Let's take a road trip in Japan!

Story by Tetsuo Nakahara - Published on Stripes Japan

Given its size compared to the United States, you might think there isn’t much to road trips around the Japanese archipelago. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

A recent drive I took from Yokota Air Base, Tokyo, to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni (550 miles) took nearly 10 hours. It took another five hours from Iwakuni to Sasebo Naval Base (230 mile). Along the way, there was plenty to see and do.

Unlike a road trip I once took from Florida to California, you will not see a lot of straight open highway as far as the eye can see in Japan. Here, you’ll find the traffic, junctions and palatial rest areas are a lot more concentrated. It’s a great way to see a different side of the local culture – and some beautiful scenery.

There are various expressways, or “kosoku doro,” throughout Japan, making it easier and faster to access major cities by car. In most cases you will use these unless you want to take normal surface roads to save the money you would spend on tolls – in exchange for spending a lot more time behind the wheel.

It’s worth noting that the free toll tickets that come with car rentals from most on-base facilities can make it cheaper to rent than use your own vehicle and pay your own tolls. So do the math before deciding which is best for your trip.

If you are planning long road trip, I highly recommend at least taking along one other person who can share in the driving. And of course, inspect your vehicle thoroughly before hitting the road.

To ensure safe road trip on the expressway, it is best to check with the safety office at your military instillation to get any updates on safe driving and the rules of the road in Japan.

“There are several things you need to keep in mind and the safety office offers classes on how to drive in Japan,” said Takayuki Kitamura, acting safety director in U.S. Army Japan. “For example, according to Japanese traffic law, you can’t stay in the right lane all the time on the express way. The right lane is considered as a passing lane. After you pass a vehicle you need to move back to a left lane. If you keep driving on the right lane all the way. You can be given a ticket.”

Kitamura also cautions about Japan’s ETC (electronic toll collection) system, which allows users pay automatically while passing instead of stopping to pay. The ETC system also affords discounts when used at certain times and on certain days.

“Most military members buy used cars here, and some cars already have ETC card readers,” said Kitamura. “However, you have to use a credit card specified for an ETC that is issued in Japan. If you try to use any other credit card in the reader, the toll gate is not going to open and it can cause an accident.”

If you don’t have ETC and pay cash at the toll gate, keep the receipt you are given at the entrance. In some cases you may be able to use it to re-enter the expressway with no additional cost.

According to Japan Automobile Federation, expressway speed limits are normally set between 70-100 kilometers per hour (about 44-62 mph) and no slower than 50 km/h depending on the course and location. Speed limits are usually posted along roadsides.

The limit may be lowered to 50 km/h for weather conditions such as high winds and blizzards. There are also many long stretches of expressway where no speed limit is posted. In such cases, follow the legal maximum of 100 km/h.

The Automobile Federation recommends that drivers take a break in every two hours as a safety precaution, and Japan’s highway system ensures there’s plenty of opportunity to do so.  On average, there is a “Service Area” every 50-150 kilometers (31-93 miles) and a “Parking Area” every 15-35 k (9- 23 miles), according to West Nippon Expressway Company.

Parking areas offer parking, public toilets, rest space, vending machines and sometimes snack shacks, while service areas are usually bigger and include restaurants, shops and sometimes gas stations. In addition to the initials “SA” and “PA” on the green highway signboards, look for symbols such as a knife and fork or gas pump that specify the available amenities.

Some fancy service areas are so popular that they draw crowds of drivers in Japan. These are not just places to stop and use the toilet. They offer a variety of facilities, including souvenir shops that sell local products, food stands, nice restaurants – even dog parks and amusement parks. Some people actually get on the expressway just to make a day trip at of of these posh service areas.

Of course, it always helps to take along more than one driver on a long road trip to minimize the need for rest stops. (We had four on my recent trip to Iwakuni and Sasebo.) But in Japan, they also double as companions to share a good meal with at the service areas.

I’ll admit that after my very long road trip from Tokyo to Sasebo I was exhausted, but at the same time, satisfied with all the beautiful mountains, rivers and sunsets I saw on the way. And my stomach was filled with delicious local foods from the rest areas.

Cut off the ETC conundrum

Japan’s ETC (electronic toll collection) system not only saves drivers time letting them pay without stopping at an expressway tollgate, it also saves money due to discounted tolls for users during certain times and on certain days. The catch is that it requires a credit card issued by a Japanese financial institution and most credit card companies require an alien registration card from foreigners. Defense Department personnel in Japan under the Status of Forces Agreement are not issued registration cards. There is an alternative, however.

Japanetccard offers a service for SOFA members that allows you to use your U.S.-issued credit card for ETC. They are able to process your credit card info so that it is accepted by Japan’s ETC system.

“We have SOFA status customers from Misawa Air Base to Okinawa bases,” said Genichi Hirayama, a sales manager from Japanetccard. “We send out monthly information on ETC in English, and bill information in English. ETC offers good discounts and very convenient to have if you use expressways quite often. Please feel free to contact us in English.”

Their ETC service starts from 989 yen (about $10) per month. For details, visit: www.japanetccard.com

For more on ETC, visit: www.go-etc.jp/english/cards

This story was originally published on June 17, 2014 on Stripes Japan website.

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