Transportation
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Trains
Rail transport in Japan is a major means of passenger transport, especially for mass and high-speed travel between major cities and for commuter transport in metropolitan areas.
Six Japan Railways Group (JR) companies, state owned until 1987, provide passenger service to most parts of Hokkaidō, Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū; the seventh JR company carries freight. Many private rail companies rank among the top corporations in the country. Regional governments, and companies funded jointly by regional governments and private companies, also provide rail service.
Planes
The JAL Group and the ANA Group - each consisting of several airlines and serving over fifty airports across the country - are the main players for domestic flights. The smaller airline companies compete with JAL and ANA on the country's most popular routes, and may offer lower rates.
The deregulation of Japan's airline industry and increasing competition from discount airlines mean that domestic airfares have dropped significantly in recent years. Today, airplanes can be an economical, sometimes cheaper alternative to the shinkansen (bullet train).
Buses
Japan is covered by an extensive local and long-distance bus system. Local buses take you in and around the cities and towns, while an impressive long-distance bus network provides efficient and very affordable (if time-consuming) option for getting anywhere you want to go.
Driving
Before you consider driving in Japan, remember that Japan's major metropolises are difficult and frustrating to navigate by car. Add to this exorbitant parking and toll fees, and you've got the most expensive, slow, and often infuriating way to get around a Japanese city.
Japan is covered by one of the best public transportation systems in the world, stretching from Okinawa to Hokkaido, and even in the remotest of places you'll find some sort of public transportation in the vicinity or not too far away.
That being said, there are places where driving makes much more sense than taking a bus or train. Hokkaido, with it's relatively limited rail system, is a good example of a place where a car does come in very handy. Also, if you're looking to get off the beaten path, often a car is the best or even the only way to do it.
Especially outside of the cities, public transportation does tend to be inconvenient, and most people rely on a car.
Hitchhiking
Hitchhiking in Japan is the key to true budget travel in the country and the way to escape the country's ruinously expensive domestic transport costs, where an hour on the shinkansen can set you back ¥10,000. Coupled with camping, you can effectively cut down your daily budget to food and admission fees alone — although it is wise to allow for the occasional (literal) rainy day.
Hitchhiking does present its own unique challenges, but the purpose of this article is to demonstrate that not only is hitching possible, it's downright easy... once you know how.
See also
Some content adapted from Wikipedia.org.
