Discover Japan on foot this February

Walk Japan has a number of winter tours for February 2020:

Oita Hot Spring Trail 

The fully-guided tour introduces Oita Prefecture, an area of Japan known for the beauty of its countryside, quality and variety food and relaxed, friendly people. Oita also boasts the largest concentration of hot springs fed by the greatest volume of water. The springs come in many different types, from clear to opaque, pungent or fizzy.

The tour runs from 16-21 February at JPY326,000. This tour is suitable for reasonably-fit people who can walk comfortably for four hours a day. The route is mainly on grassy paths, forest trails, gravel tracks, and quiet country roads.

Source: Walk Japan. Ishidatami
stone paving, Kiso Road.

The Snow Country 

For the adventurous, this is a guided snowshoeing tour in Japan's central Alps region. Visit farming villages in deep valleys and cross spectacular landscapes only accessible with snowshoes. 

The tour runs 3-9 February at JPY348,000.

Self-Guided Kiso Wayfarer

Mid-way between Kyoto and Tokyo, the 554 km-long Nakasendo Way threads through picturesque Kiso Valley in central Japan. One of the most well-known and maintained sections of the historic Nakasendo Way, Kiso Road’s 11 towns are some of the best-preserved in Japan. 

The unescorted walking tour runs from 26 February to 1 March at JPY 168,000, starting in Nakatsugawa and finishing in Matsumoto.

Walk Japan offers unique perspectives of Japan

Source: Walk Japan. Viewing Mount Fuji on the Izu Geo Trail.

Walk Japan tours offer travellers the opportunity to experience the varied terrain in Japan across the seasons on a more personal level. Walk Japan is an independent organisation offering a different vision of how to create and manage tours in Japan. The company’s expertise and personal connections with the locals built up over the years ensure that guests enjoy authentic experiences wherever they go.

Japan offers plenty of seasonal views, from treks across Hokkaido’s snowscapes with the Hokkaido Snow Tour, to the summer Hokkaido Hike journey from Lake Akan through central Hokkaido to the Daisetsuzan National Park and on to Lake Shikotsu-ko.

The Kunisaki & Yufuin Walk offers guided walks through atmospheric, rural scenery, local inns, farmhouse cuisine, and onsen (hot spring) baths.

The Oita Hot Spring Trail is a guided, gentle walking and cycling tour that takes guests from hot spring to hot spring in rural Oita prefecture on Kyushu Island, including the famous Beppu.

Source: Walk Japan. Steam cooking at Beppu.

Unique oceanside experiences from Walk Japan include the Yaeyama: Okinawa Voyage tour, with ample opportunities for swimming, snorkelling, kayaking and paddle boarding. The freshest seafood is available in Japan’s coastal city of Izu. The Izu Geo Trail the scenic Izu Peninsula, geological formations, beaches, and waterfalls, and views of the iconic Mount Fuji, as well as local fishermen’s daily catches.

For the adventurous the Hokkaido Hike involves an ascent of two active volcanoes, Mount Asahidake (2,291m) and Mount Tokachidake (2,077m), while the East Hokkaido Walk takes guests the Mashu-ko crater lake and offers opportunities to spot deer, foxes, seals, dolphins, and sea eagles.

Wildlife lovers can experience the forests and mangroves that cover 90% of Iriomote in the Yaeyama: Okinawa Voyage tour. Iriomote is home to the Iriomote-yamaneko, one of the rarest wild cats alive today. Ishigaki, Iriomote’s neighbouring island, is surrounded by subtropical waters inhabited by more than 120 types of coral and over 300 species of tropical fish.

Interested?

View the full range of Walk Japan tours

New bus tours in Japan from Hato Bus Company

Hato Bus Company has introduced 55 bus tours in Japan with English- or Chinese-speaking guides from January to June 2017.

The Nomizo Waterfall tour to Kimitsu City, Chiba Prefecture, features a sightseeing spot that went viral in late 2015 for resembling a scene in animation created by Studio Ghibli.

Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura in Nikko City, Tochigi Prefecture, is a tour to the history theme park set in the Edo Era (1603 to 1867). Edo Wonderland Nikko Edomura ranked 8th on the list of top 2016 Japanese theme parks by TripAdvisor.

Another tour is an outing to a strawberry farm that will include, for the first time, an all-you-can-eat event at a farm of skyberry, the newest strawberry variety developed in Tochigi Prefecture. The premium strawberry sells for 500 yen (US$4.34) apiece in the market.

Interested?

The following is a sample tour. The Boso Hell Peek and Nomizo Waterfall/Shopping Outlet tour (available in English/Chinese) costs 9,800 yen per person (1,000 yen less for a child).

