Those of you who remember when I used to blog things that weren’t about travel, rejoice! This was our last full day in Japan before we travel back to Australia, with heavy hearts and significantly heavier baggage. I’m at our local Doutor having a coffee and thinking back to how great this was. The start was awful on account of that migraine and stomach bug that wouldn’t quit, but I was relived it only lasted a few days. Nagoya, Takoyama, and Toyama were so much fun! It’s always a novelty seeing somewhere new, but they were all amazing places. Toyama in particular is a place I could see myself moving to; I joked that it was our $SydneySuburb in Japan. We wanted to look for gifts for a few friends and family, so we spent our last full day in Tōkyō going to the requisite places. This meant Akihabara again, which honestly as a nerd wasn’t exactly an onerous requirement! Detractors claim Akihabara isn’t as good as it used to be, which may be true. But seeing all the pop culture I otherwise only ever see in a computer screen displayed out in the open and in dozens of stores, and more electronics than I’d be exposed to in Australia in a given year, it’s something else. To get there we walked a slightly different route, which took us under that famed JR arch bridge. It’s honestly far larger, higher, and more impressive in person than any of the photos online I’d seen suggest. But first was brunch! The first time we went to Akihabara I was only able to keep water and those CalorieMate blocks down, so we decided to re-visit The Flying Scotsman café we went to on one of our first days. We ended up at our same table, with the same wait staff who drew us little happy bunnies on our receipts and napkins. If you’re in Akiba and want somewhere to chill, I can’t recommend this place enough. They’re lovely. We walked past the massive JR Akihabara Station and Atré building, and saw the walls plastered with images for the 30th Anniversary of AQUAPLUS! The ToHeart2 visual novel and anime were oddly one of those series that Clara and I first bonded over, to the point where our combined domain is named for a character from it. They had merchandise in one of the small halls upstairs, though they were already sold out of the characters we knew! People of discerning tastes had been through before, it seems. While we were there, we also checked out the IDOLM@STER Official Store, because that’s also what people of discerning tastes do! IM@S was the first of these idol groups I ever knew, and while the lineup has been updated and changed a lot over the years, they still had a small shelf of the original characters I used to listen way back when; including my beloved Yukiho Hagiwara! Atré should have called this the Nostalgia Floor. We went hunting around a few more of the anime shops down the road, including the other Lashinbang, Mandarake, and BOOK·OFF stores we didn’t get time to before. These second-hand stores are absolutely packed with every series, character, and type of merchandise you can imagine. If teenage me had the money and access, he would have gone absolutely nuts in places like this. Fortunately Clara and I are far more responsible and rational and financially prudent and… oh no, how will this all fit in our bags? We also made the mistake of going to both HARD·OFF second-hand stores in Akiba. Their outlets elsewhere in Japan are definitely better on account of tourists generally not venturing out from the big cities, but they still had items that I would have loved to stuff in my bags had we the space for them. I also managed to snag a couple of PC-133 DIMMs which most of my desktops use, but are becoming as scarce as hen’s teeth. For a part of Tōkyō we were only going to “quickly” check out “in the morning” before going to Kinshichō, we ended up staying there till the late afternoon. Akihabara is a classic time void; I blame Makise Kurisu among others. We got the JR Chūō-Sōbu Line from Akihabara over to Kinshichō station in Subida, in the eastern part of Tōkyō. We left the station and were greeted with a familiar sight in the distance! I know the Skytree is a polarising piece of architecture, but there’s no doubt it’s… omnipresent, especially on a clear day like this! It seemed like it was popping up everywhere we walked. Clara was able to find the stores she was after for her friends, then we went to get some dinner. We ended up at this Chinese/Japanese restaurant where I was able to tick off having gyoza and omurice in the one meal… though the flavours were decidedly not Japanese! It was amazing, and a silly opportunity to use the Art mode on my OM-3 to take a picture of it outside as we left. Our flight isn’t until late tomorrow, so our plan is to wander around Ikebukuro after we check out, and to pretend that we somehow have another two weeks! One can dream, desu. By Ruben Schade in Tokyo, 2025-05-08.

