A burst of fall color on Mt Takao

Yes, you read that right. Tokyo’s very own mountain paradise lies at the end of the Chuo Line to the west of the city. In forty minutes, you can leave the steel jungle of Shinjuku (one of central Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods) far beyond and emerge onto a single platform station a few paces from Takao’s autumn splendor.

At 599 meters (barely 2,000 feet), Takao is not an intimidating mountain. Nearby Fuji-san could squash it like it a bug. But if – like many Japanese – you’re here more for the view than the aerobic exercise, a chair lift and a funicular take away most of the effort needed to reach the summit. From the ropeway’s terminus, it’s an easy half hour amble to the mountain’s peak, though you may want to stop for a bit at the sprawling temple complex and face off with the fearsome statues of tengu (long-nosed mountain guardians).

A hazy view from the summit of Mt Takao

If you’re up for a hike but didn’t want to hoof it all the way up from the train station, choose one of Takao’s six marked trails for your descent instead. You’ll save yourself a good deal of sweat while still enjoying the well-maintained paths that lead past waterfalls, viewpoints and hidden mountain shrines. With the crunch of leaves underfoot and a palette of colors on the branches above, it’s hard to believe one of the world’s largest cities lies mere miles away. And while the weekends at Takao might really cram in the crowds (trails on a Saturday can be as packed as a Monday morning commuter train), make the trip out midweek for some blessed autumn solitude.

Mei Lan at the Zoo Atlanta in Atlanta, Ga. Copyright Gene Blythe / AP

If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher, no history of infectious disease and good command of both English and Chinese languages you might just be what the Chinese government is looking for. The Chinese government is seeking out a Chinese language tutor for 3-year-old panda Mei Lan to help her cope with the life changing move from Atlanta, Georgia to Chengdu Panda Breeding Research Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan, China. She will arrive in China on Friday via a special FedEx flight which will also carry fellow 4-year-old panda Tai Shan, from Washington DC’s National Zoo. Tai Shan will be moved to the Ya’an Bifeng Gorge Breeding Base of Wolong National Nature Reserve, another panda breeding center in Sichuan.

Upon arrival Mei Lan will have a team of experts to help her with the transition to her new environment. She will be set up with a Chinese tutor, a new diet and even a matchmaker. The Chinese tutor, with a focus on Sichuan dialect, will help Mei Lan learn new phrases for getting around her new home. Mei Lan will also arrive with her favorite biscuits in tow to ease her into her new diet of ‘wotou’ (steamed bread made of corn and sorghum) and bamboo. Since pandas are known for being sexually inactive, Mei Shan’s care takers are on a mission to find a potential boyfriend. A website will be set up to allow the public to vote for her new suitor though her caretakers will have the final say in the actual suitor.

With the royal treatment like that, whoever said moving to a new country was difficult?

Photo: Gemunu Amarasinghe/AP

Helicopters conveyed the ministers to the Kalapattar Plateau, where they met outdoors against a backdrop of icy peaks to draw attention to “the huge challenge” that Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said climate change poses to his very poor country.

Reliant upon the perpetual snows and glaciers of the highest Himalayas for its agricultural economy and the water needs of its people, Nepal stands to suffer greatly as those features diminish.  Nepal’s glaciers are already melting rapidly as the climate warms and precipitation patterns are changing.

Read more about the cabinet meeting in this story from French news agency AFP’s Kathmandu Bureau. And on Climate Pool’s blog, there’s more on the controversy surrounding the meeting location, which some see as a foolish gimmick that wasted CO2.

“Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World“ is now on display at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City.  It is an interactive journey along the legendary trading route, passing through ancient cities of the Middle East and Asia.  Based on the time period 600 and 1200 A.D., the exhibit provides opportunities to see live silk worms spin cocoons, join a raucous night market, and learn about ancient crafts such as papermaking and glassblowing. Sunday afternoons include live performances. 

The exhibit runs from now through August 15, 2010.

