Digital travel. – #festivaloflife

HOLY SHINKANSEN

I’m in Kyoto Japan, on my way for a day trip to Hiroshima. The trip there and back will be 657kms. With a Shinkansen/bullet train! no problems.

Sounds a bit too much in one day? On Japan Rail, it’s not!

My trip to Japan is ten days all up, including three nights, two full days in Tokyo. A bullet train to Nagoya and then a local train to Nakatsugawa, then three days Walking the Nakasendo trail also using local JR trains. After the Nakasendo, Nakatsugawa back to Nagoya, then to Kyoto. Three nights two full days in Kyoto, including a day trip to Hiroshima. Then one last train to Osaka where I’ll fly out of Kansai International. Ok, it’s a hectic schedule, but I only have two weeks all up including stopovers in Bangkok.

The easy solution is a Japan rail JR pass. JR pass Australia. Depending on what country you are in, you should buy your JR pass vouchers a few weeks before you travel to Japan, allowing enough time for them to arrive before you travel. JR pass vouchers are valid for three months from the date of Purchase, and need to be exchanged for passes at one of the following offices throughout Japan. JR Ticket offices.

It’s important when buying your pass online, to make sure the name on your passport matches exactly with the name on your pass. If they don’t you won’t be able to redeem the voucher for a pass. You will also need to make sure you get the tourist visa stamp when entering Japan, as the JR passes are only available to tourists. When you go to exchange your JR pass at one of the ticket offices, ( you can also do this at the airport) make sure you have your passport, and allow a bit of time as the ticket offices can get very busy. The ticket offices are extremely efficient and attendants will check your documents whilst you wait in line. There are two types of passes. Ordinary and Green/ first class. The passes are 7, 14 ,and 21 days duration, and will start from the date you nominate when you exchange the voucher, ending midnight on the last day.

Is it good value? and which one should I buy? Well, Japan is a big country, with big cities, Tokyo has 38 million people! and if it’s your first trip to Japan it can be overwhelming. Any thing you can do to make it easier, will make it more enjoyable.

I purchased the green first class JR pass for 7 days. It was about $100 Aud more than the ordinary pass and I think well worth it. If you’ve ever walked past envious of all the people sitting in business class on a plane then spoil your self. The first class seats on a Shinkansen are better than any economy seat I’ve ever sat in. There are train attendants who will sell you food and drinks as you sit watching the country side go by.

Shinkansen are like a jet plane with out wings and they are fast! How fast? This fast.

Ok, so they are comfortable and fast. They also run on time! to the minute! This means when your train is doing 250 kms an hour approaching the station you need to be ready to get off! Be prepared by getting your bags down from overhead racks, or if you’ve been lucky enough you can leave them in the last row behind seats near the carriage exit. But generally these will already be full. If you plan to do a lot of train travel, it’s a good idea to choose baggage you can move quickly by yourself, and are able to stow in front of your seat, (there is room for medium size bags) or not too heavy to lift to an overhead rack.

Booking is easy once you have your pass, just go to a JR ticket office and book preferably the day before you travel to guarantee getting seats together. You can book at any time with a green car pass, but if its busy, you can miss out sometimes on the first class seats. This not a problem, just book the next train.

The first time you use the JR pass you will need to go through the entry gate where a train attendant will stamp and check your Pass. Even though you have a ticket, most times you will still need to show the JR Pass. On local JR trains, like the Chuo line on the Nakasendo way, you do not need to get a ticket, you just need to show the train driver your JR pass when you get off at your destination. This is handy if you arrive in a hurry, or the ticket office is shut.

So is it good value? I calculated over all my train travel I saved about $200 Aud by having a JR pass. It also made travel quick and easy by not having to have cash to purchase a ticket for every train. I also hired a WIFI hotspot from the Australian JR website. The hotspot was delivered to my hotel in Tokyo with a return prepaid envelope, which could be put in any Japan mail post box. Most airports have post boxes, you just need to check the location. The Hotspot was super fast, and allowed both my wife and I to connect with unlimited data. Having WIFI wherever you go makes planning, (like using maps) and staying in touch easy. So if you want to experience the amazing efficiency and luxury of Japan Rail, take a Shinkansen and enjoy the ride, and the #festivaloflife.

Geisha of Gion.

Red Geisha — Smiling Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck. 2018.

The very first time you see a Geisha floating down the street its…..Well, it looked like this.

