Higashi Chayagai ©JNTO
Words:Haruka Osoegawa Translation:Heather Glass
Rediscovering
Hokuriku
The Hokuriku Shinkansen bullet train began operating in March 2015. Japan’s Hokuriku region incorporates the three prefectures of Ishikawa, Toyama and Fukui. The many tourist destinations dotted throughout the area include traditional Japanese locations, hot springs and beautiful castle towns. This article focuses on Kanazawa, the gateway to Hokuriku, with tips about tourist spots you may want to visit.
Yuki-no-otani Snow Corridor
The Nagano Shinkansen that formerly operated between Tokyo and Nagano was extended from Nagano to Kanazawa and was reborn as the Hokuriku Shinkansen on 14 March. With the launch of the Hokuriku Shinkansen, an overland journey to Kanazawa that once took close to four hours can now be completed – at top speed – in two hours and 28 minutes.
During the Edo period – from the beginning of the 17th to the 19th century – Kanazawa boasted the highest rice stipend of the 300 feudal domains, making it the wealthiest domain within the country. The city was a castle town, governed by the Maeda family, who were the rulers of the Kaga clan and whose stipend is spoken of as ‘Hyakumangoku (one million koku) of Kaga’. At the city’s centre is Kenrokuen Garden, one of the three most famous gardens in Japan, facing which is Kanazawa Castle Park and the ruins of the feudal Maeda castle. A massive structure, Kanazawa Castle enjoys popularity as the epitome of the majesty of the Hyakumangoku of Kaga.
West of Korinbo, the busy shopping district, are the cobbled roads and earthen walls of the Nagamachi Buke Yashiki, or samurai residence district, which features the former homes of the Kaga clan’s retainers. The eastern street of chaya teahouses north-east of the castle, fairly close to the Asanogawa River, was born in 1820. The traditional town houses lining the streets are unique for their latticed bay windows on the ground floor, and the plumb of their upper floors, which is high enough to accommodate Japanese-style zashiki drawing rooms, where guests sit on the floor. In the present day there is a growing number of tea shops, galleries and modern bars that all preserve the teahouse architecture.
Kanazawa is not the only area of interest. Ishikawa Prefecture’s neighbouring prefecture, Toyama, also has many attractions. Kurobe- Unazukionsen Station, newly built for the Hokuriku Shinkansen, is the gateway to the Kurobe and Unazuki onsen hot springs area with its famously prolific springs that flow from the Northern Alps.
The prefecture is also known for the Tateyama-Kurobe Alpen Route, which is a mountainous tourist route passing through the Northern Alps, comprising peak after peak reaching 3,000 metres above sea level and visited by tourists from at home and abroad. The Tateyama-Kurobe Alpen Route is the mountain traffic route linking Tateyama Station in Toyama Prefecture and Ougizawa Station in Nagano Prefecture.
The route is famous for the ‘snow corridor’ that appears when snow walls of around 20 metres in height form along both sides of the road. Each year from mid April to late June there is a ‘snow walk’, when it is possible to experience the Yuki- no-otani Snow Corridor. The walls of snow soaring on both sides are amazing as it shows the power of mother nature. The walk is an opportunity to get up close and personal with the wonders of nature at its mightiest.
INTRODUCING NEW ROLLING STOCK – WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THE W7 CARRIAGE
The comfortable interior space features a strong sense of both design and functionality. The ordinary carriages incorporate a lattice design that is classically wa in taste. The green cars are elegant, and the gran class has reclining leather seats and in-built electric functionality.
The train fit out is the latest, incorporating barrier free universal design elements, equipment designed for comfort, such as power points in all seats, attention to energy conservation, with LED in-carriage lights, and beefed up security, with surveillance cameras covering the aisles.
