Job Discussion Forums

osakajojo · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 229

Anybody traveled to Nigata or Nagano from Osaka, or vice versa? Trying to get an idea of how much it'll cost to travel by a rental car rather than taking the Shinkansin which would be 38,000 yen round trip.

Anybody going to Fuji Rock this summer, or have been in the past?

I have never wanted to go because it is so damn expensive, but The Beastie Boys are playing this year so I want to go.

Quibby84 · Joined: 10 Aug 2006 Posts: 643 Location: Japan

There is a way to get to Mt. Fuji without paying tolls from Tochigi, but it is super curvy and you may get a little sick...but the tolls to get from Tochigi to Mt. Fuji are insane as well as the traffic. So we went past Mt. Fuji a few weekends ago and on the way there we took the Express way and on the way back we took the "motion sickness" way. They took about the same amount of time, except when you go the Express way you pay those ridiculous tolls and sit in that ridiculous traffic, BUT if you went the back way you use more gas and have a sicker stomach....so thats my story...

ironopolis · Joined: 01 Apr 2004 Posts: 379

From Suita IC to Niigata Chuo IC it's Y11,850 one way. So if you also used the Hanshin Expressway a bit, your total toll cost is going to be around Y24,000. It's about 550km from Osaka to Niigata, so you'd need to spend at least Y10,000 on fuel, plus the cost of the car and any parking charges.

So that would probably take it a little bit over Y38,000. For one person, perhaps not worth it, unless you really preferred driving and the convenience of having the car. For two people you'd definitely be saving money and obviously 3 or 4 in the car would make even more of a saving.

Nagano to Niigata is only Y4,800 one way but I presume you're driving from Osaka. By car from Osaka to Niigata you wouldn't go via Nagano, you just take the Meishin expressway for a bit and then all the way up the Hokuriku Expressway past Kanazawa and Toyama - much more direct than the Shinkansen would be.

If you can read Japanese, this site gives you lots of info about highway tolls and distances etc. If you use the search function on it, enter in hiragana first unless you know the exact IC name.

http://www.nexco.ne.jp/

osakajojo · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 229

Thanks ironopolis- that is exactly what I was looking for, and also about what I had assumed- if going alone it would be more expensive but going with others would be cheaper plus more fun, though it would take longer.

Now the next step is to find some people to go with! The guy I usually go to concerts with will be out of town that month and nobody else I know is interested in going.