Traveling in Japan when You Live in a Remote Area
So you want to go to Japan. Japan's a small country that's packed with beautiful places to visit and things to see. Then you get placed in a remote area. Everyone you meet tells you how lucky you are, how much traveling you will get to do in Japan! They send you tons of things they find on the internet of unique cafes and cool sights in Tokyo, Osaka or maybe in Hokkaido. "You will travel so much!" they say. "Japan has the best transportation system in the world! How lucky!"
Then you realize that this doesn't apply to every part of Japan, especially not if you end up on Shikoku. Shikoku is the smallest of the 4 main islands and it's generally ignored by most of the country. We don't have Shinkansen on the island and the trains that exist here are infrequent and slow....if they exist at all. It's mountainous and most cities are pretty small. My city of around 35,000 is one of the biggest in my Prefecture. The capital of Kochi city has a population of 332,000. Traveling isn't impossible but it's expensive!
Travel within Japan is expensive in general. A 20 minute ride on the Shinkansen can set you back over $30 CAD. If you're not a tourist (and thus not eligible for the JR pass) it can be a real pocket drainer. There are thankfully pretty good buses that are much cheaper but...when you live in the remote areas those can be just as infrequent.
Let's use my past trip this long weekend as an example. I live in Shimanto City and I wanted to visit Matsuyama City which is in Ehime Prefecture. That's the prefecture just North of us. Here were my options:
1. Take the trains and buses. I could take the train from Shimanto to Kochi and then the bus from Kochi to Matsuyama. That was going to be about 8200円 for one way so a combination of 16400円 for the entire trip. It would be about 5-6 hours.
2. Take the local train in the opposite direction to Sukumo. Then take a local bus to the border of Ehime and then a train to Matsuyama. That was cheaper, around 4400円 one way and a total of 8800円 total. We're looking at half the cost. However that one would take 6-7 hours.
3. Find someone with a car and drive. This is what we decided on because there was someone willing to drive. We'd need to pay for gas (4200円), tolls along the route (3000円 round trip) and then parking in the city (the most expensive thing at 5700円 because we ended up making a mistake with the parking lot we selected being in a tourist heavy area). Total cost was 12900円 which we then split between the two of us. It ended up being 6450円 each. If we'd had another person it would have ended up even cheaper. Also, the trip was under 3 hours each way.
So when it comes to Shikoku, it's the cheapest to find some friends and go somewhere together. Once you get to Honshu the toll roads get incredibly steep so driving isn't recommended there. More train selection also means lower times and often lower costs.
The benefits of driving were numerous. Beautiful views along the drive, great conversation and just a fun time. However it's not something we can do frequently.
It's hard to feel discouraged if you end up somewhere remote. You make ALT friends across Japan and you see them doing amazing things every weekend because they ended up in a prime location. You wish you could do it.
However, it's a really good practice to be aware of this jealousy (it is totally natural) and then look at the benefits of where you are. For me the benefits of my area are these:
1. The Kochi people have this notion of hospitality that is mind blowing. They are so generous and kind.
2. My employer is exceptional and treats me so well.
3. A smaller community means a bigger home that's less expensive than in a big city.
4. Living in this city feels like living an authentic Japanese life and that's what I wanted from this job. For me coming to Japan was not about a vacation. It was about finding a lifestyle that I enjoyed, a job that was rewarding and living my life here for 2-3 years.
Every weekend is an adventure. Maybe that adventure is taking a drive to another city, but maybe that adventure is experimenting with a new recipe. Maybe it's taking a walk. Maybe it's learning how to fix your bike when you blow a tire. Maybe it's finding a new place to eat or having a potluck party with your small group of friends.
Small town life is something special. So don't feel down if you get placed in remote Japan. It's still really fun!
Then you realize that this doesn't apply to every part of Japan, especially not if you end up on Shikoku. Shikoku is the smallest of the 4 main islands and it's generally ignored by most of the country. We don't have Shinkansen on the island and the trains that exist here are infrequent and slow....if they exist at all. It's mountainous and most cities are pretty small. My city of around 35,000 is one of the biggest in my Prefecture. The capital of Kochi city has a population of 332,000. Traveling isn't impossible but it's expensive!
Travel within Japan is expensive in general. A 20 minute ride on the Shinkansen can set you back over $30 CAD. If you're not a tourist (and thus not eligible for the JR pass) it can be a real pocket drainer. There are thankfully pretty good buses that are much cheaper but...when you live in the remote areas those can be just as infrequent.
Let's use my past trip this long weekend as an example. I live in Shimanto City and I wanted to visit Matsuyama City which is in Ehime Prefecture. That's the prefecture just North of us. Here were my options:
1. Take the trains and buses. I could take the train from Shimanto to Kochi and then the bus from Kochi to Matsuyama. That was going to be about 8200円 for one way so a combination of 16400円 for the entire trip. It would be about 5-6 hours.
2. Take the local train in the opposite direction to Sukumo. Then take a local bus to the border of Ehime and then a train to Matsuyama. That was cheaper, around 4400円 one way and a total of 8800円 total. We're looking at half the cost. However that one would take 6-7 hours.
3. Find someone with a car and drive. This is what we decided on because there was someone willing to drive. We'd need to pay for gas (4200円), tolls along the route (3000円 round trip) and then parking in the city (the most expensive thing at 5700円 because we ended up making a mistake with the parking lot we selected being in a tourist heavy area). Total cost was 12900円 which we then split between the two of us. It ended up being 6450円 each. If we'd had another person it would have ended up even cheaper. Also, the trip was under 3 hours each way.
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| Single lane bridges with no guardrails are literally pulled from my nightmares and I hate them. |
So when it comes to Shikoku, it's the cheapest to find some friends and go somewhere together. Once you get to Honshu the toll roads get incredibly steep so driving isn't recommended there. More train selection also means lower times and often lower costs.
The benefits of driving were numerous. Beautiful views along the drive, great conversation and just a fun time. However it's not something we can do frequently.
It's hard to feel discouraged if you end up somewhere remote. You make ALT friends across Japan and you see them doing amazing things every weekend because they ended up in a prime location. You wish you could do it.
However, it's a really good practice to be aware of this jealousy (it is totally natural) and then look at the benefits of where you are. For me the benefits of my area are these:
1. The Kochi people have this notion of hospitality that is mind blowing. They are so generous and kind.
2. My employer is exceptional and treats me so well.
3. A smaller community means a bigger home that's less expensive than in a big city.
4. Living in this city feels like living an authentic Japanese life and that's what I wanted from this job. For me coming to Japan was not about a vacation. It was about finding a lifestyle that I enjoyed, a job that was rewarding and living my life here for 2-3 years.
Every weekend is an adventure. Maybe that adventure is taking a drive to another city, but maybe that adventure is experimenting with a new recipe. Maybe it's taking a walk. Maybe it's learning how to fix your bike when you blow a tire. Maybe it's finding a new place to eat or having a potluck party with your small group of friends.
Small town life is something special. So don't feel down if you get placed in remote Japan. It's still really fun!
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