Category Archives: Historical

September 07

Australian Flashback – RM Williams Muster Longreach, the Queensland Outback

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This time last year I was sitting ringside as the best stockmen and stockwomen in Australia competed in the annual RM Williams Muster in Longreach, the central hub of the Outback in Queensland.  Wish I was there again!  

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July 24

Japan’s best Whisky – Nikka Whisky Distillery, Hokkaido.

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If you’re fond of a Scotch tipple, venture to Yoichi near Sapporo in Hokkaido to visit the Nikka Whisky Distillery, winner of the 2015 World Whiskies Award for best blended malt whisky. Wondering how authentic Scotch-style Whisky came to be in Japan? Look no further than the founder Masataka Taketsuru’s wife, the good Scottish lass […]

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June 11

Glimpses of Hokkaido’s Industrial Past – Around Sapporo.

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March 03

Abandoned railway – Takedao, near Kobe & Osaka

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Train buffs and hikers alike can follow the old abandoned JR Fukuchiyama line for six kilometres through the Mukogawa Gorge (武庫川渓谷) in the mountains between Osaka and Kobe for a nostalgic adventure into Japan’s industrial past.  The trail runs between Takedao (武田尾) and Namaze (生瀬) Stations on the new JR Fukuchiyama Line which runs from […]

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February 17

Sake and Shrines – Fushimi, Kyoto

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In the southern Kyoto suburb of Fushimi, sake breweries stand alongside the world famous Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head Inari Shinto Shrine in Japan. This shrine was made famous globally after featuring as a location in the movie Memoirs of a Geisha.

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February 12

Takayama – A glimpse into Edo Japan high in the Alps.

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Seven years after my first visit, Takayama is just as cold as I remember.  The heart of this mountain town is the preserved merchant houses of the old town dating back to the Edo Period (1603-1868).  Today, these streets are filled wit sake breweries, local artisan shops and food stalls.

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December 09

Japan’s best garden by night – Kenrokuen, Kanazawa.

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Photo Gallery:    

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November 11

Shirakawago – Japan’s ‘hidden’ mountain villages

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Cut off from the world for centuries by formidable mountain ranges and harsh winters, the tiny villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama have managed to hang on to their traditional way of life into the 21st century. Today, these villages are the only places in all of Japan where the traditional ‘gassho style’ farm houses still […]

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September 02

Abandoned?

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A seemingly abandoned temple in rurual Ishikawa Prefecture.  Though there is a caretaker attached to the Shinto shrine next door, it is quite some time since this vast complex was a functioning temple.  Everything, including the purpose-built hotel on the grounds, stands empty and oddly silent.  

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August 27

Hiatus over – Rainy Kanazawa

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Apologies for going silent for two months. There’s been a lot happening – namely wrapping up my time in Mie Prefecture to head elsewhere in Japan for more adventures. So stay tuned! Now it’s back to work for me, sharing my travels in Japan with you. Here are some shots from a recent rainy day […]

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June 27

Vintage Car Rally, Japan.

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A vintage car rally of yesteryear came to Tsu recently.  La Festa Primavera was a three-day rally from Nagoya to Kyoto that attracted many stunning vintage cars from Japan and overseas. For more details, check the offical event page here:     

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June 23

Hong Kong by Day

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Out and about in the midst of Hong Kong’s daily hustle and bustle.    

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June 11

Cherry blossoms at Goryokaku Fort in Hakodate, Hokkaido

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This five-point star shaped fort was once the sight of a battle in 1869 between the Tokugawa Shogunate and the newly established Meiji Government during the Meiji Restoration. But these day’s its perhaps the most famous place in Hokkaido to see cherry blossoms which peak in the first week of May.  Thousands of trees line the edges […]

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May 15

Peony Festival, Hasedera in Nara

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April 22

Mesmerising Macau – Gallery 1

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While in Hong Kong, I hopped across to Macau to see the whilwind of change that has engulfed this tiny enclave in the 17 years since my last visit in 1997.  Despite the casino boom, swathes of the old city remain quite untouched, though the gaudy gold tower of the Grand Lisboa Casino is never far from […]

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