“We take a deep breath and scan our eyes again and again across the prospect below, almost forgetting to snap a photo, stunned as we are with the flawless blend of urban and natural beauty before us. Regaining our senses we bring forth our cameras — and in so doing experience the landscape all over again through their lenses.”
“Survivor’s stories, though each very different, generally begin with haunting similarity — “I saw a bright flash” or “I was knocked unconscious,” and always include the obligatory, “I was X kilometers from the hypocenter,” a figure describing the speaker’s physical proximity to the middle of hell on earth.”
“Even the names of the two top floor suites lay it on the dotted line — Le Roi (The King) and La Leine (The Queen). While both are exquisitely regal, guess which one boasts the most sumptuous experience? Sorry boys, but this is a ‘ladies first’ establishment.”
“Today, tour boats full of sightseers pass where river barges once groaned beneath the weight of rice and cotton.”
“From the front door of Ryokan Kurashiki, you can walk about three minutes and find yourself standing on the threshold of a traditional restaurant, in the private workshop of a local artisan, or in front of a painting by Monet.”
“Instead of cutlass-wielding swashbucklers swaggering ashore, tourists stroll on and off brandishing cameras, gingerly stepping between the vessel’s built-in gangway and the dock.”