Seeing up close the most emblematic festival of Japan
After my visits to Shinjuku and Shibuya, despite a canicular heat in Tokyo, by the time I caught the bus at Shinjuku station, for Mount Fuji, it was starting to get gloomy. And as I got on the way, torrential rain started hitting the highway, … Continue readingFuji behind the clouds
Writing about Kyoto is also writing about the Japanese essence, as the city is so much enshrined in traditional Japanese culture. As autumn paints the city in vibrant hues, Ginkakuji becomes a true embodiment of the Japanese essence. Fall gives to this garden which is … Continue readingGinkakuji in fall: experiencing the Japanese essence
It did not take long from the arrival of omicron in Hong Kong to the downfall of Hong Kong with its “zero Covid” obsession. In shocking scenes observed last week, on 15 February 2022, elderlies and mentally disabled COVID patients were left outdoors in cold … Continue readingZero Covid: the downfall of Hong Kong
It was just a matter of time, and no matter how much scapegoating there was going to be on the origin of this outbreak, the reality has always been the same: there would be one day where Omicron comes to town in Hong Kong. Despite … Continue readingOmicron comes to town in Hong Kong
In my previous post, I talked about my visit to Fushimi-Inari shrine at dawn, and how I thereafter headed to the historical center of Kyoto. Visiting ancient Kyoto is a bit akin to traveling back in time, as the whole area is pedestrianized. The number … Continue readingAncient kyoto: travel back in time
Since the beginning of 2021, Hong Kong has the incredible privilege of not only having two vaccines available, but also of being able to choose its vaccine. Despite this, we have seen a form of “vaccine paradox”, where the city has one of the most … Continue readingHong Kong: the vaccine paradox
Despite warnings about the danger of hiking Suicide cliff, people continue tempting chance. A 24-year old lady, Shek Lok-kiu, was reported missing yesterday, 17 April 2021, after telling her family she was going to hike the Lion’s rock. This makes it another hiker missing on … Continue readingMissing hiker on Kowloon peak found dead
A long overdue post on my fall trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, last fall, before the coronavirus virtually grounded all of us. Visiting Kyoto in Autumn is the occasion of navigating between “zen” and trend, as the Japanese city shines in the fall colors. Traveling … Continue readingKyoto in Autumn: encountering japan’s soul
We took the habit since a few months now, of waking up every morning and checking our social media to know who was arrested this time. This week, we woke up to a big lockup of opposition activists in one fell swoop: 53 members of … Continue readingHong Kong: the big lockup
Prior to the pandemic, the Hong Kong International Airport was one of the busiest in the world, mainly catering to crowds moving to and from China. It was one of those regional hubs, handling 71.9 million passengers in 2019. Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the … Continue readingAn airport in minimalist mode