Overnight Sleeper Train

Hello Everyone. I'm going to write about Japanese overnight sleeper train, It's Sunrise Seto and Sunrise Izumo by JR Central, JR East and JR West (JR is Japan Railway Company). This is only overnight sleeper train in Japan at periodical service from 2016. Other overnight sleeper trains are finished.

From Tokyo Terminal, the trains of two destinations services together as 14 cars train to Okayama. At Okayama station, Sunrise Izumo go to the Izumo city in Shimane, and Sunrise Seto go to Takamatsu city in Kagawa on the Shikoku island.

Room

This time, I stayed “B-Single Room”. My height is 171 cm, even thought bed is maybe about 190 cm〜200 cm. Perfect. “B-Shingle Room” has pajamas, slippers, cup, pillow, blanket, socket and NHK-Radio. In any case, there is a room of dome and single deluxe. Dome is nothing else. Single Deluxe has free shower ticket. If you stay Single or Dorm, you can buy shower ticket of ¥320. But this ticket is very popular. It's up to you whether you can buy.

I make blog in this way.

My English is

Not Perfect.

And

Many Mistakes.

So

Sorry.

BlogTouch Pro

When I was university student, I was connected to Wi-Fi of the university and updated blog from Surface. However after graduated university, I lost Wi-Fi environment, because my house doesn't have Wi-Fi. I can update in GoogleChrome, but this is hard to use it with PC screen on iPhoneXr. At that time, I found wonderful application. It is BlogTouch Pro.

BlogTouch Pro is paid application in App Store and price is ¥600. Be lated low? Don't worry, this is wonderful. What can we do on this? We can all of being able to do it like a PC screen such as write an article or draft, change the font format, change the font color, change the font size, change the text alignment, insert medias, view HTML and we can view online post. Did I buy paid application for easiness in seeing? Yes.

Pic Collage

I think that picture is necessary for article of the blog, because a look of the blog is good. And it is easy to have an imagination when I place pictures. However, sometimes bad when I place many pictures too much. At that time, Pic Collage is convenient. When we use this application, we can change many pictures into one piece of picture. I'm using this application from iPhone4s.

Travel In The World Sky

Soarin' Around The World

This time I introduce exciting ride in Disney California Adventure Park. It's Soarin' Around The World. If you like the travel, you are easily impressed too! We can travel in the world of 6 continents with Dream Flyer. Dream Flyer was invented by Cameria Farco, and then she studied the flight in the world of the Disney. This is not in general world travel because we are travel while flying in the sky. For example in Egypt, we must not clime the Great Pyramid Of  The Giza however, this is just like clime the pyramid. We can do it in such as experience all ocer the world. Soarin makes me impressed. I rode on 3 times!

In July, 2019, same ride come to Tokyo DisbeySea. Title is Soaring Fantastic Flight. Location is If you enter the DisneySea, please go to the right hand side. There is the building such as the historic musium. Soaring Around Fantastic Flight going to introduction a fast-pass and original movie of Tokyo DisneySea. I will definitely go to that ride someday. Cameria Farco said “If you have imagination and power to drea, across the space-time, we can go anywhere”. Let's go to fly!

What is the pleasure of the travel?

Hello everyone. Where are you going to travel and what will you do? Each person finds a different pleasure in travel, such as planning, preparation, foods, tourist spots, discovery or everything? When we  may travel, we have an unpleasant experience, it might become a good memory. This topic introduces some of the way I enjoy my travel.

Airplane

 I travel for what I cannot usually experience. For me, I already feel like I'm in a foreign country when I board an airplane because I do not usually fly in the sky. My most pleasure is in flight, a cabin attendant prepares a buffet table in the back and the center of the plane with chips, biscuits, many varieties of sandwiches, soft drinks and hot drinks. I become full whenever I use it. It is a long travel from Tokyo to a foreign country. And the in-flight meal is a pleasure too. In many cases I eat lasagna or potato and beef, but sometimes in an flight meal, I can eat beef bowl of Yoshinoya, sushi or MosBurger. 
 P.S: Some people say that in-flight meal is not delicious, but because at the atmospheric pressure, our taste changes.

