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ww - have to disagree with you there - think the toll roads in Japan are awesome. Recently went to Fukushima by toll road, only took 3.5 hours from Yokohama and that was on a weekend. The only place we got stuck in was the area after the daisan - around SW Tokyo - and the start of the Tohoku Toll road in Tokyo. Everything before and after that was clear sailing, so to speak.

 

Although it cost 6k one way, hearing that price has dropped on weekends to 1k, thats a bargain for those roads, especially for us Tokyoites and Yokohamians (I made that last one up!) - to go skiing and boarding on the cheap. And if you're like me, and go in a group, that makes it much cheaper than taking the shinkansen now as well, considering the price of petrol has dropped to around 135yen a litre for regular.

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Without trying to throw the thread too far off-track, are there a lot of toll roads between Sapporo and Rusutsu or Furano? We will be hiring a car for our trip, and the weekend ETC might be the way to go, if holidaying foreigners can access the scheme, that is.

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Between Sapporo and Niseko / Rusutsu there are no toll roads (except maybe around Sapporo for a few kilometers). Between Sapporo and Furano there is a stretch of expressway you could use but it's not that long either. Rental cars often have a ETC device installed so you can slide in your own card. HOWEVER, all ETC cards I know are based on a credit card that is issued in Japan. You need to ask the credit card company to issue the ETC card to you. I just tried to find some info on the 1000 yen offer but I cannot find anything (and I do read Japanese).

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Originally Posted By: RobBright
ww - have to disagree with you there - think the toll roads in Japan are awesome.....Although it cost 6k one way, hearing that price has dropped on weekends to 1k, thats a bargain for those roads


Dont disagree that they are good but but dude, 6,000 yen one way is pretty steep for a toll. Pretty sure there are some kickbacks going on in there.

I would usually take the toll roads for a journey over 2 hours. Less than 2 hours i would go local. I went on them long distance, Nagano to Shikouku, we had 6 people in the van and still felt it in the wallet. Its not like the gas isnt being taxed.



Matt
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I think only four or five expressways break even. It's just the main ones like the Tomei and the Meishin. Their original charter said they'd be returned to the public once the construction costs had been covered, but they've ended up subsidizing all the other ones in inaka. Most of the inaka ones are incredible wastes of money. They're a pleasure to use though because there's noone on them.

 

FWIW, once you get north of Newcastle, the main road to Scotland is a one-lane A-road with no central reservation that jams up with motorhomes and caravans in summer.

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Originally Posted By: Mr Wiggles
I think only four or five expressways break even. It's just the main ones like the Tomei and the Meishin. Their original charter said they'd be returned to the public once the construction costs had been covered, but they've ended up subsidizing all the other ones in inaka. Most of the inaka ones are incredible wastes of money. They're a pleasure to use though because there's noone on them.

FWIW, once you get north of Newcastle, the main road to Scotland is a one-lane A-road with no central reservation that jams up with motorhomes and caravans in summer.


Not totally accurate, only from the Newcastle area is it a 1 lane A-road. Down the west coast from Glasgow and heading towards Manchester its Motorway.

The A9 North, from Perth up the spine of Scotland (thru some awesome scenery) towards Inverness is also a 1 lane road, altho there are plans afoot to change this to dual carriageway. Its a pain in the ass if there are roadworks (and there always are!!)
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My brother lives in Aberdeen and uses that road all the time. Its not "north of Newcastle" though. You wouldn't use it to go to Edinburgh. Newcastle to Carlisle is sixty miles due west.

 

Anyway, the basic point was that there are major regions like Lothian (700,000) and Tyne and Wear (1,100,000) joined with a simple A road. Compared to that, Japanese highways with massive long tunnels and mile after mile of elevated sections for next to no traffic are a huge gift to the motorist, even when there is only one lane. They may make (regional) political sense, but its economic madness to build them.

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