Oh my ride Hitched and Ditched in Toyama
Oh my ride Hitched and Ditched in Toyama
Overview
In this episode of Only in Japan Go, John Daub attempts to hitchhike from Kanazawa to Toyama City. While he starts strong at the Higashi-Kanazawa interchange, his first ride drops him off in Oyabe, still about 40 kilometers short of his goal. Stranded at a michi no eki (roadside station) with rain clouds gathering, John documents the realities of life on the road.
The video captures the unpredictability of hitchhiking in Japan. John shares a heartfelt moment when his first driver takes him to a shrine on the prefectural border to pray for his safety, gifting him a mamori (protective charm). As the weather turns, John debates taking the train but chooses to stick to his hitchhiking challenge. He also takes a moment to review his vlogging gear, the DJI Osmo Mobile, amidst the shaky conditions.
Eventually, persistence pays off. After interacting with locals and weathering the rain, John connects with a driver at the roadside station who takes him all the way to Toyama City. The episode highlights the kindness of strangers, the utility of roadside stations for travelers, and the resilience required for long-distance hitchhiking.
Highlights
- 00:00:01 John introduces his location in Oyabe, short of his Toyama City goal.
- 00:00:49 Scouting a michi no eki (roadside station) as a backup plan.
- 00:02:03 Rain begins to fall; John is 40km away from destination.
- 00:04:10 Recap of the first ride and the shrine visit.
- 00:04:59 John shows the mamori (protective charm) given by the driver.
- 00:06:01 The rain intensifies; iPhone 7 waterproof test.
- 00:08:51 Moving to the michi no eki roadhouse to wait.
- 00:10:11 Conversations with locals in Japanese.
- 00:12:48 Review of the DJI Osmo Mobile stabilizer.
- 00:14:00 Success! A driver stops to take him to Toyama City.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00:01 Introduction: Stranded in Oyabe, Toyama Prefecture.
- 00:00:49 Location Scout: Assessing the michi no eki for potential rides.
- 00:04:10 Backstory: The first ride from Kanazawa and the shrine detour.
- 00:06:01 Weather Turn: Rain starts falling heavily.
- 00:08:51 Strategy Shift: Moving to the roadside station building.
- 00:10:11 Local Interaction: Speaking with walkers and truck drivers.
- 00:12:48 Gear Talk: DJI Osmo Mobile review in the rain.
- 00:14:00 The Ride: Finally getting picked up for Toyama City.
Japan Travel Tips
- Hitchhiking Locations: Interchanges (IC) are good for long-distance, but michi no eki (roadside stations) are excellent for shorter hops or when weather turns bad.
- Roadside Stations: These facilities (michi no eki) have restrooms, food, and parking, making them ideal hubs to meet long-haul drivers.
- Weather Preparedness: Always have a backup plan (like a nearby train station) if hitchhiking in unpredictable weather.
- Language: Basic Japanese phrases like To-yama ikimasu ka? (Going to Toyama?) help clarify destinations quickly.
- Gear: Waterproof cameras (like the iPhone 7) are essential for outdoor travel vlogging in Japan's rainy seasons.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Michi no eki (道の駅): Government-designated roadside stations that serve as rest stops, community hubs, and often sell local produce.
- Mamori (お守り): Protective charms sold at shrines and temples. John receives one to protect against "demons and dangers of the road."
- Hitchhiking Etiquette: It is acceptable to ask drivers their destination before getting in. John politely declines rides that don't align with his goal.
- Omotenashi: The kindness shown by the first driver, who went out of her way to visit a shrine for John's safety, exemplifies Japanese hospitality.
Food & Drink Guide
No specific food items were featured in this episode, though John mentions the possibility of getting food at the michi no eki.
People
- John Daub: Host and hitchhiker. American living in Japan for 30+ years.
- First Driver (Woman): Unnamed local who picked John up at Higashi-Kanazawa. Dropped him in Oyabe and took him to a shrine.
- Local Walker: Unnamed man John speaks with at the roadside station.
- Truck Driver: Unnamed driver who declines the ride to Toyama.
- Final Driver: Unnamed local who picks John up at the michi no eki and takes him to Toyama City.