There are five things I love about being a traveller in Japan. Okay, there are many more, but these are the big ones. One is the traditional art, music, and architecture. Two is the food, both local and their interpretations of international cuisine. Three is the hospitality. Four is its pop culture. And five, perhaps slightly higher than all but the first reason, is its urban design and public transport. Japan may no longer boast the fastest trains in the world—for now!—but their network remains my favourite. It can be confusing at times, but its fast, clean, efficient, and makes every other form of transit feel the opposite. Clara and I have taken the original Tokaido Shinaksen from Tōkyō to Nagoya, Kyōto, and Ōsaka before on previous trips like most tourists, but this was the first time on a different one which made me unreasonably excited! The Hokuriku opened in 1997, and travels between Tsuruga and Takasaki. Through services also use trackage for the Jōetsu and Tōhoku lines before arriving in Tōkyō. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Yesterday morning we said goodbye to Takaoka, our unintentional home base in Toyama Prefecture and a lovely place in its own right that I’d love to explore again, then took the now-familiar Ainokaze Line to Toyama Station. We realised after we bought the Shinkansen tickets that the line actually does stop in Shin-Takaoka, but would have required us to walk a kilometre and a half with our bags, or take the infrequent JR Jōhana Line. We arrived in Toyama and set up shop in a famed Seattle coffee chain establishment on the basis they were close, sell something resembling coffee, and had comfortable chairs where we could relax and read while we waited. We also took the opportunity to buy some ekiben, or literally train bento, from one of the dozens of stores next door. The Hokuriku does offer refreshments, but we figured it was best to be prepared. As I said, we’d never been on this Shinkansen line before, and I’d never seen an E7 Series train before. It slid gracefully and effortlessly into the station, and all my childhood joy about futuristic trains flooded back to me. This is an E7! And it’s here! Whaaaaa!! The E7/W7 series Shinkansen trains were first built in 2014, and lack the pronounced “duck bill” of later N700-derived trains operating on the Tokaido and other lines. I happen to think their design and colour scheme are the most beautiful of any Shinkansen ever made. They look, if you’ll pardon the French I used on Mastodon, classy as fuck. We hurried onboard the Green Car in carriage 11, and sank into the comfortable chairs. The interiors of the E7 are darker with more beige tones than the N700x series, which makes them feel even more relaxing. Of course the seats were gigantic, they had legroom for days, and came with generous tray tables, power charging sockets, reading lights, and retractable shades for the humongous windows. And these weren’t even the best seats in the house! Even if the Shinkansen was slower, I’d still prefer this form of transport over air travel. We settled in for the two and a half hour trip from Toyama to Tōkyō, and watched the scenery unfold. If you’ve ever watched Jeb Brooks before, he talks about the change in mindset that comes when you’re in a comfortable seat on a long train journey, and this absolutely happened here. There is no more relaxing way to travel. The Hokuriku line took us along the Sea of Japan coast with its neat little towns and clear blue water. Much of the line is in tunnels, or on viaducts with barriers that didn’t impede our view, but the wide 35 mm equivalent prime lens on my OM-3 wasn’t the best for it. I guess the blur of the concrete gives you a sense of the speed we were travelling! As we turned inland, the sea views gave way to farms, rivers, and mountains. I could really get used to seeing this. We made a few stops along the way, allowing me to get this photo of an E7 Shinkansen from our E7 Shinkansen. They definitely give more narrow-body aircraft vibes instead of trains, even if with their flat sides. The windows almost look like a DC-8. I’ll admit, we were so relaxed that we may have dozed off by this point. When we awoke again, the endless urban landscape of Tōkyō had begun. I remember looking down and thinking wait, isn’t that a Tōkyō JR train? We pulled into Tōkyō station exactly on time on platform 22. We disembarked, and I couldn’t help but think it was the best Shinkansen trip we’d ever taken. The views were beautiful, the seats were comfortable, and the specific train was sleek and beautiful and aaaaa high-speed trains! I bowed my head and tipped my hat to the conductor, and he returned the gesture :). Then we realised something dangerous… we were in the central hub of the Shinkansen system for the whole country! It seemed every minute another high-speed train from some far-flung or local part of Japan was arriving, in all shapes, sizes, and colour schemes. Every time we tried to leave to get our subway train to the hotel, another would arrive. I’d be here all day if I described each one in detail, so instead here are the highlights: We left the station and wandered to the hotel, with an almost full SD card of 4k60 video of these majestic trains coming and going, and enough photos that I could potentially crash nginx trying to share them all. Japan, they have trains, and they’re fucking awesome. I’ll leave you here with the 0 kilometre point embedded in the platform, and a view of the station as dusk set in. All I can say is wow. By Ruben Schade in Tokyo, 2025-05-07.

