To understand Japan, it is essential to acknowledge the values instilled by Shintoism  and Buddhism  over the centuries, along with the external influences on the Japanese population. We explored beyond Tokyo by visiting Kamakura , a coastal town an hour to the south. Our Context guide, Fabien, a French expatriate, took us on this journey. Kamakura is a charming town, renowned for its remarkable 13.35-meter-tall bronze Buddha at Kotoku-in , which was constructed in 1252. We p

There are many historic sites along the Singapore River, such as The Fullerton Hotel , the Old Parliament House , Chinatown , and Little India . Another "must see" is the top of Marina Bay Sands SkyPark  for a panoramic view of Singapore: we did not see any obvious crazy rich Asians. One observation is that there are no grocery stores on the streets. I believe you can learn a lot about a place by visiting its supermarkets. We discovered a network of underground malls that in

Keep in mind that your blogger is a retired surgeon and not a party animal. I had my fun while training in NYC back in the '80's. Despite being in a rigourous every other night call program, we would still find time to blow off some steam at Studio 54, which was just a few blocks south from The Roosevelt Hospital (now know as Mt Sinai West) or go out to Fire Island and hang in the Pines for the weekend. Those were the days when Warhol, Bianca, Liza held court at Studio 54 and

Here's a concise overview of Singapore. The Republic of Singapore is an island nation and city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. For those unfamiliar with the region, I have included this map: Its modern history began in 1819 when Stamford Raffles founded it as a trading post for the British Empire. Singapore was occupied by Japan in 1942 and returned to British rule in 1945. It achieved self-governance in 1959 and joined the federation of Malaysia in

A ferry transported us to the small island of Naoshima, which has become a hub for contemporary art and architecture. The Benesse Art Site was established through the collaboration of an industrialist and a mayor, aiming to highlight this small island in the Seto Inland Sea by developing a venue where contemporary art and a beachfront hotel merge, allowing guests to experience staying in a museum. On our Nat Geo trip, this hotel stood out as the best in terms of design and

We then traveled to Tokyo via bullet train for the final four days of our Intro to Asia tour. We checked into The Okura Tokyo , a stunning hotel rebuilt in 2019, situated across from the US Embassy. After experiencing subpar accommodations (in my opinion) with National Geographic, we finally enjoyed a lovely, spacious, and elegant corner room on the 29th floor with a view of Tokyo. I was quite satisfied and didn't feel the need to request a third room, as I sometimes do. In