Transportation in
Hida Region
Owning a Car in Hida
Most ALTs in Hida buy a car, due to the general impracticality of public transportations in most areas. In winter, transportation by any other means is almost impossible and driving can be a struggle if you’ve never lived in a snowy area before — snow tires, an ice scraper, and a high-powered defroster are things you’ll want to be equipped with for the winter, and AC and a booming system will help get you through the summer.
The ALTs in Hida have a long-standing relationship with Shimamitsu Motors in Takayama (0577-32-057) for buying and servicing cars. They will work out payment plans for purchasing cars, servicing them, and paying shaken (vehicle inspection) around an ALT’s monetary situation – something very few businesses will do. There are no rental companies in the area willing to rent out to ALTs on a long-term basis, as we don’t have any standing relationship with those companies.
For navigation, most ALTs use Google Maps, as most local roads don’t have names. The major roads, however, do. Route 41 runs north-to-south, and intersects with other highways leading to Matsumoto and Fukui. The Tokai Hokuriku Expressway connects Hida to Japan’s convenient, but expensive, system of toll ways.
The ALTs in Hida have a long-standing relationship with Shimamitsu Motors in Takayama (0577-32-057) for buying and servicing cars. They will work out payment plans for purchasing cars, servicing them, and paying shaken (vehicle inspection) around an ALT’s monetary situation – something very few businesses will do. There are no rental companies in the area willing to rent out to ALTs on a long-term basis, as we don’t have any standing relationship with those companies.
For navigation, most ALTs use Google Maps, as most local roads don’t have names. The major roads, however, do. Route 41 runs north-to-south, and intersects with other highways leading to Matsumoto and Fukui. The Tokai Hokuriku Expressway connects Hida to Japan’s convenient, but expensive, system of toll ways.
Getting Around by Bike
There are several shops in Takayama where you can purchase a bike:
Hara Cycle (0577-32-1657)
Kawakami Cycle (0577-32-4056)
Tagashira (0577-32-1153)
Hara Cycle (0577-32-1657)
Kawakami Cycle (0577-32-4056)
Tagashira (0577-32-1153)
Trains
If you’ve been to Japan, you probably know how extensive and convenient the train lines are. However, you’re coming to Hida, so it’s probably best to throw out those notions. There is a single north-south train line in Hida, with express trains every 1.5 hours, and local trains about every 2.5 hours. Though infrequent, the trains are still a great way to travel, if you plan it out in advance. Here are some tips for riding the trains in Hida.
Planning Your Trip
The train schedule can be found by using public transportation websites such as http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ or if you have some ability reading and understanding Japanese, http://www.jorudan.co.jp/.
Many stations on the Takayama line are common Japanese town names, so if you look up a station and get an itinerary with 5 transfers, try putting “Hida” in front of the name to get the right one (i.e. “Hida Furukawa” rather than “Furukawa”).
Tickets
Aside from Takayama and Gero, just about every train station in Hida is unmanned and has no ticket-purchasing machine. There are also no automated ticket gates, so Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, & other type of metro passes can’t be used here. If you board a train at an unmanned station, you will need to buy your ticket from a train staff member (flag him/her down with a “sumimasen! (station name) made ikimasu.”) after you have boarded the train.
If you are boarding an express train (called the Wideview, literally ワイドビュー in Japanese) in Takayama or Gero, you need to purchase a ticket in advance. One popular option is the Morning Plan, which gives you a reserved seat on a morning train and an unreserved seat on any return train within 2 days. This option is recommended for Skills Development Conferences in Gifu, and is cheaper if you sign up with multiple people.
One-Man Local Trains
The majority of local trains in Hida are called “ワンマン” (wan-man [one man]), because the only person staffing the train is the conductor. If you are on a one-man train and getting off at a minor station (AKA not Takayama or Gero), you need to present your ticket and payment to the conductor at the front of the train before getting off.
A one-man train can be identified in several ways:
Planning Your Trip
The train schedule can be found by using public transportation websites such as http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ or if you have some ability reading and understanding Japanese, http://www.jorudan.co.jp/.
