TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Japan,  Tokyo This article was first published on thus blog in June 2018. Spring has always been the season welcomed by those living in places where the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter can be experienced. It signifies the beginning of a new year with new dreams as the snow of winter melts and the warm of spring brings forth blooms of flowers. In spring of 2018, I was in Takashima in Japan's Shiga Prefecture. Staying at a hotel on the shores of Lake Biwa, I was literally transported into a magical world of flowers in the midst of sakura blooms as I found myself surrounded by the snow-like falls of the petals of the sakura whenever the wind blew.  A truly beautiful moment of peace and tranquility, an experience worthy of inclusion in any Travel Bucket List. ****************** Spring is generally a good season to visit any temperate countries. This is the season where wild flowers bloom aplenty and the weather is typically mild and cool. In Japan, a visit d...

Beginning a whole new monthly series of travel snippets; the Bucket List, in this blog from the month of September 2019. All of the items in this list are stuff from my personal bucket list which I had completed. They ranges from the mundane to the interesting. Some may be downright boring, stupid or quirky. Some, a little bit adventurous and out of the norm. None are disrespectful, dangerous or illegal. All are affordable, a little bit of saving up may be required for the occasional item on this list if you are an average person like myself. The idea of this list is to share my bucket list escapades. It is meant to inspire the reader to come up with his or her own list. Everybody have their own idea of adventure and fun. May this series be an inspiration for you to plan and enjoy your very own bucket list and to add that little more excitement and zest into your travels. The author enjoying the view of Lake Biwa, Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018)

“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float, To gain all while you give, To roam the roads of lands remote, To travel is to live.” ―  Hans Christian Andersen,  The Fairy Tale of My Life: An Autobiography Forest in Takashima, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018)

One Trip, Multiple Destinations....... Those who know me know that I usually do not packed too many destinations into a single trip whenever I travel. I typically planned my itineraries such that I do not travel to more than 2 cities within a single trip. Usually, my trips were planned around a single city. This is because I definitely prefer to have sufficient time to explore the destination, to sit and people-watch, enjoy a cuppa at local cafe, to visit the local markets and eateries and to observe how the locals live, rest and play. The serene and tranquil neighbourhoods of Omihachiman with its traditional houses dating back to the Edo Period of Japan's history was an amazing personal discovery when I was in Shiga, Omihachiman, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (2018) However, in my most recent trip to Japan in early April, I did what previously to me was the unthinkable. I actually broke all my personal rules and traveled to multiple destinations within the 12 days of ...