Characteristic of each country
 I enjoy the characteristic of each country. For example, Asia has food stands, Oceania has nature, Europe has art and the United States has entertainment and of course other things too. I go to foreign countries to do the things which Japan does not have because I do not know when I will go the next time. I want a special experience.

California Disneyland

I usually visit a lot of tourist spots that are places in nature, such as GrandCanyon or  famous cities as Paris. But please give it a thought, there is a famous theme park in the world. It's "Disneyland". The Walt Disney Company has a theme park in 6 places Florida, California, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Paris. We can experience Disney while traveling in foreign countries. This post, I will introduce Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park in California.

Disneyland Park

There is like Tokyo Disneyland has many of the some attractions, such as "It's a Small World", Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Mountain Coaster's and more, but there are some attractions that Tokyo Disneyland doesn't have, such as Matterhorn Bobsleds, Star Wars Launch Bay and more. I went in the 60th anniversary 2015. Disneyland Park is similar to Tokyo, but the attraction system is different a little because it was made before  Tokyo. It's interesting, too.

California Adventure Park

In many cases, Disneyland has a 2nd theme park like Tokyo DisneySea. At California Adventure Park we can experience the nature of California with attractions from Disney. For example, Grizzly River Run is a water ride and we become so soaking wet when  we fall and spin in the river. Radiator Springs Racers the most excitingattraction in there. This attraction is a roller coaster that gs but so fast Race like the Cars of the Pixar animated cartoon.

URL: https://disneyland.disney.go.com/destinations/disneyland/

Let's Stay at the Youth Hostel

When I backpack, I stay at youth hostels, so I can stay cheaply and safely. There are a lot of good things such as we can pay $25 or less a night, and we can obtain information from other backpackers. Each building is characteristic depending on the place. But sometimes we cannot sleep well at a youth hostel if there is a bar or music club. One night, the music  began at 9 p.m. and (?)  until 3 a.m., and I could not sleep. A youth hostel has about six people in one room. In most cases rooms are not segregated by gender but recently, women can stay with peace of mind in a ladies only room with automatic locking. The kitchen is public, so we make our own meals. Always I buy ingredients at a supermarket nearby. I cook my dinner too.








We can enjoy various experiences when we stay at a youth hostel such as talk with people of various countries or generations, make a new friends, learn about in religion, and other things. Japan has a lot of youth hostels, so let's stay at one someday.

・Urban Pack (Hong Kong)

   URL: http://urban-pack.com/
・YHA Rotorua (NZ)
   URL: https://www.yha.co.nz/hostels/north-island-hostels/yha-rotorua/
・Harbourside City Backpackers (NZ)
  URL: https://www.backpacktauranga.co.nz/tauranga-backpackers/accommodation-options
・MELBOURNE METRO YHA (AUS)
   URL: https://www.yha.com.au/hostels/vic/melbourne-hostels/melbourne-metro-hostel/

Challenge a Hitchhike

 Have you hitchhiked in a foreign country? I have done it 5 times in New Zealand, Australia and France. I think it is difficult because cars do not stop immediately. I usually about 40 minutes. So, why do I challenge hitchhiking? There are 3 reasons.

1. I can save money on travel expenses. My backpack stance is "economize money in a backpack". In many cases, I can hitch a free ride on a car to my destination, but sometimes the driver says "Please pay money". At that time I paid a little money ($5). 

2. I want to challenge hitchhiking. This is one of the images of the backpacker whom my images and good looking.

3. I can talk with local people. There is usually little time to talk with people because I am alone during a trip. In New Zealand, a driver has baseball studied abroad in Japan, I stayed at his house for 2 days. I was lucky.

Courage was necessary to hitchhike but it was a good method and a new challenge. I can easily secure transportation just by putting up my thumb and obtaing an opportunity to talk. You should challenge it, too.

My favorite spots

I visited about 15 foreign countries by myself or with my family. There are places that I always visit in foreign countries. I'll introduce some spots that entertain me. 

Supermarkets
Supermarkets are my most favorite spot because there are a lot of interesting foods. Sometimes, thy are foods that are sold in Japan and we can know other people's eating habits. I have 3 reasons that I use the supermarket.

