Shodoshima and the 'Spirited Away Station' - Ep.4, 1 Man, 1 Pass, 1 Trip into the 'Real Japan'

[@MoreTrainsPlease-dt1dw]

Nice. I did the Spirited Away pilgrimage as well. I love the trains that go along the Seto Inland Sea. The views are gorgeous. I think a cool trip could be just exploring that whole area. Good work!

[@IzzeSmiles]

Really enjoying your videos...soothing voice and dry humor...love it

[@kanabalize]

Will, we need more footages from this trip... so refreshing to see something new about other side of Japan. Thanks man. Maybe at the end of it, you can release a supercut from day 0 to last day in Japan with extra footage. Thanks again Will.

[@Will_Zhao]

Glad you enjoyed it. I'll think about it!

[@andresponce305]

This is fantastic content. Really well made, deserves more views.

[@KaratedudeYT]

Wake up babe new 1 Man 1 Pass video dropped 😍

[@daveyking]

Great narration and editing style. A little sprinkle of dark humor would make this a whole package... for me.

[@bloodpine666]

always been curious about shodoshima because it's where the manga takagi-san takes place 👀 tysm for visiting and making a great video about it!

[@Ken-m8j]

Interesting trip. Alot of surprises and pitfalls hahaha

[@croissantconnoisseur6855]

Achievement unlocked You took a bus in shodoshima! I appreciate all the time you take to edit the videos.

[@rollings2035]

Amazing!! i visited Shodoshima long time ago too, my dad took me there, had soy sauce ice cream and chilled on the ferry. I don't know how to ride a bus if there's no Google telling me what to do so your explanation really is nice...... i want to go there again but im so nervous riding a bus and ferry and any type of public transportation alone

[@Will_Zhao]

The buses on Shodoshima are indeed pretty difficult to use and frankly they are not a great way to get around. There are just too few of them, giving you very little flexibility. But if you want to go, my suggestion is to plan everything in advance, note down exactly which bus at what time you are going to take, and you should be fine. Don't go in blind like I did.

[@ricqlesc5625]

Thank you for making this! I am going there soon! Relieved to see I can read the characters even I don’t know Japanese 😅

[@Will_Zhao]

You can't, you just try😂

[@Slime_Head]

What camera/phone did you use for filming? Looks great!

[@alistairwilliams9074]

Thank you again for the video. I like your insight & how you were feeling during the trip like at 5:22 & probably like that Japanese _onii-san,_ would probably take more than a couple of glances to check: "is the train coming yet?" Also, that Shodoshima's Bus Problem chapter was brilliantly made. 0:40 outsidexbox's outro song 😀 1:25 😄 5:06 Geralt 😅 I remember yesterday (April 30th), the subscribers count was at 7.99K & today is at 8.01K. Congratulations for the increase in subscribers. Hopefully 10K in this month or the next one.

[@Will_Zhao]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. Let's goooo!

[@ДарьяКочнева-и3б]

Thank you for this gorgeous video! I was afraid that it's too hard to get to some rural areas of Japan in the first trip

[@Will_Zhao]

Thank you! Whether or not it is too hard will depend on people but it definitely is a lot harder.

[@johnh3267]

I visited Shodoshima on a glorious spring day in April last year. There were still some blossoms left on the cherry trees. I was pleasantly surprised that my PASMO IC card would work on the buses, so I didn't need to buy a bus pass. The bus timetable that I picked up at the port was a real challenge. All Japanese with no route numbers. I made it to the Nakayama rice terraces (very infrequent buses) and the Olive Garden (more frequent). BTW, Olive-flavoured ice cream is available at the Olive Garden. I was unable to fit the Kankakei Gorge in. Shodoshima is not geared to non-Japanese tourists, but it was a delightful place to visit.

[@Will_Zhao]

The bus pass is a 1000 yen all-you-can-ride and yep, the timetable is a real challenge.

[@bartekjedrzejewski7594]

That's a great video!

[@NL0Gwenster]

Great video. For what it's worth; I've done my fair share of rural Japan public transport travel; over the years, but eventually just switched to car rentals. Car rentals aren't that expensive in Japan. You need to get an international driver's permit. Which should be easy to get if you have a driver's license, it's like a piece of paper you request from your local government. Plus having a car gets you to even more off-the-beaten path destinations than even rural buses and a good amount of hiking can get you to. If you have a driver's license, i would recommend going that route for rural Japan.

