Truckies, affectionately known as “un-chan,” know the best routes, the cheapest and fastest shokudo, and up-to-date road conditions better than they know their mothers. CB radios pass on all the good information. On other occasions, when hitchhiking around Japan, I have even been passed from truck to truck by white-gloved un-chan in brightly-decorated trucks who have called ahead on their CBs and organized my next ride. I have a good deal of respect for Japan’s truck drivers.
