The Living Island – Part Two
“Sleeping is giving in, so lift those heavy eyelids,” so sing Arcade Fire, but this morning if it had been up to us – or more specifically: me – we would definitely have raised the white flag. In my humble opinion, 5am starts are not conducive to a good morning, especially when the blog is ...
There is a Light and it Never Goes Out
My grandfather was in it from the very start – he lied about his age so he could join up. His first missions came on the notorious North Atlantic convoys, when British ships would navigate icy North Sea to sneak past German forces and deliver supplies to the Soviets. My grandfather was 15 years old, ...
You Buddha Believe it
You wait a month for a UNESCO World Heritage site, and then three come along at once, or in the space of a week, at least. Today we were in Koya-san, a holy site for Buddhists of the Shingon sect. A place of worship for over 1200 years, it was founded by the enigmatic Kukai, ...
Nara Say Nara
So far as capitial cities go, Nara’s shift as the top dog was pretty brief. For just 74 years from 710AD it was the ruling city of all Japan, including a five year holiday when power was transferred to what is now Osaka. Actually, moving the capital was a standard practice at that time: each ...
The Gassho Houses of Gifu
Despite their obvious good intentions, UNESCO divide opinion. Some people deride their World Heritage List, moaning that it damages the very places it seeks to protect. A bit like an upper class version of the Lonely Planet, the moment UNESCO offer their stamp of approval, the recommended place ceases to be a hidden treasure and ...
The Fear Factor
Anyone who’s ever travelled to a UNESCO World Heritage site knows the feeling – hell, anyone who’s ever been to any tourist attraction of any note knows the feeling. Just for a second, you wish you could have the place all to yourself. But you can’t, because the world is overpopulated, the number of tourist ...
The Tranquil Hill
I can think of no other country in the world that feels so simultaneously futuristic and steeped in history as Japan. Without ever having come here, I always imagined that Japan essentially existed five years in Europe’s future. Yet no right-minded wee boy would fail to fantasise about the machinations of the samurai and ninja. ...