but the way Japan has handled it has catapulted it into one of the world's leading countries when its comes to public transportation.

In this episode we're going to take a look at all the ways we get around here in Japan,

and talk about which ways have served us the best.

Here's how we get around in Japan.

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

Of all the ways there is to get around in Japan, the most famous by far is the public transportation here.

It is second to none.

Amazing train system, bus system

You can get almost anywhere in this city by foot, train or bus.

It is incredible. And it's clean — it's even fun I would say!

Once you live here for awhile, it's easy to take for granted the fantastic public transportation, or even worse, complain about it!

But whenever I travel abroad, I immediately remember why I love Japan's system so much.

I rode the Odakyu Line for 2 years while I was going to language school in Shinjuku.

In a mere 20 minutes I was at the world's busiest train station, Shinjuku station,

a station that served an average of 3,590,000 people per day in 2018.

With so many people, you'd think it would be a congestion nightmare,

but because of good planning and design, people move around to where they need to go with little fuss.

Today I'm meeting up with Ruth after her language school.

Here comes the girlfriend.

So I met up with the girlfriend, and we're going to go try a new pizza place today, very fun!

Public transportation is great for anything far away,

but it your destination is relatively close, the most practical form of transportation is the bicycle.

We're like a biker gang today.

Everyday!

For just getting around, one or two people, bikes are awesome.

So yeah, bikes are super practical in Japan.

And if you forgot how to ride them, well you learn real quick!

What are we up to today? What are you up to today?!

So today I'm going to try a facial.

Oh, Nate too!

Is that alright? Yes please.

Awesome!

Graceful Room

Isn't that nice?

This is the recommendation wall.

Yes! Recommended!

This one — very recommended.

Good night.

Will you sleep?

As a mother of 4, a full-time Japanese student and a busy worker for our Paz team,

Ruth certainly has earned the right to be pampered.

When our kids were small, these kinds of things were nearly impossible,

but now that the kids are bigger, I'm glad to see she can enjoy them.

First we will cleanse.

Now there'll be a little bit of steam.

Is that alright?

Yoshiko is a good friend of ours and she does a great job.

We enjoy promoting the people and local businesses around us.

2020 has hit many small businesses especially hard, so make sure to support those local businesses around you!

Ruth's going to continue her treatment there while I have to go and pickup Joshua.

But boy, that looked good and relaxing!

I can't wait to hear from Ruth what she has to say about that.

What's awesome about Japan is that we can get to all these things so fast.

You just hop on a bike, you just walk to it. All these things are so close to us.

Walking is by far what you do the most in Japan.

When we moved here in 2014, we had no bikes, no car so we walked a lot!

Sarah! Hi Sarah! Can you wave?

OK, should we go? Let's keep going!

It's time to go, right? It's time to go!

If we wanted to buy anything, we had to walk to the store and get it.

With kids in tow, there was nothing easy about it.

When the rainy season came, we needed another option, and that's when we got our car.

No, not that one! This one!

After 6 months of lugging our kids around by foot, we found a used 2004 Toyota Noah that worked perfect for us and bought it.

Vehicles in Japan are smaller than their counterparts in America, but this van had just enough space for our family and luggage.

In Japan you need to pay for nearly all parking and a majority of the highways that you drive on.

hat being said, the cost of a long trip on a tollway is about the same that you would pay for one person on a bullet train,

so if you have your car full of people, it comes out to be quite a bit cheaper.

But be aware: the process for getting your license in Japan is grueling, and many people have to try several times before they pass.

So sometimes when you're parking in Japan, things can get a little expensive.

The parking fee is 402,600 Yen (~$4,000)

Can you help me with parking today, maybe just a little bit?!

That's one that's just really old that we use just as a joke sometimes.

I'm going to put the real one in.

The parking fee is 600 Yen (~$6) Now that's more like it.

Cars are great for trips, but for taking little kids around with you locally, nothing beat the discovery of the mamachari.

What do you have here?

This is my mamachari.

It's very nice because I can put Joshua in the front,

And we actually fight over who gets to hold the handle bars because he thinks he should drive it.

And then Sarah sits back here.

To get it started I have to first unlock it.

Unlocked.

Turn on the on button.

It's on automatic.

So this bike comes with 3 speeds (modes),

The middle is automatic, so it's just pretty consistent.

When I start pedaling, it helps me keep that pace.

If I'm going up a hill, I just pedal normal and it does all the extra work.

Which is great when I have 2 kids on it.

Then there's also one that uses less battery but you have to work a little more.

And there's one that uses more battery and it's like a little mini scooter.

There's also three setting with the gears.

So there's lower gear, the middle gear and the higher gear.

And to charge the battery, you have to take it off, take it inside and plug it in.

Pretty much, I get on and I go.

Hey guys! Oh my goodness, what are you doing?

Are you driving the bike, Joshua?

Yeah, we fight for hand space. Ringing the bell?

Jingle bells. Jingle bells all the way!

For long-distance travel in Japan, flying is often the most affordable option.

You can reach just about any major city in Japan in less than 2 hours by plane.

In fact, what usually takes longer than your flight is your trip to actually get to the airport!

But when you think of Japan, do you think airplanes? No!

You think Shinkansen, or bullet trains!

These high-speed trains are the go-to option for long-distance traveling in Japan.

Although they are expensive, they are extremely fast, efficient and comfortable.

Enjoy watching the Japanese countryside whiz by

as you effortlessly move along an incredible network of high-speed rails all made possible by ample tunnels and bridges.

These trains seamlessly tie into the public transportation network

and there is very little time wasted transferring to and from other forms of transportation.

And then there are all kinds of variations:

special trains and trams,

ropeways and gondolas,

and cable cars made specifically for moving people up steep mountain sides.

apan has figured out how to best utilize its resources for moving people around its unique landscape.

But in the end, it all comes back to what facilitates the everyday life of the people living here in Japan.

You didn't cry?

Can you check the mail for mommy?

So how was the rest of it? What happened? It was wonderful.

So, I actually fell asleep because I was so relaxed.

She put more stuff on and she massaged and massaged and then I got a back massage.

Which is just glorious.

And I have my next one scheduled already.

Can you show everyone how well you're reading now? Let me hear.

(Reading in Japanese)

It's Ramen for dinner! Yum!!

Are you getting some of it in your mouth, Dude?

Yummy!

Do you like Ramen?

Well that's a look at how we use Japan's amazing transportation system.

How do you use it?

Please comment below, like and subscribe, and until next time, we'll see you on Life in Japan. Bye bye.