On the Bullet Train: Nagoya to Kyoto

This gives me a perfect opportunity to talk about how I am able to blog on this trip. I've left my iPhone in airplane mode since taking off from LAX. I also turned off data roaming. Which means I am dependent on Wi-Fi connections. Not difficult in a big city hotel, but less common once we got on the Nakesendo - until we hit Magome, which gets many international visitors. There I noticed free Wi-Fi signs in the Tourist Information Office and a few coffee shops.

Has not been a problem for me, however, as Roxana has rented a Wi-Fi connector for the duration of the journey:

She arranged to have it mailed to our Tokyo hotel, and it was waiting for her on check-in. About the size of a cell phone, so easy to carry. She turned it on in the train, and, voila, I have Internet connection.

Post-trip Update: Cost (at current exchange rate) is about US$85 for two weeks, which is reasonable. I did not try using Skype, and the connection speed might be too slow for that (it took forever to upload a 1 minute video to Facebook), but it worked fine for checking email, keeping up with Facebook, and writing my daily blog posts, even in rural Japan. Here's the website for more info: http://www.rentafonejapan.com/Mobile-Internet.html

You can find similar WiFi rentals for other countries; here's one I found for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand: http://www.tepwireless.com/wifi/australia . Do a web search for 'pocket wifi rental' to find other choices.

Finally, the New York Times Travel section has a great article on other options to keep overseas roaming charges under control: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/14/travel/how-to-beat-roaming-fees-while-traveling-abroad.html?_r=0