Within striking distance

I like travelling alone. That way, I've only got one idiot to worry about.

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Category Archives: Japan

Field Report: An Autumn Walk in Kamikōchi, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (02 October 2019)

Featuredby Diego 1 Comment

I’m not much of an outdoorsman, but I do enjoy the occasional side trip into Japan’s rugged and beautiful highlands. One particularly rewarding detour that requires little time or hiking […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Transportation Report: Travelling from Matsumoto to Kamikōchi and back

8th Dec 2019by Diego 1 Comment

The scenic highland valley of Kamikōchi (上高地) lies deep within the Northern Japanese Alps, in a remote corner of Nagano Prefecture. Yet despite its relative isolation, visitors from elsewhere in […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Trains, Travel

Field Report: Walking Around the Murodō Plateau, Toyama Prefecture, Japan (01 October 2019)

7th Dec 2019by Diego 2 Comments

The highest stop on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is a gateway to some of the Hida Mountains’ incredible natural beauty. Here, at 2,450 metres above sea level, even inexperienced […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Field Report: Kurobe Dam, Toyama Prefecture, Japan (01 October 2019)

1st Dec 2019by Diego 2 Comments

Though it’s best known for breathtaking natural landscapes, the scenic Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route also includes a stop at an important man-made landmark. Completed more than half a century ago, […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Field Report: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Part 2 (Descent from Daikanbō to Ōgizawa and Nagano)

24th Nov 2019by Diego 3 Comments

Fresh off the first few legs as described in Part 1, we’re now ready to complete our crossing of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) by setting out on the […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Field Report: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Part 1 (Ascent from Toyama to Daikanbō)

23rd Nov 2019by Diego 3 Comments

Spanning the Hida Mountains between Toyama and Nagano Prefectures, the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) features some of central Japan’s best natural vistas. Never mind that the route itself is […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Trains, Travel

Field Report: An Autumn Stroll at Midagahara, Toyama Prefecture, Japan (29 September 2019)

16th Nov 2019by Diego 3 Comments

There are many places of interest along Japan’s Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート), the scenic corridor through the Hida Mountains between Toyama and Nagano Prefectures. Amongst them is one of […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Transportation Report: Travelling from Toyama to Midagahara on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route

10th Nov 2019by Diego 4 Comments

Japan’s incredibly scenic Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route (立山黒部アルペンルート) is best appreciated on an overnight journey, or at least a full-day trip with a very early start (as I’ll demonstrate in […]

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Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Trains, Travel

Terminal Report: Narita International Airport (NRT) T2, Japan

21st Oct 2019by Diego Leave a comment

Tōkyō’s main international airport and I go back a long way. I flew in through here a decade ago, at the start of my very first visit to Japan – […]

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Flight, Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

Flight Report: NRT-MNL on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 5057 (06 October 2019)

19th Oct 2019by Diego 2 Comments

As my favourite destination – my own little happy place – Japan exerts such a strong hold on my imagination that I’ve come to dread every homeward flight. Painful though […]

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Cebu Pacific, Economy Class, Flight, Japan, Japan 2019 (2nd), Travel

