Hitchhiking with Beautiful Cardboard from 7-Eleven
Hitchhiking with Beautiful Cardboard from 7-Eleven
Overview
In this episode of Only in Japan Go, John Daub finds himself in Toyama Prefecture, preparing for the next leg of his hitchhiking journey north toward Akita. Before hitting the road, he stops at a quintessential Japanese convenience store, 7-Eleven, to gather supplies and craft a hitchhiking sign using cardboard and markers. John takes time to appreciate the high quality of Japanese convenience store food and coffee, comparing it favorably to options in the US.
The core of the video focuses on the art of making a hitchhiking sign in Japan. John carefully writes his destination, Niigata and Akita, in kanji (Japanese Chinese characters), ensuring the handwriting is legible and aesthetically pleasing. He even consults a local passerby to verify that his characters are readable, highlighting the importance of communication when hitchhiking as a foreigner.
After finalizing his sign, John heads toward the Hokuriku Expressway entrance near Toyama. Along the way, he shares insights on hitchhiking safety, camera gear (GoPro Hero 5), and the unpredictability of weather and rides. The episode captures the preparation phase of road travel in Japan, blending practical travel tips with John's signature conversational style and appreciation for local culture.
Highlights
- 00:00:03 John introduces his location at a Toyama 7-Eleven and shows off his cardboard sign supplies.
- 00:00:51 A detailed praise of Japanese 7-Eleven food quality, including coffee and bakery items.
- 00:03:21 Discussion on weather conditions and the feasibility of hitchhiking to Niigata vs. Akita.
- 00:11:01 John explains the pronunciation and spelling of Niigata (two i's).
- 00:13:26 The process of writing kanji for the destination sign begins.
- 00:18:05 John adds "I speak Japanese" to the sign to reassure potential drivers.
- 00:19:44 John asks a local man to verify the readability of his kanji sign.
- 00:21:28 Explanation of the term hōmen (direction) used on hitchhiking signs.
- 00:29:56 Gear talk: John showcases the GoPro Hero 5 and its mounting advantages.
- 00:31:51 John addresses safety concerns about hitchhiking in Japan.
- 00:35:34 Using Google Translate to verify kanji strokes before writing.
- 00:36:54 Final sign-off as John heads to the expressway entrance.
Timeline / Chapters
- 00:00 - Introduction at 7-Eleven Toyama
- 00:51 - 7-Eleven Food & Coffee Review
- 03:21 - Weather Check & Route Planning (Niigata vs. Akita)
- 11:01 - Sign Preparation & Spelling Niigata
- 13:26 - Writing Kanji on Cardboard
- 18:05 - Adding "I Speak Japanese" to Sign
- 19:44 - Verifying Sign with Local Passerby
- 21:28 - Explaining "Hōmen" (Direction)
- 29:56 - Camera Gear & Hitchhiking Setup
- 31:51 - Safety Discussion & Viewer Comments
- 34:35 - Weather Update & Google Translate Tip
- 35:53 - Walking to Hokuriku Expressway Entrance
- 36:54 - Conclusion & DVD Kickstarter Plug
Japan Travel Tips
- Convenience Store Utility: 7-Eleven in Japan is more than a store; it offers fresh coffee, high-quality bakery items, and clean restrooms. It serves as a great shelter during rain.
- Hitchhiking Signs: Write destinations in kanji if possible, as it is universally readable. Add hōmen (direction) to indicate you are heading that way, not necessarily demanding the final destination.
- Communication: Indicating you can speak Japanese on your sign (Nihongo hanasemasu) increases driver confidence in picking you up.
- Verification: If unsure about your handwriting, ask a local to verify readability before heading to the road.
- Safety: Hitchhiking in Japan is generally safe. John notes that while risks exist everywhere, Japanese drivers are typically kind.
- Gear: Use compact cameras like GoPro for easy mounting during transit without bulky tripods.
Japanese Language & Culture Notes
- Kanji (漢字): Japanese Chinese characters used for writing. John emphasizes writing them correctly for clarity.
- Hōmen (方面): Means "direction" or "way." Used on signs (e.g., Akita hōmen) to indicate the general direction of travel rather than a specific stop.
