Visiting the world’s largest Starbucks in Tokyo

Here at Nomadic Notes I like to make lists of cool independent cafes to visit in cities of Asia. I’m not against visiting chain cafes either, so when I saw that the world’s largest Starbucks store opened in Tokyo I had to pay a visit. Before this visit I had been to what was at […]

Notes on Kyoto – temple hopping and urban wanders

Kyoto is one of the most popular destinations in Japan, to the point that it has become a global symbol of the overtourism phenomenon. I’ve been to Japan a few times now but had not visited Kyoto. The thought of fighting my way through crowds wan’t appealing, but I knew I had to see for […]

Notes on Kaohsiung – an underrated city for when you have the #overtourism blues

Kaohsiung is the second largest city in Taiwan, at the southern end of the island. Being in the travel business I know a number of people that have been and raved about it. Overall though it’s not a city that features on the international travel radar. There are direct flights from Ho Chi Minh City […]

Where I’m At: September, 2019 – Saigon edition

Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been This is a brief summary of where I’ve been, and I usually blog about visited places a month or so later. At my current rate of blogging I’m about six weeks […]

Taroko National Park – highlights, and how to visit on a day trip from Taipei

Taroko National Park is one of the highlights of Taiwan, with the Taroko Gorge ranking among the great natural wonders of Asia. When I was planning my trip most of the information I found was from travel agents selling tours. If you are in Taipei on a short visit it is possible to visit Taroko […]

Hanoi Train Street – An infrastructure anomaly that’s become an Instagram sensation

One of the more unusual tourist attractions to emerge in Hanoi is the Hanoi train street. This “street” is more of a passageway that has a single railway line passing through it. There are houses on either side with barely enough room for the train to pass through. The railway is not fenced off, so […]

Hanoi to Haiphong by train

The Hanoi-Haiphong railway is one of the few railway lines in Vietnam that is not part of the main north-south railway. Originally this line was part of the Yunnan-Haiphong Railway that was built by France between 1904–1910. Haiphong is the closest seaport to Hanoi so it’s always been an important access point for Hanoi. Haiphong […]

Notes on Haiphong – A historic port city in Northern Vietnam

Haiphong is the third largest city in Vietnam, and apart from being an industrial port city it has a historic city centre that should attract more tourists than it does. It rarely makes anyones list of places to visit in Vietnam, but if you have time it’s worth a detour. I had read it being […]

Shamian – the historic concession island of Guangzhou

Shamian in Guangzhou is a former concession island that was established by the French and British after the Second Opium War. This small island has some of the best preserved colonial architecture in Asia. It might also be the best 19th century historical site that isn’t a UNESCO World Heritage Site (yet). The island was […]

Where I’m At: August, 2019 – Saigon edition

Greetings from Saigon and another edition of Where I’m At – my monthly summary of where I’ve been and site news. Where I’ve Been Hanoi View this post on Instagram A post shared by James Clark ✈️ (@nomadicnotes) on Jul 1, 2019 at 7:44am PDT I began the month in Hanoi for what has become […]