Changes

Hitchhikernick - On the whole hitching is ok in Japan for a 40 year old white male. Some challenges between Osaka and Akita going up the west coast in December 2023, did only give myself just over 4 .5 days to get to Niseko, so if i had more time and patience it would have been more enjoyable and less waiting time as would not have bothered trying to hitch in the dark. My most frequent pickups were in the morning and between 7-9pm, struggling between lunch and dinner time. Waited at expressway service station near Osaka and within an hour police arrived and escorted me to another road away from the expressway informing me it was illegal.

Once I got past Akita it was much easier and even had a guy offering me a lift to Aomorifrom 10k north of Akita. He also wanted to pay for my ferry ticket and train ticket to Sapporo, but didn't want to take advantage so only took up ride offer. 10 minute wait 20km north of Hakodate next morning and got a lift direct to Sapporo 😁

Definitely more difficult than 2016 when I was there for 2 months (oct-dec), maybe because of COVID, lots of people wearing facemasks and drivers may be more paranoid/fearful. Waited at a service station (second one on this trip) for 5 hours with sign and couldn't get picked up for first hour, then no sign, until finally a young lady picked me up and drove 5 miles to the town she was going to, got . Got train after that to make up some ground, pleased police didn't come to escort me again. Cleaner of service station spoke broken English and asked me if I was hitchhiking. I was clean and kempt.