About This Site
I believe much of the world comes down to optimization. Travel is no exception.
The objective function varies from person to person. In my case, it’s the distance of rail lines ridden, the number of airports visited, and the number of islands landed on. I enjoy figuring out how to maximize these within limited time and budget.
Sometimes I plan routes on paper with timetables; sometimes I go out and verify them in person. Dealing with delays and cancellations that never occurred on paper is a different kind of fun from planning. This site is where I record both sides of that process.
About the Author
Staring at timetables and planning routes might be my favorite part of any trip. I’ve completed riding every rail line in Japan and am now expanding to airports, overseas railways, and tram systems.
About the Name
“hoinu” is inspired by a sound from the Ainu language. It also evokes the Ezo sable (a small predator native to Hokkaido) — an animal that lives quietly but strikes with precision when hunting. That quality mirrors this site’s approach: once something catches my attention, I dig deep.