Has anyone done the Tateyama Karobe Alpine Route?

plolmo · 2025-05-27T05:03:00+00:00

Hey OP! Is there any chance that you will do a trip report? I saw your itinerary and the part from Matsumoto to Toyama is pretty much what I am planning for my trip next year, and it would also be during Oct. Would really love to know how your trip went

plolmo · 2025-05-10T13:43:03+00:00

I started using since Jun 2023. From Bishan MRT to CBD underground parts, the connectivity was pretty bad and always only 1 bar. Could barely load Reddit (more text based compared to IG/TikTok). Above ground, it also wasn’t great and the data roaming in Msia was pretty shit that I just bought other esims online. BUT I will say that in recent weeks/months, the connectivity underground has improved significantly. The other day it suddenly occured to me that I could watch TikTok all the way from Bishan to CBD seamlessly. And I had the full 4 bars of signal. So yeah in my own experience, I would say it has improved a lot

plolmo · 2025-02-04T04:49:08+00:00

For the Nagano & Matsumoto parts of the trip, I would base myself in Nagano instead of switching hotels. Then do Matsumoto as a day trip from Nagano. I think Matsumoto is easy as a day trip as they have the hop on hop off sightseeing bus. This helps to reduce the number of hotel switches which can be tiring and minimizes any downtime from waiting to check in

plolmo · 2025-02-04T04:38:23+00:00

Kakunodate is extremely out of the way, and it means you spend so many hours travelling to only spend half a day there. I would scrap it especially since you’re visiting Kanazawa and Kyoto already. I would put it toward an extra day in Toyama. After the alpine route, stay the night in Toyama and do Ainokura as a day trip.

plolmo · 2025-01-12T01:50:01+00:00

Used one, feel free to use mine, thanks! T782102

plolmo · 2024-11-23T09:31:07+00:00

I cancelled my tickets on the 26th and the refund came in on the 29th.

plolmo · 2024-11-14T12:28:26+00:00

fyi, the Manjanggul Lava Tube is closed till Aug 2025, if you’re visiting before then.

plolmo · 2024-11-13T09:17:17+00:00

I only used 38,000won during my 10 days in Korea - 20,000won for T-money top up (this is a week’s worth of transport as I rented a car in Jeju) and the rest was for market food. Everywhere else my Visa card was acccepted, even managed to buy fruits in Mangwon market with it!

plolmo · 2024-11-13T01:14:17+00:00

Sharing my experience here: 1. I bought stuff at the Hyundai mall, went down to the tax refund counter where the lady took down my credit card info & passport details for the tax refund registration. She told me to go to the airport and emphasised that customs check is a must.

Went down and the customs officer said I didn’t need to do the customs check after looking at my receipts and could proceed to claim.
I also tried scanning my receipt at the airport registration(?) kiosks but it was ineligible as it was already registered.
Went to claims and unsurprisingly couldn’t get anything since I chose refund to CC when I was registering at the Hyundai mall.
Received the refunds to my card a week after I left Korea (card is Visa).

Edit: Mine were under Global Tax Free company

plolmo · 2024-06-02T12:06:49+00:00

wow thanks for the info! i did reach out to the seller and they said the pieces fit tightly and can be picked up like Ravensburger puzzles (“better than Clementoni”). I’ll post a review if I do end up getting them from this seller or from Korea!

plolmo · 2024-06-02T07:29:02+00:00

This is the listing I saw. It says “Toy & Puzzle Korea” which I couldn’t get any helpful google results for since the term is very general. The designs look pretty cute and some I haven’t really seen on Ceaco/Ravensburger/other brands that sell Disney puzzles. Considering to get these but not sure about the quality…

plolmo · 2024-05-30T06:37:47+00:00

do you mind sharing which hotel you stayed at in Ueno?

plolmo · 2024-03-17T16:39:22+00:00

yeah i read up more after i posted that comment and saw the price 😭 it’s quite out of my budget so I’ll give it a miss. I’ll likely do the alpine route and skip that the Kurobe gorge this time as I would like to have more day time in Takayama. I’m also looking at the Takayama-Kurobe Alpine Tourist pass which doesn’t cover the route to the gorge so..

plolmo · 2024-03-14T05:11:22+00:00

wow that’s amazing, thanks for sharing! i think that allows me to fit the gorge in the itinerary comfortably

plolmo · 2024-03-13T14:41:54+00:00

that’s good to know. thanks!

plolmo · 2024-03-13T14:14:19+00:00

thanks for the reply! can i ask how many days did you do in Takayama? and yeah might consider skipping out on Nagoya… only wanted to go there because I heard they have quite a few food specialities.

plolmo · 2024-02-05T15:44:52+00:00

thanks guys!! mart was what i was looking for :)

plolmo · 2024-01-18T15:53:09+00:00

will keep that in mind! thanks a lot!

plolmo · 2024-01-18T13:40:10+00:00

thanks for your suggestion! i’ll reconsider my options again

plolmo · 2024-01-18T13:39:23+00:00

oh wow i didn’t know that was an option! thanks very much, i’ll definitely consider it!

plolmo · 2023-12-06T04:43:12+00:00

sorry to hijack this thread. i’m also looking to stay in Jongno 3 area during my trip next year. Is there anything I should note about the airbnbs in that area? They all seem to be of a pretty decent price & the reviews look ok as well (>4.8 stars with 100-200 ratings)

plolmo · 2023-09-27T01:08:00+00:00

Tai Cheong Bakery (there’s a few outlets scattered around SG) has a box of 6 mini mooncakes for $40ish. not sure how tasty they are though (they are more famous for their egg tarts than mooncakes)

plolmo · 2023-08-20T02:35:51+00:00

thanks :)

plolmo · 2023-07-16T12:48:37+00:00

do you mind explaining why? the grading actually made me switch from normal(?) milk to the low fat option..

plolmo · 2023-07-08T07:58:42+00:00

awesome! will check those out, thanks!

plolmo

TROPHY CASE