The tour runs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Sundays from February 1 to April 29, 2017

Start at Hamamatsucho Bus Terminal (9:20am), Umihotaru Parking Area; lunch at fisheries co-op restaurant Banya, go for the Hell Peek (Jigokunozoki) walk at Nokogiri-yama, visit the Nomizo Waterfall, finish up with shopping at Mitsui Outlet Park Kisarazu, ending at Tokyo Station (6:30pm)

posted from Bloggeroid

Eating Adventures offers food tours in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Guilin, and Yangshuo

Source: Eating Adventures website.

Eating Adventures has entered the Hong Kong food tour market and adds that it is the first tour operator to specialise in food tours in Guangzhou, Guilin and Yangshuo, China. The tours aim to allow travellers to immerse themselves into authentic culture and cuisine through exploring local neighbourhoods.

“The Hong Kong food tour market already has several operators, but most are run by expats. We aim to give travellers an insight into Hong Kong food and culture that only a true native would know, whilst providing better tastings at a more competitive price. We want to give our guests value for money, and ensure they get the experience they are after” says Wai Zhou, owner of Eating Adventures Food Tours.

“Having lived in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Canada, we understand both the wonders of Chinese cuisine and the foreign palate. We want to remove the barriers from exploring Chinese food. Whilst you may find restaurants with an English menu in Hong Kong, it is rare in China. We want to help our guests enjoy pleasures that are normally not accessible and be a local for the day.”

All Eating Adventures food tours are walking tours of three to four hours in length, conducted by fully licensed English speaking guides.

Interested?

Check out the food tours. Tours are available daily basis, with discounts available for larger groups.

Old Delhi Bazaar walking tour wins Tripadvisor Award Of Excellence

Source: Old Delhi Bazaar walking tour website.

The Old Delhi Bazaar walking tour has won a Tripadvisor Award of Excellence for the third consecutive year. The activity is ranked no. 1 for New Delhi in 2015 by Tripadvisor, and comes with a five star rating.

The personalised tour experience combines food, heritage and culture with walking and cycle rickshaw and is designed to give the visitor a taste of the real Delhi.

Both full- and half-day Old Delhi tours are conducted daily and include a traditional meal in a haveli, a mansion in the old city in which a single family has been living for generations.

Isan Explorer introduces new food tour

Source: Isan Explorer website.

Isan Explorer, a tour company focused on Northeast Thailand, has created a food tour showcasing the cuisine of the country's seldom-visited Isan region.

The full-day tour begins in a large fresh market to buy most of the food that guests will be eating for lunch and the ingredients they will use to cook dinner. It then moves out of the city to a small village. 

The menu is designed for sampling: in total there are 20 main dishes – including bamboo shoot curry, sour fish, grilled chicken, steamed mushrooms, green bean som tam, and eggplant dipping sauce – plus many sides, snacks, and drinks. Before helping their village host prepare dinner, guests will walk around the village to collect some additional ingredients, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, insects, and crabs, depending on the season.

"Isan food has some similarities with Thai food, but overall it's a very different cuisine," explains Tim Bewer, Isan Explorer's founder. "And some popular foods that people think of as Thai, such as spicy papaya salad (som tam), are actually Isan foods adopted by the rest of the country."

Interested?

View the itinerary

Watch the associated video

Hong Kong Foodie Tour adds new tour to Tai Po Market

Source: Hong Kong
Foodie.

Hong Kong Foodie has launched a Tai Po Market Foodie Tour. Its third culinary excursion will take food lovers off the beaten track to uncover six family-run eateries serving Hong Kong specialities in the suburban new town of Tai Po Market. 

"Tai Po Market is the perfect destination for our newest Foodie Tour. Most importantly, it is home to some of Hong Kong’s favorite foodie haunts. Our goal is to help participants navigate this less visited neighborhood and make these local eateries more accessible, especially to non-Cantonese speakers,” says Cecilia Leung, Founder and Director of Hong Kong Foodie.

On this four-hour guided walking tour, aside from indulging in foodie treasures, participants will also explore historical and cultural sites in the backstreets of Tai Po Market, learning about its agricultural past and its transformation into today’s developed new town. It offers an opportunity for visitors to be immersed in this charming part of the New Territories and experience life like a true Hong Kong native.

Tai Po Market Foodie Tour has been selected by the Hong Kong Tourism Board as an approved tour product in its New Tour Product Development Scheme, a programme that aims to offer unique discoveries and authentic experience to Hong Kong visitors.

“We are delighted that Tai Po Market Foodie Tour is recognised and supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board,” says Leung. “We look forward to introducing travellers to some of Hong Kong’s best kept culinary secrets and providing them an opportunity to experience our living culture.”

Tai Po Market Foodie Tour operates on Fridays departing at 3 pm. The inaugural tour departs on 29 May, 2015. Tickets are HK$890 for adult foodies (aged 15 and above), and HK$640 for Young Foodies (aged 5 to 14), and can be purchased online at www.hongkongfoodietours.com.