If you can’t make it to the exhibit, take a virtual tour here:

Two thousand soldiers, 100 chariots, 400 horses, 300 cavalry horses…all meticulously hand-crafted in terra cotta.  These magnificent statues are none other than the infamous Terra Cotta Warriors, discovered and extracted in 1974 from the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled China from 221 to 210 B.C.

A true high point in the history of art and archaeology, the Terra Cotta Warriors are currently “on tour” as part of an awesome exhibit that has been a traveling show in the U.S. for almost two years.  The last stop on this tour will be at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, D.C., November 19, 2009, through March 31, 2010.

Over 100 of the Terra Cotta warriors from the tomb of the emperor will be seen–the largest display of these statues ever exhibited outside of China.

For More Info…

- National Geographic Museum Exhibition Info
- Visiting the Exhibition: All You Need to Know
- “The Warriors Have Arrived”
- Visit the original archaeological site of the Terra Cotta Warriors with Asia360° on our “Marco Polo China” Trip!

>>> Check out the full itinerary for our Ancient Splendors of Angkor trip.

>>> Read the “Divining Angkor” article from National Geographic’s July 2009 issue.

>>> Watch this 52-minute BBC documentary on Angkor Wat:

The exhibit sweeps you away to 13th-century Mongolia, with tents, battlegrounds, marketplaces, live cultural performances by traditional Mongolian musicians, and more than 200 objects such as silk robes and gold jewelry that have never been seen outside of Mongolia or Russia.

The exhibition runs through February 7, 2010. 

MORE RESOURCES
>> Genghis Khan Exhibit Home
>> Denver Post article on the exhibit
>> Denver Mayor Hickenlooper visits the exhibit

Check out the video below, too, showing members of the Mongolian Cultural Center for the Arts assembling a traditional ger (the Mongolian version of a yurt) for the DMNS exhibit:

Here, where nomadic cultures still thrive and snow-peaked mountains cast shadows on the vast Gobi Desert environs, you can indeed get lost in a land just as famous for its vastness as it is for the lengendary 13th-century ruler Genghis Khan.  On our adventure, you’ll see the Naadam Festival, Mongolia’s spectacular national festival, and you’ll explore the plains, lakes, and sand dunes.

Please note that we’re offering a special incentive to our June 29, 2010, departure if you book by November 15, 2009: a special one-time-only discount of $500 per person!  Call us at 1-877-ASIA-360 for more information.  This offer cannot be combined with any other offer or discount.

Photo courtesy of www.mongoliatourism.gov.mn

1. Sheep outnumber people 35 to one.
2. Mongolians do not name their horses; they refer to them by color.
3. The population density in Mongolia is approximately 1.9 people per square mile.
4. The sun shines well over 200 days per year.
5. The current president of Mongolia, Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, attended both the University of Colorado at Boulder and Harvard University in the U.S.
6. Mongol Khuumii or throat singing involves producing two simultaneous tones with the human voice.
7. Prominently featured at the Naadam Festival, the three most popular sports are horse racing, archery, and Mongolian wrestling.
8. The average altitude of Mongolia is about 5,182 feet above sea level.
9. Only Russia and China share borders with this landlocked country.
10. The Gobi Desert is the largest desert in Asia, and is the fifth largest in the world.

Read more about the culture of Mongolia on our Local360° page.

It is in the heart of the Himalayas, high in the Solo Khumbu, where our Everest: Mountains and Monasteries journey – a traditional lodge trek – unveils to us a vibrant Buddhist culture thriving in the valleys below the ice-bound ramparts of the grand Mount Everest.

Traveling from classic lodge to classic lodge, this once-in-a-lifetime journey allows only those guests who truly participate in their travels to return home with a deep understanding of the world and its beauty. It is for those who seek unusual destinations and soulful regions in the most impressive corners of the world.

We have a special deal to offer on our Mountains & Monasteries trip: a $500 discount on our April 4 and May 2, 2010, departures when you book your adventure by October 31, 2009.

Call us today at 1-877-Asia-360 or click here to see more information about your adventure!