10 days self drive in Hokkaido

[Tohto]

On 2/16/2024 at 6:49 PM, teomingern said:

Not sure if the metal chain used by Subaru removes the rubber band effect... that's Subaru's claim given that they use a specially designed metal chain for their CVT...

I driving XT, the car change gear like normal auto which up shift and down shift.

[inlinesix]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:30 AM, teomingern said:

That's interesting... my only experience with CVT was the Impreza I drove in Hokkaido... the rubber band feeling was pretty horrible... but that was also long ago in 2015... perhaps there's been significant improvement... although I still read about it in car reviews these days...

Prior to this, my previous experience with CVT was Honda Civic FD hybrid.  That was really horrible.

Jazz i drove was YOM 2015.

[Jamesc]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:31 AM, teomingern said:

This is like crazy early? Or normal blooming timing?

One month early global warming.

[Jamesc]

I think global warming has changed Japan.

No more spring and autumns.

Really long hot summers and then short sharp winter.

Followed by really long hot summers again.

Went to Hirosaki for snow festival and supposed to see cherry trees covered in snow.

No snow and just saw botak trees.

Supposed to be

Not supposed to be

Edited February 17, 2024 by Jamesc

[teomingern]

On 2/17/2024 at 5:54 PM, Jamesc said:

I think global warming has changed Japan.

No more spring and autumns.

Really long hot summers and then short sharp winter.

Followed by really long hot summers again.

Went to Hirosaki for snow festival and supposed to see cherry trees covered in snow.

No snow and just saw botak trees.

Supposed to be

Not supposed to be

I missed Hirosaki when I was there in Dec... too cold to get out on the first day we arrived...

[Volvobrick]

On 2/17/2024 at 9:40 PM, teomingern said:

I missed Hirosaki when I was there in Dec... too cold to get out on the first day we arrived...

Too cold? Nothing is too cold one when on vacation! 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2024 by Volvobrick

[teomingern]

On 2/17/2024 at 8:45 PM, Volvobrick said:

Too cold? Nothing is too cold one when on vacation! 

 

 

 

 

Got little kids mah... my wife didn't want to get out... heh heh...

[Jamesc]

On 2/17/2024 at 8:40 PM, teomingern said:

I missed Hirosaki when I was there in Dec... too cold to get out on the first day we arrived...

Famous for coffee shops selling apple pies.

Edited February 17, 2024 by Jamesc

[teomingern]

Honestly in Aomori also can get all the apple stuff... not quite a fan of how they do it though... I bought 3 apples in Aomori - red, yellow & green. The yellow and green were totally worth it - sweet fragrant and crunchy... the red one was good too but it tasted just like any red apple you can get in Singapore... so not too enamored with it...

[Jamesc]

The most recently announced one comes from two divisions of Japan Railway Company, specifically JR East and JR Hokkaido. They aren’t trying to be clever in the naming, either, as it’s just called the “Hokkaido and East Japan Pass.”

 

That simplicity is appropriate, though, as the pass gives you seven days of unlimited rides on any and all normal and express-class trains operated by JR East and JR Hokkaido. JR East covers pretty much the entire eastern half of Honshu, the main island of Japan. That includes Tokyo and all of the Kanto region, stretches west to the coastal hot spring town of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture, and northwest through the Japan alps and Nagano into Niigata in the Hokuriku region. The JR East network also goes all the way up to the tip of the northeastern Tohoku region, including Sendai, Akita, and Aomori. JR Hokkaido, of course, services the island prefecture of Hokkaido, off the northern coast of Tohoku.

 

The Hokkaido and East Japan Pass is priced at 11,330 yen (US$77) for adults and 5,660 yen for children, and since it’s valid for seven days, it should pay for itself pretty easily if you’re doing even a moderate amount of moving around as you explore east Honshu and Hokkaido.

[Jamesc]

Parents who’re taking their kids on the Shinkansen. Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company, the two JR divisions who operate the connected Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, are currently offering an incredible deal in which adults who are purchase a Shinkansen ticket can take their children along with them effectively for free.

It’s an especially sweet deal since the Nozomi is the fastest Shinkansen class and the Tokaido/Sanyo line is the most popular, running from Tokyo in the east to Fukuoka in the west with stops at top-tier tourism destinations like Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima along the way. As an example of the savings potential, a Nozomi ticket from Tokyo to Shin Osaka Station costs 14,520 yen (US$128) for adults (riders aged 12 and up) and 7,250 for children (aged 6-11), so you’ve got a discount to your total ticket cost of about 33 percent if you’re travelling with one kid, roughly 50 percent if you’re travelling with two, and over 70 percent if you’re travelling with a group of five kids

[Jamesc]

One destination that’s constantly on many Singaporeans’ minds right now is none other than Japan. 

