Long Hauls, Cheap Tix

Tomorrow, Monday, I get on a plane. I’ve been getting on a plane several Mondays in January and February. A plane to take me to work in Portland, Oregon. This Monday is no exception, except this time I’m flying on a one-way ticket. I’ll work for my client for the last time, then cross the… Continue reading Long Hauls, Cheap Tix

My Kagoshima: Kirishima Volcanic Group Practicalities

From Karakunidake. There’s nothing like a decent hike after a long series of flights. I previously posted how to get from Kagoshima Airport to a hotel on the edge of the Kirishima Volcanic Group of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. The hourly bus from the airport takes you to the Kirishima Iwasaki Hotel in 47 minutes. If you arrive… Continue reading My Kagoshima: Kirishima Volcanic Group Practicalities

My Kagoshima: Getting Around the Region

Navigating Japan is not for the faint-hearted. Most overseas visitors arrive in Tokyo, only to enter a world of alphabets they cannot read, streets with non-consecutive house numbers, and train stations that are the world’s busiest. In my previous My Kagoshima posts: I emphasized the need to “chunk it.” Kagoshima Prefecture is a manageable chunk… Continue reading My Kagoshima: Getting Around the Region

My Kagoshima: Arriving

My 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 journeys to Kagoshima Prefecture, southern Japan. I’ve arrived in Kagoshima Prefecture on some of the newest transportation on the planet. Arrrive… Benefit: A Good Place to Stay: …by Boeing 787 Dreamliner Quick A hotel on the edge of Kirishima-Kinkowan National Park. (Hourly direct buses from the airport.) This is… Continue reading My Kagoshima: Arriving

Streamlining Flying

Earlier this month, I found myself airside at Japan’s Fukuoka Airport. 13 minutes earlier I was boarding the subway downtown. In those 13 minutes I rode the train two stations to the airport, walked up two levels to Departures, and cleared Security. I had almost an hour before boarding the plane, plenty time for a… Continue reading Streamlining Flying