Almighty passport of Malta

There are many independent nations all over the world. They constitute their legislation regarding citizenship. Thus, it is not easy for you to change your nationality.

But, some nations offer a door to enter. Nowadays, you can buy your citizenship in ten particular nations. Malta is one of such friendly countries.

In addition, you can travel to more than 180 nations without a visa when possessing the passport of Malta. Therefore, some rich people who are fond of foreign sightseeing are eager to get the passport.

News.com.au: Why the world’s wealthiest people are desperate for this passport

Earning foreign currency is one of the most significant issues for every nation. Each nation sells their unique products. And they are not limited to actual objects. For instance, Taiwan has offered airports for the transit. People not intending to visit Taipei stay at Taipei for a couple of hours. They take a meal and even buy a souvenir.

Furthermore, some nations are known as a tax haven. Rich people are annoyed by the high tax rate in their mother country. Not a few people want to move their base to Panama, for example, to reduce the tax payment.

As well, almighty passport looks attractive for some rich people. For the third nations, travelers with such a passport are guaranteed to be rich enough to get the luxury passport. Accepting such travelers seems beneficial for the host nations. It will potentially be a win-win solution.

Journey to Enoshima

Last weekend, I visited Enoshima. Enoshima is an island located in Kanagawa prefecture. It was for the second time for me to visit there.

I visited an aquarium near to Enoshima. I could see much fish there.

This is a ray. What a big creature! This ray swims gracefully, but its shape is a little odd.

The Enoshima shrine was so crowded that I did not stop by it.

Afterward, I enjoyed the dinner.

I enjoyed the day very much.

Terahaku, a service offering Buddhist temple as an accommodation launched

The situation of hotel business industry has dramatically changed in recent years. The rise of AirBnB may have the strongest impact. At the same time, several websites started to offer the information in which many hotels are compared in their cost and quality. Thus, accommodation business has become competitive more than ever before.

In Japan, hotel business legislation was amended recently. People planning to offer a bed to travelers have to register their information to get the permission of the business. Instead, individual houses and other types of accommodations are accepted as a subject of the hotel business.

And recently, Buddhist temples seem to enter the competition. Waka, a China-based company managing hotel reservation services, built Terahaku, an accommodation matching service. "Tera" means temple, and "haku" means stay. Thus, Terahaku lists up many Buddhist temples which offer the stay.

South China Morning Post: Japanese company Waka to launch Buddhist temple-stay website as spiritual answer to Airbnb

There are many foreign travelers in Japan. Some of them are interested in traditional Japanese cultures such as samurai and Buddhist priests. For them, stay nights at a Buddhist temple is a splendid experience.

I myself, stayed a night at an old castle in Germany. I felt fantastic then as if I had been a knight in the middle age.

On the other hand, there are already several temples which offer the bed and dinner, called Shukubo. Their services are excellent, as well as luxury hotels, in my experience. I am doubtful if temples newly started to offer hotel service will match them.

Taiwan for the third time

I visited Taiwan for the third time.

My past entry: Journey in Taiwan
My past entry: Taiwan visiting for the second time

This trip was private. So, I fulfilled my curiosity very well.

It was just after the Lunar New Year. There are many monuments describing dogs, dragons, and cranes.

At Shifen, I saw several lanterns flowing in the sky.

I enjoyed dinner at Din Tai Fung, a world-famous xiaolongbao restaurant. There were so many people waiting for the seat that it took an hour to take the seat. The food was very delicious.

I went to Houtong, so-called "cat village."

It was a rural area in eastern Taiwan.And there were many cats in the village.

Then, I visited Jiufen. It was also a small village initially developed as a miners' town. It is said that Hayao Miyazaki, a famous anime-movie director, visited Jiufen to construct the landscape of his work "Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi [Spirited Away]." Although Miyazaki denied this idea, Jiufen became popular as a sanctuary of Miyazaki animation. Indeed, it was extremely crowded.

Taipei's figure reminded me an old Japanese city. I respect Taiwanese for developing this country with cheer.

Visiting Hawaii island (2)

Hawaii island has a total of five volcanos. Among them, Kilauea and Mauna Loa are famous. The latter has 4,169m height. It is taller than Mt. Fuji in Japan.

I visited Halemaumau crator of Kilauea Volcano. It is located in the summit of Kilauea caldera. 

I saw rising smoke overthere in the crator. It was fantastic landscape.

Also, I visited Akaka falls. It is the largest falls in Hawaii. Looks gigantic.

I walles across the fixed lava. I felt the heat from the ground.

On the other hand, the summit of Mauna Loa is the highest place in Hawaii island. I visited there by car.

I could see the crowds below.

There are some astronomical observationaries in Mauna Loa because the sky is very clear.

This plant is silverthorne. It lives at only this area.

