If you’re debating whether to spring for one of the best travel cameras before an upcoming trip, consider this: Yes, a smartphone is perfectly capable of serving the average traveler’s photography goals, but a dedicated camera is required for capturing high-quality memories. The wide angle lens of a smartphone camera can only take its images so far; in spite of technology’s advancements over the years, its zoom feature still degrades photo quality, making them too grainy—in our opinion—to be worth taking. When it comes to travel photography, many of us want to get close and fill the frame with exciting faraway shots like skylines and canyons. A good travel camera also allows the photographer to shoot exciting, fleeting scenes from their trips, like bicycles blurring through a charming street, low-light landscapes like a starry sky, or a city strip flashing with neon lights. Lastly, we’ll leave you with this: In an era when we’re glued to our phones every minute of the day, documenting a trip with a camera allows us to be present in the here and now, and actually connect with the place we’ve traveled so far to experience.
How to plan a train journey around Japan in 2024
09.02.2024 - 21:03 / lonelyplanet.com
Japanese railway enthusiast John Walton shares advice on how to stretch your yen as far as possible on a train trip through Japan.
Whether you’re a train fanatic like me or not, exploring Japan by rail is a pleasure.
The country leads the way for the sheer variety of rail experiences. The network has ultramodern trains, vintage carriages, steam locomotives and every kind of rail runner in between – from slow-travel rural journeys to the fast Shinkansen bullet trains that rocket between the country’s biggest cities.
Anyone traveling to Japan will likely end up on a train at some point. But if you want to create a thorough train itinerary to see the best of the country, some advanced planning is necessary. Where to start? Which trains to take? Where to go? How much time will you need? Should you buy a Japan Rail Pass or not?
I’ve spent more than a decade visiting Japan, often multiple times a year. Traveling across this beautiful and fascinating country by train is one of my favorite things to do in the entire world. Here’s how to build your own Japan rail trip.
Figure out how much time you have and which destinations are on your must-visit list, and build a route from there
As with any trip, what you can do will be determined by how much time you have and what time of year you visit. Japan is at its most delightful in spring and autumn as summers are very hot and humid everywhere south of Hokkaidō. Avoid national holiday periods like Golden Week (early May) and Obon (summer; usually July or August), when tickets and accommodation are scarce and many attractions close. If you want to do a lot of things that appeal to Japanese kids (amusement parks, anime or manga attractions, and so on), try to visit outside school holidays when they're packed.
Picking the “where” of your trip is entirely up to you and your interests. I'd recommend you think about a theme like visiting Japan’s 12 remaining original historic castles. Or its best temples, shrines and Zen gardens. You might focus on dazzling big-city life, quiet rural trains that wind their way through the mountains, or a specific bit of Japanese popular culture like Pokémon, Studio Ghibli or Evangelion. Plotting out your stops on a map will help you build a route.
Where you fly in and out of may influence your route
The easiest option for most international travelers is to fly to Tokyo. The capital has two airports: Haneda Airport (HND), which is the closest to the city center, and Narita Airport (NRT), about an hour east of the city. Haneda is usually more convenient, though Narita is connected directly to Tokyo Station (and several others) by train. It’s a good option if you want to get out of the capital and on the rails straight away.
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