Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Japan's Trains, Subways and Stations?
Also a great ramen book, other things to do in Kyoto, and a cool Lonely Planet video
Japan Transport Quiz
Here’s a quick quiz:
Question 1:
What three types of shinkansen run on the Tokaido shinkansen line? What color is used to indicate each of these on signs etc? Which is fastest? Which is slowest? Which is medium speed?
Answer:
Nozomi (yellow, fastest), Hikari (red, medium), Kodama (blue, slowest)
Question 2:
What is the name of the Tokyo loop line? What is the biggest mistake you can make on this line?
Answer:
Yamanote Line. Boarding in the wrong direction and going all the way around the loop to get to your stop. Trains run in both directions, usually stopping at different platforms, or different sides of the same platform. Use the signs near the escalators to determine which direction is best for your destination.
Question 3:
How can you figure out the best exit when you arrive at a train or subway station in a Japanese city like Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto?
Answer:
Look for the yellow and black signs on the platform where you alight and determine the best exit. Or use the map on the same signs.
I recently published Navigating Japan’s Trains, Subways and Stations on Truly Tokyo. It takes only a few minutes to read and it will turn you into a power user of Japan’s public transport.
What Else Is There to Do in Kyoto?
Kamo-gawa River on a summer evening. Mike Herrin photo.
I recently published an article called It’s Time to Rethink Japan Tourism in which I argued that we should forget about “top tens” and “must-see” spots in favor of interacting with local people and savoring regular life in Japan. In response to that article, a reader of this newsletter and regular visitor to Kyoto named Mike Herrin sent me a brilliant list of alternative things to do in Kyoto. Mike calls these “one stop away” activities and sights. I liked the list so much that I asked Mike to expand the list into an article called What Else Is There To Do In Kyoto? which we recently published on Inside Kyoto. Interestingly, many of the things on Mike’s list were activities that my kids used to love when they were growing up in Kyoto.
Ramen Book
Florentyna Leow with Sankaku #2 Ramen collector’s edition
Florentyna Leow is one of the greatest food writers I know. She has encyclopedic knowledge of food and she writes about it with passion, style and humor. She’s written lots of great pieces for our websites, including two of my all-time favorites: Eat Like a Local in Tokyo and Eat Like a Local in Osaka. Recently, Flory has been working with a team called Sankaku that produces limited edition books on different aspects of Japanese culture. Their second book, Ramen, is a must-have for any serious fan of Japanese ramen.
I recently met Flory in Tokyo and she showed me a collector’s edition of the book with a cover that contains actual instant ramen: I love the fact that a book about ramen contains actual ramen. It’s very meta, kind of like Kramer’s coffee table book. While the collector’s editions are sold out, regular editions are still available on the Sankaku site, along with their books about Tokyo and Japanese Gods, and some very cool ramen-related merch.
Great Lonely Planet Video
Writing travel guidebooks for Lonely Planet was the best job I ever had. I’ll always be grateful to the two people who started the company: Tony and Maureen Wheeler. And while some people slag off on the company for having created “the banana pancake trail” across Southeast Asia, I’d argue that the Wheelers democratized travel and opened up the world to millions of people who might never have thought about visiting places like Thailand, India or Japan. Just think of all the life-changing journeys that were planned with a Lonely Planet guidebook.
I recently came across a brilliant video about the history of Lonely Planet on YouTube. It features an interview with Tony Wheeler. There’s one thing that stands out about the interview: the man is palpably happy. And I think that his happiness is well deserved. There’s also a great interview with Joe Cummings, who authored the first Lonely Planet Thailand guide. It’s a really soulful video and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s ever tossed a Lonely Planet guidebook into a backpack and set out on the road.