1/24/2007

One of the main things one would like to find out when living in a foreign country is how to get around. Transportation in Japan is pretty straight forward. There are English signs where it matters so that gaijins don’t get too lost :)

Public transportation consists of the Taxi, Bus and of course the Train/Subway (shinkansen).

Within the city, it is easiest to take the shinkansen as its routes links to major parts of the city. You can literally get to one place to another rather easily. Buses are not as popular since the shinkansen got introduced and are only used for touring purposes and sightseeing mostly.

Another mode of public transportation is the taxi. There are many taxi companies that charges differently (the disparity isn’t very big). But all taxi adheres to the rule of 500Yen for the first 5 minutes and then they will charge accordingly to their company’s policy. Rates can be seen on the side door of each taxis so you will have an idea.

Personal Transportation: Bicycles, Cars and Motocycles.

It’s very common to see bicycles still being ridden around Japan. You know, the types with a basket in front, an annoying bell and with breaks that makes you doubt of its safety…:) Well, get a mountain bike and ride around town, it’s a very good way to get around and still get to see the city and all the places in its surrounding. Although helmets are not compulsory in Japan unlike some countries, do be careful. Register your bike with the police (registration fee about 500 yen) to make it easier to trace your bike if it is stolen… well, bicycles are real useful things *nods*

You can also ride on your motorcycle around Japan. And since traffic jams is no stranger in any large cities, riding your motorcycle will let you zig zag your way through the jam packed vehicles and arrive in your office early to impress your boss :P It is perhaps the fastest way to get around and what’s more, you do not have to pay for parking if you’re riding a motorcycle..:)

Or if you’d like to have the comfort of your own personal space you can always get a car. Japan is home to Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Honda etc so you can get a pretty reasonably priced, good Japanese car in Japan. However, in exchange of your own personal comfort and space, driving in Japan can be a very frustrating thing with all the jams and parking issues. Parking can be quite costly. For every half hour of parking it usually cost 350Yen and up. So monthly parking spots can cost you 10,000 yen to 50,000 yen a month.

So in the end, you’re probably better off cycling, riding your motorcycle or taking the shinkansen. In a way, it’s healthier too cos you’d need to do some walking or cycling to get to your destination :)

Source: Gaijinpot