TokyoTomo Travel Guide

While slow-life has been seen in a new light, travelers are starting to be attracted to those trips on retro trains. As one of those, “Isaburo/Shinpei” is a local line with a nostalgic atmosphere that runs down JR Hisatsu Line in Kyushu area. The scenery of the fields from the window brings back the memories of the past. The single-track train is admirable, being just like a child who is gives its best for the run.

JR Hisatsu Line――One who knows would give a grin hearing this name; the one and only local single-line in Japan filled with all the excitement of a railway trip. For railway fans, Hisatsu Line is a very special line. The train runs 124 km from north to south, from JR Yatsushiro Station in Kumamoto to Hayato Station in Kagoshima Prefecture. Running along the downstream to the upstream of Kumagawa River, the route between Yatsushiro to Hitoyoshi is called “Kawa-sen (River Line),” and the route from Hitoyoshi to Yoshimatsu, passing over the mountain pass to Kagoshima, is called “Yama-sen (Mountain Line).” Railway fans are enthralled by Yama-sen, as this is a line where the special diesel tourist train “Isaburo/Shinpei” runs. Between Hitoyoshi to Yoshimatsu, 35 km in distance and 430 m difference in height, visitors can enjoy an interesting mountain ride with tunnels, the switch-back station in the middle of the loop line, and the stunning view of Kirishima Mountain Range which is designated as one of the “three most beautiful scenery from the train window.”

Read more…

Fuji Dream Airlines will be making its inaugural flight on Jul23, 2009. Fuji Dream Airlines (FDA), based in Shizuoka newly opened Mt Fuji Shizuoka Airport, operates regular passenger flights to Komatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima. There will be two return flights daily departing from Mt. Fuji Shizuoka to Komatsu and one return flight each to Kumamoto and Kagoshima.

It will be flown using a twin-engined ERJ170s Embraer aircraft, short range (approx 3100km), with a seating capacity of 76 passengers, manufactured by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. There are around 600 of the Embraer 170 aircrafts flown in 22 countries and used by 32 airlines around the world.

Flights are scheduled in the morning and evening targeting both business and leisure travelers. It is expected that local businesses and demand for tourism stand to benefit from this new service. Fares will be set around 23800yen for a normal one-way fare to Komatsu (equivalent to USD240) and a more attractive price of 14800yen onwards for its advance purchase tickets. Compared to traveling by rail, it is somewhere between a reserved seat and a green seat on the bullet train and with a better view of Mt.Fuji.

Hong Kong Express (UO) announced it will start a twice-weekly service between Okinawa and Hong Kong from April 3, 2008. Following the first service to Japan, the Hong Kong-based airline will expand its scheduled service successively to five cities in Japan from the end of April: Okayama from April 26, Kagoshima from April 28, Hiroshima from May 1 and Nagoya from May 15, 2008.

A Boeing B737-800 will be put into service on these routes. Presently, the airline owns four aircraft of this type, to which it plans to add six more and the fleet size is expected to reach 10 by the end of 2008.

Prior to the inauguration of service to Okinawa in April, a sales office will be opened in Okinawa on March 3. Further, a liaison office will be opened in Tokyo which will oversee the start-up of scheduled flights between Hong Kong and various cities in Japan and charter operations to other regional cities including Sendai.

The start-up of the service to Japan by Hong Kong Express is based on the new Hong Kong/ Japan Open Skies Agreement which lifted the capacity restrictions on flights between Hong Kong and all Japanese cities except the Tokyo Metropolitan region.

Source: Travel Vision

Travel Vision Inc. provides information on the travel industry in Japan via "Daily Travel Vision", a Japanese-language e-mail newsletter, and the "Travel Vision" website. There are nearly 110,000 people working in the Japanese travel industry, and Travel Vision is proud to be bringing travel news to more than 30,000 people through Daily Travel Vision.