Trip to Singapore – Part 2

…. continued from Part 1.
Singapore Sling
Officially opened in March 2009, the Singapore Flyer is currently the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.  Described as an observation wheel with a diameter of 150 meters (492 feet), it reaches 42 stories high, with a total height of 165 meters (541 feet).
 
Each of the 28 air-conditioned capsules is capable of [...]

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Trip to Bali – Part 2

… continued from Part 1. 
Although we stayed in our resort hotel for most of the time, we did manage to do a little bit of sightseeing during our visit to Bali. 
We hired a driver from the hotel (costing about US$13/hour) to take us to a few places near Nusa Dua.  There were lots [...]

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Nikko Part 1 – Travel and Hotel

During this past Valentine’s weekend, we visited the town of Nikko, about 140 km north of Tokyo.  Located about 200 to 2,000 meters (for the surrounding mountainous regions) above sea level, Nikko is a popular destination for Japanese and tourists alike – it is very crowded during weekends, but especially during the cherry blossoms (spring), [...]

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Tsukiji Fish Market

Tsukiji Fish Market is one of the most famous and popular tourist attractions in Tokyo, especially the early morning tuna auctions at 5:00 am.  It supplies fresh tuna to many sushi restaurants in the Tokyo area and the rest of Japan.
Unfortunately, due to its popularity, tourists will be banned for a month beginning December 15, [...]

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Maguroeconomics

A recent feature article in The Mainichi Daily News titled The Maguroeconomics of tuna, the grand champion of fish cuisine describes the tuna, or maguro, as the most popular fish in Japan especially when eaten as sashimi.  See also my previous post on the book titled The Sushi Economy, about the economics of tuna and [...]

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Roppongi Hills Summer Events

During the summer at Roppongi Hills in the heart of Tokyo, Japan, a variety of events were held at the Roppongi Hills Arena near the TV Asahi building.  The events featured live performances, sporting events, exhibits, food and drinks.
The biggest event was the 5th year anniversary of Roppongi Hills and one of the feature performances [...]

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Omikoshi Togyo Autumn Festival

The Omikoshi Togyo Autumn Festival (matsuri) is one of the biggest events in Kichijoji, about 30 minutes by subway from Tokyo. The main event is a parade of portable shrines called mikoshi carried along the streets of the town to the Musashino Hachimangu Shrine.  This year’s festival as held on the weekend of September 13-14, [...]

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The Sushi Economy

Based on a referral from a friend, I picked up the book titled “The Sushi Economy” by Sasha Issenberg, published on May 2007 (so pretty new book). This book talks about three things that I am most personally interested these days: Globalization, Economics and Sushi. Well, I accepted my international assignment to [...]

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