NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO1800)

Since 1991 I travel to various parts of the world but this vacation is different. It’s the first vacation without car, rental car or RV. This is public transport only.

I enjoy to drive, no I love to drive. I just love to drive around in my car and I really loved to drive in the USA in a big full size SUV. It’s a sense of freedom to go wherever you want, whenever you want.

When we decided to spend our holiday in Japan it was clear that this would be a vacation without rental car. Public transport only but this country is made for it. I just wasn’t sure if I was made for it too. Just like subways and trains I haven’t used a payphone for a long, long time. But Japan is different, very different and different is good. From time to time you need something completely different to change your perspective. One strong recommendation is India but if you want to stay within your comfort zone Japan is a perfect choice. Very exotic but safe and clean.

NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO1000)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO500)
NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/250 sec, ISO2500)

So how was it to travel for two weeks without the comfort of a car? Excellent! A rental car vacation works best where population density is low: The South West of the USA, Ireland, Scotland or Norway. It’s less than ideal in busy coastal towns and pretty annoying in the main cities in Europe where parking space is rare and expensive. It is liberating not to worry about such things and to enjoy the view when traveling with trains.

One recommendation though: Get a Suica card or better the Suica app on your phone before you enter Japan to avoid to deal with what you see in the image below. On my first business trips I haven’t had a Suica card and it wasn’t fun.

NIKON Z 8 (26mm, f/2.8, 1/50 sec, ISO140)