I’ve used Terminal 2 (T2) at Narita International Airport (NRT) a number of times in the past, but my November and December 2022 flights into and out of this major transport hub were the first since the pandemic began more than two years ago. Let’s see how much things have changed since the last timeContinue reading “Terminal Report: My First Post-Coronapanic Look at Narita International Airport (NRT) T2, Japan”
Tag Archives: Tōkyō
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 entryContinue reading “Terminal Report: Narita International Airport (NRT) T2, Japan”
Flight Report: NRT-MNL on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 5057 (01 December 2018)
In my previous flight report, we saw what it’s like to travel with Cebu Pacific from Manila to Tōkyō. Now let’s see if they’ve done just as well on the homeward journey from Japan to the Philippines. Welcome aboard Cebu Pacific flight 5J 5057.
Flight Report: MNL-NRT on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 5054 (15 November 2018)
In this report, we’ll see what it’s like to fly with the Philippines’ largest low-cost carrier on the busy Manila-Tōkyō run – a route that I travel on regularly since Japan is my favourite holiday destination. Cheap this airline might be, but have they done well enough to woo me back the next time IContinue reading “Flight Report: MNL-NRT on Cebu Pacific Flight 5J 5054 (15 November 2018)”
Field Report: Zōjō-ji, Tōkyō, Japan (11 November 2016)
As a rigidly conservative Catholic, I’m not drawn to Japanese temples for spiritual reasons, but I occasionally poke around them out of an interest in architecture and history. In the case of Tōkyō’s Zōjō-ji, there wasn’t much left to admire in terms of original architecture – most of the compound having burned down during theContinue reading “Field Report: Zōjō-ji, Tōkyō, Japan (11 November 2016)”
Field Report: Kyū-Iwasaki-tei Teien, Tōkyō, Japan (02 October 2016)
Relatively little has survived from Tōkyō’s golden age of Western-style architecture, when the rapid wave of modernisation that swept across Japan during the Meiji and Taishō eras triggered the construction of buildings that would not have looked out of place in the great capitals of Europe. Many of these later succumbed to war or redevelopment,Continue reading “Field Report: Kyū-Iwasaki-tei Teien, Tōkyō, Japan (02 October 2016)”
Field Report: A Long Walk Across the Low City in Tōkyō, Japan (02 October 2016) – Part 2/2
Tōkyō’ modern skyline and iconic public architecture are well worth seeing on any trip to Japan, but so are the quiet, low-rise neighbourhoods that make up its old Shitamachi – not least because of the glimpse they allow into the everyday, unvarnished side of life in the Japanese capital.
Field Report: A Long Walk Across the Low City in Tōkyō, Japan (02 October 2016) – Part 1/2
On my previous trips to Japan, I’ve come to know the Tōkyō of soaring skyscrapers, of popular culture, of old stereotypes and unstoppable evolution. Now I’m setting out to discover a different, grittier side of the city: the Tōkyō of the backstreets and low-rise neighbourhoods, of old houses and quiet alleyways, of hidden shrines andContinue reading “Field Report: A Long Walk Across the Low City in Tōkyō, Japan (02 October 2016) – Part 1/2”
Rail Report: Tōkyō to Izumo on the Sunrise Izumo overnight train, Japan (05-06 July 2015)
In the summer of 2015, I set off on the longest continuous land journey I’d ever undertaken in my life, travelling west across nearly a thousand kilometres of track from Tōkyō to Shimane Prefecture. Rather than contend with a long daytime train ride and the inevitable transfers, I decided to sleep away the journey –Continue reading “Rail Report: Tōkyō to Izumo on the Sunrise Izumo overnight train, Japan (05-06 July 2015)”
Field Report: In the footsteps of the 47 Rōnin at Sengaku-ji, Tōkyō, Japan (05 July 2015)
We will never know the full truth behind what drove Asano Naganori to unsheathe his sword within the confines of Edo Castle in 1701, and in so doing trigger the famous raid of the 47 Rōnin nearly two years later. We do know where this long and bloody tale ended: the serene precincts of Sengaku-jiContinue reading “Field Report: In the footsteps of the 47 Rōnin at Sengaku-ji, Tōkyō, Japan (05 July 2015)”
Within striking distance 