Well, the day for our next adventure has arrived.  We leave on ANA for Tokyo, spend a few days in Yokohama, then board the Diamond Princess. From  Conde Nast : Once again, Japan tops the list of the   world's best countries , according to our   Readers' Choice Awards , which means our readers believe that the best time to visit Japan is simply “always.” It makes sense: With an abundance of trailblazing restaurants, mouthwatering street food spots, unique shopping experiences, rich craft and heritage histories, hikes out in nature, and   hotels   that represent the pinnacle of hospitality, there's a curated escape to Japan for every type of traveler. After all, there are   over 14,000 islands   in this archipelagic country, so you're bound to find one strip of land that will fulfill your travel needs. We do return for our final three days in January to stay at the Tokyo Westin Hotel, which keeps  my bottle of Nikka Yoichi 20 year old ....

11March2011 was a pivotal day for Japan.  It is probable that the country won't completely recover for many decades yet to come.  The Great Tohoku earthquake, tsunami and nuclear cataclysm might have forever changed the destiny of the nation.  While the tsunami killed most of those who died, the subsequent Fukushima nuclear catastrophe  will cost a TRILLION DOLLARS and take perhaps a half century to clean-up . This is my third nostalgic Tuesday on this subject, and I'm not sure when this series will end, for  I arrived in Tokyo from Bangkok the day after the event , then soon thereafter felt it was too dangerous to stay, so I  escaped to Beijing , which was my posting of last week.  After a couple of days, I thought the radiation problem was not as serious as earlier thought, so I thought I would carefully return by first staying a few days in Seoul. It occurred to me then, and it weighs heavier today, that, while the entire populace of Japan was suffe...

According to the Sunday New York Times : Six to eight million people may have died   from Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, compared with 3.4 million deaths recorded in countries’ official reporting. In the U.S.,   more than 400 colleges and universities are requiring students to be vaccinated for Covid-19.   Almost all are in states that voted for President Biden.   About that Eurovision Song Contest , Maneskin of Italy won, singing Zitti E Buono . I've regularly been featuring global adventures in anticipation of our world cruise beginning in January of 2022, with a stop in Dubai for the World Expo .  On this Sunday, it seemed ideal to take you around the world via Radio Garden.  The itinerary I will select might well be what we will do in 2023 to incorporate the Buenos Aires World Fair , with a theme of Science, Innovation, Art and Creativity for Human Development. As I live in Honolulu, the journey will begin with Hawaiian music .  Click on...

From  Worldometer  (new  COVID-19 deaths yesterday):          DAY    USA    WORLD     Brazil      India      South Africa June     9    1093     4732       1185        246       82 July    22     1205     7128        1293      1120      572 Aug    12     1504     6556        1242       835      130 Sept     9     1208      6222       1136      1168       82 Oct     21     1225      6849         571       703       85 ...