The Solo Drive
I had a great Golden Week holidays. If you don’t live in Japan, you probably don’t know what Golden Week is. It’s a week-long public holiday that most people have.
I decided to go on a drive back to Beppu. I normally fly there but just like any holiday season, the prices were crazy. This would also be my last chance to drive there before moving to Tokyo. So I decided to take up the drive.
It was around a 2000km drive roundtrip. I took the nontoll road route because you get to see a lot more of the smaller cities.
The drive to Beppu I did it in one day. I started at 3.30 am after Sehri and reached the next day at 2.30am. Driving while fasting did end up helping me. But I can’t believe I just kept on driving. The whole drive itself was around 20 hours. I slept for 2 hours during a break. On this drive, I took a different route. I drove through Kyoto, Tottori, Shimane, and Yamaguchi and then crossed over to Kyushu. I passed through some cities with peculiar names like Obama city, Hagi City, Hawai city, and many more.
The drive back from Beppu to Toyohashi was easier. I drove on a different route this time. I had driven this road before. This time I went through Hiroshima, Okayama, Himeji, Kobe, and Osaka. I stopped over at Osaka. So this time it was 16 hours of driving all alone. Which seems quite easier compared to the other one. After that, I did the rest 6 hours of the drive back home to Toyohashi today.
Some things about driving solo that I realized.
1. Never do a solo drive for more than 10 hours. I don’t recommend it. I personally wouldn’t do it alone again. Or maybe I would? But I don’t recommend it.
2. Plan really well. Plan well ahead. You are driving alone so everything is on you. Plan your route, stops, food, media etc. Plan every little detail.
3. Podcasts are your good friend on a long drive. I listened to more than 15 hours of audio content throughout the trip. Music gets boring after a few hours. So if you don’t like podcasts, find something to keep you awake for the ride. Maybe audiobooks or a good phone call.
4. Driving in Japan is an amazing experience. As you can see from the photos, you can stop a lot of times. There are rest stops and convenience stores everywhere. If you take the nontoll road you pass through different cities where you can stop and try some local food. I stopped every 2-3 hours. You can sleep in your car at the road stations or Michi no eki.
If you do have the time and money, I would highly recommend a year-long road trip within Japan. Especially if you can get an RV. There are many things that you don’t get to see unless you drive.