It’s pouring rain all day today (Wednesday) here in Takamatsu, so I’m taking advantage of my Japan Rail Pass. Since the pass removes the financial disincentive to travel, I’m relocating to Oita, which has sunny skies this week and is close to a couple of OLLE hiking courses. The journey is 360 miles, much of it by bullet train.
Category: In-Transit
The Slow Road to Takamatsu
Stitched together a journey along the less-traveled east coast of the Muroto Peninsula and beyond to Takamatsu. Three local buses on a road hugging the spectacular coastline, a local then an express train, ending at a pleasant hotel towering over the station plaza. Somehow I got in 10,000+ steps exploring between rides.
Fuji-san From Seat 9K
Whenever I fly west out of Tokyo I always select a window seat on the right side of the plane hoping for clear weather. Today I was not disappointed.
Tokyo HND—Kochi KCZ
This morning (Friday) I’ll fly from Tokyo to Kochi where I’ll stay tonight. Tomorrow (Saturday) I’ll head down the Muroto Peninsula (blue rectangle) for a few days.
Geek Heaven
With permission, stuck my head in the cockpit where the three pilots were performing pre-flight checks. “Come in,” they said. I asked for, and got, a trading card! (This is a service that Delta doesn’t advertise.) As a bonus, I chatted up the gate agent and got a seat set aside for off-duty pilots. (I won’t be using the curtains.) Please don’t judge me, I’m a geek!
Airside Oasis
Walked through the well-maintained airside gardens at Honolulu HNL, with sections reflecting multicultural Hawaii and its historical connections with Asia. These include gardens dedicated to China, Japan, and Hawaii itself. The scents of vegetation mingle with the occasional whiff of aviation fuel.
Honolulu to Tokyo
This afternoon (Wednesday) Dwight flies home, arriving Minneapolis early Thursday morning, and I fly to Tokyo, arriving Thursday evening. In Tokyo, I’ll check into an airport terminal hotel. Friday morning, I’ll fly to Kochi on Shikoku, one of Japan’s four main islands.
Swings and Roundabouts
Japan is on sale: the Yen is 30% off its February 2021 dollar price. I kept that thought in mind today when I paid in Yen for an all-Japan rail pass. The price jumped 70% last October, the first increase since it was introduced in the 1980’s. Japan’s hotels continue to be a bargain.
One-Stop to Aloha
This evening we’ll be in Honolulu. The one-stop journey via Los Angeles saved a bundle of Delta SkyMiles compared to the non-stop. We’ll have lunch at LAX during a two-hour layover.
Homeward Bound
There was a 100% chance of rain as we waited for the train to a Newcastle Airport hotel for the night. Tomorrow morning we fly home, NCL–AMS–MSP.