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[[File:Japan National Expressway Map.jpg|200px|thumb|right|This "Mapple" Expressway map is a great help as it includes all SA/PAs along with their facilities. Most bookstores should have it for about ¥850.]]
At the SA/PA itself, the best place to hitch is near the offramp to the expressway, ideally so that you've visible from the buildings — this way drivers can see you as they go in and think about picking you up before they get in their car and make the choice. From a service area with decent traffic, you are very likely to get a ride within minutes.
* update 2018: There are now free, great quality maps available at most service areas. You can either find them in the nexco magazine or at the tourist information booths at larger service areas.
Once you've made it onto the expressway, it's easy to keep bouncing from one SA/PA to the next one, but a decent highway map is imperative so you know the best place to get off if your destination and your driver's path diverge. It's entirely possible to cover 500 kilometers or more in a single day by using expressways.
* Update 2018: Agree - expressways are excellent for covering long-distance in a single day. In August 2017 I left Aomori at 7am, got lost twice because I chose rides where the drivers were as clueless as I was, and I still arrived in Tochigi after 11pm on the same day. [[user:Snowballsakura|snowballsakura]]
* Update 2018: I'll second this advice. After a late start to the day (rain delay and lunch at a ''konbini'' :D), my first ride dropped me off at an SA. My second ride was with a truck driver, who approached me after a 30 minute wait. He offered to take me close to the my target destination for the day. That second ride was one of my longest rides during the trip and showed how much distance one can cover if one used an expressway. Getting into expressways can be difficult, because there may not be too many entrances [http://www.jayhubert.com/jjjj/hitching.html] . But once you gain access, then you are good to go! [[user:I3ok3n|I3ok3n]]
=== Hitching elsewhere ===
* Update 2018: I think times may have changed. It is true that hitch-hiking is still something most Japanese would not do, but I'm not sure if hitch-hiking is something people have never seen before. Some of the rides I took told me they've seen hitch-hikers before. The ones I have personally seen with my own eyes, coincidentally, were all Japanese, male, and seemed to be below 35 years old. Some alone, some in pairs. I live near a huge ''kokudo'' road, maybe that's why I spot some. But I have also talked to hitch hikers on normal occasions unrelated to travel. I've yet to chance upon a "foreign-looking" hitch hiker though. [[user:Snowballsakura|snowballsakura]]
I agree, in the spring of 2018 I hitched all the way from Tokyo to Kyusu and found it very easy, eventhough I'm a very tall strange looking European. Most people seem to know what hitching is, and their hospitality once in their vehicle is astounding. You will be offered food, candy, drinks. Even a place to stay at times. I also bet several other hitchhikers with similar experiences.
By far one of the easiest countries to hitch in as long as you stay in the expressway system.
[[User:yogibear|yogibear]]
The top worries of a Japanese driver when they see a hitchhiking gaijin are: Can he '''communicate'''? Does he know how to behave? The quick way to answer those questions is with a [[signs|sign]]: 日本語できる！ (''Nihongo dekiru!''), literally "Japanese can!", is just six characters and works like a charm. And you don't really need to know Japanese all that well to use such a sign, as long as you can communicate... somehow... Most people have smartphones now that are connected to the internet all the time and love to use translation apps on them. So it is pretty common to have entire conversations over a smart phone. [[User:Rdoc101|Rdoc101]] had a deep conversation about getting married to my travel partner entirely through a smartphone.
If you are going to use a sign at all, then it is enough to stick with the four directions: 北 (''kita'') for north, 南 (''minami'') for south, 西 (''nishi'') for west and 東 (''higashi'') for east. You can use these anywhere in the country and people always understand what you mean. On top of this, it makes them think you know some Japanese, which will make them more likely to pull over for you.
*comment. The directions works well. I also found the kanji 方面 (direction) very useful
Once the car does stop, a window will roll down and you will almost always be asked a simple question: ''Doko made?'' ("To where?") Do not make the mistake of giving your final destination, as the driver may assume that you will insist on going all the way. (This is also why it's usually not wise to use a destination sign.) Instead, pick the nearest major waypoint and state ''X no hō'' ("In the direction of X").
As a guest, you will not be expected (or allowed) to pay any expenses. Be thankful for this, as Japan's expressway tolls are ''extremely'' high: for example, the trip from [[Tokyo]] to [[Osaka]] costs around ¥8000 in tolls alone.
* Comment: I'm a lone girl hitch hiker. The longest I've waited to get picked up was 4 hours, shortest 5 minutes, and average/median feels like 30 to 45 minutes. If the others who wrote on this page, and the other first few results on google claim that they average at 15-20minutes, I'm not sure if lone girls should still top the list. I suspect that single, foreign-looking men may take the spot instead? Agree on quantity though - have had a few drivers tell me they've always wanted to let someone hitch a ride, but couldn't fit them because 2 was too many.
*I have taken only about 30+ different rides in total so far, most of them were really nice! Polite, friendly, showered me lots of care and concern. Two mediocre experienes: a guy that tried to emotionally possess me while I was around, and two guys who tricked me into signing up for some cult religion.
* Despite that, I still continue to hitch hike! I have taken rides with male drivers that had no other companions, and they were very respectful, polite, and didn't try to make me feel uncomfortable. Being friendly and sticking to 'safe' topics (Japanese culture, language-related talk, food and weather, places, questions about how Japanese feel about politics/culture) are a good way to be cautious but still offer good conversation. Additionally, don't always give your full real name, and if they offer to drive you all the way to your destination, pick some where a little far off. When I hitch my way home I tell them the name of a station 2 stops from my real place. If they ask for contact information, I usually give them an e-mail address I have that is unassociated with my other social media. I've yet to try this but a friend recommends wearing a ring on your ring finger to look "unavailable". The only time I'm super lax and off-guard are when I get picked up by families, with their kids in tow. [[user:snowballsakura|snowballsakura]]
== Personal Experiences ==
[[User:Anaimlesshitchhiker|Anaimlesshitchhiker]] has written some tips on hitchhiking Japan on [https://anaimlesshitchhiker.com/2017/12/11/hitchhiking-japan-some-tips/ -an aimless hitchhiker ]
== How to get in and out of cities ==
See instructions on [https://wikitravel.org/en/Hitchhiking_in_Japan wikitravel].
==Cities==