Key Takeaways
- Hitchhiking involves uncertainty; even a good start doesn't guarantee reaching the destination in one ride.
- Michi no eki are valuable resources for travelers needing facilities or rides.
- Cultural exchanges, like visiting a shrine for safety, are often more memorable than the destination itself.
- Persistence pays off; John eventually finds a ride despite the rain and setbacks.
Notable Quotes
- 00:00:01 "Hello and greetings from the roadside. I'm somewhere in Oyabe in Toyama Prefecture."
- 00:01:33 "Hitchhiking is about location, location, location."
- 00:04:59 "I have this mamori to protect me from the demons and any dangers of the road. So I have this mamori, and I keep it in my pocket close to me."
- 00:06:01 "The good thing is the iPhone 7 is completely waterproof. Bad thing is, I'm not."
- 00:07:48 "All the temptations of taking a train or finding an easy way out—it's not cheating, it's just an easy way out."
- 00:14:59 "I hitchhiked from Kagoshima to Hokkaido. That's amazing!"
Related Topics
- Hitchhiking in Japan
- Roadside Stations (Michi no Eki)
- Vlogging Gear Reviews
- Spring Travel in Hokuriku Region
- Japanese Shrine Culture
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #toyama #oyabe #kanazawa #hitchhiking #michi-no-eki #rain #travel #roadtrip #dji-osmo #iphone-7 #japan-travel #hokuriku
Full Transcript
00:00:01 John Daub: Hello and greetings from the roadside. I'm somewhere in Oyabe in Toyama Prefecture. Not exactly the destination I was aiming for, which is Toyama City, but it's pretty close-ish. I was in a pretty good spot back in Kanazawa and I was hitchhiking from the Higashi-Kanazawa interchange.
00:00:16 John Daub: Loads of traffic, perfect place to stop, and a woman stopped within two minutes. I was gonna livestream that. She stopped within two minutes. I didn't even have a chance to set up my camera to take some basic shots for the DVD or anything. She just pulled right in front of me and stopped and was like, "You wanna go to Oyabe?" I'm like, "Where's that? Where's Oyabe?" She said, "It's on the way."
00:00:49 John Daub: But on the way to where? There's really not much around here. You can see there's farms and there's a house. There's a michi no eki (roadside station) here where people can use the restroom and get some food. But it's not a lot of people pulling in there except for this truck. So I'm just gonna try to hitchhike here for ten minutes. And if somebody stops, somebody stops. If no one stops within ten minutes, I'm gonna keep walking down the road.
00:01:33 John Daub: I looked on the map. There's a big shopping mall up there. I figure I'll go try there. But this is not an ideal location. And hitchhiking is about location, location, location. I got the sign. I even found tape that matches with my jacket. You see that? That's hitchhiking style for you. So I'm gonna give it my best for the next ten minutes or so at this spot. And then if nobody stops, I move on.
00:02:03 John Daub: The thing is, it looks like it's gonna rain. There's a few drops coming down, but if it starts pouring, I gotta dash over to that michi no eki over there and hope somebody takes pity on me. I'm about 40 kilometers away from Toyama. 40k away!
00:04:10 John Daub: It's like 2pm and it looks like 5pm. So that's life on the road. She picked me up but couldn't take me all the way. Got about 30% of the way there. She took me about 25 kilometers. The one good thing is she took me to a shrine that she likes, which is on the border of Ishikawa and Toyama Prefectures.
00:04:59 John Daub: And the shrine was up a mountain. She drove me up to the top and we prayed together. I rang a couple of bells. And then she gave me this mamori (protective charm). She gave me this mamori to protect me from the demons and any dangers of the road. So I have this mamori, and I keep it in my pocket close to me. In this pocket, I have another mamori. So I have double mamori. I'm a two-shooter.
00:06:01 John Daub: Thing is though, it's not protecting me from the rain. You can see here, it's just starting to rain. The drops are hitting. Oh crap, alright, it's more than drops now. The good thing is the iPhone 7 is completely waterproof. Bad thing is, I'm not. Well, I am, just my clothes aren't. Alright, I'm gonna give this a try. There's some cars coming up ahead.
