So, you hear about Japanese expressways, and yeah, the first word that probably pops into your head is beautiful. And you’re not wrong, a lot of the time, they really are something to look at. The way they’re built, cutting through mountains, over valleys, it’s quite an engineering feat, I gotta say.
I first got to really experience them, I mean really experience them, a few years back. It wasn’t just some quick tourist hop. I decided, in a moment of what I now call temporary insanity, to drive. A lot. Like, from way up north, heading south. I thought it would be this amazing, scenic adventure. And parts of it were, don’t get me wrong. The views can be stunning.
But “beautiful” is just the surface, you know? What you also get is this incredible smoothness. The pavement is like, perfect. Seriously, hardly a bump. And the Service Areas, or SAs, and Parking Areas, PAs? Oh boy. They’re not just smelly restrooms and a broken vending machine. We’re talking full-on mini-malls. Clean toilets, of course, like, sparkling. But then you’ve got amazing food courts with local specialties, souvenir shops, sometimes even little dog parks or scenic viewpoints. It’s easy to lose an hour and a bunch of yen at every stop.
Then there’s the system itself. The ETC, or Electronic Toll Collection. Super efficient. You just cruise through the toll gates. Beep beep. Simple. If you have it, that is. Trying to pay cash? That’s a whole other story. You feel like you’re holding up the entire nation.
But here’s the thing, the part they don’t always put in the glossy travel brochures. It is expensive. I mean, really, really expensive. My wallet was weeping on that long drive. Each segment felt like it was chipping away at my savings. You see those signs for the toll fees and you do a double-take. And you better believe they know how to get that money. Efficiently.
And the rules. Oh, the rules. Speed limits are, let’s say, diligently enforced. You see those overhead gantries? Some of them are not just for show. You learn to be very aware of your speed. It’s not like some places where the limit is just a suggestion. Here, it feels like a contract you signed in invisible ink.
So, how did I get so familiar with all this, you ask?
Well, that big drive I mentioned? That was just the start. I had this period where I was doing a bunch of back-and-forth trips for a project, moving equipment and stuff between cities. It wasn’t glamorous. Just me, a van, and endless kilometers of expressway. That’s when the “beauty” started to wear thin and the “system” really showed itself.
I remember one time, thinking I was clever, trying to avoid a particularly pricey toll stretch by ducking off onto local roads. Bad idea. Wasted so much time getting lost in little towns, trying to navigate roads barely wide enough for one car, let alone my van. The expressways, for all their cost, are designed to keep you on them. They make it just inconvenient enough to try and game the system.
And those Service Areas, as lovely as they are, they also became a weird sort of trap. You’re tired, you need a break, and suddenly you’ve eaten a full meal you didn’t plan on and bought a keychain shaped like a local turnip. They are masters of impulse buys.
I also learned the hard way about some of the lane discipline. And merging. Let’s just say my Japanese driving etiquette improved rapidly after a few, uh, “expressive” honks from truck drivers. They run a tight ship on those roads, and you better fall in line.
So yeah, when I say “Japanese beautiful express way,” I mean it, but it comes with a whole package. It’s a bit like a high-end restaurant. The food is amazing, the service is impeccable, but you’re definitely going to pay for it, and you’re expected to follow the house rules. It gets you where you need to go, efficiently and smoothly, but it’s an experience that definitely keeps your wallet, and your driving habits, in check.
