Out after 10 Years (21): Transportation in Japan

Japan is a populated country and more than 90% of its people live in urban areas. Everyone wants to be modern and not fall behind! Tokyo consists of 14 districts and has a population of over 14,000,000. I think I wrote the population was over 37,000,000 in one of the previous posts but that includes the suburbs or I am mistaken. I apologize. You might think it is a very noisy and polluted city with lots of traffic. Wrong! It absolutely is not!

Here is why Tokyo is a much calmer place in comparison with a city in North America, let's name none(!):

Many commercial vehicles, including the delivery trucks are electric. One might ask how much these little vehicles can deliver. You have to remember that there are no enormous supermarkets such as Wal-nasty-Mart or the Real Canadian Superasshole in Japan. All the businesses fall under either small or medium

Taxis are a comfortable  source of transportation but remember that they don't have  the best drives. You are in an Asian country!

SUVs such Land Cruiser are rarely seen in Japan. There is no need for them. Yet some might drive it. This one was on display in a showroom in Nagasaki. One like this goes for CAD $75,000 or more, here

1) There are not many vehicles on the roads: Japan, as much as I experienced, has a great and mostly modern public transportation system. You barely need a vehicle. Trains are regular, punctual and even comfortable. Bus and taxi is available and the subway provides the same quality service as above the ground train. There are bicycle lanes in many areas. Who would need a car?! 

2) Most of the cars are small and the majority of them are either electric or hybrid. One might ask what does the size of a car has to do with traffic?! Small cars require less power to drive. So having them in electric power is easier and consequently results in less pollution. It is very rare that you hear engine raving. Neither hybrid nor electric generates that type of disturbance. 

3) Driving is not that bad. I haven't been to many Asian countries but I know from the media that people are horrible in most countries in that continent. So, you need to keep in mind that you still are in Asia but in a higher version of that.

4) Driving is on the left side of the road. It takes a few days or for some people longer to get used to just seeing vehicles going in the wrong direction! As per driving, I wanted to rent a car but didn't due to lack of confidence and practice. Imagine that you spend thousands of dollars for a 2-week vacation and want to enjoy yourself and all of a sudden you see yourself in the middle of a traffic accident! Stick to the public transportation and you will be fine! 

5) Taxis. There are plenty of taxis available everywhere and many who seek comfort and don't care to spend ¥1,200 and up, use them but they are expensive and generally not a good choice for foreigners. The biggest issue is not being able to communicate clearly. I showed a taxi driver my address and he still took me to the wrong place.So, unless you know Japanese or can make him fully understand, skip the cabs! 

6) Bikes are an excellent choice. Electric scooters are available as well. I think they both are very good sources of travel in smaller cities such as Nagasaki that I went to but I didn't get any. They are not cheap and also you need to know how to secure them, if you're going, say, for a meal or shopping. So, perhaps I shall say that they are good sources if you want to see the outdoors, take pictures and have a sort of picnic.

(Photo, top: Trains, unlike mostly think, are not always contested and uncomfortable. They, as far as I remember, are equipped with a cooling and heating system. That is why they are the best way of transportation in the country)