00:06:46 John Daub: I had a good story this morning. If you check Instagram, the Only Japan TV Instagram, I have a really good story that I told with a picture from this morning. Now, if lightning and thunder and like a typhoon and tornado come, there's a train station about five kilometers away. But I'm here to hitchhike. All the temptations of taking a train or finding an easy way out—it's not cheating, it's just an easy way out. I didn't have to get in that car when she said she wasn't going to Toyama. That was my choice. I took what I could get and it didn't take me where I was going. That's on me. So the rain's coming down a lot harder now.
00:08:51 John Daub: I'm close to Toyama, to my destination. I'm not really clean. I'm going to go to this michi no eki. Alright, you know what? I'll take you to this michi no eki if you guys are cool with that. There's like a green freaky spider crawling on the tripod. Alright, it's starting to come down. I'm going to the michi no eki. Roadhouse! It's just me and you now.
00:10:11 John Daub: Ugh, a lot of exhaust. You know, that's a good thing with hitchhiking on a corner like this—you get extra exhaust, extra hikey gas, which is what we call the crap that comes out of combustion engines. Oh yeah, it's starting to come down. It's got that rain smell. To-yama ikimasu ka? (Going to Toyama?) Eh? To-yama? Tigao. (Sticker.) To-yama ikuno. (Going to Toyama.) Ah, to-yama ikitai desu kedo. (I want to go to Toyama though.) Ok, Nihon-juu shakai wo mou akutondo. (You've already hitchhiked all over Japan.) Oh, watashi Amerikanjin dakara Nihongo hanaseru. (I'm American so I can speak Japanese.) Amerikanjin. Hai, Amerikanjin. Ah, ame ga futteru dakara ima yapari michi no eki ni ganbaru. (It's raining so I'm gonna tough it out at the michi no eki.) Arigatou gozaimasu. Ganbatte. Hai, ganbarimasu.
00:11:14 John Daub: Oh, that was nice. He's a local. I thought he'd come back to pick me up, but he's just a local walker. So it's starting to rain. I'm going back to the michi no eki. And there's people who go to use the restroom, and from there someone's gonna stop and take me to where I want to go. This road leads to Toyama. So those who are coming on a long haul have to use the restroom because this is one of the last convenient in-and-out places. Toyama ni ikimasu ka? (Going to Toyama?) Ikanai yo ne. (Not going, right.) Sumimasen. Truck dude said no. Wow. Sugoi ne. (Amazing.) Ah, they're not going anywhere. I asked if they're going to Toyama. I think they're going somewhere else. That was fun.
00:12:48 John Daub: Ah, and there's the michi no eki. Sorry for the shaky video. Osmo's taking the day off. That's why I was wondering if I wanted to take you. So here's a MPMPI 2 DJI Osmo Mobile review. It's a good device. The battery life's incredible when the battery wants to cooperate. Sometimes it'll just do a floppy arm and not balance properly. Sometimes the iPhone 7 Plus is too heavy for the DJI Osmo, so you get somewhat slanted video. But if you're filming in 4K, you can crop it back out by rotating it about 2% to the right. Was it worth $350? Yeah, because without it I'd have video like this that's shaky when I walk. And with it, it's silky smooth.
00:14:00 John Daub: All right, now I'm at michi no eki. I'm going to go to the store. This is the roadhouse. I guess michi no eki translates as roadhouse. Here's a bus. Toyama City. Anywhere is fine. I want to go somewhere close. I'll stay at a hotel. Toyama City. Oh, Toyama City. In fact, I hitchhiked from Kanazawa, but that person could only go to Oyabe. I thought it would be good here, but no one has stopped. I've been waiting. Oh, shall we go? Oh wow! I'm happy. Yes, thank you.
00:14:59 John Daub: So I'm streaming live on YouTube right now. I'll say bye-bye. Bye-bye. Thank you so much! So I'm going to Toyama. Where are you from? I'm American. I hitchhiked from Kagoshima to Hokkaido. That's amazing! But the weather is great! It's going to rain a lot! Is it raining now? It's going to rain today. All the way? Until tomorrow. The wind is strong. That's why you're so lucky! Thank you! I can read the sign.