I left Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture just after 7:00 a.m. and got home in Niigata city by 2:04 p.m.! This is about as good as it gets to travel 600 km or 400 miles in only 7 hours in 5 … Continue reading →
In order to save a bit more money, rather than take a train from Niigata city to Murakami, I decided to take that train only as far as Shibata. This placed me directly on Route 7 rather than Route 345 … Continue reading →
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2February 28, Day 1 It’s the first day of a one week adventure traveling mainly by hitchhiking! I’m on my way to Kansai of which the principle cities are Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. Today’s destination was Osaka. I hitchhiked again … Continue reading →
Today was partially overcast with dark snow clouds. It snowed from time to time. Nevertheless I made it as far as Odate City in 8 vehicles. Car #2 was Mr. Kawahara who works with Honda motor company selling car parts. … Continue reading →
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1February 15, 2014 According to yesterday’s weather forecast, I expected it to snow all day and was prepared to take a train from Niigata City to Hirosaki in Aomori Prefecture. But at 7:30 a.m. because the weather was fair, I … Continue reading →
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2On a snowy morning of January 17, after a 5 minute bike ride to the local train station where I park my bicycle and from where I walk to the highway, just a few meters away from the station my … Continue reading →
This year I hitchhiked 24.048 kilometers (15,030 miles) which is 4518 kilometers more than my previous record of 19,530 kilometers in 2009! The chart below shows the years from 2005 to 2013 the distances in kilometers traveled by hitchhiking. At … Continue reading →
October 25, 2013: My destination was Aomori City, 470 kilometers from home. I hitchhiked from Murakami City as far as Sakata City in Yamagata Prefecture, a distance about 90 kilometers. After that I had to abort due to rain. It … Continue reading →
From October 4th to 6th over three days I traveled in 15 cars 1358 kilometers or 849 miles passing through Tokyo to Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture, and then to Osaka, and then back home to Niigata. Total transportation costs … Continue reading →
The other day, (September 13, 2013) I ran into a man at a park who said he picked me up hitchhiking during Spring this year! HIs name is Katsuhiro Itoh. He took me from Sakae parking near Sanjo City to … Continue reading →
I hitchhiked some 300 kilometers in 3 cars to the Shangri-La mountainous wonderland if Japan, Nagano Prefecture, the source of the longest river in Japan, Shinano. Some of the beautiful people who picked me up:
Continue reading →Trip Highlights: I hitchhiked 1077 kilometers from Niigata to Osaka and back and though I was out for 4 days, I spent less than $15 US. for food and a short train and bus help me on my way Got … Continue reading →
Carrying an umbrella in one hand while riding my bicycle through heavy rain, I road 15 minutes to the local train station to catch a train just after 6 a.m. It was imperative for me to travel to the city … Continue reading →
Highlights of this trip: Had to wait 2 hours and 40 minutes for the first ride! But the next 2 cars picked me up relatively quick and I arrived at my destination in Tokyo (300 kilometers from Niigata) on time. … Continue reading →
Highlights of this trip Mrs. Fujiwara, the fish market lady, picked me up for the 4th time to date. It’s likely I’ll see her again unless I change my route. A helicopter pilot, Lt. Abe who serves in the Self … Continue reading →
June 21st is my birthday but I had to celebrate it on the road traveling. The Sea of Japan was a bit choppier than last week with an overcast sky. The first car was a mother and her son on … Continue reading →
This trip I broke the 150,000 kilometer mark of distance traveled by hitchhiking since keeping statistics from August of 2005. After only a few minutes wait at my usual spot near Majima Station at Murakami City, a man driving a … Continue reading →
This trip I hitchhiked 951 kilometers from Niigata Prefecture to Aomori Prefecture and back in 16 cars. Again the first person to pick me up in Murakami city near Majima station was Mrs. Fujiwara, a lady who buys and sells … Continue reading →
From May 10 to 12 I traveled 870 kilometers from Niigata Murakami City to Aomori City and back in 22 vehicles. The first driver, a lady, took me from Majima station to Nezegaseki near the Yamagata border line. She was … Continue reading →
Toward the end of Golden Week, I again went to Aomori Prefecture and back. Six vehicles took me 431 kilometers to Aomori City, and 5 cars took me 632 kilometers back to Niigata via the Tohoku and Banetsu Expressways. Though … Continue reading →
