Now it’s about 3 a.m. in Japan, and I was texting with trembled fingers.
This was the first time that I drive in Tokyo, 2 a.m., after entering from hachioji entry for a few minutes, I started to drove on the ”shuto expressway”.
It was a highway with only 2 lanes. The speed limit is 50km/h (or 60 maybe).
I started with 50 and slowly I felt not at par. Car behind me was flashing me. So I speeded up. But cars behind my just overtook me easily.
I tried to follow them but even if I speeded up to 140, they (including taxies ) were still overtaking me like I was driving a wheelchair. They did not even speed down at curves. They were still overlooking me while I was taking curves at a speed of 110.
After I got off from “shuto expressway ”, I found myself in a cold sweat, my hands couldn’t stop shaking and I didn’t think I can take the wheel again tonight.
https://www.reddit.com/r/japan/comments/15nklvz/highways_in_tokyo_shocked_me/
44 comments
Be careful out there. Looks like you ran into a Roulette gang ルーレット族. The police have cracked down on these reckless driver gangs in the past few months, but that apparently has not been enough to completely stamp out the problem. Here is one article from last year about one arrest against them.
https://www.fnn.jp/articles/-/453772
Don’t be pressured into speeding in order to please others as it’s literally a recipe for disaster. If you are at the speed limit then just be chill and let the others do as they please.
That said. Are you sure there wasn’t a minimum speed limit? I seem to remember some bigger roads being over 100kmh with a minimum speed limit as well…was a long time ago though.
If you were doing 110 in a 50, that’s a criminal amount of speed and you could get your license suspended and be prosecuted for that.
time to learn to drive and stay cool ….. people with anxiety syndrome are a danger for others
Don’t speed. As a foreigner, you have much more to lose if the police catch you, or if you’re involved in an accident.
If you’re not confident, just keep left and go at your own pace. They will pass.
But hachioji is quite out there. Speed limit out there is usually 100 and people go 130 kph. Speed Cameras flash at like 135 kph and up. Until you get closer to central Tokyo Wangan, where it’s 60-80 kph.
Are you serious? That’s an infamous stretch of road.
I always advise drivers not to drive if they are nervous. It is dangerous for everyone. Especially in a city like Tokyo with so many public transit options.
what F-Zero does to a country:
Honestly that sounds like driving on California highways, too. I never drove on the Shuto Expressway, but I had some interesting cases in rural areas in Japan.
Midnight club
Why does Japan have 80 as speed limit but everyone pass you with 100+? Are there no fines or cameras?
Did you hear any music in the background?
https://youtu.be/OFFBTXPR38Q
What highway has a speed limit of 50/60 kmh lmfao that’s SO SLOW
When I drove out from Tokyo, for the longest time I was trying to figure out the speed limit.
I see a sign that says 80, but also one that says 120. After a while and observing the traffic I deduced it’s limit for different type of cars.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_Japan#/media/File:Shin_Tomei_exp_JD19k11a.jpg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_Japan#/media/File:Shin_Tomei_exp_JD19k11a.jpg)
In doubt just don’t drive on the right most lane, and let the speedy cars pass.
Note that the speed limits posted at the entry/merge are much lower than the limit on the expressway (honestly this confuses me, why have people merging at half the posted limit?!). You’ll find people tend to drive 10-20kph over the limit on most expressways.
this is what my japanese dad taught me but the general rule of thumb for driving on the shutokō is to drive 20kph faster than the official 50-60 kph speed limit. at night it’s even worse with cars and taxis easilygoing over 100 kph like you experienced. no one basically drives at the speed limit, even cop cars. and if you do see a cop car jsut make sure you’re not faster than them. that being said if you’re uncomfortable, understandably because the shutoko is narrow and has a lot of sharp curves and, you can of course just stick to then speed limit while drivng on the left lane. i’ll prolly get downvoted by foreigners who don’t know shit tho.
Beware that you might see a Nissan Z. If you don’t know what I meant, there is a car anime called Wangan Midnight where street racing takes place on expressways such as Shutoko.
Sounds like fun tbh
You navigator probably thought that you were driving on the road underneath. That’s why it gave you really low speed limits compared to other drivers.
Let them pass you, stay safe and don’t get in a wreck.
