Just been to Japan to experience new extended Hokuriku Shinkansen from Kanazawa to Tsuruga.

Tsuruga Shinkansen Station are small size, as current become Terminus Station of Hokuriku Line are beyond capacity limit specially escalator. All passenger disembark on platform going down to lobby by escalator are jam pack!!
Once Line Extended to Kyoto & Osaka...Passenger usage of Tsuruga Station will be back to normal as it should be.  Oh Man......that will be 2040!!!

Once getting down from Platform by using Escalator....you had to pass thru auto gate (Hokuriku are JR East while Tsuruga are under JR West). Once pass thru auto gate, There will be 2 Big colour Line on floor guild you to JR Limited Express Platfrom 
Blue for "Thunderbird"  Orange for "Shirasagi"

Please be mind!!!  You only got 5 minute disembark Shinkansen, go thru Jam pack escalator.....Walk fast phase following Colour Line to JR Limited Express Platfrom!!!
Example: If you buy JR Ticket from Osaka / Kyoto to Kanazawa......JR will print 4 Ticket. That will be "Thunderbird" + Thunderbird Seat + Hokuriku Shinkansen + Hokuriku Shinkansen Seat 
You only got 5 Minute Transit at Tsuruga!!  RUN RUN RUN

All "Thunderbird" & "Shirasagi" Schedule are Connected with Hokuriku Shinkansen at Tsurga Station.    5 Minute.....you only got 5 minute 

JR "Thunderbrid" passenger usage are drop significantly.....No more Japanese No.1 choices to Kanazawa .....good news to Foreigners
Japanese prefer way are Osaka / Kyoto taking Tokaido Shinkansen to Maibara Station. Maibara Station taking JR Limited Express "Shirasagi" to Tsuruga Station. 
This Concept Similar to Kyushu JR Limited Express + Shinkansen to Nagasaki ...It only give 1 minute transit at Takeo-Onsen Station but this was side by side at Platfrom.

Komatsu Station are one of Hokuriku Shinkansen stop station.
JR now only own Komatsu Shinkansen Station. Local train station sold to Fukui Hapi Railway.

From Komatsu kampung moved to Tokyo. Already get used to fast phase of Tokyo?

Komatsu Station under IR. Breaking zone at Daishoji Station.
Daishoji all the way to Tsugaru are Fukui Hapi Railway.

Fukui, IR and Aino 3 are working with each other. Rapid train Ainoliner will start from Tomari all the way to Tsugaru.

Your wife don't like kampung lifestyle.

Earthquake

TOKYO - An earthquake measuring a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 hit Tokyo and nearby areas on Thursday, but no tsunami warning was issued, the weather agency said.

The quake struck around 9:08 a.m., with its focus in southern Ibaraki Prefecture at a depth of about 50 kilometers, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

It registered lower 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale of 7 in Tochigi and Saitama prefectures, 4 in Ibaraki and 3 in Tokyo, the agency said.

No abnormality was reported at the Tokai No. 2 atomic power station in Ibaraki following the quake, its operator said.

Just came back from Japan (mainly to attend some concerts) a few weeks ago and it was freaking cold

Visited Kanazawa and Shirakawa-go; Kanazawa was boring, very cold and rainy while Shirakawa-go was really beautiful with the slightly melted snow, worth the visit
Also did a day trip from Tokyo to Toyama for an ayumi hamasaki concert, the tuna sashimi there was to die for (really fresh). However it was pretty cold and rainy like Kanazawa lol.

If didn't do much homework, Kanazawa sure boring compare to Osaka, Tokyo.  Every time I go Kanazawa, I always go Kenrokuen, from morning relax until afternoon. Sometimes Kenrokuen + Kanazawa Castle (Crossing by 石川桥）
Just been to Kanazawa for Opening day of Hokuriku Shinkansen Extended Ceremony.

For me it’s basically a less commercialized version of Kyoto (higashi chaya has some resemblance to Kyoto) cuz the tourists are a lot lesser..
I found kenrokuen and the Kanazawa castle kinda boring, maybe I just don’t like relaxing or laidback places lol
(Favorite city in Japan for me is still Yokohama)

But the people there are very nice compared to Kanto area lah (one of the locals even offered to help me carry my large paper bag on the bus🥹)

Never managed to try the seafood there cuz all the sushi restaurants around Kanazawa station had freaking long queues, only managed to try out curry lab in omicho market (taste ok only, prefer cocoichi better) and a tonkatsu restaurant near Kanazawa station (which was pretty good too)😅
Managed to only try tuna sashimi when I visited Toyama, and that was p good👍

For real..i was in Harajuku on 1st Jan during the ishikawa earthquake..that shake in tokyo was wow to me.but tokyo people not bothered and continue shopping lol

I dont mind if it wont reach boiling point. I just need to heat it up for some coffee.

