Highway Entrances: Areas like Route 246 in Shibuya are more promising.
Be Aware of Highway Layouts: Some routes loop and don't go in your desired direction.
5. Safety and Practical Tips
Avoid Suspicious Behavior: Don't wear a mask when holding the sign—try to smile instead.
Appearance matters more than expected.
Protect Your Belongings: Use DAISO locks (100–500 yen) even if hiding your bags under a bridge.
Theft is real, even in low-crime areas.
Ask for Directions: Kind locals may help or offer better spots.
6. Patience Pays Off
Expect Delays: It may take 10+ days of trying.
Trust the Process: Often, it's a chance encounter that makes it happen.
Keep Spirits High: A simple smile or human interaction can change your fate.
7. The Unexpected Happens
You might get more than a ride—maybe a new friend, even a new home. The person who helped you may turn out to be someone special, like a monk inviting you to stay at a temple.
______________________________________________
Feel free to ask questions or ask for clarification!
but yeah, I should've put it in a better place I suppose... As for the valuables in general though, my bag for example contains a camera and a lot of lenses, but unfortunately it is a bit heavy so there are times I have to keep it off so I can stretch and walk without being weighed down sometimes (it makes me out of breath to even climb stairs for example). Then the luggage, definitely couldn't bring it with me everywhere and despite even locking it to the fence under the bridge, was tampered with and clearly someone was trying to open it from the bottom but couldn't fully manage and stopped midway.
I don't get why people resort to stealing with so much effort when they could use less effort and still find a better way that benefits everyone...
