Japan has been hovering near the top of my ‘bucket list’ for many years, so I am delighted that Tom had booked an all-inclusive cruise...

We arrive in at the Grand Nikko Hotel in Tokyo in the late afternoon and before leaving the bus, Mr Hiro advises that there are many...

My first glimpse of Mount Fuji is through the window of a very fast train, and I am left breathless. It is exactly as I imagined it to be...

In 1945, just after his 18th birthday, Dad joined the army as a volunteer and after about three months’ training was deployed to Japan...

Kyoto was the capital during the Edo period and continues to be the cultural centre of Japan. To be more specific, today, Kyoto has 2000...

When we moved into our house in 1988, there was a bamboo forest in the backyard that literally took years to eradicate. So, I am not too...

When we were young, we spent countless hours watching a black-and-white dubbed Japanese television program called The Samurai. Set in the...

Yesterday’s visit to Miyakojima on the Island of Miyako, which is part of the prefecture of Okinawa, could be viewed as a bit of a fizzer...

When I stand on the 89th floor observation deck of what was once the world’s tallest building, it is exhilarating, if not a little...

Some cities just do their ‘thing’ well. In saying that, Hong Kong at night is a sight to behold, and since our ship is parked right at...

We have already travelled through much of the city on Hong Kong Island by the Big Bus, a hop-on-hop-off bus this morning. The ‘red’ line,...

My two feet are firmly planted on the floor, and I cling to the rails with white knuckles on both hands as G-force tries to push me...

It’s early when I poke my head over the balcony to see the pilot boat coming towards us on the port side of the ship. One man in uniform,...

It’s amazing how quickly a person can familiarise themselves with a city, and although this is our third visit to Ho Chi Minh City, it is...

After a day of sailing across the seemingly flat sea (it’s not), which results in me walking around like a drunk, the ship comes to a...

We are centrally located at the Grand Park City Hall hotel, an area I have not stayed in since 1997, when Dad and I stayed at the...

I think of Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now  as QF35 nears its destination of Singapore. From my window seat I view the fluffy white...

And so, we embark upon a new journey into both the known and unknown with excitement and a sense of wonder...