The King of Masks

When did the history of China change from 3,000 years to 30,000 years? At this rate, it may evolve into a "300,000-year history" in about 10 years.

By the way, the Chinese movie "The King of Masks" has the Japanese subtitle "hand in your hands to this oar". Original title: 變臉Change masks. A 1996 film directed by Wú Tiānmíng.
I suddenly remembered seeing it 20 years ago. This is the only movie before and after that that made me cry so hard. I cried and called her who recommended it to me.

"Change masks" is a trick that transforms a cloth mask with colorful kumadori and other facial features into a different mask the moment you hide your face with your hands or sleeves.
To a certain extent, I had imagined ​​how to make a quick change. But I thought wearing many masks on top of each other.

This art, which is said to be a secret passed down from generation to generation, dies out due to the lack of a successor.
May not see anymore...

【大暴露】これが中国3万年の歴史！国家機密「変面」の仕組み

red-handed crime

It's not such a story of a red-handed crime on the video. It wasn't caught on security cameras.
If you leave your luggage unattended on a safari, animals will take it by mistake as food.
I kind of feel such a scripted show...

Could it be that the stolen GoPro survived because there was no food in the package?
Either way, Don't leave your items unattended while on an African safari.

It's not just Africa. In Bali and India, monkeys carry luggage. In order to get it back, you may be required to exchange it for food. Have to be careful. . .

 

GoPro Awards: Lion Steals Camera

HOW TO STEER A HORSE 🐴

HOW TO STEER A HORSE (Tips for Success ) 🐴

I watch many horseback riding videos on Youtube, and I like her easy-to-understand explanations. She never uses technical terms that amateurs can't understand, and explains in plain words.

Even so, her legs are long.
Once upon a time, I was cantering on a beach in Vanuatu and fell off my horse. My legs came off the stirrup, and when I thought it was dangerous, my upper body instinctively leaned forward and was flipped by the back of my horse.
When I came to my senses, I let go of my reins and my back was slammed into the ground. Three of  my ribs were cracked.

The stirrup was the shortest length.
・・・Even in Japan, after a small female instructor rides a horse, it was the three halls longer for me. This is the moment when I realizes how short my legs are.

It's not just the length that makes the legs come off the stirrup. The question is whether I am always stepping on it.
I have to practice.

Only Carry-On Luggage!

If I cover all my luggage with just the carry-on luggage, it's better than that. Since there is no check-in baggage, there is no baggage loss, and restrictions on activities during travel are almost eliminated.

However, my recent trips have been piled up with shooting equipments such as main and sub cameras (2 units), GoPro (video), drone (quadrotor) etc.,  and their spare batteries,  all weigh nearly 10 kg. So, I have no choice but to check unnecessary baggage such as clothes on the plane.

The usual packing style for checked baggage is a large staff bag. A hard shell carry case may be preferable for security reasons, but so far I've never had an accident involving the contents being lost even with a cloth bag. Perhaps the things inside were judged to be of no value...

When moving around the airport, I carry it on both shoulders and walk. Carry a daypack for personal use in front. The problem is Narita Airport. Walking distance is too long.

Minimalist Packing Tips & Hacks - Travel Light With Only Carry-On Luggage!

tour attendant

Tour Guide nor Tour Conductor.
Perhaps it is one of the ways of group travel unique to China and Korea, including Japan.
If they have the qualification "Nationally certified Interpreter-Tour Guide", I can understand them somehow. They have a high level of expertise and provide tourist information in their own language to people who do not understand the language. Local English guides are very reliable when you go abroad.

But what is the job of a tour attendant? When I joined on a group trip (a so-called package tour), there were the tour attendants. Looking at their work on Youtube, it looks pretty tough. A punching bag for members of a group tour. Take all the member's dissatisfaction and conduct the trip.

I was dissatisfied with why I had to bear the travel expenses of a useless tour attendant. For tourist information, the local guide's English is sufficient. First of all, even if I suddenly hear a detailed history, I won't be able to get it in my head. What left an impression on me was how the local guides felt about history. For example, if the guide tells us how the local people feel about SAMURAI, such as the image that ordinary Japanese people have, I will easily  accept the history behind it as a real experience. 

So, when I participate in a group tour, I mostly talk about various things with the local guide. At that time, Japanese tour attendants often intervene. They maybe thought if I had a question, I should not ask rocal guide but them. But it wasn't.
They casually researched the questions and feelings of the members who participated in the trip. Then, based on such information, they will provide more detailed information to everyone.

Being a tour attendant is hard work. I will be unable to stand that punching bag state for me.