Free walks around Singapore with Jane's Walk from May 1 to 3

Source: Jane's Walk website.

Get a group of colleagues together to explore Singapore the first weekend of May with Jane's Walk, a global movement of free, citizen-led walking tours inspired by Jane Jacobs. The walks are designed to get people to tell stories about their communities, explore their cities, and connect with neighbours. 

"Jane Jacobs who was a champion of walkability, thriving neighborhoods and involving the local communities in the changing landscape of city life would be proud! She taught that understanding a city requires observation, questioning and discovery and we're excited to do just that weekend of May 1-3." said Mai Tatoy, City Organiser for Jane's Walk in Singapore.

"From four walks to 21 walks in three years, Singaporeans are celebrating their walkable city in a big way."

This year's walks will be held from May 1 to 3 and range from walks that beginners can do all the way to 'high level'. There is even a jog, three for dog lovers and one labelled a ' twilight ramble'. The routes and duration are clearly marked online, with handy tips such as parking availability and how to identify participants. 

Burmese Roads Along Balestier (May 3, 4pm) is a family-friendly 1.5-hour walk that welcomes bicycles, for example. Walk Leader Yan Oak, a "Burmese guy who has been here since the 90s", and Corrie Tan, an arts writer in Singapore, will share what Moulmein - the third largest city in Myanmar, Akyab - a port in Western Myanmar - and Rangoon, a jewel in the crown of the British Empire, have to do with a Burmese traditional medicine man who came to settle in Singapore more than a hundred years ago.

A Jog Through Green Urban Spaces - Tanjong Rhu to Gardens by the Bay (May 1, 5pm) also allows bicycles. This slow jog of 4 to 5km is expected to introduce participants to park connectors, which the organisers say are unique to Singapore.

For a cooler experience, An Evening Stroll into the Past starts at 6.30pm on May 2. This dusk-to-dark stroll from Bukit Brown Cemetery to Thomson Road will include titbits about pioneers of Singapore. Dogs are welcome.

The other evening walk is labelled De Opium Hill Twilight Ramble (May 1, 4.30pm). This will involve a steep hill (Bukit Chandu) as well as torches or headlamps for a climb in the dark. The walk will include a taste of the Canopy Walkway and a visit to the Reflections of Bukit Chandu.

If your group requires something simpler, consider Tiong Bahru Charm on May 2 at 5pm, which notes that baby strollers are welcome. Walk Leader Isabel Servando, a "writer, believer, empath, learned extrovert (though no one will take my word for it), bargain hunter, volunteer teacher and constant diet cheater", will show a side of old Singapore that still exists, even though gentrification is occurring.

Other walks that share a slice of history will cover Queenstown, the area around Fullerton Hotel, Little India, Bishan, the Bras Basah neighbourhood, Geylang, Geylang Serai and Joo Chiat, and Clemenceau Avenue. Find out more about each Singapore walk here and register here.

Read our blog post about last year's Jane's Walk in Singapore here.

Learn more about Wireshark from the original author of the source code

Riverbed Technology, which provides application performance infrastructure, will host a “Troubleshooting with Wireshark” Virtual World Tour with Gerald Combs, Director of open source projects at Riverbed, and the original author of the Wireshark source code, and Laura Chappell, Wireshark expert, educator and author. 

Wireshark sees more than 500,000 downloads per month. A Facebook page lists more than 13,000 likes. Created by Gerald Combs under the original name Ethereal, Wireshark is maintained today by a dedicated group of core developers and sponsored by Riverbed through its 2010 acquisition of CACE Technologies. As the sponsor, Riverbed is committed to maintaining the strong, independent, community-driven nature of Wireshark.

The tour will present the latest Wireshark tips and tricks to audiences in Dubai, Singapore and Sydney among other cities on using the free network analyzer solution to quickly detect network and application delays and errors. The tour is open to anyone interested in Wireshark, including users and developers, network and application engineers, network analysts, protocol analysts, software developers, software engineers and IT professionals. 

Guests are welcome to attend a presentation in one of six time zones over the course of three days. Registration is available here. Dates and times for the sessions in Asia Pacific and the Middle East are:

 

• February 26, 10:00 a.m. in Dubai (GST)
• February 28, 10:00 a.m. in Singapore (SGT)
• February 28, 10:00 a.m. in Sydney (AEDT)

Topics to be covered during the one-hour live sessions include:

·         How to use Wireshark to quickly detect network and application delays and errors

·         How to customise Wireshark for faster problem identification

·         Identifying network problems 

The Virtual World Tour coincides with the release of Laura Chappell’s newest book in the Wireshark Solution Series, Troubleshooting with Wireshark: Locate the Source of Performance Problems. This new 408-page book provides instruction on how to use Wireshark to identify the key causes of poor network performance, is now available in paperback and Kindle format.