Reply #25: Even going out to Kansai, I prefer the train [View All]

[Art_from_Ark]

The Shinkansen, even if it is more expensive for 4, still beats the Tomei/Meishin Expressway

Shinkansen tickets for 4-- 80,000 yen
Highway tolls-- 20,000 yen, plus another 10,000 at least for gas

On the face of it, you might think that driving was the better deal. However, after my experiences on the Tomei (Tokyo-Nagoya) Expressway, I would much rather pay the Shinkansen fare, and lay back during the 2 1/2 hour ride, than fight (sometimes literally) the incredible traffic on the Tomei during the 10 hours it would take to make the same trip by car. When I made that trip, I arrived in Kansai exhausted, and dreading the drive back (which lived down to expectations). Plus sometimes, during the right season, I can make the trip from Tokyo to Kyoto for a mere 2200 yen plus Tokyo to Yokohama fare on the night train, which takes about the same time as driving on the Tomei/Meishin.