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| Pilipino in Japan Japan Trasportation |
| Transportation in Japan is just the best. The buses and trains all run on time and if they are late at your station, they wont be at the next station. The local trains are always clean and punctual, if sometimes they get a bit crowded. Oh! Dont expect to get a seat in rush hour in Toyko as on most local trains, the seats are folded away so that more people can get on the train during these busy periods. This perhaps what most people think of when they think about Japanese trains, thanks to the famous picture of the buller train passing over a bridge with Mt Fuji in the background. This however is the old Shinkansen and newer and faster models now exist making this a local Shinkansen, which travels from major trains stations in the local area. Still quite impressive compared to UK trains. Yes that is a train, its one of the newest Shinkansen, the Hikare. Its very fast. Very quiet and very clean. The Long distance trains or Shinkansen (bullet trains) are just amazing. For a start they are cleaned at the end of each journey, then all the seats are turned around to face the direction of travel. Stepping inside the Shinkansen is like stepping inside a large plane. The seats are nice and roomy, there is loads of legroom and they recline back quite far. This is the best way to see Japan, as you wont be waiting for trains as they are nearly always on time. Train Announcements are in Japanese and then in English so even if they are late you will be informed. If you can get tickets I would recommend the Hikari Super express. This train is very fast and looks like a rocket on wheels. If you want to use buses, around town their 200 yen per journey, although some cities charge more or less. Buses however are subject to the traffic jams and can be late arriving and are usually crowded. Taxis are good if you dont know where youre going. They have a flat rate of 660 yen and then a mileage charge on top of the price. If you hail a cab be aware that the taxis have automatic doors and the driver opens these. The driver will open them when you go to get out as well. If you can afford it Taxis are an excellent way of getting around cities. If your in a major city such as Tokyo, they will have local train lines which run across the city on platforms above the streets. They will also have subways. These are just as reliable and clean as the long distance trains and are very rarely late. Oh! Just a quick word about the train systems in Japan. Running for your train is generally frowned upon and usually unnecessary, (unless it�s a Shinkansen) as if you miss your train the most you will probably have to wait is 6 minutes. Most city trains run closer schedules than this. If you don�t like crowds avoid the main train stations at rush hour. To give you some idea how busy the train stations get. Shinjuku station in Tokyo has 1 million people pass through every hour during rush hour. Traffic in Tokyo What about driving in Japan. The Japanese drive on the left hand side of the road as we do in the UK, and you can drive in Japan on your UK license. You will, however need to apply to the AA or the RAC to get an international drivers license. Ring them up and ask for an international drivers license application form. Send it back with a cheque for 4 pounds and a passport sized picture of yourself and in return they will send you an international drivers license, which allows you to drive in Japan for a period of 1 year. Insurance is a must as Japan has a higher accident rate, and funnily enough their speed limit is lower then ours! Hmmm. If you are driving around smaller towns or suburbs of cities pay special attention to the road markings at junctions as some Japanese have a tendency not to stop at these smaller junctions. Motorway driving is frustrating as there are nearly always traffic jams or the traffic will speed up and then very quickly slow back down again. The Japanese motorways are also tolled and if you travel a great distance the money will soon mount up. Average toll is 720 Yen. (�4 approx). Mopeds at the local station If you plan to live in Japan and want to buy a car then you will be limited by the amount of space you have to park it. You have to prove in Japan that you have a parking space otherwise you can only buy one of the mini cars which are limited to 660cc. If you have parking but only of a small size your local government still might only allow you a 660cc car. Mopeds are very big in Japan as are bicycles and hundreds of these can be seen parked outside train stations all over Japan. Surprisingly, most of these arent locked or if they are, arent locked to anything. |
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