Mapping the metro maps of Japan

Travel Newsletter: 7 July 2023: Tony Wheeler's 50 all-time top travel destinations, Hiking through the mountains of Iraq, Kazakhstan by train, remembering Kai Tak, and more travel reads

Jul 07, 2023

Hello from Ho Chi Minh City! This week I’ve been pondering the details of metro map design, and what better place to study maps than the many metro systems of Japan. I sometimes make metro maps (such as HCMC and Bali) and I have some more ideas in my draft file.

I have also written about getting the cheap train to Hua Hin (it’s absurdly cheap).

And as usual, there are lots of links to pick though, so here are some of the best travel reads and interesting news stories I found this week. If you are new here, subscribe to get weekly updates!

Latest posts at Nomadic Notes

• Subway maps of Japan: High-resolution maps of every metro system in Japan

I have been studying subway maps to get a better understanding of how they are drawn, and there are plenty to choose from in Japan. I couldn’t find a page that listed every metro map, so I made my own. I’ve even made a Google map showing where all the maps are located. Here is the Osaka map issued by the Osaka Convention & Tourism Bureau.

• Train 261: Bangkok (Hua Lamphong) to Hua Hin by Ordinary Train

I got the slow train to Hua Hin which takes 4 h 15 m and costs $1.25.

Travel reads

• Lonely Planet founder names his 50 all-time top travel destinations

• Hiking through the mountains of Iraq is an unforgettable experience, says author Leon McCarron

• Welcome aboard the Aquidaban, the floating jungle supermarket

“The Aquidaban has long attracted colorful characters as the only ferry in one of South America’s most remote stretches. Now it may disappear.“

• Four cities putting disabled travellers first

• Bhutan has long been called the happiest nation on Earth. Here’s what life is really like in the tiny kingdom

• What to do with communist decay

“Buzludzha was the pinnacle of Bulgaria’s communist-era monuments and drew international visitors as a modern ruin. Now, it’s poised to be the country’s first monument presented like a museum.”

• Raja Ampat liveaboard June 2023 trip report

• The Principality of Islandia by

Khans & Cosmonauts

“An experiment in micronation-building.”

• Ireland Diaries: A dolphin dilemma by

Not That You Asked

“Visiting a town in Ireland with a very particular problem.”

• The Myth of the Galápagos Cannot Be Sustained

• I only buy souvenirs that are actually useful — and it's changed the way I travel

• Hostel surge pricing is ruining travel

• The best camping in Wisconsin, from national seashores to state parks

My friend from Madison showed me around some of the sites of Wisconsin when I visited him, and this is his list of some great places to visit.