But will it break the device?

Go Go Curry inside Kanazawa Station. 

Looking to make my first trip to Tokyo, Mt Fuji, Hakone, Kamakura and Yokohama for 7 days trip in Nov.

Any recommendation for must see attractions that is family and old folks friendly?

The ones I can think of is

1. Tokyo: Tokyo Skytree, Tokyo Tower, Sensoji Temple, Ginza
2 Mt Fuji/Hakone: Lake Kawaguchiko, Owakudani, pirate ship, Gotemba
3. Kamakura: Great Buddha
4. Yokohama: ??

Flew 5204Km for Library

hey bro, sorry to barge in..
letting you know I'm doing ski trip from 14 Feb - 1 Mar 2025
(I'm doing snowboarding)

will be at Hakuba for around 7 night and Myoko > Madarao > Nozawa Onsen
let see your schedule roughly the same or not maybe could ski together haha

regards,

Lol bro, you pro... I'm only beginner...cant do off piste yet haha

anything interesting in umeda beside lady buying their handbags?

I will be travelling to tokyo next year spring with my wife
Any suggestion to stay in which part of tokyo?
I do not drink or club tho.
Will be returning via haneda airport

currently planning for Nozawa Onsen Ski Resort, but i suppose since my itinerary is still partially done, i can still adjust to Hakuba/Shiga/Madarao if those spots have more slots or more convenient to plan from

my itinerary plan is as; only planning to try skiing first time with stay at Nozawa Onsen for 4D3N

KUL>Tokyo>Kanazawa>Takayama>Matsumoto>Nozawa Onsen>Nagano>Tokyo>KUL

what do you reckon? or should i try Hakuba instead since it is much bigger and can cater to tourists better?

noiceeee, lai sifu teach us how to ski/snowboard 

which accom is this? i planning 24-27 feb tho
we on same boat haha but at least you got your planning done

nice, good tip. ill try this tonight

haha its okay if no teach also, im planning day 1 is ski lesson, then 2nd day is skiing, so see how if can make a meetup there around end of feb if all is well

old liao cannot take those midnight flight barely sleeping then hit the street next morning lol

unless of course pay more and get business class

should be okay, only issue now is i need to decide where and what to do nia if in Nozawa Onsen. but so far almost 70% completed in itinerary planning. then its just booking liao

makes me wonder if the daily pass worth anot, my friend said Niseko has those points pass where you pay for certain part of the mountain you can access via ski lift. so they pay the bare min to reach where they like then really ski as much as possible before going down and call it a day. nozawa onsen side seems like its daily pass kind where just ski and take the lift as much as possible until end of day 

can, let me know. we can sync up!

yah i hoping the hotel that i got get discounts on skiing, onsen and food

my friend also said beginner takes forever to come down mountain also, so ended up points one more worth lol. since ended up wont be using the ski lift so often

you tried before night skiing?

yeah i thought there was a small charge like 100yen, and some more private ones that can go 1000yen/hr

haha see if really want to squeeze in night ones if really want to max out ski timing

which would you recommend? Nozawa Onsen, Madarao or Hakuba? im locked to Nozawa but at same time still checking others

one of my concern is that nozawa onsen being a smaller town will be quicker booked out and cant cater to large crowds since its quite popular

madarao is more "unknown" so it might have better chances in later bookings but bad news is night life there prolly nonexistent

hakuba OTOH should be so big, theres plenty of space for everyone lol. but being a giant touristy place also means you need deal with crowds too

hi,

Any of you guys drove before, around early december in takayama? Wonder if the road is slippery, considering to opt for snow tires.

Landing in Nagoya end of Nov for 1-2 days then kyoto for 2 days next is rent a car to Gifu, spending a night in hirayu onsen then go takayama for 2 nights. Dropoff ar at chubu airport before depart.

I drove last year Oct Tokyo>Nikko>Matsumoto>kamikochi>Takayama>Tokyo, was a pleasant drive especially use rural roads. Havent try during december / winter.

Awesome, thanks for the info.

I opt for snow tires since renting nissan 7 seater. Just worry the route to hirayu onsen and back to takayama. Last year oct it was wet there for kamikochi.