Obviously, this depends on where in Kyushu you are, but there are a few points worth noting:
The biggest service area on the entire island is Koga (古賀), just north-east of Fukuoka. An easy place to get a ride in both directions, and also just a touch north of the central four-way interchange -- ensure you confirm your desination with your rides.
If heading north on to Honshu, there is an extremely long gap, 2-3 times the usual between service areas so you'll have to make a stop over at a parking area, which is OK because...
View from Dannoura PA on Honshu across to Kyushu. Mekari PA is the round, bad-70s-suit shade of lime green monstrosity in the background.
The busiest rest stop in the region is not a service area. Let's repeat this once more: Kyushu's busiest expressway rest stop is Mekari parking area (めかり) in Mojiko, Kitakyushu. Whilst a parking area in name, both Mekari, and its southbound sister parking area Dannoura (壇之浦) over the bridge in Shimonoseki (on Honshu), are practically service areas. Dannoura even has its own dedicated motel. They pack amazing views of the Kanmon straights, once of the world's busiest shipping lanes and the restaurants and souvenier shops stock Fugu (deadly pufferfish, the famous local delicacy). As you can therefore imagine, they see an insane amount of traffic. Locals will claim that on weekends, every last Japanese tourist stops at these areas without fail. Furthermore, if you happen to be starting from Kitakyushu or Shimonoseki, both areas are an easy saunter up a well marked path: follow the backstreets uphill from the fish market for Dannoura, take the stone steps besides near the Kanmon tunnel pedestrian elevator under the bridge for Mekari.
Basically all service areas and the aforementioned special parking areas in Kyushu provide formal back entrances and auxilliary parking to allow farmers or tourists use of the restaurant or viewing platform facilities so if you can identify one close to a train station on Google Earth or Yahoo! Maps, expect easy and legal entry.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Hitchhiking in Japan
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Hitchhiking in Japan - updated May 2024
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Hitchhiking in Japan Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
