How the Ark of the Covenant got to Ethiopia

Jun 30, 2013

How the Ark of the Covenant got to Ethiopia

by Lesley Downer

According to the Bible, the Koran and several detailed Ethiopian texts, the Queen of Saba/Sheba, named Makeda, visited Solomon in Jerusalem in the 10th century B.C. They had previously exchanged letters full of questions and riddles. When she arrived, bringing gifts of gold, spices, ...

Mount Fuji has long been an icon

Jun 23, 2013

Mount Fuji has long been an icon

by Ted Taylor

In the land of Yamato, It is our treasure, our tutelary god. It never tires our eyes to look up To the lofty peak of Mount Fuji —Manyoshu This weekend, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is expected to announce its approval of Japan’s Mount ...

Sand, sea and stars on idyllic Akajima

Jun 16, 2013

Sand, sea and stars on idyllic Akajima

by Hillel Wright

Back in 1972 when I first lived on Denman Island in the Georgia Strait of British Columbia between Vancouver and Vancouver Island, I was one of about 300 residents. By the time I left 25 years later for Japan, its population had just topped ...

Historic garden hidden in Italy

Jun 3, 2013

Historic garden hidden in Italy

Rare plants, enchanting ruins and the tinkle of waterfalls: The English-style botanical oasis of Ninfa near Rome is a secret idyll billed as “the world’s most romantic garden.” The exquisite garden dates back to the late 19th century when the aristocratic Caetani family took ...