Japan’s ubiquitous volcanoes frequently cause land and sea to shudder. But they are also the source of the healing waters of the Onsen, the public bath houses all over Japan that are often supplied with mineral water drawn from hot springs in volcanic craters.
Onsen have been part of Japanese life for millennia.
And one of the great delights of visiting Japan is staying in ryokans – traditional inns – with Onsen.
” You have to have a beard to be a leader in Antarctica.” It was this statement that sparked the indignation and the imagination of Fabian Dattner and led to an unprecedented expedition of 75 women scientists to Antarctica.
Janette Jeffrey has broken 7 World Records as a Masters Swimmer from 2015 -2016.
She also holds 9 National records in freestyle and breaststroke in her age group 65-69 years. That’s just in the swimming pool.
In ocean swims she was the female wInner of the Cousins Travel Open Water ‘Ocean’ swim series 2016/17 in 60-69 age group. She has won her age group of the prestigious Lorne Pier to Pub race nine times.
But her picture made no front pages, and you have probably never heard of her.
If young sportswomen have great difficulty getting any coverage in mainstream media, it is almost impossible for older women competing in Masters events to do so.
“ There are no signposts for women as they get older, “ says Renata Singer, author of the newly published book ‘Older and Bolder Life after 60 ’.
Throughout their lives, women have followed all the usual signposts – going to school, university, entering a profession, having a job, getting married, having children, often going back to work. But when they hit their 60s, this generation of women enters unknown territory. Retirement, isolation, and babysitting the grandchildren, are not attractive signposts for them.
WomanGoingPlaces chose to go to Japan in autumn in order to see the beauty of the autumn leaves.
Spring in Japan is a very popular time to visit because of the beauty of the cherry blossoms.
But it is also very brief. So it is hard to time your trip with any certainly of seeing blossom.
You will have better luck with autumn foliage.
WomanGoingPlaces visited Japan for the first time this year. As did 20 million other visitors. And with the summer Olympic Games scheduled for Tokyo in 2020, this number is expected to soar with many more travelling to see the marvellous sights and rich experiences that Japan can offer.
Layne Beachley was awarded the Order of Australia in 2015 and she has won 7 world championship surfing titles – an achievement unparalleled by any other surfer – female or male. She achieved this distinction despite tragic circumstances, some severe health problems, and the unbending discrimination against women surfers. Layne was given up for adoption by […]
WomanGoingPlaces invites you to hop on our boat and glide down the Grand Canal of Venice. Click on the video below to join our journey on one of the most glorious waterways in the world.
If you have never been to Venice, our film will show you the magnificent marble palaces that line the canal, the graceful gondolas, the bustling boats – all part of the vibrant flow of life on the water. Even if you have been to Venice, this film will bring its beauty back to you.
Peggy Guggenheim (1898-1979) made an unparalleled contribution to the development of 20th Century modern art. But 37 years after her death, the story of Peggy Guggenheim is still bound up in misconception and prejudice. Much of the commentary about her recognises her role as the ‘midwife of modern art’, but trivialises this by describing her endlessly as a sex addict.
Ragusa Ibla combines magnificent architecture, celebrity glitter, and the delights of a small Italian town. From afar, you see the limestone houses perched on a hill covered in carob, almond and olive trees. A deep valley surrounds the hill and drops into a water-filled ravine. A natural fortification that nevertheless, over 2000 years, failed to […]