I tried to see the stars. But that day the moon was so bright that I could almost no stars, unfortunately.

There are fewer entertainments there compared to Oahu. But the nature and landscape are splendid.

Visiting Hawaii island (1)

I visited Hawaii island for the first time.

Hawaii island is the biggest island in the state of Hawaii. It is also called as "Big Island." But it is less popular than Oahu island. Japan Airline developed a direct flight just recently.

The appearance of Hawai island is similar to Oahu's. But there are some differences between them.

Although Hawaii island is bigger than any other islands there, its population is less than 200 thousand. It is as many as that in a single big city in Japan. Thus, the density of population is quite small. Once you leave an area of a city, there is no building as far as you can see.

The main industry of Hawaii island is sightseeing business. But in Hawaii island, farming is also established. And I was told Parker family, the descendants of Samuel Parker, owned 50 thousand of cows.

Therefore, I planned to join some tours to enjoy the natural landscapes of Hawaii island.

(To be continued.)

Bali volcano eruption

Mount Agung in Bali is erupting.

Since this September 22, some authorities had made a warning of seismic activity of Mount Agung. But the caution level was fluctuating.

On Nov 23, thousands of people living there had to evacuate. The exclusion zone was extended up to 7.5km round. On Nov 27, the alert level was raised to stage four again.

Express: Bali volcano ERUPTS: Latest eruption updates as Mount Agung SPEWS volcanic ash cloud

Not only local citizens but also tourists were seriously influenced due to the eruption. Airports on Bali island was completely closed for a while. It is said that 120,000 travelers were stranded. Now, almost all flights have become normally operating. But many tourists canceled the trip.

EveningStandard: Bali volcano live: Latest as Mount Agung eruption remains at highest alert level while tourist flights across the island resume

Now, many authorities are worrying about the stronger seismic activity. It is for the first time since 1963 when more than a thousand people were victimized to expect a disastrous volcanic event.

I visited Bali several years ago. People looked happy and joyful there. Bali economy depends on tourism. I am afraid this event will cause serious damage.

Sequels in November 2017

Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Miyakojima

Unfortunately, I was attacked by serious nausea and vomiting after this trip. Maybe I was a little tired in the sequential travels in this month.


Tuesday, November 28, 2017
The end of MacBook, again!

Now, I consider buying a Surface Pro or Surface Book. Both are excellent machines, but differ from each other in their usability.


Monday, November 6, 2017
Trump visit Japan

Trump's visiting Japan to meet Abe seems to result in his diplomatic triumph. Japan promised to buy many weapons made in the US.

On the other hand, Trump's priority in this journey was visiting China, I believe. Soon after meeting with Xi Jinping, he named North Korea as a sponsor of terrorism again. Following this, North Korea launched an ICBM class missile. The tension around Korean peninsula has become higher than ever before.

Miyakojima

Last weekend, I visited Miyakojima.

Miyakojima is located in Okinawa prefecture. It is smaller than Okinawa island.

There are some popular hotels in Miyakojima. I stayed at Alamanda. It was quite luxury. Some big turtles were swimming in a swamp.

Unfortunately, the weather was bad. It was not so cold, but not warm to swim.

The winter is not good for visiting Miyakojima. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the stay.

Kurobe Kyokoku

I visited Toyama prefecture for attending an academic conference last weekend. After participating it, I visited Kurobe Kyokoku.

I planned to walk through Alpen Route which is a famous highland in Toyama prefecture. But the bus was out of service due to heavy snow. Therefore I visited Kurobe Kyokoku instead.

It snowed for the first time this year according to a tour guide.

I rode a trolley from Unazuki onsen for more than one hour. The scene was fantastic.

It was very cold. The view was cover with full of snow.

Dublin for the first time

The last weekend, I visited Dublin. Dublin is the capital of Ireland. Ireland is a small country located west to England.

I reached Dublin through Helsinki. It was very cold though in the airport terminal.

The sight of Dublin city looked like London at a glance. Double Decker buses are available. But Dublin was much smaller than London.

I saw some trains running on the road. Unfortunately, I had no opportunity to use one.

There was a beautiful lake in front of the hotel I stayed.

Leaves had gone to yellow.

I visited some restaurants during the stay. Verizon was delicious.

Dublin was a tiny city but people looked happy. It was a precious experience for me.

Tobu World Square

I visited Tobu World Square recently.

Tobu World Square is an architectural museum. Many miniatures of famous building such as Tokyo Sky Tree, Empire State Building, and Palace of Versailles are placed there. There are a total of 100 figures displayed.

You can look around them. The reduced scale is 25:1. Then, you can see some buildings at a glance. For example, Tokyo Sky Tree is 634 meters height, and higher by twice than Eiffel Tower. You can compare them directly. I also sensed the wideness of Buckingham Palace.

