Trains, Planes and Trip Planning
Joyful Trains, ZipAir YVR-NRT Route, and 10-Step Planning Guide
I recently posted a huge tranche of new pages on InsideKyoto. They’ll make your Japan trip easier, cheaper and more fun. Here are some highlights:
Japan’s Special Trains
Aru Ressha green car interior (JR Kyushu)
If you love trains, you’ll love Japan. You can ride classic trains like the Aru Ressha in Kyushu (above) or the new ultra-luxury Gran Class shinkansen (below).
Gran Class shinkansen interior (JR East)
In my new article titled Japan’s Special Trains, I cover the most important daytime luxury trains, overnight “cruise trains,” Shikoku’s “cuisine trains,” and some amazing sightseeing trains like the Kurobe Gorge Railway (below). I give you all the information you need: schedules, fares and how to get tickets. And best of all, I’ve created a detailed Google map showing exactly where all these trains run.
Kurobe Gorge Railway (northern Japan Alps)
10 Steps for Planning a Great Japan Trip
Planning a trip to Japan? Suffering from information overload? Then my new Japan Trip Planning Guide is for you. I break the process down into 10 simple steps, each with a link to actionable information on tickets, SIM cards, IC cards and hotel recommendations.
ZipAir Opens Vancouver - Narita Route in March
ZipAir, the low-cost subsidiary of Japan Airlines, launches their new YVR - NRT route on March 13. This adds to their existing flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Roundtrip economy fares from Vancouver are as low as C$834 (US$617) and business fares start at C$2592 (US$1919). There’s no question: ZipAir offers the cheapest lie-flat business class seats from North America to Japan.
Slowsteading in Japan
My friend Mike Rogers recently moved with his family from Canada to Osaka. He has been documenting their journey on his excellent YouTube channel called Slowsteading. Check out their video about leaving North America and arriving in Kansai. While you’re there, check out their video about living in a small Osaka apartment (with great shots from a daytrip to Kyoto) and another about a roadtrip in Shikoku. Oh, and if you dream of buying an old Japanese house, this video is for you. Mike has been writing some great articles for InsideKyoto and InsideOsaka recently, including this one about IC cards and this one about buying shinkansen tickets.