Why did you speed? Just move out of the way. Travel in the regular lane.
Look up 煽り運転. You don’t want to give these people s reason to antagonize you.
They felt that they can manipulate you into speeding so they went for the ride, it happens everywhere.
People drive fast on the highways at night. Stay in the left lane.
As a Texan, this is really helpful. For me, it’s gonna be hard to learn how to slow down when I drive over there.😭
Either way, I’m glad you’re safe, tho!
I know business people here inTokyo who openly brag about speeding, saying, “if you go fast, they catch you. But if you go SUPERFAST, they don’t bother.” Sounds really sensible.
That’s why EVERY FUCKING time I ride the highway, there’s a traffic jam bc of an accident.
There’s absolutely no way a highway has a speed limit of 50-60kph I refuse to believe that. That is abysmally slow, that’s slower than what people drive on the streets.
100km is 60 mph; that’s a bare minimum speed for most expressways (they call them highways) where I’m originally from. It’s perfectly normal to go over that speed if you know what you’re doing, unless you drive a kei truck like me and that’s the physical limit of your vehicle. Somewhat slower than that (80kph or so) is certainly okay if you’re on unfamiliar roads in a foreign country for example, but anything slower than that is dangerously slow and the speed difference between you and the faster cars will be extreme. If you’re not in such a hurry, why not tell your navi to choose the “no tolls” route and take the surface roads?
50km per hour on a highway? That honestly doesn’t sound right.
Watch out for taxi drivers, they are dangerous in any country, they are too used to driving
150km/hr is pretty normal mate. Idk where you’re from, but US is a lot faster too.
I drove from Tokyo to Hiroshima all night one time and going like 90-100 on what I think was an 80 road I was usually passing most people. The odd truck or car would rip by but whatever just go in the left lane and let them pass. Sounds like you might wanna take the train next time 🙂
You may have been on an interchange going to shuto B. Shuto B is 3 lanes with the “limit” being 80kmh. Anyways, if you’re not comfortable keeping with the flow of traffic, stay to the LEFT. If you do that, no one will bother you. Night time, especially early AM, people are flying, just like anywhere else. This also includes the truck drivers, who drive like they’re in group B rally cars.
That time of night? The drifters & other GTA-wannabe cars are out in force.
The behaviour of those drivers tends to confirm.
50km/h is 30mph. There’s no way any expressway outside the C1 inner circle is 50km/h max. I’m pretty sure it’s 50km/h MINIMUM / 100km/h max on Route 4, only dropping down to 60km/h INSIDE the C1…but yeah, if 50km/h seems fast to you, please stay on surface streets.
You have most likely confused the on-ramp speed limit with the expressway speed limit.
Outside of the C2 loop, most of the Shuto is 80, and inside the loop it’s mostly 60.
Most major expressways are 80, although some sections of newer expressways have started to change to 120.
Generally speaking, the flow of traffic is (barring heavier traffic) left lane, around 100, right lane for passing, generally up to 120 the closer you are to a major city, and 130 for longer stretches outside of the city.
On the Shin-Tomei and those others which have a 120 limit, people tend to go 130-140.
If you’re going slower than 120 in the right lane you will almost certainly have people coming up behind you and not happy. Particularly if you remain in the right lane unnecessarily.
Specifically regarding the Shuto:
– During the day it’s almost always full of traffic, so both lanes are used equally, which is frustrating but understandable.
– During the day most people are driving around 80 if they can.
– At night, it’s very empty, so the users are generally more experienced with it- enthusiasts, tradespeople, taxis, etc, and they enjoy being able to go a little faster than usual. Usually up to 120 both inside and outside the C2 loop, but some people go faster, of course.
– If you’re in the correct lane (left lane, unless you need to go into the right for an exit or merge onto another road), you won’t have the problem of people coming up behind you flashing.
Specifically to your case: Coming in from Hachioji, most drivers would have been coming from further out of town, at night, so have probably been driving around the 130 mark – as long as you were in the left lane, they should have been able to pass you in the right lane without trouble.
I highly doubt you were pushed to do 140 in the left lane by all drivers. I have been on the expressway at all hours and this is not a thing. The minimum requirements of expressway transit include Kei vehicles which can barely reach 120. Additionally, trucks are speed limited to 100.
