Taichung was an easy one hour high speed rail ride from Taipei. Again I have to mention that being from a country that is 50km wide, the idea that one can take...

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unpacking the Fool archetype

Hey all, quick and dirty newsletter for you.

Yesterday we flew into Haneda Airport in Tōkyō to start our Japan trip! Non-stop Japan Airlines trips used to fly from Sydney to Narita, but this seems to have switched to Handea after COVID started. JAL remains one of my favourite airlines. It doesn’t have that premium feeling of Singapore Airlines, but it’s as punctual, clean, well-maintained, and friendly as you’d expect of a Japanese carrier. I rate planes by their bathrooms, and they were immaculate. We were on one of their Boeing 787s, for which I have mixed feelings. The higher pressure cabin and the skill of the pilots meant I felt zero ear popping, which was absolutely wonderful! Clara and I also had a two-seater in economy which was comfortable with plenty of leg room. Alas, 787s don’t have window shades, instead using a dimmer with buttons. Much of the flight you can dim this to zero, but during meal service you can’t. The westerly sun was absolutely beating down on us through these windows, which when you have a migraine was awful. Boeing, I know the 787 is your flagship, but give us window shades! That said though, the larger windows did give us a spectacular view of the Tōkyō skyline as we approached. It looks even more amazing at night, but wow. It reminded me of the views when we flew into New York. We arrived at Haneda, and naturally were greeted with some beautiful little displays. We’re too late for the sakura season, but that didn’t stop them displaying all those lovely motifs. My favourite had to be the station entrance. Alas, as I ranted about on Mastodon shortly after arrival, I had a nausea migraine which made the trip from the airport to the hotel in Jinbōchō a… challenge! I won’t share details, but suffice to say we’d go two stops on the train, then I’d have to jump out and get to the nearest bathroom. I won’t lie, it was grim! But after almost three hours for a trip that should have taken 45 minutes, we got to our beautiful little hotel, and Clara scouted the area for electrolyte drinks. I’m typing this the following day and I feel like a new person which is a massive relief! That said though, the plan is to take it easy and just do some walking. It’s a stunningly gorgeous day for a stroll :’). By Ruben Schade in Tokyo, 2025-04-21.