Yesterday we spent our last full day in Toyama Prefecture, so named because it’s Toyama and it’s a prefecture. We spent it in the beautifully serene Toyama Port on the Toyama Tram in Toyama, then head to Toyama City to see the Toyama Glass Museum in Toyama, surprising though it may seem. Toyama. As mentioned previously, we stayed in Takaoka and commuted into Toyama Station every day on the Ainokaze Line. It’s significantly more rural in character than I expected, which I love. You also don’t know what to expect; some days we were on it during peak hour and got a seat, and today we went in the late morning and it was so packed a young woman kept bumping into me while we were all crammed together standing, and continued to deliver flustered apologies. I felt bad for how nervous I was making her, but I tried to smile with my eyes and apologise back every time! I let her go ahead of me when it was time to exit, and she bowed so much she nearly performed a cartwheel onto the platform. I empathise that being near a white person here must be intimidating (our reputation precedes us), so I try and act meek, quiet, and unfailing polite. It sometimes helps, but I guess also being the tallest person in the carriage by at least five hundred metres didn’t help things. We made it to Toyama Station with plenty of time to spare to make our connecting tram to the Toyama Port area, then proceeded to take the wrong tram in the opposite direction because I’m a baka. It was the Loop Line instead, so we took it as an impromptu city tour! It took us around the centre of town, including Toyama Castle we saw a couple of days ago. I know I’ve said this many times now, but Toyama is such a neat little city. We made back it to Toyama Station… again… and this time made our way to the correct platform for the 6 tram bound for Iwasehama. Like the Adelaide Glenelg tram, this service starts as a street-running tram before transferring to its own right of way past Okudachugakko-mael. Based on some of the taller abandoned platforms, this must have once been a heavy rail line before being converted. I was impressed how fast the modern Bombardier tram zipped along this section. Peppy light rail carriages were one thing, but nothing prepared me for the tiny station building when we disembarked. The design was one of the most profoundly retro Japanese things I’ve ever seen. The tiny building, the disproportionately large sign, the font, the colours, everything. I am SO HAPPY this exists. And yes, if they ever needed to pull it down, I would so desperately want this sign on my wall. And of course, it had a cute anime mascot on the glass. We walked along the canal leaving to the small harbour in the Toyama Port area, and were struck at just how quiet it was. There wasn’t any traffic on the small roads whatsoever. All we could hear was the gentle lapping of the waves against the stones of the canal walls, the squawk of an occasional bird, and… that’s about it. It’s still an active port, on account of the ship berthed there. But it almost felt like the end of the world; if somehow it was still maintained. Well, almost! Walking past the first bridge across the canal we found this incredible snapshot in time. The wall facing the main road (if you could call it that) was almost completely overgrown with vines, and the roof sign all but faded away. We walked around trying to find an entrance, and saw a double set of locked glass doors leading to a vestibule, with two further sets of doors behind this. Peering through the dusty glass, we saw a 2008 calendar hanging up. Seventeen years. There are kids leaving high school soon that were born when this place last closed its doors. Our plan was to get some food when we arrived at the Port area, but we soon realised this might be more difficult than we thought. It had just started raining, and the wind chill was only getting harsher. It’s also Golden Week in Japan right now, so even if there were restaurants around, the chances of finding one open would be Buckley’s and none. By chance though we came arose what looked more like an old house, with all but a tiny sign reading COMMON jutting out from its own overgrown vines. We peered into the front door and saw a small menu inviting us inside, so we complied! Inside an older gentleman sat in the corner with his friend talking and choosing jazz records. The room was filled with all manner of trinkets and pictures on the walls, from pianos and sheet music, to tie racks and flower pots. He got up from his comfortable chair, beamed at us with what may be the warmest smile I’ve ever received, and indicated we climb the small stairwell leading upstairs. The meal we had here was wholesome and beautiful in every sense. We had the curry set which included a peppery salad, Japanese rice cooked Indian style with turmeric and light spices, and a Japanese style curry. The fusion was exquisite, and it all tasted home made and fresh, because it clearly was! Periodically the owner would come upstairs to check on us, and served us tea and coffee when we were done. The view out the window of this near-abandoned, drizzly landscape while we were warm inside eating this incredible food with a friendly chap catering to our every whim was… words escape me. As I said on Mastodon, it was as though we’d stepped into the home of a long-lost grandpa. It was a specific experience I’ve never