These are thoughts on local and international travels since 2011, mainly as recounts of daily travel and include the beautiful scenery enjoyed, the shops encountered by chance, the quirky observations of cultural differences, and critically, the many delicious local meals that were eaten.
International
New Zealand 2026 »
This was a second family trip to New Zealand during mid-May 2026 when we visited Auckland and Orewa.
Japan 2024 »
This was a seventh vacation trip to Japan during late October to mid November 2024 when we visited the prefectures of Tōkyō, Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori.
- Japan 2024 – Day 1: Fukushima – Sakaemachi
- Japan 2024 – Day 2: Fukushima – Iizaka Onsen
- Japan 2024 – Day 2: Miyagi – Sendai
- Japan 2024 – Day 3: Miyagi – Sendai
- Japan 2024 – Day 4: Miyagi – Matsushima
- Japan 2024 – Day 5: Yamagata – Yamagata
- Japan 2024 – Day 6: Iwate – Geibikei, Ichinoseki
- Japan 2024 – Day 7: Iwate – Genbikei, Ichinoseki
- Japan 2024 – Day 7: Aomori – Hirosaki
- Japan 2024 – Day 8: Aomori – Hirosaki & Goshogawara
- Japan 2024 – Day 9: Aomori – Hirosaki
- Japan 2024 – Day 10: Aomori – Hirosaki & Aomori
- Japan 2024 – Day 11: Aomori – Aomori
- Japan 2024 – Day 12: Tōkyō – Ginza & Shinjuku
- Japan 2024 – Day 13: Tōkyō – Yanaka & Ikebukuro
Hong Kong 2023 »
This was a family trip to Hong Kong during mid-November 2023.
- Cup Noodles Museum, Tsim Sha Tsui
- Hong Kong 2023 – New Territories – Overview
- Hong Kong 2023 – Kowloon – Overview
- Hong Kong 2023 – Hong Kong Island – Overview
- Hong Kong 2023 – QF127, Qantas Hong Kong Lounge & QF128
Japan 2023 »
This was a sixth vacation trip to Japan during early April 2023 when we visited the prefectures of Ōsaka, Wakayama, Kyōto and Tōkyō.
- Japan 2023 – Day 0: Seoul to Ōsaka – Namba
- Japan 2023 – Day 1: Ōsaka – Ōsaka Castle, Umeda, and TeamLab Botanical Garden
- Japan 2023 – Day 2: Wakayama
- Japan 2023 – Day 3: Kyōto
- Japan 2023 – Day 4: Ōsaka to Tōkyō – Ueno and Asakusa
- Japan 2023 – Day 5: Tōkyō – Shinjuku
- Japan 2023 – Day 6: Tōkyō – Shibuya and Omotesando
- Japan 2023 – Day 7: Tōkyō – Ginza, Yurakucho, Kyobashi and Yaesu
- Japan 2023 – Day 8: Tōkyō – TeamLabPlanets & Ikebukuro
South Korea 2023 »
This was a vacation trip to South Korea in late March 2023 when we visited the cities of Seoul and Jeonju.
- South Korea 2023 – Day 0: Sydney to Seoul
- South Korea 2023 – Day 1: Seoul – Myeongdong, Namdaemun, Namsan Park, Seoul Station
- South Korea 2023 – Day 2: Seoul – Dongdaemun and Markets
- South Korea 2023 – Day 3: Jeonju – Hanok Village
- South Korea 2023 – Day 4: Seoul – Changdeok Palace, Bukchon Hanok Village, National Folk Museum of Korea, and Gyeongbok Palace
- South Korea 2023 – Day 5: Seoul – Insa-dong, Gongpyeong Historic Sites Museum, Haribo World and Museum Kimchikan
- South Korea 2023 – Day 6: Seoul – Hongdae
Japan 2019 »
This was a fifth vacation trip to Japan in early November 2019 when we visited the prefectures of Fukuoka, Nagasaki, Yamaguchi, Ōita, Miyazaki, Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Tōkyō.