When you have to cross the skies on a long journey, seated in a confined space, you want your seat to be comfortable. At a time when all airlines are competing to provide fully reclined flat-bed seating in business class, JAL has opted to pay attention to economy class seating. The airline boasts economy comfort on a par with premium economy. JAL’s SKY WIDER offers increased leg room in economy thanks to 10 centimetres more space between seats. JAL has steadily continued to expand the routes it services since introducing the SKY WIDER to its international B777-300 aircraft in January 2013 under the slogan of a “new, spacious economy”. In June, JAL was awarded Best Economy Class Airline Seat in the 2015 World Airline Awards, by Skytrax in the UK, which reviews airlines and airports. Among the world’s airlines, JAL’s SKY WIDER seats were identified as the best. Passengers will be able to experience the “new, spacious economy” on flights between Sydney and Narita, when aircraft fitted with the SKY WIDER seats will be placed on the route departing Sydney between 26 October, 2015 and 26 March, 2016. JAL’s business class seats, with their focus on sleeping comfort, are also attractive. In 2013 JAL was the first Japanese airline to be awarded Best Business Class Airline Seat in the Skytrax World Airline Awards. The airline’s JAL SKY SUITE, in which it takes much pride, adopts a seating layout that enables unobstructed access to the aisle from all seats. The length of the bed is approximately 188 centimetres, with a width of approximately 65 centimetres. The SKY SUITE is fitted with a personal screen that is the largest in its class, at 23 inches, and achieves a private space evocative of a single room. JAL’s allowances for checked baggage are also very generous. Economy class passengers have a free allowance of two checked bags, weighing up to 46 kilograms (23 kilograms per piece), and business and first class passengers are allowed three bags, weighing up to 96 kilograms (32 kilograms per piece). Flying JAL’s international routes also offers multiple benefits for travel within Japan. For example, tourists to Japan flying on an airline in the oneworld alliance to which JAL belongs, may use the YOKOSO/ Visit Japan Pass to over 39 urban destinations in Japan. The pass allows bookings to be made over up to five sectors (minimum one sector) on flights operated by JAL or its affiliate, Japan Transocean Air (JTA), at discounted fares. Fly JAL for a comfortable trip between Australia and Japan. For more information, log on to www.jal.com.au Air travel linking Japan and Australia is undergoing significant change. In August, Qantas Airways launched its first ever direct flight between Sydney an Haneda. Following in Qantas’ jet stream, All Nippon Airway (ANA) will also add on the route in December. Words: Haruka Osoegawa On August 1, Qantas began operating flights between Sydney and Haneda and between Brisbane and Narita. The Qantas Sydney- Narita flight has been scrapped, leaving only Japan Airlines (JAL) flying the route. The Sydney-Haneda route is being flown daily by a B747-400. The Brisbane-Narita route has an A330-300 aircraft, also flying daily. Qantas now has two flights a day between Australia and Japan, making available a total of over 9,000 seats. ANA, on the other hand, has restored its Australian route for the first time in 16 years, bringing to four the number of airlines operating direct flights between Australia and Japan: Qantas, JAL, ANA and Qantas’ subsidiary low cost carrier, Jetstar. The number of Australian tourists to Japan has been growing for the last few years. Statistics published by the Japan National Tourism Organization indicate that in 2014 the number of Australians who visited Japan grew by 23.8 per cent on the previous year, to 302,656. The ongoing Visit Japan campaign and the weak yen have coincided since the end of last April with Jetstar’s new Melbourne-Narita route, together lifting demand for travel to Japan. The growth has apparently encouraged Qantas’ readiness to embark on new routes. The Brisbane-Narita route seeks to leverage convenient transfers to Jetstar Japan’s domestic routes. CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce, pointed out that the Qantas Group is already operating the Jetstar route between Cairns and the Gold Coast and Japan, and stressed that the Australia-Japan routes are supporting both business and recreational travel. He expressed Qantas’ hope that the new routes will contribute to an increase in Japanese visitors to Australia, and to boosting Queensland’s tourism industry. In recent years there has also been a steady stream of Japanese companies into Australia. In January 2015, the Japan- Australia Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) came into effect, significantly strengthening the economic relationship between the two countries. Qantas says it expects to see growing business demand on the Sydney-Haneda route as a result. The events appear to have encouraged Qantas and ANA to set their sights on business demand, with both introducing schedules from Haneda International Airport, near central Tokyo, that are convenient to business passengers. A feature of the new flights is their convenience for business travel and connections; the aircraft will depart either of Sydney or Haneda at night, arriving early the next morning. ANA says that it hopes its new flights will increase economic and cultural exchange between the two countries, and contribute to creating demand for travel to Japan. The Australia-Japan route is heating up. Perhaps we can look forward, not just to expansion into new routes, but also efforts by all airlines to differentiate themselves and attract customers with their service.
Chubu region, Ski / Snowboarding, Transport, Vol.2015-16
Fly JAL to Japan
The Changing Face of Air Travel
The Changing Face of Air Travel
Translation:Heather Glass