To celebrate our forthcoming book about Japan, we are presenting a new film series that dives into the intriguing ecosystem that has preserved Japanese traditional skills over centuries. Meet the people who are future-proofing the age-old know-how.
Category Archives: Travel
Top New Travel Videos: “Portland Cherry Blossoms” (March 2020)
This video shows you exactly why you NEED to see the cherry blossoms at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, Oregon. Peak bloom varies from year to year but tends to occur around the first day of spring.
For more helpful information about the best places to see cherry blossoms in Portland (with real-time photo updates!), make sure to read embracesomeplace.com/cherry-blossoms-portland/
New Aerial Travel Video: “Lockdown” In Frankfurt, Germany (March, 2020)
Downtown Frankfurt as most of Germany is turned into a ghost town. Eerie athmosphere in this normally busy city. Scary times.
New Travel Books: “Do You Read Me?” – Bookstores Of The World (Gestalten)
From Daikanyama Tsutaya Books in Tokyo to Kosmos Buchsalon in Zurich, Do You Read Me? travels the globe to discover these gems and some of the people behind them, who turn an ordinary trip to the bookstore into an extraordinary experience.
Bookstores are more than just places that sell books. They are focal points of communities, a warm welcome to a city, a place for first-time visitors and longtime residents alike to gather in a shared love of the written word. They are places where time moves a little slower, where customers can get lost in the pages of a book, or enjoy readings, concerts, and events that bring together like-minded individuals with a thirst for knowledge.
Each bookstore is as unique as the diverse customers who frequent them. There are the secret ones tucked away with stacks reaching floor to ceiling; there are minimalist concept stores; there are dazzling book temples. There are ones in apartments, on boats, and in Gothic cathedrals.
Travel writer Marianne Julia Strauss has scoured the globe for the past decade in search of the top bookstores. In Do You Read Me? she has collected a selection of the ones you need to include in your next itinerary.
Top Travel & Music Videos: “Hamish Napier – The Woods” In Scotland
To celebrate the launch of “The Woods”, the third album from acclaimed musician Hamish Napier Music, we’ve teamed up to bring you an audio-visual treat.
The Woods was commissioned by #CairngormsConnect to celebrate the ancient forests that make the project area so special.
Hamish has used the Scottish Gaelic alphabet, which is centred around Scotland’s native trees, to explore the folklore, natural and social heritage of Strathspey.
Wildlife Videos: View The Scottish Highlands From A Golden Eagle (BBC)
Soar high above the hills of the Scottish Highlands with Tilly the golden Eagle.
Top Restaurant Videos: Gion Mikaku In Kyoto, Japan’s Best Steakhouse
Gion Mikaku, founded 1929: – 2 different cuts of beef: Tajima beef filet mignon and Kobe beef rump steak with just the right amount of marbling (intra-muscular fat) and no extra-muscular fat – 400g in total. Steak cutting behind a window in their kitchen, friendly, dedicated service, pleasant view, extra hot griddle for proper searing, right timing and handling of the steaks: they certainly know what they are doing – This restaurant meal included garlic rice (between steak and dessert).
Architecture: A Look At The Restoration Of Notre Dame Cathedral In Paris
Scientists lead the way in repairing the cathedral, while discovering historical insights along the way.
New Arts & Travel Video: “Kari Kola – Savage Beauty” In Connemara Ireland
Filmed and Edited by: Janne Tanskanen
Savage Beauty light installation in Connemara Ireland (Lough Nafooey) March 2020. Savage Beauty by Kari Kola commissioned by Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture.
Music: Lawrence Hodge
Connemara’s Islands
Flung out into the Atlantic and shaped by the sheer force of the sea, Connemara’s islands are spectacular remnants of life long lost in other parts of Ireland. Staunchly proud of their traditions and as famous for their culture as their dramatic landscapes, Inishbofin and the Aran Islands are a patchwork of tiny, tightly packed fields, rambling stone walls, pristine beaches and craggy shores.
The islands’ relative isolation has fostered a profound sense of peace and protected a rich traditional heritage. They’re wonderful places to walk or cycle, and famous for their live music and traditional dances.
Situated in the choppy waters of Galway Bay, the three Aran Islands in the Gaeltacht region. The largest and most developed island is Inis Mór, a place blanketed in fissured limestone and snaking stone walls. The island’s most famous sight is Dún Aonghasa, a breathtaking semi-circular stone fort perched dramatically on top of a 100m cliff. Other prehistoric forts dot the island, as well as numerous early Christian remains. The heritage centre, Ionad Árann, gives a great insight into the island’s history and traditions but you’ll also see them first hand in the nightly music sessions, regular dances and impromptu storytelling.
Springtime At The Getty: “Birds Are Singing, The Azaleas Are Glowing”
It’s springtime at the Central Garden. Birds are singing, the azaleas are glowing, and burgundy tulips and blue irises line the paths. However, the crowds are gone—the Getty Center has closed temporarily to minimize the spread of coronavirus.
The quiet comes at a time of transition for the garden. Spring always brings change and renewal, but this year Getty’s new horticulturist, Jackie Flor, has been trying to channel the vision of the garden’s creator, artist Bob Irwin, as she brings the garden back to his original intent
Does the new Golden Celebration rose with its rich, sweet scent honor Irwin’s intentions for that spot? How about the trio of new Redbuds ready to pop? And how would he feel about her attempts to curtail the wildly proliferating Madeira Island Geranium? Yes, they were his favorite plant, but they have run rampant.
“I’m not heartless,” she said a few weeks ago about the robust plants with pink flowers. “But they need to be tucked back into their proper place.”
Boomers Daily 