[@Will_Zhao]

I've always wanted to rent cars in Japan, but unfortunately there's no easy way for me to get an international deriver's permit so I simple can't. The car rental option is very desirable when travelling in the less popular parts in the country, I had to cut many items from my wishlist during past trips simply because there is no way to get there apart from driving. It's making me mad.

[@MicroSBs]

Hey Will Do you live in Japan? Or do you travel in from another country?

[@freemanol]

hey you have a unique style. not sure if most people would appreciate it, but i for one do

[@Will_Zhao]

Thank you!

[@kneww3332]

Hello, im planning to go to osaka next april, im confused when ive arruved at tokyo station what should i do? I have hokuriku arch pass, how can i convert it to a ticket? And which train should i take? Thank you

[@Will_Zhao]

You should watch my how to use your JR pass video. To get from Osaka from Tokyo with the Hokuriku Arch Pass, you need to take the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Kanazawa first and transfer to a limited express train to Osaka.

[@ZngiMatsis]

Hello i really enjoy your channel! Two questions though. 1.where are you from 2. what camera do you use to capture footage

[@Will_Zhao]

Hey thanks! I won't talk too much about myself, but the camera used here is the Sony rx100vii.

[@ZngiMatsis]

@@Will_Zhao ty for the reply. I recently picked up the DJI Osmo pocket 3 and plan to shoot some simmilar vids when i go to japan in the summer! I really like your travel pass nichè. Any reason you’re so interested in these travel passes?

[@Will_Zhao]

It's simple really. I took a huge a amount doing research for my trips and I thought it'd be a waste if I don't share it and help people with similar itineraries. There are tons of info on KZbin but good info is rare to find.@@ZngiMatsis

[@Pazifist526]

I will be doing the same Trip to Shimonada an further in to Shikoku. Is Google Maps reliable from Matsuyama onwards? I planned the whole trip with it. 😅

[@Will_Zhao]

It's reliable as in it provides accurate route/time information. But sometimes the instructions can be vague on how to actually find your train. Sometimes it doesn't tell you which platform to go to, sometimes the train description on Maps does not match 100% with the LED panel on the train. You're good to plan your trip with Google Maps, but make sure to ask a member of staff when you are not sure which train to hop on to. Taking a wrong train in Shikoku is going to cost you a lot of time.

[@Pazifist526]

Thank you for the quick response.

[@MoreTrainsPlease-dt1dw]

JapanTravel is a good app that has information that Google Maps doesn't sometimes.

[@karaiwonder]

0:42 just look at those legs

[@Tea-Spin]

Shikoku is so underrated

[@awildcyclistappears]

Will, are you a cyclist by any chance? I often (once a year or two years) go to Japan to ride a bicycle for 30+ days and I always go alone. Watching your short movies gives me the impression that you'd be the very few people I could bear as a trip buddy. Cheers

[@Will_Zhao]

I'm very very sorry to disappoint, but you see, there's a reason I took the bus through the Shimanami Kaido and not on a bicycle😂

[@awildcyclistappears]

@@Will_Zhaonoted! peace :)

[@nagasako7]

JR Tokyo easy to use, doesn't need any English... 90% English signage. Kyoto Tourist City with confusing buses which need English... 0% English.

[@loudmouthnewyorker2803]

Imagine the cost of purchasing and shipping a Hellcat to Japan?

[@Will_Zhao]

Wait, I never gave it much thought, I assumed you can just buy one here in Japan. Was it never sold outside the us?

[@loudmouthnewyorker2803]

@@Will_Zhao Did a cursory look online and it was a bit nebulous whether you can buy a new Hellcat in Japan. I must research it further.

[@nyatella]

o... an eva reference...

[@Will_Zhao]

Someone gets it 😄

[@Nhkg17]

Great vlog. But I wouldn't like your style of travel. On vacation, I'm willing to spend a maximum of 2 hours a day transporting between locations. I'd rather explore the current location better than go somewhere further away even at the cost of not seeing a lot of popular places.

[@Will_Zhao]

I know. I never expected the trip to turn out like it did since I took many things for granted when I set off. If I get to do it again I would definitely do it differently. But I guess you'd never know if you didn't have a first trip like this.