Japan’s Natural Hot Springs – A Timeless Tradition

 

Dogo-onsen Hot Spring
Image: city.matsuyama.ehime.jp

An investment manager based in Sydney, Australia, Tim Hornibrook has traveled extensively throughout his career. For a time, Tim Hornibrook lived in Japan, which is home to natural hot springs, called onsen.

Japan is a volcanic archipelago made up of over 6,000 islands. The country’s unique geography means that it sits upon numerous naturally occurring hot springs. The hot springs have long been recognized for their healing properties and relaxing benefits. The mineral content of each onsen varies, leading to different healing properties depending on the location of the spring.

Many visitors choose to stay in a ryoken, or Japanese-style inn, when visiting an onsen. Ryoken give visitors the opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture, lifestyle, and hospitality. A stay at a ryoken usually includes an elaborate dinner as well as breakfast.

Japan’s most popular onsen is the Dogo-onsen Hot Spring located in Matsuyama, the capital of Ehime. With a history that stretches back 3,000 years, Dogo-onsen is the oldest spa in Japan.

Indian Restaurants to Check Out in Sydney

Bijolias
Image: bijolias.com.au

Tim Hornibrook is a longtime professional in the financial services sector. In his most recent role, he managed more than $1.2 billion in agricultural funds at a firm in Sydney, Australia. Outside of his professional career and interests, Tim Hornibrook is an avid food and travel enthusiast.

Indian food is one of the most popular ethnic cuisines in Australia. Once hard to come by in Sydney, it is now quite easy to find this type of food. With all the choices, it is sometimes difficult to decide what to try, but a few spots are definitely worth a visit.

Bijolias (Seaforth)

Featured in The Daily Telegraph as one of Sydney’s hottest Indian restaurants, Bijolias puts effort into transforming the perception of Indian cuisine from its traditional roots. Integrating European fine dining influences, it offers a robust menu with both traditional and modern dishes. With love and attention given to plate composition and ingredients, this is definitely a place that subscribes to the theory that you eat with your eyes first.

Maya Da Dhaba (Surry Hills)

Maya Da Dhaba has been a local favorite in Sydney for years. Traditional favorites and more innovative dishes are on the menu, so there is literally something for everyone. The restaurant also boasts an impressive list of vegetarian offerings and offers family-style dining.

Abhi’s Indian Restaurant (Strathfield)

With signature dishes like Goa Fish Curry, Abhi’s has cemented itself as a cornerstone of Indian cuisine in Sydney. The restaurant has rightly earned that reputation, boasting dishes with complex flavors for even the most discerning palettes. Drawing inspiration from the Goa and Chennai regions, Abhi’s is a must-dine option for Indian cuisine lovers.

Hakodate Botanical Garden Celebrates 45th Anniversary

 

Hakodate Botanical Garden
Image: tripadvisor.com

Tim Hornibrook, Sydney, Australia-based agribusiness investment expert, has traveled all over the globe. Tim Hornibrook has visited every continent except Antarctica and lived in several countries, including Japan. Japan boasts a rich array of experiences and sightseeing opportunities. One particularly unique destination is the Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden, where visitors can watch snow monkeys relax in the garden’s hot springs.

Hakodate Tropical Botanical Garden, which just celebrated its 45th anniversary, is located just east of the Hakodate Mountains, in Hokkaido. During the day, the 90 monkeys that reside in the garden relax in the warm waters of the large heated pool. The garden was established in 1970, and has been a popular tourist attraction since then. The best season to see the monkeys is between December and April, when the cool air makes the hot springs especially appealing to the monkeys.

Tolkien’s Middle Earth Recreated in New Zealand

 

Tolkien’s Middle Earth
Image: newzealand.com

Business professional Tim Hornibrook specializes in agricultural investment. In his spare time, Tim Hornibrook enjoys watching movies, specifically the Lord of the Rings Trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies were all shot exclusively in scenic New Zealand.

New Zealand, known for its breathtaking scenery, was the perfect location for Middle Earth. Rolling meadows, rugged mountains, stunning beaches, and even a volcanic plateau offered producers of the movies a multitude of diverse landscapes to stage the fictional world created by J.R.R. Tolkien.

Matamata in Waikato became quaint Hobbiton, home to Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. After filming was completed, Hobbiton became a permanent attraction for tourists. Visitors can explore hobbit holes and take guided tours of well-known places in the movies such as Bag End and the Green Dragon Inn. Every visitor will recognize a number of the peaceful scenes from the movies.

Scenes from the River Anduin, the Gardens of Isengard, Osgiliath Wood, and Rivendell were all shot outside the city of Wellington. Most of the locations that appear in the movies are easily reached by car. A number of tours are available for visitors.

Tolkien fans won’t regret visiting the enchanting places where Middle Earth came to life. They will have the opportunity to relive their favorite scenes and be a part of the magic captured in the epic adventures from the Lord of the Rings.

Victoria Peak in Hong Kong

Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
Image: tripadvisor.com

Tim Hornibrook, a business professional specializing in agricultural investments, has traveled extensively and visited every continent except Antarctica. A resident of Sydney, Australia, Tim Hornibrook has even lived in various global locations, including the city of Hong Kong.

Hong Kong is a dynamic city that features a unique blend of Chinese tradition with colonial Western culture. English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, so Western visitors can navigate it easily.

One of the premier attractions in Hong Kong is Victoria Peak, the highest point on the island. During the 19th century, European residents began building upscale homes on the mountain in order to take advantage of the gorgeous views and to escape the heat and busy feel of the city. For many years, the only way these homes could be reached was by sedan chair. In 1888, the Peak Tram Funicular was completed, giving residents a more convenient way to reach their homes.

Today, riding the tram to the top of Victoria Peak is a popular activity for residents and visitors. Once at the top, riders are rewarded with stunning views of Hong Kong and Victoria Harbor. Visitors can also take advantage of a series of nature trails and visit the Peak Tower. The wok-shaped Peak Tower offers visitors viewing terraces, shopping, restaurants, and a variety of entertainment venues.

Ski and Snowboard Trail Signs

SnowBoard and Ski Signs
Image: mappery.com

Tim Hornibrook of Sydney, Australia, is an experienced business leader who has spent the last 15 years working in the financial services industry. Beyond his work in finance and agriculture, Tim Hornibrook enjoys staying active through snowboarding.

Mountains and ski resorts throughout North America, Australia, and New Zealand use trail signs in certain colors and shapes to alert skiers and snowboarders about the level of difficulty of different trails. For example, a mountain’s least-challenging runs are marked with a green circle. Slope gradients for green-circle trails generally do not exceed 25 percent and may be as low as 6 percent. Additionally, green-circle trails are often wide and easy for resorts to keep in good condition.

Intermediate trails, meanwhile, are marked with blue squares. These intermediate trails can reach slope gradients of 40 percent. Although blue-square trails may be slightly more difficult to groom compared to green-circle trails, they are usually the most extensively used runs and make up the majority of trails at a typical resort.

Finally, trails marked with a black diamond should only be attempted by skiers and snowboarders with advanced skills. These exceptionally steep trails are often found in more remote locations on a mountain, making them harder to maintain and adding to their challenge. Some mountains use a double-black-diamond trail sign to mark runs reserved for the world’s most accomplished skiers and boarders.