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

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 anything but natural, with its tightly coordinated network of trains, buses, funiculars, and aerial lifts. But without all that infrastructure, one would probably require serious outdoor skills – not to mention days or weeks of travel time – to reach this rugged part of the country from the lowlands. Now, it can all be done in a day, without serious risk to life and limb.

In this pair of Field Reports, we’ll go on a journey across the full length of the scenic corridor, starting from Toyama in the west and ending at Nagano in the east.

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

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 the country’s largest alpine wetlands: a place that sleeps under a thick blanket of snow for much of the year, but stirs gloriously to life during the summer and autumn.

Welcome to Midagahara.

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

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 a future post). That said, if one can spare only part of a day, the initial western section of the famous mountain traverse makes for a worthwhile side trip. In this report, I’ll describe how I reached the scenic Midagahara marsh – one of Japan’s largest alpine wetlands – on a daytime excursion out of Toyama.

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

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 – a visit that sparked an enduring interest in this country, its history, its culture and unique way of life. Even though I’ve used other entry points since then, many of my visits still begin and end at this particular airport, and nearly always at Terminal 2: the facility that will be the subject of today’s post.

Welcome to Narita International Airport.

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

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 this 20th in a long line of partings might be, let’s see if my chosen airline can still end the holiday on a high note by delivering a safe and comfortable journey home.

Welcome aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 5057.

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Flight Report: MNL-NRT on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 5054 (28 September 2019)

For my 20th trip to Japan, I gave serious thought to flying with a full-service airline (instead of my usual LCCs) to make the milestone feel more special. Amongst the many carriers serving the busy Manila-Tōkyō market, Japan Airlines quickly became a key contender – not least because they transported me there on my very first visit – as did their compatriot and arch-rival ANA. In the end, a well-timed fare offer lured me back to one of the budget airlines plying this route. But beyond the price of the ticket itself, the thought of saving just a little extra cash to put towards improving my holiday experience (once on the ground) helped tip the scales.

Welcome aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 5054.

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Flight Report: TPE-MNL on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 313 (15 September 2019)

Budget airline Cebu Pacific (5J) did a splendid job – at least by LCC standards – on our outbound flight from Manila to Taipei. In today’s post, we’ll see if they managed to deliver the same level of performance on our homeward joruney.

Welcome aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 313.

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Terminal Report: Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) T1, Taipei, Taiwan

In today’s post, we’ll explore what arriving and departing passengers can expect to see at Taipei’s gateway to the world.

Welcome to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

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Flight Report: MNL-TPE on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 312 (12 September 2019)

No less than five airlines compete for market share on the busy route between Manila and Taipei – a popular (and conveniently short) regional hop for business-people and holidaymakers alike. In today’s post, we’ll look at one LCC option for travelling between these bustling cities: a morning flight operated by the Philippines’ largest budget carrier.

Welcome aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 312.

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Field Report: The Northwestern Walls of Namhansanseong Fortress, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (24 March 2019)

Despite the size and grandeur of their royal capital Hanseong – modern-day Seoul – the kings of Joseon were only too happy to sprinkle secondary “capitals” across the realm for special or emergency use. The fortified city of Hwaseong in Suwon is probably the best-developed example, with a full circuit of walls and a sprawling palace at its centre. This spring, I explored another of Joseon’s backup “capitals”: a mountain fortress not far from Seoul that, during the Qing invasion of 1636-1637, really did serve (albeit for only a few weeks) as the monarch’s seat of power.

Continue reading “Field Report: The Northwestern Walls of Namhansanseong Fortress, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea (24 March 2019)”