Mrs. jklmelton and I were making a dual run to Fukuoka on Monday to a new museum showing Robert Capa photos (post later) and Costco. Just before we got on the highway, we saw the two young men pictured above.
You get a max of three seconds to answer the question: Do we stop for them? I have never picked up hitchhikers in Japan, and I'm guessing the last time I stopped for someone was about 35 years ago. Anyway, they seemed alright, so we stopped.
It turns out they were both 4th-year college students on their last summer break before starting work (they both have job commitments for next April). They were hitchhiking around Japan and were heading to Fukuoka. We got them about ½ way before we pulled off for the museum. Before we pulled away, I noticed my camera was missing. It seemed it was not on purpose; it was quickly put back. One of them was holding it when he sat down. Driver beware. :-D