Tobu World Square has no other attractions than miniatures. A 360 degree screen theater is placed near the entrance, and an introduction movie with triple short stories is cast. You can complete to enjoy them within one or two hours.

I remembered some experiences of traveling foreign countries. It was cool.

Stonehenge was a place of feast

Have you visited Stonehenge in Britain? I have once. It was a huge and mysterious field.

What kind of the site it is and why such strange objects were built remain uncertain even now. Researchers claim several hypotheses. According to the newest study, Stonehenge was a field of a feast. People ate animals and made cheese and yogurt from milk there.

Independent: Stonehenge was the site of huge feasts with animals driven down from Scotland to eat, researchers find

This hypothesis seems rational considering the uniqueness of the arranged stones. I hardly imagine ancient people spent ordinary days there.

In Europe, there are many ruins kept intact. Also in Japan, we can see several historic buildings. But most of them were made from woods. Therefore, they are at risk of burn, decaying, and corruption. In the WWII, several valuable buildings were destroyed because of bombing by the US air-force. I am a little jealous to European stone-made culture in the ancient era.

Hawaii vacation

I visited Hawaii for this summer vacation.

It is for the second time for me to visit Hawaii. Its tropical wind and joyful atmosphere attracted me so much.

Diamond Head is seen over the coast. I went there by bus.

I ate pancakes at Bills Waikiki. It is famous as the server of the world best breakfast.

Pancakes were delicious. But unfortunately, the breakfast plate was not so good.

Hawaiian night was fantastic. Cool wind felt good.

The night view seen at Mount Tantalus was extremely beautiful.

The last night at Waikiki, I rode on a sunset cruise. It was a splendid experience.

Surprisingly, I felt cooler in Hawaii than in Japan because the air humidity is different. It was a perfect vacation, and I would like to visit there again and again.

Uncomfortable airports

On this month, travelers are suffering from uncomfortable wait at the airport.

Following Paris and Brussels terror attack, the EU amended the rule of border control for a stricter check of passengers' identity. According to the new rule, travelers outside the Schengen zone should be examined at both the entry and exit.

The Guardian: Air travellers in Europe delayed by security checks and strikes

Border control refers to the authority about the criminal history of each passenger. It takes at least a couple of minutes. Thus, several hours is added to the total waiting time. Workers at border control are insufficient at many airports.

Furthermore, there are several factors to hurt your feeling at the airport many of which occurred recently, according to the article below.

The Guardian: Destination misery: seven ways they turned airports into hell


Some of the factors suggested by the author, I do not care. I do not drink free water frequently. And I seldom bring large suitcases. The issue of VAT and the paradox of duty-free shop are certain. But you can choose Amazon.com instead of the shop at the airport.

In my opinion, whether you can pass the gate smoothly depends on the circumstance in each airport. Last year, I went to the UK for an academic visit. In that day, I was detained at the border in Heathrow Airport. The reason was never revealed, but I guess someone misidentified my travel history. The year before, a worker said I could not enter Greece with my passport. Obviously, it was not true. I had to explain my status to her, taking a quarter hour.

I believe strict border control is no longer effective for domestic security. Terrorists are born anywhere if there is a certain condition, unfortunately. Enrichment of the whole society is the only and ultimate solution.

Journey to Prague (2)

Czech Republic, or Czechia, is an EU member, but its official currency is not Euro. Although it is said many shops accept Euro, I seldom saw Euro price.

Price of goods at Prague is generally low. Big Mac is sold for 79 Koruna česká, almost the same as that in Japan.

This is the cake I ate at Cafe No.3. It cost only 130 Koruna česká including tip.

Interestingly, the price of coke in a PET bottle is quite various according to the place. I found it sold only for 20 Koruna česká at a vending machine. In contrast, it is sold for 55 Koruna česká at a Costa Coffee shop. A can of Pringles costs surprisingly 150 Koruna česká, tripled by its price in Japan.

The usage of credit card is well spread at Prague, in general. However, I had some troubles about it. Soon after arrival to the airport, I tried to buy the ticket of public transportation. But the ticket vending machine accepted only small coins. Credit cards were available, according to the guidance. But it did not work, perhaps my credit card did not equip a specific chip. Therefore, I had to exchange a bill into small coins.

In addition, a vending machine in the airport was not working. I saw a traveler claiming that the coins were not returned.

In Prague, Japanese cuisine is also common. In the hotel I stayed, I can eat roll sushi at the breakfast. Of course, it tasted not so good. You should not expect to eat delicious sushi except in a foreign country except at a few luxury restaurant.

Unfortunately, I seldom saw anything in Prague because I spent the most time at the conference hall. Maybe the next time I will enjoy sightseeing at Prague.