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December 24, 2024
 

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Midori Paxton
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Mar 23, 2008
Namibia's no man's land
A trek through the vast Sperrgebiet wilderness that will soon be opened to tourism reveals an abundance of flora and fauna, mountains, meteorite craters, pristine beaches, isles with names like Roast Beef Island — and swarms of killer bees.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Feb 24, 2008
Inside Namibia's forbidden zone
First of two parts
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jan 27, 2008
The other wild side of Zimbabwe
In recent years Zimbabwe has consistently made headlines for all the wrong reasons: despotism, the highest inflation rate in the world, human rights abuses. You name your classic African fiasco/atrocity/act of idiocy, President Robert Mugabe's has done it. In spades.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Nov 25, 2007
The rigors of indolence!
After a week of decadent inactivity in the Aegean Dream resort on the coast of Turkey's Bodrum Peninsula I woke (late) to the disturbing realization that — as I confessed on this page last month — I had ceased to be a travel writer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Oct 28, 2007
Lost in an Aegean dream
Herodotus, the so-called Father of History, made a few rather extravagant claims in his time (his time being the 5th century B.C., which is when he wrote the world's first history books).
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 19, 2007
What's the odd cattle prod on flights safely free of children's milk?
You may be aware of something called "The War on Terror." If you aren't, try taking a flight from London's Gatwick Airport.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Apr 1, 2007
Get ready to sprint-shop where the living ain't easy
Very recently, I had the opportunity to see the 83-year-old head of Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe. The contemptible cranium was traveling at high speed in a convoy of shiny black Mercs, souped-up and overcrowded army trucks, police cars and motorcycle outriders.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 20, 2006
Medieval gem to blow you away
Heidelberg's a blast! This German university town has something about it that simply says "style." It also has a history of revolutionary ideas, religious schisms, destruction, anarchy and heroic restoration.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jul 9, 2006
Wild times in the Lost World
The scene looks straight out of Jurassic Park. Huge vehicles thrash through the churned earth burdened with winches and cranes, steel crates and giraffes. Tough guys in uniforms bellow instructions or saunter about holding guns, netting, ropes to restrain buffalo, and all sorts of other neat "boys' toys"...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jun 4, 2006
Time to kill -- but not mosquitoes
I am only an hour's drive from my destination -- the lodge of Safari Hoek, where, as promised in the last column, I plan to write up an "ethical" hunting safari outfit -- when I inadvertently bag my first trophy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
May 7, 2006
Not such a wild conservation idea?
It is late afternoon, and over sundowner drinks in the hunting lodge the talk around the table is of lions. Or, to be more specific, one particular lion -- "Old Black Mane," the night raider, cattle killer, and terror of the local tribesmen. Man eater!
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Apr 2, 2006
Rice rats and romance on the 'River of Nine Dragons'
The rusty boat farts, coughs and chugs slowly along the narrow river channel, a skinny boy perched on its prow shouting directions back to the captain (who does almost as much farting and coughing as his geriatric craft). There's the slop and slosh of oily water round my boots. Three rice rats are busy...
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Mar 5, 2006
A trip through the Strip
The phone rang while I was in the shower. But that's normal the world over. Abnormality -- by conventional Western standards -- took a few more minutes to arrive.
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Feb 5, 2006
Relax like the Romans and poach with panache until you're 'loose as a goose'
When the Romans arrived 2,000 years ago, they immediately saw the potential. And so they immediately started building hot baths. Nothing appealed to a Roman legionary more than a steaming restorative soak after a hard day spent bashing wild Teutonic tribesmen, and the hot springs in what is now the German...
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Dec 25, 2005
Born to be wild
The Gorillarium at Howletts Zoo, near the cathedral city of Canterbury in the southern English county of Kent, is about as good as it gets. If you are a captive gorilla. Or if you want to see one.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Oct 9, 2005
Not much to declare about Andorra
Andorra is one of the very few countries on Earth that no one has ever bothered invading. True, Hannibal passed through with his elephants, but he had the Roman Empire to destroy and didn't stay long. Napoleon once planned to annex it, but the Andorran delegation to Paris decided not to go to the talks....
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Sep 25, 2005
Specters of alpine delight
Berchtesgaden lies snug against Bavaria's southeastern border in the shadow of the Obersalzberg massif. Just a cat's leap from Austria, is what the locals say.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Aug 28, 2005
Einstein's place of birth proves to be worth a little time
I hit the autobahn for Frankfurt with visions of doing 200 kph immune from prosecution -- and promptly found myself in a traffic jam.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jul 17, 2005
Whiteout and wounds in a world of birds
The first hint of what was to come were the three guys down near the jetty.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel / NATURE TRAVEL
Jun 19, 2005
Oasis of opulence in an African wilderness
Far below is a ribbon of blue; not much to look at, a shallow stream, a dribble; barely enough to float a boat on. Or so it appears from half a kilometer above it. But the Fish River, inconsequential as it looks from the clifftops, has, in its very long lifetime, moved more rock than all Africa's construction...
Bankruptcies and suicides rise as Japanese struggle with mounting debt
Lawyers estimate that personal bankruptcies in Japan are on track to reach the highest since 2012 this year.
Honda-Nissan megamerger in the works
Nissan CEO Makoto Uchida (left), Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe (second from left) and Takao Kato, CEO of Mitsubishi Motors, hold a news conference on merger talks on Monday in Tokyo.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law
The Japanese antitrust watchdog said that Google forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices, sources say.
Picturesque Japan hot spring town limits day trippers
Ginzan Onsen hot springs in Obanazawa, Yamagata Prefecture
For baseball fans, 2024 brought The Summer of Shohei Ohtani
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani reacts to a standing ovation from fans after hitting his 50th home run of the season, against the Marlins in Miami on Sept. 19.
Trump's Pentagon policy pick pushed for Japan to spend 3% of GDP on defense
Elbridge Colby (center) speaks at the Threat and the Strategy panel during the Air Force Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, in September 2019.
A brief history of ‘osechi ryōri,' Japan's edible tradition for the new year
Japan's traditional New Year cuisine has a long history, though modern developments have led to slight changes in the way things work.
Japan accuses Google of violating antimonopoly law
The Japanese antitrust watchdog said that Google forced smartphone makers to preinstall its search app on their devices, sources say.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Visitors to Kyoto walk along a street near Kiyomizu Temple in April. A popular tourist spot, Kyoto has seen what locals feel to be an overwhelming amount of tourists in 2024.
Is Japan ready for 60 million tourists?
By Kathryn Wortley

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