Expressway tolls to be cut to 1,000 yen on holidays and weekends

It was reported in the Japan Times today that motorists can travel expressways in most of Japan with a maximum toll of 1,000 yen for an unlimited distance on weekends and national holidays, according to the nation’s six major highway operators and the transport ministry.The discount will be valid for two years after the passage of the second supplementary budget for fiscal 2008 that earmarks 500 billion yen for the step, according to the highway operators and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.Drivers whose vehicles are equipped with the electronic toll collection (ETC) system device will be eligible for the discount. The government will give a 5,250 yen subsidy to those who buy the device, which costs 10,000 to 20,000 yen.Excluded from the discount are expressways in the Tokyo and Osaka metropolitan areas, the Honshu-Shikoku Bridge Expressway and the Tokyo Bay Aqualine bridge-tunnel.On weekdays, a special 30% discount will be applied to expressways except those on the two metropolitan areas, the bridge expressway and the Tokyo Bay tunnel. Click here to watch a video on ETC. Here is information on the E-NexCo cards. Use this link  to calculate fares.