1. Buy souvenirs for friends.
2. It's fun just to look.
3. I can save on food expenses.

Museums
Maybe museums have been constructed in all countries. For example, are can see art science, history and other things. I think of course we have famous art, but foreign countries have more art. We can learn about the country and the local history and may learn about the art.

Sydney - Australia

Australia is one of the most popular travel countries in the world. Sydney is easy to take a walk in. I often like to walk down George or Pitts streets from Central Station to Circular Quay to feel the best of the city. Then I wander around Circular Quary, The Rocks District and The Botanical Gardens.

Opera House

The Opera House in a symbol and world heritage site in Australia. The location is at Bennelong Point on the Gulf of Sydney. It's 30 minutes on foot from the center of the town. It's characteristic is the form of a sail of the ship, and it's made by 3 buildings gathered in one place. Indoors, the are restaurants, a concert hall and an opera hall. All the roofs look white, but they are two kinds of cream and white. I asked the guide, "Is it hard to clean the many roofs? " The guide said that special processing is considered to be it and it becomes beautiful enough by rainy washing. The Opera House is beautiful building, So please check out.

Darling Harbour

A lively harbourside precinct is just about 10 minutes on foot from the center of the town. Waterside restaurants, cafes, nightlife, a large kids playground, the Convention Center, and the Aquarium are there. We can eat at the waterside, but there are many seagulls. We should protect our's food from the seagulls. We ate fish&chips, shrimp, squid and more. The prics are so expensive there.


Blue Mountain

The Blue Mountain is two hours by car from Sydney. We can feel magnificent scenery and delicious air to be here. We can enjoy hiking and bird watching at the sightseeing spot near to Sydney. In the Feather Dale Zoo, we can touch a koala and the kangaroo.

Arizona - USA

California has a lot of sightseeing spots, such as San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Santa Monica, Hollywood, Disney Resort, and more. I think, these are very pleasant ways to spend a vacation. However, did you know that there are other  famous sightseeing spots in the neighboring state? This time, I will introduce my recommended spots in Arizona. I went to Flagstaff in Arizona from Los Angeles by Greyhound bus in about 12 hours, but if you have a lot of money, you can go by plane in about 4 hours.


Upper Antelope Canyon

Upper Antelope Canyon is a canyon in the Navajo nation. The Navajo are an Indian tribe in Arizona. If we don't have a license from the Navajo, we can't go here. So we must participate in a tour with a guide from the visitor center nearby. The waiting time of the tour is about 3 hours. Anyway, the characteristics of the canyon are it's cool and comfy and the line of the stratum is down by the water. 

It is so beautiful here and so dangerous, because so rain from about 10 km away flows here suddenly. The weather staff always observes it, we don't have to worry now. And there is another canyon nearby, called Lower Antelope Canyon. There is cheaper than Antelope Canyon ($26) and we don't need participate in a tour with a guide. Antelope Canyon is so beautiful. I recommend it as one of my favorite spots on my trip.

information and book
Tour                : 4, 5 HOURS / 1 DAY
Charge            : $35 / 1 HOUR
Opening hours : 5 p.m. from 8 a.m.
http://navajonationparks.org/


Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend is a place that looks like the hoof of a horse produced by the Colorado River and rock a among Highway 89. There is not the make including visitor center, but many cars are parked along the highway. We can see that we are walk from the parking lot for 15 minutes. This is a good view spot, but it's dangerous too because there is no fence at an altitude of 300 m. We can go to the edge of the cliff. Person fell recently in 2010. When I went, there were some graves along the highway in 2015. It is freedom where you go on. Horseshoe Bend is so big. All is not settled with an iPhone and a digital camera. I recommend a camera which greatly comes out. I used a GoPro camera. Charge and parking are free.

Arizona has a lot of famous tourist spots, such as Grand Canyon and Monument Valley. Go to Arizona if you demand magnificent scenery.   