Many stations on the Takayama line are common Japanese town names, so if you look up a station and get an itinerary with 5 transfers, try putting “Hida” in front of the name to get the right one (i.e. “Hida Furukawa” rather than “Furukawa”).
Tickets
Aside from Takayama and Gero, just about every train station in Hida is unmanned and has no ticket-purchasing machine. There are also no automated ticket gates, so Suica, Pasmo, Icoca, & other type of metro passes can’t be used here. If you board a train at an unmanned station, you will need to buy your ticket from a train staff member (flag him/her down with a “sumimasen! (station name) made ikimasu.”) after you have boarded the train.
If you are boarding an express train (called the Wideview, literally ワイドビュー in Japanese) in Takayama or Gero, you need to purchase a ticket in advance. One popular option is the Morning Plan, which gives you a reserved seat on a morning train and an unreserved seat on any return train within 2 days. This option is recommended for Skills Development Conferences in Gifu, and is cheaper if you sign up with multiple people.
One-Man Local Trains
The majority of local trains in Hida are called “ワンマン” (wan-man [one man]), because the only person staffing the train is the conductor. If you are on a one-man train and getting off at a minor station (AKA not Takayama or Gero), you need to present your ticket and payment to the conductor at the front of the train before getting off.
A one-man train can be identified in several ways:
- If you board a one-man train at an unmanned station, the doors will not automatically open. You need to press a button to open the door. This is so that the train doesn’t print tickets unless someone is actually boarding. You must board from the rear door of the first car, because this is where the (only) ugly orange ticket dispenser is. The ticket says the number of the station where you got on, so you will be charged the correct amount. At the front of the train, there is an electronic board displaying the prices.
- Sometimes, a local train will turn into a one-man train midway through your journey. You’ll be able to tell because the announcements will revert to a pre-recorded female voice, rather than the usual barely-audible nasal train guy.
- If you are not on a one-man train, the doors will open and close automatically at each stop, and a JR staffer will be walking through the train between stops to sell tickets. Most people have prepaid tickets, so if you don’t ask to buy a ticket, they’ll assume you already have one. You can exit via any door, but make sure to give your ticket to one of the train dudes before you take off.
- Southbound trains will be for Gifu, Nagoya, Mino-Ota, or Takayama [if you’re in the north] (In kanji, respectively: 岐阜、名古屋、美濃太田, 高山).
- Northbound trains will be for Toyama, Inotani, Hida-Furukawa, or Takayama [if you’re in the south] (In kanji, respectively: 富山、猪谷、飛騨古川、高山).
Bus
Most highway and regional buses are operated by the Takayama Nohi Bus Center, sometimes abbreviated as “Takayama BC.” Nohi Bus’s highway routes are the cheapest way to get to Tokyo or Osaka and can get you there without any transfers.
Nohi Bus offers the following highway bus routes:
(Image from http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/index.html)
Nohi Bus offers the following highway bus routes:
(Image from http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/index.html)
See http://www.nouhibus.co.jp/english/ for routes, departure times, and online reservations. Be aware that except during summer, there are no overnight buses.
Nohi Bus also offers local buses between Takayama and Gero, Furukawa, Kamioka, Kiyomi, Kamitakara (Miza), Shirakawa (Amotoge) and Shokawa several times per day. Schedules for the local buses can be found at Takayama Bus Center or any bus station along the route.
There is a Nohi bus route from Takayama to Chubu Central Airport (“Centrair”), with one daily departure from Takayama at 10:00am (arriving at 1:30pm), and one departure from Centrair at 5:00pm (arriving in Takayama at 8:30pm).
Nohi Bus also offers local buses between Takayama and Gero, Furukawa, Kamioka, Kiyomi, Kamitakara (Miza), Shirakawa (Amotoge) and Shokawa several times per day. Schedules for the local buses can be found at Takayama Bus Center or any bus station along the route.
There is a Nohi bus route from Takayama to Chubu Central Airport (“Centrair”), with one daily departure from Takayama at 10:00am (arriving at 1:30pm), and one departure from Centrair at 5:00pm (arriving in Takayama at 8:30pm).