This is a quick song and video about Japan’s quick trains, the “Shinkansen.” At first, train service in Japan, (subway, local commuter routes, high-speed bullet trains,) can be daunting and confusing. I was aware of some of the humorous looks I got while pondering over the signs and directions in the station. Once I got […]
During my recent trip to Japan, I photographed a number of castles and museums. Of the former, there were pictures of: (1) Himeji Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site, (originally built in 1333) – the white “Egret” Castle, one of the top three castles in Japan; (2) Tokyo’s Imperial Palace – formally the site of […]
Japan is an island, (I should say “islands” much the same as the state of Hawaii is made up of several islands.) Japan is a language and a culture, (again much the same as Hawaii.) Thus, Japan has its own unique designs and architecture. In this video, I have selected a few design/architecture statements that […]
Japanese gardens can be found all over the world. They are a well-known and respected form of landscape architecture that shuns the man-made, borrows from the surrounding scenery, and features the natural materials of rock, sand, water, ocean, fish, flower, and more. Many of the gardens I visited in Japan have existed for centuries. In […]
There are numerous shrines and temples in Japan. Some date back centuries and dynasties. In Kyoto, the Fushimi Inari Shrine is a must see! Hiking the mountainside trails behind the shrine feels like a pilgrimage. Thousands upon thousands of red-orange-vermilion torii gates (paid for by local businesses,) line the trail, and fill camera lens with […]
Traveling to Japan during this time of year puts you into the heart of Cherry Blossom Season, an annual occurrence throughout the islands. Recently, I traveled from East to West Japan and back again and saw some beautiful samples of the flowering cherry trees, aka Sakura, throughout Japan. Their significance is threefold: (1) they signal […]
Legends from the old Wild West of America — outlaws, marshals, wooden wagons, Tombstone, Boot Hill — still are evident in the Southwestern United States. Many museums, roadside attractions, and small town businesses play with this enduring fascination. Links with the old west and Gold Rush days are still strong. In today’s video, you will […]
As tomorrow is the first day of Spring, (March 19, 2024,) it is a good time to relish some of the flowering joys of this season. There once was a hamlet, a small California Gold Country town in the Sierra Nevada foothills, called Volcano, where a beautiful flower show sprang every spring in a place […]
One of the U.S.A.’s newest National Monuments is Gold Butte, close to the city of Mesquite in southeast Nevada, alongside the Utah/Arizona border. As one of President Obama’s last actions in office, 300,000 acres of the Mojave Desert were declared a National Monument under the Antiquities Act in 2016. (National Monuments are similar to National […]
For a final destination in Australia, (this time,) I travelled to the Great Barrier Reef. The easiest way to see the Reef, and dive or snorkel there, is by boat from Cairns and Port Douglas. Or, as I did, you can hop aboard a fast, rubber Zodiac boat from the beach off the coast of […]