TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Returned from a Trip, Preparing for Another......  And just like that, my autumn trip to Japan is completed. During the trip, I had explored parts of Tokyo I had never before visited, drove to Nikko and got to spend some time at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, had lunch by Lake Chūzenji and explored its surroundings on foot including the Kegon Falls and checked off a Travel Bucket List item by staying at the historic Nikko Kanaya Hotel. As of 2024, the hotel is 150-years old. Historic and famous people including Albert Einstein, Dwight D Eisenhower, Helen Keller and Isabella Bird were some of the previous guests and visitors to this hotel. I had read Ms Isbella Bird's travelogue on her travels in Japan, "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" and had drawn much inspirations from the book, both for my own travels and writings. From the book, I had also read about her trip to Nikko in the 19th century. Thus, to stay at the same hotel was for me, a Travel Bucket List item.  In my upcoming trip...

Getting Ready for My Trip......  Exactly three weeks from now, I will be at the airport to board the flight for my vacation to Japan. Settled my pet's boarding arrangement and now planning how to ensure my plants stay hydrated while I'm away for almost two whole weeks. Trip accommodations have also been booked and paid, except for one which will be automatically paid before I commence the trip. No necessity to change currency because I still have lots of Japanese Yen left over from the previous trips and I will mostly be using credit cards to pay for my trip expenses. But if the currency exchange rate is in my favour, I will probably change some Japanese Yen to average down from the previous exchange rates of Yen vs SGD (Singapore Dollar) from two years ago.  Work-wise, I have completed most of my more urgent work tasks, well within the scheduled timelines. No hiccups there so everything seems in order, at least for now. My trip itinerary is rather flexible, as is my travel st...

Japan,  Yokohama Chancing upon an event featuring one's favourite franchise characters of all time definitely qualifies as a Travel Bucket List item. At least in my opinion! This was what happened to me when I arrived in Yokohama in August 2023 to discover myself in the midst of the  Pokémon World Championship 2023. Needless to say, I quickly immersed myself into the  festival-like atmosphere of the event. It was such a joy joining leagues of Pokémon fans worldwide to celebrate  Pokémon World Championship. The original article was posted on this blog in November 2023. ⛰ ****************** How often does anyone chanced upon a major event featuring one's personal hobby while traveling? I did, in August 2023. Sandshrews! Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) Arriving at Yokohama two days early to rest and relax before boarding my cruise to the Kyushu region and other parts of Asia, I found myself in the midst of the Pokémon...

Autumn Travel......  I work and live in the tropics so the changing of seasons don't really apply to me. But actually they do, because I love to travel to temperate countries during the autumn season. Why? Because the weather is cooler, the peak summer travel season is over, hotels and air tickets are generally cheaper and there are less crowd everywhere. Coming from the tropics, I can indulge in wearing my thicker clothing items such as my hoodies, wool sweaters and also dabble in wearing layered clothing, something that I cannot do in warm and humid Singapore! This year has been a pretty barren one for me in terms of travel. Into the ninth month of the year and I had only went on one actual vacation; my budget train journey from Bangkok to Singapore, in May and June 2024. My other trips; one to Ipoh in February was for the Chinese New Year Holidays to meet family and friends so it cannot really be counted as a vacation. The other trip was a 4-night return cruise from Singapore to...

Yatsushiro Port is located on the western coast of central Kyushu, one of Japan's main islands. The port has always been an important center for international trade, such as the distribution of agriculture, forestry, and marine products.  Presently, this Port is one of the largest port in Kumamoto Prefecture. Besides handling cargo vessels, Yatsushiro port also caters to cruise ships and their passengers.    Yatsushiro Port, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (2023) Yatsushiro Port At Yatsushiro Port, a small park has lots of Kumamon on displays. The park is great place for photo shoots with cute Kumamon.  Visitors love Kumamon, Yatsushiro Port, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (2023) Who's hiding? Yatsushiro Port, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (2023) Yatsushiro Port, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan (2023) From Yatsushiro Port to Shin-Yatsushiro Station It is not possible to walk from Yatsushiro Port to Shin-Yatsushiro Station. Taking a taxi from the port to the station is a good option....

Japan, Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures, Kairi Joyful Train Ride This blog post describes my experiences taking a tourist train for the first time. The trip was in August 2023 when I traveled to Niigata Prefecture for the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival. A sign in Car No 3 of the Kairi Train, Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan (2023) ****************** Watching train documentaries on Japan's NHK World Channel, I had always wondered what it would be like to experience a ride in one of Japan's so-called tourist trains. The opportunity to actually ride on one presented itself when I visited Niigata Prefecture in August 2023 to attend the Nagaoka annual Fireworks Festival. I extended my stay in Niigata by an extra day and night so that I can actually catch a ride on the Kairi Tourist Train. The icing on the cake was that my 7-day Japan Rail Pass allowed me to ride on the Kairi in Car 1 without any additional charges. I just need to make a reservation in advance. I orig...

In August 2023, I made only my second visit to the city of Yokohama. This despite that I had visited numerous times over the past years. Only slightly more than an hour by regular train from Tokyo, Yokohama is located south in the prefecture of Kanagawa. Most famous for its port, Yokohama is today also where large cruise ships visit to pick up or drop off passengers.  Pokémon  at the  marina waterfront, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) Famous landmarks for visitors to the city include the Red Brick Warehouse, Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama, Yokohama Chinatown as well as the Minato Mirai district located just next to the sea. Cable Car, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) The main intent of my trip to Yokohama was not to visit the city for sightseeing. I was there to board the cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas for my cruise from this city to Singapore. But I decided to stay in Yokohama for 2 nights prior to boarding the cruise. The reason being to give...

I visited the city of Kumamoto for the first time in August 2023 as part of a port visit by the cruise ship I was sailing on, Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas. The cruise's itinerary was to take passengers from Yokohama to Singapore, sailing in a south, south-easterly direction, whilst visiting some ports along the way. The original port visits in the southern parts of Japan were Shimizu and Osaka. But these 2 port visits were cancelled due to inclement weather because of a nearby typhoon. It was summer in Japan in August and the typhoon season was in town, literally and figuratively. The cruise company subsequently decided to add Kumamoto as a port visit to the itinerary to compensate for the lost of the the 2 cancelled port visits. Weather conditions are part of the forces of nature and I appreciated the cruise company's decision making discretion to ensure that all passengers had a safe and enjoyable trip. Thus, I was not upset at the lost of 2 port visits. Moreove...