Hong Kong

Hanamoji
Capital letter is a famous gift in Hong Kong. It has been handed down for about around 1,000 years in China. It's characteristics are plentiful colors, drawn of animals and things, and each is different depending on the painter. I had one made in Hong Kong, too. My name is made with a dragon, flower, heart, fish, and mountain. You should put this in a good place with sunlight. You can make a one of a kind charm in Hong Kong.
http://san-ei-do.com/hana/user_data/whatis.php

Heart: love (愛情)
Flower: purity (純粋)
Dragon: power (権力)
Fish: prosperity (繁栄)
Bird: happiness (幸福)
Phoenix: nobility (崇高)
Turtle money: luck (幸運)
Horse: energetic (精力的)
Chinese Junk: success (成功)
Mountain: steadiness (安泰)
Butterfly: freedom (自由自在)
Crane: longevity (健康長寿)


NIGHT VIEW

The night view of Hong Kong is famous among three major night views of the world. It is called a night view of 1 million dollars in Japan because the electric bill costs about 1 million dollars. Foreign countries a call this the Pearl of the Orient. Victoria Peak is my recommended my view spot. Here is a shopping center. We can enjoy the view, sports, food, goods and more. Hanamoji painting was made here.

We climbed the mountaintop by cable car from the city. At night, the city station is very crowded. You should go early. And to steep slope fast, maybe you can enjoy the cable car.

Victoria Peak info.
http://www.thepeak.com.hk/jp/home.asp


CHINESE FOOD

Of course, we can eat a lot of Chinese food. My recommended is buffet and wagon style. We write a menu on the paper at every order and foods put a dish in a wagon by walking staff. 

 

Beautiful Paris

I visited in Paris in 2014 and 2016. It is about a 12 hours by Air France. This is one of my favorite airlines because we can eat and drink something anytime in flight. In flight, a cabin attendant prepares a buffet table in the back and the center of the  a plane with chips, biscuits, many varieties of sandwiches, soft drinks and hot drinks. I became full whenever I use it. On other airlines, there is no service like this. I want to continue eating and drinking while watching movies! It is a long trip from Tokyo to Paris, but we can spend it comfortably on Air France.

Paris and the inside of the JR Yamanote-line are about the same area. And Tokyo has in 23 wards, while Paris has  20. One of the reasons why I visited Paris is to walk. My hotel was near the Opera. From Opera to the Louvre museum, to place de Concorde, to the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower is a nice route. This route is about 7 km and 2 hours. I think, this is a perfect walk. But you should be careful at the of Arc de Triomphe and at department stores because there are many thieves!! My  iPhone was storen!! And gardes and the Champs-Elysees street too.  The Champs-Elysees street has a lot of stores, for example the head office of Louis Vuitton, open cafes, supermarketes, drugstores and more. We bought a lot of cosmetics because they vere 60% cheaper than in Japan, there is excellent chocolate, too. The chocolate at Pierre Marcolini was a one-third the price of Japan.

 

Paris has a lot of museums. You can appreciate a lot of famous pictures at that time, I recommend that you buy a museum pass. More info → http://www.parismuseumpass-japon.com/ 

The Eiffel Tower is my favorite spot. We can see the Eiffel Tower from anywhere in Paris. The night lights are so beautiful, so please come at 10:00 p.m. because you can see more and more beautiful　lights. We are going to go to Paris again soon!! Go!!

Rotorua - New Zealand

My first post is about New Zealand in Oceania. It is about 11 hours by Air New Zealand from Japan to Auckland. The color of the airplanes are black because this country has a very strong rugby team Whose color is black. Someone said, “Black is the sacred color of the indigenous people. The ALL BLACKS (Rugby team) is black. Let's make the airplane black too!”. And the airplane has paint of a Silver Fern. This is a holy plant of the indigenous people too.

In 2014, I traveled 6 cities (Auckland, Hamilton, Waitomo, Taupo, Rotorua and Tauranga) with a backpack by hitchhiking and riding Bus. I like all towns, but Rotorua is my favorite because Rotorua has a lot of hot springs. Please look at the pictures. We can see the steam of the hot springs and smell sulfur anywhere in the town. This town has commercial hot spring facilities, but most people  don't go there. So where do they go? People go to the free natural hot springs. Please look at the picture again! I went to 3 natural hot springs. They are in the forest and in a park! Hot spring is so just good feeling.

 

Other cities are good too because New Zealand has a lot of untouched nature. This country is so good if you want to live a life that time forgot. Nature and animals heal you.