Rail Report: From the Shinkansen to the City on the Hakodate Liner, Japan (02 October 2017)

The long journey from Tōkyō to Hakodate isn’t as time-consuming as it used to be, thanks to the newly opened first segment of the Hokkaidō Shinkansen. That said, the shinkansen terminus serving one of the biggest urban centres in Japan’s northernmost prefecture is located about 16 kilometres from the heart of the city: hardly a convenient location for travellers staying in the downtown area. Bridging the gap is a new train service that links the shinkansen to central Hakodate, taking as little as 15 minutes each way.

Welcome aboard the Hakodate Liner.

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Rail Report: Tōkyō to Hakodate on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen, Japan (02 October 2017)

Travelling between Tōkyō and Hokkaidō has never been easier, with new high-speed rail services whisking passengers from the Japanese capital to Hakodate in under four and a half hours. Today, let’s see what it’s like to zoom all the way up to the great big north on an unbroken run along two shinkansen lines: one of which is the country’s longest, and the other its newest.

Welcome aboard the Hayabusa – the fastest service on the Tōhoku and Hokkaidō Shinkansen.

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Field Report: Sunpu Castle, Shizuoka, Japan (01 October 2017)

Think about the sort of house you’d like to live in after retirement. Will it be a beach-side bungalow, or perhaps a small cottage out in the country? Whatever form your post-employment residential dream might take, it’s not likely to be on quite the same scale as the sprawling fortress that Tokugawa Ieyasu moved into after he’d quit his plum government job in Edo and decamped to what is now Shizuoka Prefecture.

Welcome to Sunpu Castle.

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(Mini-)Food Report: Coffee and Dessert at Hands Cafe (Naha, Okinawa, Japan)

This quick café stop in the Okinawan capital almost didn’t make the cut – in blogging terms, anyway – as I didn’t gather quite enough material to compose a proper Food Report with. That said, I’ve already rolled out a couple of (Mini-)Food Reports in recent weeks, so why not one more? (Besides, I’m sure we’ll need a bit of sweet to balance out the savoury goodness of that steak lunch I wrote about yesterday.)

Welcome to Hands Cafe.

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(Mini-)Food Report: A Hearty Steak Lunch at Wafū-tei (Naha, Okinawa, Japan)

Here’s a brief (Mini-)Food Report, covering a Japanese-style steak lunch I enjoyed in a restaurant at one of Naha’s major shopping malls.

Welcome to Wafū-tei.

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Field Report: Shikina-en Royal Garden, Naha, Japan (08 May 2018)

For the moment, let’s skip over our second full day in Okinawa – though I do hope to tell that tale in due course – and move straight into the third, when we visited a large garden that was the setting for a secondary palace of the Ryūkyūan royal family. Not a place where East meets West, but one where East meets East: a masterpiece of the landscaper’s art that draws upon both Japanese and Chinese aesthetics to yield something that Ryūkyū can call its very own.

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Field Report: Nakijin Castle, Okinawa, Japan (07 May 2018)

The islands of Okinawa Prefecture are sprinkled with the remains of gusuku: massive stone-walled castles that are in some ways similar to, and yet in many other ways different from, the classic Edo Period castles of the Japanese mainland. Whilst none are as well preserved (or at least as well rebuilt) as Shuri Castle in Naha, even ruined sites such as Nakijin Castle serve as impressive reminders of the power and authority wielded by those who once ruled these lands before they became part of Japan.

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Field Report: A Sunny Sunday in Sunny Naha, Okinawa, Japan (06 May 2018)

Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture is famous for its beaches, but what’s a chap to do when he hates going to the beach? No worries – there’s plenty to see, do, and taste in the capital city of Naha, even for someone who loathes the sea and sand.

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Field Report: Tamaudun Royal Mausoleum, Naha, Japan (06 May 2018)

The elegant splendour of Shuri Castle allows us to imagine the pampered lives that the Kings of Ryūkyū once led. At the same time, the royal mausoleum of Tamaudun – located just a short walk away – invites visitors to reflect on something altogether different: the solemn, sombre rituals that accompanied them to the grave.

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Field Report: Shuri Castle, Naha, Japan – Part Two (06 and 09 May 2018)

Our exploration of Naha’s iconic Shuri Castle continues from my previous post – though we’ll be spending more time outdoors on this occasion. Let’s have a look at some of the outlying structures that played an important role in the spiritual, ceremonial, and official affairs of those who once resided within these walls.

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