Located at the base of Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, the Jigokudani Monkey Park – often referred to as the Snow Monkey Park – is home to a very special troop of monkeys. Created in 1964, the park was established as a conservation area in which the monkeys, Japanese macaques to be exact, would have a refuge within what was already their natural habitat. Once in the park, the naturally-curious monkeys observed humans using the hot spring of a nearby guesthouse and before long, started copying the behaviour. The rest as they say, is history.
Category Archives: Videos
Walks: Diamond District In Antwerp, Belgium (4K)
Antwerp is a port city on Belgium’s River Scheldt, with history dating to the Middle Ages. In its center, the centuries-old Diamond District houses thousands of diamond traders, cutters and polishers. Antwerp’s Flemish Renaissance architecture is typified by the Grote Markt, a central square in the old town. At the 17th-century Rubens House, period rooms display works by the Flemish Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens.
Winter Views: Denali National Park, Alaska (4K)
This film was shot near Anchorage, Alaska in December 2021.
December 2021 was the snowiest December on record in the nearby Denali National Park, bringing over 6ft of snow and unusually freezing temperatures. During the filming, temperature repeatedly dropped below -20F (-30C). In addition to the challenging weather conditions, December days are the shortest in the year. In Anchorage, the sun rises after 10 AM and sets around 3 PM, while barely rising above the lofty peaks on the horizon.
Views: Blue Mountain Lakes In Afghanistan
The winter landscape around the deep, blue mountain lakes of Band-e-Amir in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan presents an arresting spectacle empty of people – but the absence of visitors is costing locals dearly.
Band-e Amir, situated around 3,000 metres (9,840 ft) above sea level and a couple of hours drive from the renowned Buddhist sites of Bamiyan, usually attracts thousands of visitors a year seeking respite from the endless conflict.
All that changed this year as the Taliban swept through one province after another, culminating in the shock overthrow of the Western-backed government in Kabul in August and plunging the economy into crisis as vital foreign aid dried up.
City Tours: Erbil – Capital Of Iraqi Kurdistan (4K)
I spend the day exploring Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, an autonomous region of Iraq. I wander the Qaysari Bazaar, sampling some of the city’s best kebab, washing it down with some tea in an authentic old cafe. I head inside Erbil’s famous citadel, before finishing up with a stroll down the buzzing Iskan Street.
Erbil, also called Hawler and known in ancient history as Arbela, is the capital and most populated city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. It has around 1.5 million inhabitants, while Erbil Governorate has 2,932,800 inhabitants as of 2020.
Walking Tour: New Year’s Day In Vienna, Austria (4K)
Vienna, Austria’s capital, lies in the country’s east on the Danube River. Its artistic and intellectual legacy was shaped by residents including Mozart, Beethoven and Sigmund Freud. The city is also known for its Imperial palaces, including Schönbrunn, the Habsburgs’ summer residence. In the MuseumsQuartier district, historic and contemporary buildings display works by Egon Schiele, Gustav Klimt and other artists.
Ecology: Importance Of Peatlands In CO2 Capture
As more of the world’s forests are destroyed, it makes you wonder: what’s going to absorb CO2 in their place?! In an ironic twist of fate, one of Earth’s “deadest” habitats might be our best hope for an ongoing supply of breathable air.
Called peatlands, these wetland environments are named for their tendency to accumulate decayed plant matter. Unlike most other ecosystems, like forests, where branches and leaves typically decompose in a matter of months… in peatlands, that plant material can stay intact for millenia. You see, peatlands mostly exist in high altitude places where temps are low and there’s not much water flow. This results in their having extremely low oxygen and high acidity levels.
These harsh conditions aren’t very hospitable to microbes and fungi, which are instrumental to the whole decomposition process. So without them around, the plant material sort of… just sits. Over time, that it globs together to form peat, a thick, spongy material that can soak up 20x its weight in water. Peat also soaks up loads of carbon. Through a process known as the Calvin cycle, living plants absorb CO2 from the air and convert it into organic molecules that they can then use as energy to grow.
Through decomposition, the carbon that’s “fixed” in a plant’s structure gets released but since peat doesn’t decompose, that carbon can stay put! It’s estimated that peatlands contain 550 gigatonnes of organic carbon, which is twice as much organic carbon as all the world’s forests combined. That’s absolutely wild, considering that forests cover about 30% of the world’s land area… and peatlands only account for 3%! Like most of the world’s habitats, peatlands aren’t immune to the threats of human development and exploitation.
Peat is also are a very in-demand resource. Its incredible water holding capacity makes it a favorite amongst horticulturists; If you’ve ever picked up a bag of soil amendment, chances are it’s full of the stuff. Since peat is also a fossil fuel with a long burn, it’s used in some parts of the world. Peatlands are also often drained to accommodate other land use activities, like agriculture.
Walking Tours: Malacca In Southwest Malaysia
Malacca City (also spelled Melaka) is the capital of the coastal state of Malacca, in southwestern Malaysia. At its center, Jonker Street, Chinatown’s main thoroughfare, is known for antique shops and its night market. Nearby, the 17th-century Chinese Cheng Hoon Teng temple has ornate decorations and multiple prayer halls. A green, 3-tiered roof tops the 18th-century, Javanese-influenced Kampung Kling Mosque.
Aerial Village View: Ascoli Piceno In Eastern Italy (4K)
Ascoli Piceno is a town in central Italy. Piazza del Popolo, an elegant Renaissance square in the center, has travertine paving and the 13th-century Palazzo dei Capitani del Popolo, a palace built over Roman ruins. The Civic Picture Gallery, decorated with Murano glass chandeliers, displays paintings by Titian and Carlo Crivelli. Nearby is the Cathedral of St. Emidio, with a crypt featuring elaborate mosaics.
Tours: 2022 Rose Parade Floats In Pasadena (4K)
Walking around the beautiful floats from 133rd Rose Parade in Pasadena, California USA. The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses, is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day. The parade is followed in the afternoon by the Rose Bowl, one of the major bowl games in college football. After the parade, the floats are parked at the end of the parade route on Sierra Madre Boulevard and Washington Boulevard, near Victory Park and are on display for a day and a half (two-and-a-half days when January 1 falls on Friday) after the parade.
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