Asamayamaman
Apr 18, 2008, 18:52
I have been driving to and from Tokyo every week for over 6 months now. There are several ways to get discounted motorway travel. All methods I have found are based on the time you enter and exit motorways. All discounts require that you have ETC fitted to your vehicle. None are easy to understand - lots of Japanese drivers have no idea how to work them!
Please do your own study and add to this thread.
What I have found is as follows:
DISCOUNT FOR MOTORWAYS BESIDE LARGE CITIES
If you leave or enter Tokyo, Nagoya or Osaka between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am you can get a 50% discount for the first/last 100 Kms travelled - if you travel more than 100 kms you will not get a discount. You have to either enter or exit a toll gate between this distance to qualify. For example when leaving or entering Tokyo you must travel through a toll gate up to 100 Kms after you leave or less than 100 Kms before you arrive in Tokyo. Lots of drivers do "U" turns at the gates to re-enter the motorway and get this discount and if you intend to do this please be careful. I think it is very dangerous but seems to be quite legal. The most discount you can hope to receive is about 1000 Yen so it is certainly worth taking the effort especially if you travel regularly.
DISCOUNT FOR MOTORWAYS AWAY FROM LARGE CITIES
If you are entering or leaving the motorway outside the major cities then you can get a discount on the first 100 Kms if you enter or leave a toll gate between 5.00 PM and 8.00 PM or 6.00 am to 9.00 am. It works the same as above, just the times are different.
DISCOUNT BASED ON EARLY MORNING DRIVING
If you drive between 12.00 Midnight and 4.00 am on most motorways you will get a 30% or 40% discount for all the time you are driving between these hours. This discount will be applied when you leave the motorway. You can enter the motorway before or during the discount period to qualify. It is calculated by time rather than distance. For maximum discount to be achieved it is better to travel as much of the journey as you can within the discount period.
Sorry I cannot make it much easier to understand these discounts! They are very complicated and even my wife, who is Japanese, couldn't understand them!
They are designed to reduce traffic during the busier times and to give cheaper travel to regular commuters.
I have saved a lot as I travel every week but even if you are only going out for a skiing trip or once in a while they are worth knowing. Every week I save about 2500 Yen on my return trip.
Please do your own study and add to this thread.
What I have found is as follows:
DISCOUNT FOR MOTORWAYS BESIDE LARGE CITIES
If you leave or enter Tokyo, Nagoya or Osaka between 10.00 pm and 6.00 am you can get a 50% discount for the first/last 100 Kms travelled - if you travel more than 100 kms you will not get a discount. You have to either enter or exit a toll gate between this distance to qualify. For example when leaving or entering Tokyo you must travel through a toll gate up to 100 Kms after you leave or less than 100 Kms before you arrive in Tokyo. Lots of drivers do "U" turns at the gates to re-enter the motorway and get this discount and if you intend to do this please be careful. I think it is very dangerous but seems to be quite legal. The most discount you can hope to receive is about 1000 Yen so it is certainly worth taking the effort especially if you travel regularly.
DISCOUNT FOR MOTORWAYS AWAY FROM LARGE CITIES
If you are entering or leaving the motorway outside the major cities then you can get a discount on the first 100 Kms if you enter or leave a toll gate between 5.00 PM and 8.00 PM or 6.00 am to 9.00 am. It works the same as above, just the times are different.
DISCOUNT BASED ON EARLY MORNING DRIVING
If you drive between 12.00 Midnight and 4.00 am on most motorways you will get a 30% or 40% discount for all the time you are driving between these hours. This discount will be applied when you leave the motorway. You can enter the motorway before or during the discount period to qualify. It is calculated by time rather than distance. For maximum discount to be achieved it is better to travel as much of the journey as you can within the discount period.
Sorry I cannot make it much easier to understand these discounts! They are very complicated and even my wife, who is Japanese, couldn't understand them!
They are designed to reduce traffic during the busier times and to give cheaper travel to regular commuters.
I have saved a lot as I travel every week but even if you are only going out for a skiing trip or once in a while they are worth knowing. Every week I save about 2500 Yen on my return trip.