Air Japan’s Singapore-Tokyo flight prices

Simple (from $179)

Up to seven kilogrammes of carry-on baggage

Standard (from $217):

Carry-on baggage

A single piece of check-in baggage of up to 23 kilogrammes

Seat selection

Selected (from $264)

Carry-on baggage

Up to two pieces of check-in baggage of up to 23 kilogrammes in total

[teomingern]

On 2/21/2024 at 12:16 PM, Jamesc said:

Parents who’re taking their kids on the Shinkansen. Central Japan Railway Company and West Japan Railway Company, the two JR divisions who operate the connected Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen lines, are currently offering an incredible deal in which adults who are purchase a Shinkansen ticket can take their children along with them effectively for free.

It’s an especially sweet deal since the Nozomi is the fastest Shinkansen class and the Tokaido/Sanyo line is the most popular, running from Tokyo in the east to Fukuoka in the west with stops at top-tier tourism destinations like Kyoto, Osaka, Himeji, and Hiroshima along the way. As an example of the savings potential, a Nozomi ticket from Tokyo to Shin Osaka Station costs 14,520 yen (US$128) for adults (riders aged 12 and up) and 7,250 for children (aged 6-11), so you’ve got a discount to your total ticket cost of about 33 percent if you’re travelling with one kid, roughly 50 percent if you’re travelling with two, and over 70 percent if you’re travelling with a group of five kids

But can reserve seats for kids or not? The details sometimes not clear...

[teomingern]

On 2/24/2024 at 9:44 AM, Jamesc said:

One destination that’s constantly on many Singaporeans’ minds right now is none other than Japan. 

Air Japan’s Singapore-Tokyo flight prices

Simple (from $179)

Up to seven kilogrammes of carry-on baggage

Standard (from $217):

Carry-on baggage

A single piece of check-in baggage of up to 23 kilogrammes

Seat selection

Selected (from $264)

Carry-on baggage

Up to two pieces of check-in baggage of up to 23 kilogrammes in total

6-7 hours low cost a bit siong without food eh?

[Jamesc]

On 2/24/2024 at 4:43 PM, teomingern said:

But can reserve seats for kids or not? The details sometimes not clear...

The limited-time promotion works through JR’s EX Press and Smart EX online reservation/IC card system. When reserving an adult ticket for a reserved or green car seat on a Nozomi Shinkansen on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen lines, you can add up to five children’s tickets to the reservation, and if your train trip takes place during the campaign period and everyone in your group has their own IC card, the entire cost of the children’s tickets can be refunded to your credit card within two weeks after your ride.

[Jamesc]

On 2/24/2024 at 4:45 PM, teomingern said:

6-7 hours low cost a bit siong without food eh?

Air Japan’s in-flight meals 

Fans of Japanese cuisine will be delighted to know that Air Japan’s in-flight meals are mostly Japanese-style bentos, including an omakase sushi box, hamburger steak with rice gratin, and teriyaki salmon, among plenty others. There’s even an adorable Kawaii Lunch Box with its various components styled to look like animals, flowers, and heart motifs – one that both young and young and heart will love. Prices range from JPY1400 to JPY1800 (rougly $12.50 to $16).

[teomingern]

On 2/24/2024 at 7:59 PM, Jamesc said:

The limited-time promotion works through JR’s EX Press and Smart EX online reservation/IC card system. When reserving an adult ticket for a reserved or green car seat on a Nozomi Shinkansen on the Tokaido/Sanyo Shinkansen lines, you can add up to five children’s tickets to the reservation, and if your train trip takes place during the campaign period and everyone in your group has their own IC card, the entire cost of the children’s tickets can be refunded to your credit card within two weeks after your ride.

 That's pretty complicated... really tempting people to travel just to take advantage of the promotion... for suckers like Singaporeans... ha ha ha...

[teomingern]

On 2/24/2024 at 8:02 PM, Jamesc said:

Air Japan’s in-flight meals 

Fans of Japanese cuisine will be delighted to know that Air Japan’s in-flight meals are mostly Japanese-style bentos, including an omakase sushi box, hamburger steak with rice gratin, and teriyaki salmon, among plenty others. There’s even an adorable Kawaii Lunch Box with its various components styled to look like animals, flowers, and heart motifs – one that both young and young and heart will love. Prices range from JPY1400 to JPY1800 (rougly $12.50 to $16).

Looks really good eh? I won't mind trying this...