Hitchhiking in Japan tips and pointers

Due to popular request I have complied a list of tips and lessons I learned over the past several years hitchhiking in Japan. I think the basic tip is just to use a bit of common sense and "where there is a will, there's a way."

• Get to the a good intersection of the highway that has a nice long red traffic light which builds up a good row of vehicles in front of it. Sometimes I walk 3 or 4 kilometers to get to it, sometimes I try to hitchhike to it, and sometimes I take a short train ride.
• Stand before a traffic light of a main intersection. The longer the light stays red, the better. I stand near the light when it first turns red and wait for the first car to come. When I think the driver is close enough to see the whites of my eyes, I either hold out my thumb or hold out a sign that shows my destination. If the driver either makes no eye contact with me, shows no interest, or waves his or her hand back and forth indicating "NO!", I proceed to slowly walk up to the next car, and then the next, and the next until either I get a positive response or the traffic light turns green and the traffic begins to flow again. After the light changes green with no positive responses, I turn around and walk back to the light and wait till it turns red again.
• Often I'll continue to hold out my sign after the light turns green in spite of the fact the traffic is flowing. Sometimes an interested driver will turn around as a result of the sign and offer me a ride.
• I try to present myself well groomed and dress reasonably well in dress pants and a dress shirt, never in jeans. Sometimes I've hitchhiked wearing a suit and tie but I found it really didn't help much.
• I try to make eye contact with the driver and smile. Once he or she makes eye contact, it usually means a ride.
• I make my signs with A4 size paper and a thick pointed magic marker. I use a clear plastic holder to keep the signs together with the sign of my destination on top. The sign is written in Japanese Kanji. Usually I'll carry the marker and several blanks sheets of A4 paper in the plastic holder if I need to make a sign of a destination. The driver is usually happy to write the Kanji down for me. I can copy Japanese characters if I look at them, but the Japanese will write them much nicer than I can .
• A sign should not show a destination that is too far away. On a regular road the destination should be not further than the next major city.
• If I'm going over a hundred kilometers and there is an expressway that goes there, one of the signs should be the name of the city of the expressway entrance.
• At expressway entrances, try to stand at a safe place before the entrance where the cars can easily stop. If you stand too close to the toll boot, it is difficult for the drivers to stop and some times may even be be asked to leave. There are good expressway entrances to hitchhike at, and poor ones. How do you know the difference? By experience!
• If after you catch a ride from a driver entering the expressway who is going toward the direction of your destination but considerably short of it, have him drop you off at the largest service area that is before his exit point. Service areas are better than expressway entrances because the flow of traffic is always in the direction you want to go. I stand near the facilities on the side of the road where cars would pass when exiting. If you are too obvious or stand too close to the exit ramp, the traffic cops might tell you to leave when they see you.
• Don't get off at parking areas that have only a toilet with a couple cars. It's probably better to get off the expressway altogether and stand at the next expressway interchange rather than such an area.