- Japan 2019 – Day 0: Sydney
- Japan 2019 – Day 1: Fukuoka
- Japan 2019 – Day 2: Nagasaki
- Japan 2019 – Day 3: Nagasaki
- Japan 2019 – Day 4: Kokura
- Japan 2019 – Day 5: Shiminoseki & Moji
- Japan 2019 – Day 6: Yufuin
- Japan 2019 – Day 7: Beppu
- Japan 2019 – Day 8: Takachiho & Nobeoka
- Japan 2019 – Day 9: Nichinan and Miyazaki
- Japan 2019 – Day 10: Kagoshima & Sakurajima
- Japan 2019 – Day 11: Kumamoto
- Japan 2019 – Day 12: Kumamoto
- Japan 2019 – Day 13: Kumamoto
- Japan 2019 – Day 14: Tōkyō
- Japan 2019 – Day 15: Tōkyō
Japan 2018 »
This was a fourth vacation trip to Japan in early February 2018 when we visited the prefectures of Ōsaka, Kyōto, Hyogo, Hokkaidō, Tōkyō and Saitama.
- Japan 2018 – Day 1: Sydney – Kingsford Smith Airport; Ōsaka – Kita & Nakanoshima
- Japan 2018 – Day 2: Ōsaka – Tenjimbashi & Umeda; Shimamoto – Suntory Yamazaki Distillery
- Japan 2018 – Day 3: Ōsaka – Nakanoshima; Kyōto – Gion, Higashiyama, Downtown
- Japan 2018 – Day 4: Kōbe – Nankinmachi, Motomachi, Kitano & Sannomiya; Ōsaka – Dojima
- Japan 2018 – Day 5: Ōsaka – Itami Airport; Sapporo – New Chitose Airport & Shin Sapporo
- Japan 2018 – Day 6: Sapporo – Nijo Market & 69th Sapporo Snow Festival
- Japan 2018 – Day 7: Asahikawa – Asahikawa Zoo & 59th Asahikawa Winter Festival
- Japan 2018 – Day 8: Sapporo – Curb Market & Shiroi Koibito Park
- Japan 2018 – Day 9: Yoichi – Nikka Whisky Distillery; Otaru – Downtown & Snow Light Path Festival
- Japan 2018 – Day 10: Sapporo – New Chitose Airport; Tōkyō – Haneda Airport & Asakusa
- Japan 2018 – Day 11: Saitama – Glicopia East; Tōkyō – Tōkyō Station, Yurakucho & Ginza
- Japan 2018 – Day 12: Tōkyō – Setagaya Ume Matsuri, Harajuku, Omotesando, Aoyoma & Shibuya
- Japan 2018 – Day 13: Noda – Kikkoman Soy Sauce Museum; Nagareyama – Otakanomori SC; Tōkyō – Asakusa & Sumida
- Japan 2018 – Day 14: Fussa – Ishikawa Brewery; Tōkyō – Shinjuku
- Japan 2018 – Day 15: Ōsaka – Namba
- Japan 2018 – Day 16: Ōsaka – Kuromon Ichiba Market; Kyōto – Fushimi & Central
- Japan 2018 – Day 17: Ōsaka – Namba, Dotonbori & Kansai International Airport
Japan 2015 »
This was a third vacation trip to Japan in late November 2015 when we visited the prefectures of Ōsaka, Hyogo, Kyōto, Kanazawa, Gifu, Hiroshima, Okayama and Nara.
