Narita and Chiba: Landing in the Rain

This was the big one. Sixteen days, a 14-day JR Pass, and a route from Narita all the way down to Fukuoka, with Kanazawa, Kurashiki, Hiroshima and Nagasaki in between. The furthest we’ve ever travelled in one go.

We bought the JR Pass just before the big price hike in October 2023, when the 14-day pass jumped from ¥47,250 to ¥80,000. So the plan was simple: use every single day of it. Shinkansen nearly every other day. Tiring, but damn fun. That’s what travelling is about.

The weather, though. September in Japan is still full summer: damn hot, and sticky every single day. You’ll see it in our faces.

Narita, Not Tokyo

We flew in via Incheon, with a short transfer there, and landed at Narita just before noon. Instead of heading into Tokyo, we stayed in Narita town for the first two nights. It’s 10 minutes from the airport, cheaper than Tokyo, and close to Sawara, which was the plan for Day 2.

Walking through Incheon Airport during our transfer — Transfer at Incheon

The Incheon Airport sign — Transfer at Incheon

The ryokan had a public bath, which after an overnight flight is the best thing ever.

Minmin in the ryokan corridor — Checked in

Narita’s Omotesando in the Rain

It was pouring. We walked down Omotesando anyway, the old street that leads from Narita Station to the Naritasan temple, lined with shops selling eel, sweets and pickles. Most people only ever see Narita as an airport, so the street was quiet, and we had it mostly to ourselves.

The gate of Naritasan in the rain — Naritasan, wet

Omotesando street in the rain — Naritasan, wet

Minmin got a drink, and we saved the temple for a dry day.

An iced drink on Omotesando — Rain or not, iced

The Hanging Monorail

In the late afternoon, we took the JR train over to Chiba to ride the Chiba Urban Monorail. It’s the world’s longest suspended monorail, meaning the train hangs below the rail instead of sitting on top of it. Watching it swing in over the road is strange.

The JR train at the platform — Off to Chiba

The monorail hanging over the street — Off to Chiba

Chiba Castle at Dusk

We rode it out to Chiba Castle. Not a real one: it was built in 1967 as the Chiba City Folk Museum, on the site of the old Inohana Castle. But at dusk, lit up against a blue sky, it looked the part.

Chiba Castle lit up at dusk — Chiba Castle

Chiba Castle from the front — Chiba Castle

Gyukatsu for Dinner

Dinner was gyukatsu at Kyoto Katsugyu. We found it by accident, wandering into a mall near Chiba Station to look for food. Beef cutlet, crispy outside and pink inside, and damn good. Reasonably priced too.