T1D Wanderer

[Extended version] Why locals love this ancient tree bridge

This early link to the extended ad-free version of next week's video from Kaibara, Japan is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. It's 30 minutes long and includes the story of Nagayamon gate from 1714, my impromptu guided tour around Kaibara, the story of a legendary 6-year-old haiku poet from the town, a nationall...

[Extended version] A train line, a river, a belly button - Kakogawa!

This early link to the extended ad-free version is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. It's 60 minutes long and includes extensive walks around both Yashirochō and Tanikawa, info about other stations, a look at the tricky train schedules, a close-up look at the Kakogawa river, more from Nishiwakishi station, and ...

[Newsletter] Live stream this week

This week's video is going to be a live stream here: https://youtube.com/live/ilJwO-1jftA

Of course it's not possible to find a time that suits everyone, but I hope you can join this one. It's 8:00 pm in the Eastern Time zone in the U.S. (9:00 am ...

[Newsletter] Eerie night on the Rokkō Cable Car

▶︎ Watch the new video → https://youtu.be/PhLxHlWRaKQ

This week, yet another reminder that even when you think you know what to expect when visiting somewhere, things can go sideways. A whole new world can reveal itself when you're anticipating something else entire...

Notice: No early-access video this week

Hi!

Usually this is where the link to next week's video would be. But there isn't a link because there isn't a regular video; next week's video will be a live stream. (More info about that will be coming soon.)

I've been wanting to do a live stream for a couple months, and I was sick for a few days last week and didn't have a chance ...

[Extended version] Eerie night on the Rokkō Cable Car

What a night! This early link to next week's video is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. This extended, ad-free version is 39 minutes long and includes the many train and bus mistakes I made getting to the cable car in the first place, my experience barely leaving the Garden Terrace, and my journ...

[Newsletter] Why does Japan's cursed Meishō train still exist?

▶︎ Watch the new video → https://youtu.be/jhGEMHMIqI8

I've got a really fun train ride for you this week. It's from the Meishō Line, a rural JR line in Mie Prefecture, just east of Nara.

The Meishō Line has had a very rough life. Several tim...

[Extended version] Why does Japan's cursed Meishō train still exist?

This early link to the extended ad-free version is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. It's 54 minutes long and includes more from the stations, neighborhoods, and rural communities; the tale of a rare 16th century Buddhist carved stone near Isegi station; more from on board the trains; and a complete look at the ...

[Newsletter] Surprising stories at the old Ishizu tram stop

▶︎ Watch the new video → https://youtu.be/_Avh32e_0RY

Greetings once again from a central Japan that's finally, sort of, becoming perhaps slightly less hot and humid than last month. A bit.

In my latest wander, I return to the Hankai Tramway that runs between ...

[Newsletter] Madness and magic on a ferry to Kōbe

▶︎ Watch the new video → https://youtu.be/77APYyLLvSc

Time for a nice relaxing ferry ride! At least, that's what I thought when I was leaving Takamatsu to return to Ōsaka. What an adventure it turned out to be.

The Jumbo Ferry company runs a ...

[Extended version] Surprising stories at the old Ishizu tram stop

This early link to the extended ad-free version is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. It's 28 minutes long and includes the other side of the tracks: a warehouse full of beer, a reverse river, older streets as grungy as they are tidy, and some surprising checklist finds.

Watch it here:

2025-09-06 02:32:19 +0000 UTC View Post

[Extended version] Madness and magic on a ferry to Kōbe

This early link to the extended ad-free version is exclusively for Travel Lovers, Travel Partners, and Travel Masters. It's 36 minutes long and includes lots more context and details about the amenities and features on board the Jumbo Ferry, tales from the shuttle buses on either end of the journey, and more scenery and images from the boat and ...

[Newsletter] Tragic saga of the Kagawa Boat Gym

▶︎ Watch the new video → https://youtu.be/P9hhuO9Y1Hk

A bit of an unusual theme for this week's video – not a train or other transportation, but a close-up look at a controversial and tragic building: the (former) Kagawa Prefectural Gymnasium.