Originally Posted by evergrn

You could do that, but for me Kofu and Karuizawa are really quick by car since my jikke is near the freeway access point. Plus I'm a wimp so I don't really do rental car in Jpn. Don't let me discourage anyone from driving in Jpn. I just personally find driving on the left side to be nerve-wrecking. I only do that in S.Africa, because there you have no other choice. Even in ZA where roads are straightforward, it wears on me to drive on the left side. So my road trips in Jpn are always in my Japanese family's car. I love Karuizawa, but honestly the trip highlight for me is the drive to/from there which is always filled with fun conversations and stops at at least two SA/PA's each way. The SA that I particularly love is the one right near the interchange btwn Joshinetsu & Kanetsu on the way back... my kids and I could spend hours there. They even have a ferris wheel.




Even then, long-distance train travel is still going to be much more expensive than car, if you're a party of multiple people. You wouldn't choose train over car in Jpn because of cost. You'd choose it because it's faster and more comfortable.