Special U-turn on the Expressway: Street Performance in Hino Town, Shiga Prefecture

I had the pleasure of performing at an event for the Children's House (after-school care center) in Hino Town, Shiga Prefecture.

I had a performance in Otsu City earlier that day, so I decided to take the expressway to give myself a little more time.

The route involved heading north from the Meishin Otsu Interchange to the Gamo Smart Interchange.

However, I realized something was wrong as soon as I entered the expressway at the Otsu IC.

"Wait... I'm heading toward Kyoto...!"

It seems I had gotten on the expressway in the wrong direction.

But even in times like these, there is no need to panic or make a fuss. I had recently learned from a YouTube video that a "special U-turn" would solve the problem. I never imagined it would come in handy so soon.

On expressways, it is possible to end up driving on an unintended section due to some kind of mistake.

Taking the wrong direction at an IC, going the wrong way at a junction, passing your intended IC, or accidentally getting on the expressway are all examples.

In such cases, if you report it to the toll booth staff at the next interchange, you can avoid paying for the section you traveled in error (though this may not be available at all locations).

I think this system exists as a relief measure because panicking and trying to make a U-turn could lead to an accident.

Since I had mistakenly gotten on the expressway toward Kyoto/Osaka at the Otsu IC, I decided to exit at the nearest interchange, Kyoto-Higashi IC, and report it.

I headed to the toll booth for the general lane, not the ETC lane, and pressed the call button on the payment machine.

A voice came over the speaker asking, "How can I help you?" When I explained that I had made a mistake, I was told to wait as a staff member would come to assist me.

After waiting for a while, a staff member arrived and asked me to pull my car over to the designated area on the left just past the toll booth.

Once I moved the car as instructed, the staff member explained how to perform the special U-turn.

The process went something like this:

1. Remove the ETC card from the ETC onboard unit.

2. Proceed along the road for a bit, then turn back to return to the interchange entrance.

3. Enter the expressway from the "general lane" to return to your original intended direction.

What I was curious about after receiving the explanation was: what should I do with the ETC card removed from the onboard unit when exiting the expressway?

Should I put it back into the onboard unit before exiting, or should I leave it out?

When I asked, they told me to leave it out and inform the staff when exiting (though I find out later that it seems better to insert the ETC card before exiting after all).

So, I decided to re-enter the Kyoto-Higashi IC as instructed.

When I headed toward the general lane, the barrier was open, and I was able to get onto the expressway as is. It felt a bit strange. I assume the staff member from earlier or someone else identified my car and opened it for me.

That is how I was finally able to return to my original direction of travel.

The story of the special U-turn ends here, but I will add a little extra since there was a bit of trouble when I exited the expressway.

As I wrote earlier, I was told to leave the card out of the onboard unit and inform the staff at the toll booth, but...

The Gamo Smart Interchange where I exited the expressway is an unmanned toll booth (ETC only), so an intercom is installed in front of the gate.

When I pressed the call button, it turned into an online call screen like Zoom, and the staff member's image appeared. A small wipe of my own image also appeared in the bottom right.

I tried to explain that I had made a special U-turn, but as soon as the call connected, the first thing they said was, 'Is the onboard unit malfunctioning?' They concluded it was an onboard unit failure before even listening to what I had to say.

This is just a guess, but I think most of the intercom calls at smart interchanges are about onboard unit malfunctions.

Even so, I was a bit taken aback to be asked 'Is it broken?' right away without even being able to explain.

I would have liked at least one round of 'How can I help you?' and 'Actually, it's because of...'.

When I explained the situation at that time, they said it would have been fine to just insert the ETC card into the onboard unit and exit, so...

It seems the correct procedure is to put the card back into the onboard unit after making a special U-turn.

There were twists and turns, but I managed to arrive at the next site safely and perform my show.

That was the story of taking the wrong expressway and making a special U-turn. Thank you for reading until the end.

Shiga Prefecture street performer 'Maruchero'
Based in Shiga, I perform stage shows and street performances in various locations. I appear at various
events, festivals, and various other gatherings. I deliver juggling, acrobatics, and
fun performances! Click here for my website.