I’m in Kyoto Japan. I’ve chosen to stay in Gion because I wanted to see a bit of the old capital of Japan. I’ve also read that “Memoirs of a Geisha” was filmed in the streets of Gion. I’ve told my lovely wife this, and she seems unconvinced about the presence of Geisha, until the first sighting. I’m pretty amazed myself, as a photographer (yes I’m on holiday) the chance to try to capture real life Geisha on the traditional Lantern lit streets of Kyoto is a bonus on my first trip to Japan. I’ve got a fast 50mm f 1.8 lens and a Giggling excited wife to share the experience.

Ok, so what are Geisha? From the dictionary; noun: geisha; plural noun: geishas; plural noun: geisha; noun: geisha girl; plural noun: geisha girls. A Japanese hostess trained to entertain men with conversation, dance, and song.

My definition. “Geisha are captivating, speedy and mysterious beautiful Artisan Japanese women.”

I’ve read there is a place called Gion corner. Some how, when out for a stroll at night to see a temple, We’ve stumbled across prime Geisha spotting territory!

Screen Shot 2018-05-23 at 6.00.23 pm — Apple Maps. Gion.

We are on a corner when a very speedy Geisha appears, my wife chases asking for a photo, I am embarrassed, until a spanish women says “Que Bonita” and clamps the geisha by the arm for a photo.The Geisha is trapped and smiles. The wife is not happy and glares at me, I refuse to use my powers for evil.

somewhere about the centre of the map, and down the street to the right,also along Hanamikoji dori St, at around 8:30 to 9 pm is where you’ll see the beautiful Geisha of Gion.

The mission is now, capture beautiful photos of Geisha and satisfy frothing wife with a picture that contains her and at least one Geisha, whilst not using my powers for evil! I always love a challenge, so night two, despite the rain I’m poised like a paparazzi waiting for the Royal family. At first I notice a few well dressed Japanese men and friends are disturbed by my lurking. I’m not the only one. A french man with two cameras does the 100m in 8.5 secs to get a shot. I lower my weapon whenever businessmen are leaving establishments. My cunning plan, and instructions to wife are, stand in one spot for me to get focus and don’t move. When geisha are in sight you will need to move left or right so I can get you in shot. For once , she does not question this, must be the magic of Kyoto.

The sequence above is what it took to get the shot which satisfied her, and let me go and drink beer and eat some fried chicken and ramen. It was worth it for this.

Geisha of Gion and happy wife. Robert Koenig-Luck

Who would have thought wandering around the streets of Kyoto and not spending 1000’s of Yen could provide so much Fun!

Red Geisha, Gion, Kyoto. Robert Koenig-Luck.

The Geisha of Gion are mesmerizing and beautiful. If you get a chance, take a little time and just watch them move gracefully down the street. It will make the old capital Kyoto magical, and help you celebrate the #festivaloflife.

I stayed at; Ms Inn Higashiyama.

My Ramen recommendation; Musoshin Ramen

” Take note”

OK! You finally made it on to the plane! Got the exit row, and are sipping your first holiday drink. You are about to choose a movie when the flight attendant brings around the immigration cards. NOOOOOO. You’ve put everything in the overhead locker including passport.

Not a problem, because you are prepared! You’ve got your phone (now in flight mode) and a pen. It’s all you need!

It’s always good planning to take a note of travel documents, including Passport numbers and expiry dates, place of issue etc. I use a password App called 1password.

1 Password App

There are many different Apps like this, so use which ever one suits you.

I store all types of logins, like Facebook, travel apps, credit cards and secure notes, which can only be accessed by my fingerprint or a password. Security in mind, it’s a good idea when traveling to make sure you are using a location App like find my iPhone to keep track of your devices. If they are lost, or even stolen, you can locate them, and if needed erase all the data remotely. It’s also a good idea to have an alternate email address for password reset and recovery, separate to your most used emails.

Also, check the coverage amount on your travel insurance for Mobiles, laptops and tablets. Many companies will only pay up to a maximum depending on the age and condition of your device. Consider traveling with a burner phone if you are going to destinations with high crime rates.

In the secure notes, I put all the passport numbers, details of the Family members I’m traveling with. This makes it super easy to fill out immigration cards without having to pull out passports. Its quick, easy and also good to have a record of your documents you can access if needed. For example, if you use a cash card over seas, it may be a while since you’ve traveled and used it. No problem, you can quickly and securely check the pin if you need in the secure app. Make yourself Appy, enjoy the #festivaloflife.

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