The iconic Tokyo Tower, a communications and observation tower standing at 332.6 metres (1,091 ft), withstood Friday’s ferocious 8.9-magnitude quake that struck Japan with minor damage. The tower, which is 13 meters taller than the Eiffel Tower, appears to have only suffered a bent tip as a result of the devastating earthquake.
Below is footage from a tourist who was on the observation deck of the 4,000 tonne steel structure at the time that the massive earthquake struck, probably one of the last places that you would want to be during the 5th largest earthquake in recorded history. Japan’s strict building codes are no doubt responsible for saving a lot of lives and preventing plenty of damage.
Nestled on the fringe of the Japanese Alps in the snow country of Niigata is the ski township of Yuzawa. Acclaimed for it’s bubbling hot springs and renowned for it’s bustling skiing resorts the region has also played inspiration to countless writers, poets and artists, most notably Nobel Prize-winning Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata who used the onsen town as the setting for his classic novel Yukiguni.
My memories of this winter wonderland are not as fond but instead a traumatic recollection reminiscent of a virgin skier, deflowered and defiled on the slopes of northern Honshu. The story of the Purple Sumo of Naeba.
The Hunter Valley is one of the oldest and most famous wine regions in Australia, boasting many of the large names in wine, including Lindemans Wine, Tyrell’s Vineyards and Wyndham Estate. The Hunter is a popular escape situated 160 kilometres north west of Sydney and is internationally-acclaimed for producing world class semillon and shiraz.
Following is a list of ten things for wine lovers to do in The Hunter. Obviously the list can never be exhaustive so all feedback and suggestions on extending this list is welcomed.
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