- Japan 2015 – Day 1: Cairns; Ōsaka – Dotonbori
- Japan 2015 – Day 2: Ōsaka – Kuromon Market, Den Den Town, Namba and Tennoji
- Japan 2015 – Day 3: Ōsaka – Umeda; Minoh
- Japan 2015 – Day 4: Kōbe – Nada; Ōsaka – Umeda & Namba
- Japan 2015 – Day 5: Kyōto – Uji
- Japan 2015 – Day 6: Kanazawa
- Japan 2015 – Day 7: Shirakawa
- Japan 2015 – Day 8: Kyōto; Himeji; Hiroshima
- Japan 2015 – Day 9: Miyajima
- Japan 2015 – Day 10: Hiroshima
- Japan 2015 – Day 11: Okayama
- Japan 2015 – Day 12: Okayama & Kurashiki
- Japan 2015 – Day 13: Ōsaka
- Japan 2015 – Day 14: Kyōto
- Japan 2015 – Day 15: Nara
- Japan 2015 – Day 16: Ōsaka
Japan 2014 »
This was a second vacation trip to Japan in late November 2014 when we visited the prefectures of Ōsaka, Nagoya, Gifu, Tōkyō and Kanagawa.
- Japan 2014 – Day 1: Ōsaka – Dotonbori
- Japan 2014 – Day 2: Ōsaka – Namba, Dotonbori, Tennoji
- Japan 2014 – Day 3: Ōsaka – Ōsaka Castle, Tenjinbashisuji, Okawa River, Umeda
- Japan 2014 – Day 4: Nagoya – Nagoya Castle, Sakae, Nagoya Dome
- Japan 2014 – Day 5: Nagoya – Toyota, Shin-Toyota, Osu Shopping Arcade, Nagoya Station
- Japan 2014 – Day 6: Takayama
- Japan 2014 – Day 7: Gujo
- Japan 2014 – Day 8: Tōkyō – Yanaka, Ueno & Shiodome
- Japan 2014 – Day 9: Tōkyō – Tōkyō Skytree, Asakusa
- Japan 2014 – Day 10: Tōkyō – Tsukiji, Odaiba, Shibuya
- Japan 2014 – Day 11: Tōkyō – Tōkyō Disneyland
- Japan 2014 – Day 12: Kawagoe & Tōkyō – Ikebukuro
- Japan 2014 – Day 13: Tōkyō – Iidabashi, Takadanobaba & Shinjuku
- Japan 2014 – Day 14: Tōkyō – Nakano, Kichijoji, Roppongi
- Japan 2014 – Day 15: Tōkyō – Imperial Palace, Tōkyō Station, Musashikoyama
- Japan 2014 – Day 16: Yokohama – Sakuragicho, Shin-Yokohama
- Japan 2014 – Day 17: Yokohama – Sakuragicho
- Japan 2014 – Day 18: Yokohama and Tōkyō
New Zealand 2013/14 »
This was a family trip to New Zealand from late December 2013 to early-January 2014 when we visited Auckland, Orewa, Tiritiri Matangi Island and Kumeu.
- New Zealand 2013/14 – Orewa
- New Zealand 2013-14 – Photo Gallery
- New Zealand 2013/14 – Tiritiri Matangi Island
- New Zealand 2013/14 – Phil Greig Strawberry Gardens, Kumeu
- New Zealand 2013/14 – Muriwai Beach
- New Zealand 2013/14 – Villa Maria Estate, Manukau
England 2013 »
This was a study trip to England from late January to early February 2013 when I visited London, Cambridge and Oxford.
Japan 2011 »
This was a first vacation trip to Japan from late November to early December 2011 when we visited the prefectures of Ōsaka, Kyōto and Tōkyō.
- Japan 2011 – Day 1-2: Ōsaka
- Japan 2011 – Day 3-4: Tōkyō – Ginza and Ueno
- Japan 2011 – Day 5-6: Tōkyō – Asakusa, Omotesando and Ikebukuro
- Japan 2011 – Day 7: Tōkyō – Disneysea
- Japan 2011 – Day 8-9: Kyōto – Southern Higashiyama
- Japan 2011 – Day 10: Kyōto – Northern Higashiyama
- Japan 2011 – Day 11: Kyōto – Arashiyama and Sagano
- Japan 2011 – Day 12: Kyōto – Uji and Fushimi
- Japan 2011 – Day 13: Kyōto – North
Regional
These were regional trips around Australia.
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Victoria