The idea of running into a “roulette gang” for your whole journey is nothing. They would pass you on the right, as any driver trying to go quickly would. Going that quickly, you would encounter them for moments, unless you specifically held them up with no options. (Ie. Truck on left, you on right)
I feel like your mistake is being in the right, passing lane for extended periods or unnecessarily, for whatever reason.
By the way, a rough rule of thumb is- if you’re doing 120 or under on the expressway, you are “safe”. As another poster mentioned, cameras don’t flash until much higher.
Usually police don’t bother anyone doing around 120.
Edited to add some advice:
– Drive the speed you’re comfortable with.
– Drive in the furthest left lane you can, unless you need to change lanes to split off.
– If a driver starts to get aggressive, don’t take the bait and find an opportunity to change lanes, preferably to the left.
– There will always be a break in the traffic. There will always be a chance to move out of the way.
Source: around 10 years of riding and driving in Japan, covering the whole mainland.
As a German, this is comedy.
> It was a highway with only 2 lanes. The speed limit is 50km/h (or 60 maybe).
It’s very possible you were reading the merging speed sign as you were merging in to a new road. The actual highway speed may have been higher – closer to 80 if you were on the outskirts of Tokyo. In central Tokyo the shutoko goes down to about 60, but even the police don’t drive at that speed.
Have you tried an Autobahn in Germany? (^v^)
Are you commenters even in JAPAN? Lol. I drive or ride my bike daily here. The highways are usually 100 zones and even 120 on the new Ken-O if traffic management permits. Generally you’ll be going 80.
Imo never speed to keep people happy, stick to the left lane. You’re the driver, not the car behind.
You are correct OP.
So many people commenting here with no idea what they’re saying.
I am not 100% sure of the proper names in English because I’m not native so I am going to try but make sure to use the proper Japanese names.
Shutoko (首都高高速道) falls under the category of “limited-access road” (自動車専用道路). Together with your typical “highway” (高速自動車国道), the 2 fall under the same category known as simply 高速道路.
Even though the 2 share similarities, the differences you pointed out are obviously true for those who actually drive in then. Pointing out a few: 1) displaying the maximum speed limit is necessary 2) though in theory 100km/h could be possible as max speed limit, in most Shutoko, the speed limit is displayed most of the time as 50 or 60km/h, in some rarer cases 80km/h) 3) unless specified otherwise, there is no low speed limit (contrarily to 高速自動車国道 which by default is 50km/h)
Anyway OP, as some pointed out, try to drive on the leftmost side whenever you can, and try not to feel pressured to speed up over the limit. I’ve never found anyone flashing me on a Shutoko but you will find idiots everywhere. As long as you keep your right lane free, only a true idiot will complain. You may also try one of them “novice” green/yellow signs (初心者マーク) as drivers around tend to be more comprehensive.
highway speed limit in tokyo is 50kph? My new jersey ass could never go that slow on a highway
As others have mentioned, you were driving too slow. When driving on high speed roads in Japan:
0) There is always a motorcycle in your blind spot. Never change lanes without a head check.
1) stay out of the rightmost lane unless overtaking
2) Obey the speed limit sign which is usually 80 but may be lowered on some roads according to road conditions
3) If you get pulled over going more than 20kph over the speed limit, it is a Serious Infraction which can jeopordize your license
I need to check but I think high speed roads flip to 100kph speed limit on off hours far outside of major city areas; you can tell because the speed limit signs are off.
Japanese drivers, particularly commercial drivers and owners of Mercedes and BMW drive at excessive speed late at night. Just stay out of the overtaking lane.
Drivers of the large Toyota HiAce vans and most Alphard drivers always drive at least 40kph higher than the speed limit.
There is always a motorcycle in your blind spot
There are many expressways in Japan where the defacto limit is 80kph, and depending on traffic, it can be reduced to 60kph. In the Tokai region it is often 80kph due to the number of tunnels these roads have. Sometimes at night the speed limit is reduced to lessen the noise of the road.
Of course people speed and the police aren’t too vigilant about it. But if you are going fast and everyone is going slow, then you are likely to get pulled over.
Watch out for Black or white Toyota crown cars if you are speeding…….