Sustainable travel: Japan’s efficient and eco-friendly public transportation options

Japan is famous for its efficient and punctual public transportation systems. Bullet trains (shinkansen) are not only fast and frequent – departing Tokyo every five minutes and reaching Kyoto 450 kilometers away in just two and half hours – but are also clean, comfortable and sleek. Foreign travelers can benefit from the Japan Rail Pass for an unlimited ride on JR trains (including shinkansen) for 7, 14 or 21 days.

Bus can be an option for harder places to reach by train. One prime example is Kamikochi, also called the Japanese Alps, in Nagano. The pristine nature in Kamikochi has been preserved in part by banning private cars from entering the area. Visitors can take a shuttle bus from nearby Matsumoto (known for the 16th-century castle and as the birthplace of Yayoi Kusano) or Takayama (close to Shirakawago village, largely unchanged from the medieval time) or a highway bus directly from Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. Mt. Fuji, another popular destination over Yamanashi and Shizuoka, also restricts access by private cars during the summer peak season, while allowing electric cars on some routes.

Electric bicycle and car sharing

Norikura Kogen, a small alpine community in the northern Japanese Alps (across Gifu and Nagano), is also accessible only by bus during the summer. Once there, visitors can camp, hike or sign up for a tour to pedal electric-motored two wheels on the country’s highest public road at an altitude of 2,702 meters.

Designated as the first Zero-Carbon Park by the Japanese Ministry of Environment in March 2021, Norikura Kogen also offers sustainable travel experiences, with a local café offering gelato in wooden cups with matching wooden spoons and coffee in double-walled glass and other restaurants and hotels installing water servers or even renting reusable water bottles.

Car sharing is another option to reduce CO2 emissions, and in Okinoerabu Island (Okinawa), visitors can rent an electric car (EV) through a mobile app. Nagasaki’s Goto Islands, known for their oceanic beauty and history of the Japanese Christians hiding from government persecution during the Edo period, have also pioneered the rental of EVs.

Low emission buses and renewable energy trains

In Nikko (Tochigi), where visitors can enjoy a visit to the magnificent Toshogu temple, a soak in hot springs, and a time travel at Edo Village, the city runs a low emission bus to quieter Oku-Nikko. The 10-kilometer bus route is surrounded by oak and larch forests and hiking routes, and the hail and ride system costs only 500 yen ($3).

In parts of Tokyo and Kobe/Kyoto, some trains run with 100% renewable energy on a pilot basis until 2025-26. In February 2022, JR East announced a hydrogen-powered test train with storage batteries, aiming to start its full operation in 2030.

Needless to say, there are a number of outlets for bicycle sharing in major cities. Once you set up a mobile app, you can reserve a bike in advance – many of them are electronic-motored – and return it at a nearby spot within the network.

Public transportation to preserve natural beauty

So, the next time you plan a trip to Japan, be sure to hop on one of its remarkable public transportation options for getting around in cities and reaching further destinations closer to nature. Your journey will not only be efficient and convenient but also contribute to the preservation of Japan’s natural beauty for generations to come.