had in Japan before, and I’m determined to send him a postcard or a present from Australia when we return. Back on the road, we finally saw the modest Toyama Tower with its observation deck 22m in the air. It was here we finally saw a couple of other people, besides our friend from the restaurant. The whole area is fairly low-rise, so it offered some great views. A tourist sign directed us to the pedestrianised historic street nearby with its array of traditional buildings and authentic Edo-period vending machines. Unlike the streets in Takayama, these were also almost entirely abandoned and devoid of tourists. Again, I’m not sure if this is because of Golden Week, or whether the Toyama Port doesn’t get as many tourists even during peak periods. But it was beautiful. There’s a lot to do and see around here, but with many of the exhibits and shops closed we decided to visit the Toyama Glass Art Museum. We stopped quickly to look at another beautiful shrine complex, and stumbled upon another YuruYuri utility cover! We made it back to the tram line, and got the next service heading back to town. I got a seat which felt wonderful after hours of walking, but soon I was on my exhausted feet again because someone with a walking stick boarded and needed the seat more than me. While Clara sat with her, I walked up to the front of the tram which let you see into the drivers compartment as he directed us through suburban Toyama, then back onto the street for the final leg back to Toyama Station. We were luck though, because the tram turned into another Loop Line service which took us right outside our next stop: the Toyama Glass Art Museum! We alighted, and took a seat in an open seating area opposite the museum while I rested my feet and had a quick drink. It was wild to think we were out in the boondocks barely half an hour earlier, and now we were outside this ultra modern museum. The interior was stunning; lots of glass, metal, and wood that looks haphazard at first, but is in fact orderly and meticulously designed. It reminded me a bit of the devolved Scottish Parliament building, only much taller and with fewer Scottish politicians. Photos weren’t allowed in the permanent collection hall on level 4, but they did give us a link to a digital guide with photos that don’t do any piece justice. Our favourites were a set of flawless cubes by Pavel Trnka that reflected light and changed tones completely differently depending on your perspective. Upstairs on level 6 was the Glass Art Garden collection commissioned by the museum by Dale Chihuly. Photos were allowed in this area, though none of these do the sheer scale and colour of these incredible glass pieces justice. I’ve never seen anything like this before. These weren’t mere baubles, the exhibits were multiple metres wide. Somehow we’d ended up with more clear files and brochures from our adventures, so we took our leave and head back to the hotel in Takaoka to repack and prepare for the trip back to Tōkyō tomorrow. I managed to find a generous back pack at MUJI in that Aeon Mall we ended up in the day before, which thankfully fit everything we bought. As we left towards the station, we saw the Toyama Castle again in the evening light and took some photos. The water was as clear and still as glass; pretty fitting! By Ruben Schade in Takaoka, 2025-05-06.

David over at Forking Mad+ did one of those blog post challenges I thought looked like fun. Do you floss your teeth? Yes, several of them! An accident when I was a kid left me with crooked teeth and little choice. Tea, coffee, or water? That’d be great, thanks. Footwear preference? One on each foot (ideally). Favourite dessert? I’m more an umami person, but kuih seri muka, followed closely by cendol and New York cheesecake. You could probably make kuih with a layer of New York cheesecake. The first thing you do when you wake up? I get out of bed, put the kettle on, and hop into the shower. I charge my phone in the other room now so it’s not the first thing I see, and hopefully not the forth or fifth either. Age you’d like to stick at? My thirties have been infinitely better than my twenties, both for mental health and energy. I also feel it’s more socially acceptable at this age to say “gee wiz I’d love to party, but I have work in the morning”. So maybe my late thirties, which is where I’m at now. How many hats do you own? An insufficient number. I love flatcaps, even if they make me look silly. They sit low, so they don’t blow away in the wind. They have a brim for sun protection. And I get so much joy from tipping my hat at older people, who invariably smile at the gesture. Japan especially. Describe the last photo you took? It was the last photo on this morning’s Shin-Takaoka travel post. It’s of a small green local Japanese bus driving away in the middle of the night. I don’t even like buses, but that was a fun trip. Worst TV show? Big Bang Theory, though I haven’t watched TV for years, so there might be worse. That’s terrifying. In terms of anime, that would still go to Freezing. Like BBT, don’t even watch it as a gag. As a child, what was your aspiration for adulthood? I wanted to earn enough that I could have two spare rooms: one so I could take my mum in and care for her (rest in peace now), and a dedicated lab for electronics and computers, which we now have. Pretty lucky. By Ruben Schade in Sydney, 2025-05-06.