Travel

After 43 days of nomadic lifestyle, I finally settled in London.

“I spent the whole night until 2 am packing my luggage,” said my colleague, who is travelling to Sapporo. The next morning, he said he packed until 5 am. After months of struggles at the office, people often go on vacation. They travel to different places and feel like escaping from the real world. The intention is to relax and hopefully recharge before going back to work. Once they have decided to escape the real world, they spend a month researching the place they will visit. ...

It has been over six months since the last time I travelled to Japan. The last time we visited Hida Takayama, we enjoyed it a lot, especially the snow scenery in Shinhotaka, the heritage in Shirakawa-go, and the onsen in Gero. After weeks of discussion, we have decided to visit Hokkaido next month. To travellers like us, Hokkaido appears different from other areas of Japan. Apart from the Japanese, it consists of Ainu people as well. They are the indigenous people of Hokkaido, with a distinct culture from the Japanese. I am interested in their history, culture, and how they coexisted with the Japanese in the past and present. ...

As a 4-time traveller in Japan, I have come to appreciate the efficiency and reliability of the railway system. However, navigating the Japan Railways (JR) ticketing system and station layouts can be challenging for foreign travellers like me. Recalling the first time I travelled to Japan. We got overwhelmed in Shinjuku Station, the busiest railway station in the world. Its complex floor plan, multiple levels, and numerous lines and companies operating on each level can feel like navigating a maze. Finding the right exit can be challenging, with over 200 exits leading to different parts of the surrounding area. We stood in the indoor space. The GPS systems of our mobile phones weren’t available. After a few minutes, we realised that the JR system works differently from the Hong Kong railway system – passengers are not charged for exiting at the same station they entered. Approaching a particular location can be as simple as passing the paid area. ...

If all goes well, I should be in Hida Takayama when this blog post is published. Two months ago, We planned to visit Japan. We originally planned to stay in Nagoya throughout the whole journey. After a few days of browsing the information, we found Hida Takayama was much more attractive. Thus we focused on Hida Takayama instead of staying in busy cities like Nagaya. Many things have changed since the last time I travelled outside Hong Kong. Many facilities and shops in the Hong Kong International Airport and Kansai International Airport were closed due to reconstruction or lacking customers. Before the pandemic era, we always ate at Burger King at the Hong Kong International Airport. We also ate at one of the “Big Three” beef rice gyudon restaurants at the airports in Japan. However, all of them are closed in business. A friend advised me to have meals before entering the airport. ...

Working in Hong Kong is very intensive than in other countries. Nevertheless, people who work at a typical Hong Kong-based company are often entitled to 12 or even fewer days of annual leaves. Every year, netizen posts the “Annual Leave Guide” to teach others to mix the annual leaves with public holidays so that their vacation can be longer. People take leaves and travel outside Hong Kong to relieve stress during office hours. But according to my years of observations, their travels look much more stressful than working at the office. ...

Recently, Facebook and Google Photos reminded me day and night of my last time travelling outside Hong Kong. Social media keep pushing the photos posted by my friends, mostly travelling outside the town. It’s been 3 years since I last travelled outside Hong Kong. I visited Fukuoka with my girlfriend for a week. After that, the world entered the “pandemic era”. The world is now in the “recovery era”. Many countries have opened their borders. Hong Kong people often imagine Japan as their homeland. When Japan opens its border, they escape from Hong Kong and return to the “homeland” they are imagining. Although I don’t treat Japan as my homeland, I will visit there in March, too. ...