- Niigata (新潟): A prefecture and city on the Sea of Japan coast. John notes the spelling has two "i"s in English.
- Convenience Store Culture: Japanese konbini offer services far beyond typical US convenience stores, including high-quality fresh food and coffee machines competing with cafes.
- Etiquette: John cleans up after himself at 7-Eleven and checks with staff/local people before filming or bothering them.
Food & Drink Guide
- Fresh Brewed Coffee: Available at 7-Eleven machines. John notes this is a newer phenomenon (as of 2017) competing with Starbucks.
- Sandwiches: Specifically mentions an egg sandwich as looking great.
- Pizza Bread: Savory bakery item available at 7-Eleven.
- Croissants: Chocolate croissants mentioned as part of the bakery selection.
- Melon Pan (Melon Bread): John had one with whipped cream and custard inside.
- Green Tea Bread: Green tea omelet bread with cream inside.
- General Quality: John states Japanese convenience store food "blows the heck out of every other place in the US."
People
- John Daub: Host and creator of Only in Japan Go. He is hitchhiking north from Toyama.
- Local Man: An unnamed passerby with a "nice kind face" whom John asks to verify the readability of his hitchhiking sign.
- Commenters: Referenced by John regarding safety concerns and criticism about his appearance (hair/hands).
Key Takeaways
- Japanese convenience stores are exceptional resources for travelers, offering food, shelter, and supplies.
- When hitchhiking in Japan, clear communication via signs (especially in kanji) is crucial.
- Verifying your sign with a local ensures you won't be misunderstood by drivers.
- Hitchhiking in Japan is statistically safe, and fear should not prevent travelers from trying it.
- Preparation (checking weather, verifying kanji, having tools) increases success rates on the road.
Notable Quotes
- 00:00:03 "I love 7-Eleven in Japan because they have everything here, which is what a convenience store should have, right?"
- 00:00:51 "It blows the heck out of every other place in the US."
- 00:03:21 "You don't want to look too clean when you're hitchhiking because you're hitchhiking, right?"
- 00:19:44 "When in doubt, ask the people around you. That makes sense."
- 00:31:51 "You don't avoid these things because it might happen. You go right at it."
- 00:35:34 "Why do you use tools? I have the tools with me. I'm going to use them."
Related Topics
- Hitchhiking in Japan
- Japanese Convenience Store Food Reviews
- Road Trip Planning
- Travel Calligraphy / Sign Making
- GoPro Travel Gear
Search Tags
#only-in-japan-go #toyama #hitchhiking #7-eleven #convenience-store #road-trip #kanji #travel-tips #hokuriku-expressway #john-daub #japan-travel #niigata #akita #spring-travel
Full Transcript
00:00:03 John Daub: Good morning from Toyama. I'm now at the 7-Eleven and I just got some beautiful cardboard to write the sign to go to the next location. Markers. What else I got? Oh, I have extra markers today. I love 7-Eleven. I love 7-Eleven in Japan because they have everything here, which is what a convenience store should have, right? But it's more than just a convenience store. They have coffee, like fresh brewed coffee. They didn't have this in Japan ten years ago or five years ago. This is like a new phenomenon to compete with places like Starbucks and all the other coffee shops.
00:00:51 John Daub: So 7-Eleven has these wonderful coffee machines that are cheap. They have awesome food. Well, it's sort of chemical and probably not good for you, but it's still for convenience store food. It blows the heck out of every other place in the US. Here, I'll see if I can show you really quickly. Sandwiches. This one looks great. Oh, this one has egg. 7-Eleven has a really good bakery selection, like pizza bread, croissants with chocolate. I had this one. It's a melon pan (melon bread) with whipped cream and custard. And this one, green tea with green tea omelet with cream inside. I mean, it's pretty good, you know?
00:02:13 John Daub: I'm probably not allowed to film in here, so now I have to figure out where I'm going next. I cut my hair myself in the hotel room two nights ago. It's not very good, but I should keep the trolls off my back because there's some dude who kept calling me Krusty the Clown. I mean, not that that stuff bothers me. I'm cool with that. I did shave, but it came back. You know, you don't want to look too clean when you're hitchhiking because you're hitchhiking, right? Yeah. Okay. So down here I have my tape. Look how clean the floors are here. The mess is from me.
