Saturday 23rd September 2017 Today marked my final morning in Japan before my afternoon flight back to Singapore. Since I still had some "unfinished" business to complete in Tokyo, I got up especially early this morning. I started out at JR Nippori Station where I was staying and headed to Otsuka Station where I had my breakfast at Royal Host. Dining at Royal Host is a must-do affair whenever I'm in Japan and I particularly enjoyed their western breakfast set where my sunny-side-ups were cooked to perfection. Few places in Japan opened their doors at 6am for breakfast. Royal Host is one such place where I could get my early morning fix. Otsuka Station is special since it is one of the last few places in Tokyo where I could capture some nice pictures of the ... read more

Thursday, 21st September 2017 Toyama >> Ueno >> Nippori (390.5 km, 150 minutes, 12,720 Yen) In the morning, after pausing for a brief visit at the Kansui Park and the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art & Design for some very picture-worthy moments, I took the Hokuriku Shinkansen to make the 391km trip to Tokyo. Home for the next 2 nights would be within the Nippori Ward at APA Hotel TKP Nippori-Ekimae (one stop from the massive Ueno Station). Soon afterwards, I headed to the Tokyo Skytree (Asakusa Station) where fine views of the Tower from the opposite bank of the Sumida River could be had. After the last light of the day had dissipated, there was just enough time for me to stop by for some street shopping at the Ameya Yokocho Arcade at Ueno as ... read more

Tuesday, 19th September 2017 Toyama >> Kurobe-Unazaki Onsen (33.8km, 12 minutes, 2,360 Yen) Shin-Kurobe >> Unazuki-Onsen >> Shin-Kurobe (25.2km, 50 minutes, 1,100 Yen) - Not covered by JR Pass I started my day early on the Shinkansen train from Toyama to the Kurobe-Unazaki Onsen Station. This was as far as my JR Pass could take me. Beyond this point, I had to continue the rest of my journey via the private Toyama Chiho Railway to my destination at Unazuki-Onsen Station. The train that I took was a very old school local train, stopping at every single stations along the way for the bumpy 12.6km journey. After travelling for about 25 minutes, I reached the train station which was made of wood exterior. This is a small gateway station along the Kurobe Gorge where sight-seeing trains departed ... read more

Monday, 18th September 2017 Nagoya >> Maibara >> Kanazawa >> Toyama (315.1km, 179 mins, 11,350 Yen) I spent the better half of this morning commuting through a series of JR Limited Express and the Hokuriku Shinkansen trains to reach the beautiful city of Toyama from Nagoya. I had a bento lunch onboard the train before arriving at JR Toyama station some 3 hours later. Toyama would be my base for 3 nights to explore the sights of the Hokuriku region including the UNESCO World Heritage, the Shirakawa-Go Village about 60 minutes away from the city. The city is also well-connected with the rest of the cities along the Sea of Japan through to the Tokyo Region. I spent my afternoon within idyllic Toyama, a very pleasant city to go around on foot and on trams through ... read more

Sunday, 17th September 2017 Himeji >> Kyoto (130.7km, 43 mins, 5,480 Yen) My afternoon itinerary involved a brief stopover at the former imperial capital of Kyoto located halfway between Himeji and Nagoya. Visiting Kyoto was a last minute decision, firmed up a few days before my trip to Japan. Since I was already holding on to the Japan Rail Pass, it made sense to cover a bit more ground as time was on my side. After 43 minutes on the train from Himeji, I arrived at Kyoto Station at a good time (12.57pm). The weather was perfect this afternoon with some light breeze that cooled the temperatures a bit. From the massive Kyoto Station, I found my way to Arashiyama (Saga Arashiyama Station) via the JR Sagano Line. Arashiyama is an area around the western outskirts ... read more