
Nikon HQ Museum
Having recently become a Nikon user earlier in 2024, I felt it was only natural to pay a visit to Nikon’s newly opened headquarters and museum. Although I did not own a Nikon camera growing up, I have always had great respect for their technology and craftsmanship. Seeing their lineage first hand was pretty cool, and shows how far things have evolved over more than 100 years.

Mt. Fuji World Heritage Centre
Making a site dedicated to the history and lore of Mt. Fuji would be enough in itself. Yet, the architects of this World Heritage Centre decided to go a step further. The building happens to be a beautiful, modern masterpiece, paying tribute to the adjacent mountain while also providing an excellent viewing platform, unobstructed by skyscrapers or crowds.

NISMO Festival 2024
Fan service. It’s a term that has been diluted by movies and video games catering to only what the hardcore audience is looking for. At its core though, doing something for a brand’s most passionate crowd is an act of love. A way to give back to those who have been loyal and faithful. Enter Nissan’s NISMO Festival, an annual gathering all for the fans.

Nissan Heritage Collection
Bucket list meet agenda planner. Yes, this was real, and it was a visit that I had been waiting a long time to experience. Mercedes, Lamborghini have public buildings dedicated to their history as museums. In the land of the Rising Sun, things are a bit more exclusive. Nissan’s collection is a by-appointment affair, and the two hours I got was something to be treasured.

Lotte World Tower
Another trip, another tower with an observation deck. Seoul is a vast city spread across more than 600 square kilometers (or 234 square miles for us Americans) so naturally a view from above felt like a great way to get my bearings. Lotte’s jewel, which would easily fit in among Dubai’s modern skyline, looks oval in nature at the base, but tapers to a circle at the top.

Seoul’s Starfield Library
As you may be able to tell from the content here, I’m a big fan of seeing form and function coming together. Reading is fundamental, and having books displayed as the centerpiece of their own artistic space was inspiring in many ways. Mix in a touch of holiday spirit, and you’ve got a recipe that will bring in the masses.

Kiyotsu Gorge and Tunnel of Light
Waterfalls, valleys, mountain ranges and rock formations are all natural points of beauty. By themselves they are worth visiting and appreciating. However, when you add modern art to the picture, the attraction’s value goes up exponentially. Kiyotsu Gorge’s tunnel was renovated in 2018, with four decorative installations throughout that interact with, or complement the landscape.

Nikko’s Kegon Waterfalls
From the parking lot at the top, the view of the falls was totally obstructed by the haze of humid, rainy air. However, I trusted the process of this journey. An elevator ride down and a short tunnel walk later, and the real majesty of this scenic location came into focus. The true lower viewing point was lush, with cliff walls made up of beautiful rock formations, well worth the trip to experience one of Nikko’s main attractions.

Biei Shirogane Blue Pond
Another one of Japan’s mysteries formed in or around a hot spring town, the Blue Pond’s water contains sulfur and aluminum from the rivers that feed it. Yet, what makes it blue isn’t the minerals themselves, it is the way the light refracts against those minerals and our eye catches the color. This difference between the human eye, and a camera’s sensor was fascinating.

Shikisai-no-oka Flower Gardens
Sometimes ‘for the gram’ isn’t so bad. The flower parks that have been meticulously planted and cultivated in otherwise remote parts of Hokkaido don’t have to exist. They are a different type of tourist destination - not one of culture, or history, or of the Earth’s own making. Human hands arranged these fields, and the result is still absolutely gorgeous.

Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley
Otherworldly is the best term to describe the Noboribetsu Jigokudani Valley, otherwise known as “Hell Valley.” The hillside walls look straight out of the Martian landscape, while the valley floor is a mixture of turbulent steam, sulfur, and other pale or charred rocks. This site is preserved, a spiritual feeder for the surrounding villages’ hot spring baths.

Nebuta Festival Museum
There are parade floats, and then there are Japanese parade floats. Held annually at the beginning of August, Aomori’s Nebuta Matsuri is a grand celebration of myths and legends. What if you aren’t able to be there for the festival itself though? Aomori has you covered with a museum dedicated to showcasing the wonderful works of art that are emblematic of the city’s culture.

Aomori’s Jomon Site
While the official name for this archeological find is the San'nai-Maruyama iseki Special Historical Site, the significance of it comes from its age. This particular site is dated to around 3,900 to 2,900 BC. Yeah, that’s 5,000 years ago! It is the largest such site to be discovered in Japan, a glimpse into a different kind of human civilization.

Daikoku Futo’s Car Scene
In our ever connected world, things which were once underground have been pulled up to the surface. Car culture in Japan is taking on this feeling. More and more events that used to feel exclusive are becoming tourist attractions. Daikoku Futo, as the premier parking lot just outside of Tokyo, has always been a place for locals to hang out in between night cruises. Now it’s something of a spectacle.

acosta! Cosplay Ikebukuro
“It’s a little intense isn’t it?” Yeah. No two ways about it. Going to a cosplay event - my first cosplay event - was pretty intimidating. It is both organized, and free to mingle. Nothing like the portrait sessions or motorsport events that I’ve covered in the past. And yet, it was a great way to get out of my comfort zone and see what these dress-up artists had been working on.

Zojoji and Tokyo Tower
Zojoji temple is not often open to the public at night. Sitting at the foothills of Tokyo Tower, it lives in contrast to the new world that has surrounded it. Every now and then, the old and new meet, lit up brilliantly against the backdrop of Roppongi. This June, they celebrated with the Candle Night for a Million People.

Sanno Matsuri
The textures, the costumes, the idols. Asian cultures are experts at paying tribute to the past, to religion, and to tradition. This festival, hosted by the crew of the Hie Shrine, had its main event, the grand parade, through the streets of Tokyo. Police were dispatched, roads were temporarily closed and traffic held at bay for this massive cast.

Art of Hakone
When you drop sculpture all over a landscape, and allow it to exist serenely, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, you get Hakone. The red Torii gate, looking out to Lake Ashi, is among the most iconic views in Japan. And somehow, the more modern shapes and forms of the Venetian Glass Museum and Open Air Museum are equally stunning, equally at home here.

Singapore By Night
How can a tree be super? Does it put on a cape, and a ‘S’ to change into a hero? Or is it something more - a monument that shines like a beacon at night. Whatever you call it, these sculptures are definitely the main attraction of Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay, and they were mesmerizing at night with the backdrop of the Marina Bay Sands hotel.

Singapore By Day
No amount of guidebook reading, or Formula 1 fandom can even come close to the reality of this city state. It is architecturally beautiful and lush, with a new fixture rising around every cover. At the same time, it is swelteringly hot and humid, a constant reminder that you have stepped out of a land with seasons, and into a port city on the edge of the Equator.