00:03:21 John Daub: You can see the weather's awful. So hitchhiking out of here is gonna suck. But it comes and goes. It was raining 10-15 minutes ago when I arrived, and now it's gotten pretty clear. There was blue sky five minutes ago, and now it's cloudy again. It's hard to tell what's gonna happen. Osmo lost it. Poor Osmo. I tape the box or added string. I would do it outside, but the ground's all wet. Yeah, Osmo bit the dust. Niigata. Akita's like an eight-hour drive. It's like arts and crafts. Hitchhiking, arts and crafts.
00:06:17 John Daub: Niigata's more feasible, but you never know. People that are going long distances usually will leave in the morning, right? So I figure Akita's not too much of a stretch. You never know. I'm going today with this color because it matches my jacket. It's pretty cool. So I'm gonna have an idea.
00:09:18 John Daub: So I'm in Toyama now. I'm in Toyama. I took the bus from Toyama Station about 30 minutes ago to this place, this is the interchange. Or at least it's like 300 meters from the interchange. And I figured this is going to be a good spot to get a long ride. I'm not going down the street. I'm going all the way to Niigata. And this is going to be like a 4 hour drive. I'm way behind in my schedule. I'm supposed to be in Akita already. Niigata is hard. Akita is not too bad.
00:11:01 John Daub: It has two i's in it in English. Niigata. So it's pronounced Niigata. Right? It's not just Niigata. Niigata. You have to plan this out before you write it. Or else you write it too big or too small and you run out of space. And then it doesn't look good. I want it to look good. You know, this is my first time.
00:13:26 John Daub: Done that's bigger. Here, you make the arch on this. Down. Then this way. This goes down like this, towards this. It curves out a little bit past this. Now I know the space needed to fill in the rest. This. And this one is in the inside of the box. Like this. There's four of them. And they all kind of curve in. It's beautiful kanji. One, two, four. Oh, I ran out of space, but that's okay. Niigata. Now I have space for Akita. But I wasted a lot here. I could've put this in the middle more.
00:18:05 John Daub: Okay. Let's go. I'm gonna put in here that I can speak Japanese. Because I think a lot of people are worried. Like, oh look, who's that foreigner? If I pick him up, can I communicate with him? The answer is yes. You can communicate with me. I will talk back to you. This is very beautiful kanji. This one in the middle here, this one symbol means fire or heat. And this is ta, which is like a field. And the other one is nandaro. I'm not sure what the other one is, but it's beautiful kanji. Alright, and then Akita. I can put Akita in a box. Maybe that'll work. Akita hōmen (Akita direction). That's what I'll write. Akita hōmen.
00:19:44 John Daub: Okay. I could ask somebody if they'd be able to read it. There's a guy with a nice kind face. I'm gonna ask him. He won't bite my head off for bothering him. Excuse me. I want to go to Akita. I think it'll be okay if I write it like this. I think it'll be okay. Niigata. Is it a little weird? I think you can read it. Oh, I can read it? Thank you. I was a little worried. Thank you. So he said people can read it, so that's good. When in doubt, ask the people around you. That makes sense.
00:21:28 John Daub: Alright. Alright, Akita. And it means direction. So, Tokyo hōmen means in the direction of Tokyo. Shibuya hōmen, in the direction of Shibuya. Akita hōmen. Hōmen. The reason why I write it here so big is so I don't make a mistake. If you make a mistake, nobody can read it. Then you failed. And I don't want to fail my mission. So I'm going to write hōmen down here. Akita hōmen. Nice and pretty.
00:26:13 John Daub: Hōmen. Let's start with this little...the first line. I love this music. I feel like I'm in a western. A beautiful girl in a white dress gonna bust in here and go, yo, your horse is waiting. Ride into the sunset. Mr. Cardboard Man. I'm letting this go longer today because a lot of people are complaining that they just missed the live feed. So if I just keep on broadcasting, everybody can get a chance to watch. Yeah, well, somebody just wrote that my hands are assy. Yeah, you try spending a month on the road and see how beautiful your hands look, dude.