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Some of the interior spaces on the piano nobile of my Sims 4 palace build. Here’s the (fictional) description I initially used on my previous post where I showed the exterior: “Großherzoglicher Palast (Grand Ducal Palace). Official residence of the Brückenburger Grand Ducal Family. The small Renaissance-era "stadtschloss" (city palace) that once stood on this site was enlarged in the mid-19th century on the orders of Grand Duke Karl-Alexander; this project involved the addition of two wings on either side of the old house and a fourth level above, as well as a nearly complete rebuilding of the interiors. The façade has not been significantly altered since that time, but the interiors have periodically been refreshed, most notably in the early 20th century when the principal guest suites were redone in Art Nouveau style on the initiative of Grand Duchess Elisabeth Margarethe (consort of Grand Duke Alois II)." #sims #sims4 #sims4build
Exterior shots of an in-progress Sims 4 build; I'll put up the interiors in separate posts. Here's the (fictional) description: "Großherzoglicher Palast (Grand Ducal Palace). Official residence of the Brückenburger Grand Ducal Family. The small Renaissance-era "stadtschloss" (city palace) that once stood on this site was enlarged in the mid-19th century on the orders of Grand Duke Karl-Alexander; this project involved the addition of two wings on either side of the old house and a fourth level above, as well as a nearly complete rebuilding of the interiors. The façade has not been significantly altered since that time, but the interiors have periodically been refreshed, most notably in the early 20th century when the principal guest suites were redone in Art Nouveau style on the initiative of Grand Duchess Elisabeth Margarethe (consort of Grand Duke Alois II)." #sims #sims4 #sims4build
Sims 4 was running exceptionally slowly on my PC today, so I only managed a few snapshots of this build. Here’s the (fictional) backstory: “ROTES RATHAUS (Red Town Hall). Seat of the local government of Brückenburg City since 1873. The square in front is named Friedrichsplatz, in honour of Grand Duke Friedrich II who funded the building project. A massive renewal (completed in 2010) saw the construction of four subterranean levels beneath the original building and extending out underneath the square, with access via two entrances that descend from Friedrichsplatz and end in a soaring underground lobby. The city government now shares the enlarged complex with 3 ministries of the central government: the mayoral and ministerial office suites in the original 19th-century building; the council chamber, city services, ministry offices and other work areas in the modern underground section.” #sims #sims4 #sims4build
My latest Sims 4 build. Still a work in progress, so let’s save the description and (fictional) backstory for later. Shame about the lack of suitable Gothic elements in the game (hence all the stylistic compromises I’ve had to make), and there’s still no way to change the ceilings from stark white (yes there’s a mod for it, but I don’t use mods). #sims4 #sims4build
My other new Sims 4 build. Here’s the usual (fictional) description to go with the pictures: “The seat of the Landtag des Großherzogtums Brückenburg (Parliament of the Grand Duchy of Brückenburg). Completed in 1929, this palatial structure was the first purpose-built home of Brückenburg’s unicameral legislature, which previously used a ballroom in the Grand Ducal Palace for its (then) relatively infrequent meetings. The constitutional reforms of 1919-20 gave the Landtag a greater role in matters of government, which necessitated the provision of permanent facilities separate from those lent by the Grand Ducal court.” Incidentally, the building has a deep, dark secret in its basement...but we’ll save that for another post. 😉 #sims4 #sims #sims4build
I’ve just done a play test of the church I was building in Sims 4. Here’s my (totally fictional) description of the building: “Sankt-Michael-Kirche. The principal Catholic church in the Margraviate of Kleinmünster, in the Grand Duchy of Brückenburg. A church was first erected on this site in the High Middle Ages, but very little of that original structure survives (mostly incorporated into the Upper and Lower Crypts). What we see today is chiefly the product of a mid-19th-century rebuilding. The Lower Crypt serves as a mausoleum for the Margraves of Kleinmünster and their consorts; this level is normally closed to the public except on the Feast of All Souls (2nd November) and on the reigning Grand Duke’s official birthday.” #sims4 #sims4build
It’s only been a couple of days since I bought Sims 4, so I’m still trying to familiarise myself with the game controls and options. Having cut my teeth on building a Governor’s Palace and a State Nuclear Bunker, I branched off into this little side project. It’s not yet finished, and I’m not entirely happy with the architectural elements (I can only work with what the game gives me), but I hope a future expansion will come with lots of stained glass for me to play around with. Note the ad orientem altar and communion rail - this is meant to be an ideal Catholic church (which means no guitars, no liturgical dance, no tambourines, no communion in the hand, no liturgy that isn’t in Latin, no clapping after Mass, and no wacky Jesuits). 😆
メリークリスマス. 😊 🔔🎄🔔

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