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[UPD 2018-01-02] Spot perfect, got ride all the way to Ikebukuro, Tokyo (lucky) first car. Have a sign with you! thanks OP
[UPD 2018-08-21] Still as great a spot as ever. At the mound, just make sure you take the small, steep stairs on the right instead of the stairs that lead to the walkway!
=== West towards [[Osaka]], ===
[December 2018] - We started from the Oyamazaki Interchange in the South-West of the city. There's a konbini right before the entrance of the highway. We chose to hitch before the on-ramp, it's not the best spot ever but there's enough space for a car to stop. Actually a car stopped pretty soon after we started here, while we were unlucky at the konbini.
Later in our trip, we met a Japanese guy who specialized in picking up hitchhikers. He's from Kyoto, and he told us he was almost every morning at the Kyoto South Interchange (Kyoto-minami in Japanese) from 9 to 11am, waiting to pick up any potential hitchhiker.
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To go west from Otsu SA, just start by following the way described above (in the "going East" section). But once you see the stairs on your right, don't go up there because if you find yourself in the side towards Nagoya and Tokyo you won't be able to make it to the other side. So don't go up the stairs but carry on walking, staying on the right side of the road. Be really careful as you walk in the tunnel because there is no real sidewalk and you're facing the traffic. Once you're out of the tunnel, walk for another 50 meters and you'll see stairs on your right, leading to the Service Area. Here's a [https://goo.gl/maps/5Nq9R picture of the stairs].