00:28:18 John Daub: This is what I got so far. Not bad. I don't like that blank area, though. What can I do? I have yellow tape. I can make that yellow arrow. For no apparent reason other than to be creative. Why not? This is gonna be the best sign I've ever made. Look at it in 7-Eleven, man. Cool. We're ready to hitchhike.
00:29:56 John Daub: So the expressway is 400 meters that way. And I don't know if I'm gonna broadcast this hitchhike. It's 10:15 and I better get out of here. So I've been playing around too long. By the way, I love this GoPro. It's the GoPro Hero 5. But this thing is so awesome. You can just attach it to anything and anywhere. It has this adjustable thing so you can attach it to poles. And when you're on the go like this, I just clamp it somewhere. Boom. You can start recording and you don't have to set up a tripod.
00:30:42 John Daub: Because I have a tripod. It sets up pretty fast. But it's still a pain in the neck. Two days ago, a ride stopped within 3 minutes at Kanazawa. So I usually take my GH5 out. The big camera. DSLR looking thing. But it's a mirrorless. And I take video of me for 1 minute. So I have insert for the DVD and for the videos. And then I take this out. And I just clip it somewhere. And try to get lucky in case somebody stops right away. Any ride that you can get, you take. Unless it looks like they got a knife in the left arm. And it's in the glove compartment. And if it's in the glove compartment, that's closer to you than them. Just saying.
00:31:51 John Daub: I don't even worry about that stuff. I only worry because the commenters mention it about hitchhiking. Oh, you're going to get killed. That's not going to happen here in Japan. There's always a chance of anything. You can get hit by a bus crossing the street. You can get hit by a car. You can get mugged in a dark alley. You don't avoid these things because it might happen. You go right at it. Trust me. I'm a lot scarier dude than the people picking me up. Although there have been some pretty scary dudes. But they were really, really nice.
00:32:39 John Daub: All right. I'm packed up. I'm ready to go. I think 7-Eleven is happy to get rid of me. Stay here for a minute. I'm just going to use the restroom. I'll be back in a minute. They have really clean toilets here. I'm not taking you there with me. Stay here. No dilly-dally. Bye-bye, 7-Eleven. Didn't leave anything behind. Now it's time to get to the expressway. Just a quick plug for 7-Eleven. Thank you. Thank you, 7-Eleven. You provided me with shelter when it rained.
00:34:35 John Daub: Now you can see when we started this, the skies were gray. And now take a look up there. Oh, yeah. Don't look over here. Look over here. The island is covered in snow. It's a little bit of a mess. But I'm going to be optimistic, everybody. I use Google for the kanji because I don't want to make a mistake. I could use a map, but it's not big. When you do Google Translate, the kanji gets really, really big. I could see exactly how it would be written without seeing strokes. And it works great. The Google Translate works great. You don't want to make a mistake. Better safe than sorry.
00:35:34 John Daub: You make a mistake on the sign. They'll pick you up and they'll take you possibly to the wrong spot or it's just not professional. You always check. Why do you use a dictionary? Why do you use a thesaurus? Why do you use tools? I have the tools with me. I'm going to use them. There is the expressway. Hold on. Pass that ENEOS, which is Exxon. All right. Sorry. I'm going to stop this live feed. The wind's picking up.
00:35:53 John Daub: Here's the bus station I got off at about 30, 40 minutes ago. I'm going to go to this interchange at the Hokuriku Expressway, Toyama. Entrance ramp going towards Niigata. Wish me luck. I don't think I'm going to live stream it. If I do, maybe I will. That's the Nishi-Toyama bus stop. That's where I got off and that's where I'm going. This sign says Hokuriku Expressway for Niigata. Yeah. Thanks again for hanging in there for this long feed. Apparently it cut off somewhere along the way. I'm really sorry about that. I can't control the connection.
00:36:54 John Daub: I'm going to leave you not with the scene of expressway and cars and possible rain, but of a beautiful sunny day, the sun pounding down on this little slightly not so clean stream and the dark clouds in the distance. I mean that. They're in the distance. See you on the road, folks. Bye. And if you haven't gotten a DVD, Kickstarter ends in about 9 days, so go on there and make sure you get a copy of the DVD of this trip because it's going to be epic. I'm not just saying that. Well, I sort of am, but see y'all.