Generally
speaking it is easy to walk around in Japanese cities. When I go to Japan, my legs get so sore the first few days because
I come to a realization that legs are for walking. Commuter's life in Japan is
not just the one between an office and an office by car, but it becomes a combination of stopping by at a bookstore or at
a coffee shop, or checking the latest CD system at appliance discount shops.
You will be taking lots of trains because in major cities they are very extensive. Tokyo and Osaka has LOOPs which gets you anywhere you want.
But for a short distance, people may walk or take a bus.
In my opinion even for a relatively short distance Japanese are more likely (than Americans) to take a bus--because
Japanese walk a lot anyways everyday. Major cities usually have a city bus and
for a traveller's convinience, they offer a day pass. In Kyoto, the pass is about 500 yen, while without it the one ride
fare would be about 200 yen. Many hotels (e.g., Kyoto Sunroute) sell such day
pass at the front desk.
You will see an interesting difference between bus service in Japan and in Chicago, for example. In Japan, drivers enthusiastically thank you for riding a bus, while passengers may
ignore them. In Chicago you thank them.
You would feel like a bad person if you didn't thank them. There is a feeling that the drivers are giving you
a big favor.
Also in Japan, a bus comes on schedule. In
Chicago, even with the latest satellite technology to track bus's movement, 3 busses arrive at the same time. I don't know why this happens.
Japanese bus drivers feel responsible taking you into the bus. In Kyoto, I saw a driver actually getting off the bus to make sure the senior citizens waiting on the bench
were not forgetting to ride with him. In Chicago, I wave at the drivers and look
them in the eyes, so I give a clear signal that I am there at the bus stop to take the bus--even when it is obvious. In the past I was passed by twice by a university bus and
decided that I have to be responsible for my own convenience, not the customer service side.
So if you see me at a bus stop, you may think I am strange by waving my hand at a bus driver, although it is obvious that
the bus will stop for you. I don't take it for granted.
Taxi is good especially for a group. The
taxi fare in Japan starts from a fixed rate of 600 yen (5$). (If you know what
OLS regression means and try to see the relationship between distance and cab fair, the regression line for Japanese taxi's
intercept is not ZERO.) Unlike my town Chicago, a taxi fare does not depend on
whether you are new to the city or not. My first taxi ride from Midway airport to the University of Chicago was $50, while
ever since I got to know the area it dropped to 15$. Nobody tries to cheat foreign travellers in Japan. In the
big cities in the US, if a taxi driver tries to cheat at all, foreign travellers are the easier targets.
Japanese taxi drivers are generally honest and look professional with a uniform and a
tie. (Cab drivers do it as their occupation rather than as a part time transitory
job.) Unlike Chicago, cab drivers
take it for granted that they return you exact changes (no tipping). In the US I don't
even think about it when cab drivers don't return exact changes. It is not a big deal.
But lately they don't have too much business. You
see a long line of cabs waiting for customers coming down off the stations. After
waiting for a long line to get one customer, some get very disappointed--they look so sad-- if the ride is too short to be
profitable. I was told that a tax driver would feel better if they are stopped
on the road rather than at the taxi stations if the ride is a short distance. But
again the same driver told me that bad economy is a reality and a taxi driver should not complain and do the best for customers.
