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Lockdown in Malaysia - March 18 > April 14 2020
Keep your fingers crossed ! |
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Locked out from the world - Country roads
take me home to the place I belong ! |
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| Covid-19 grinds global tourism to a halt ! |
Lockdown ! Lockout ! Saving human lives as many as possible ! Stay Home ! Anxieties ! Fears ! Sickening Fake News ! Face Masks ! Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) ! Social Distancing ! Global Death Toll Rising ! Airlines Grounded ! Travel Bans ! Global Tourism Dead ! Economic Stimulus Package ! The World is No Longer the Same after the Covid-19 outbreak ! It's a Vast, Empty World out there ! Light at the end of the Tunnel ? The World has turned upside down & we have to learn how to live right side up after the Covid-19 outbreak is over ! 2001 Sept 11 Terrorist Attack ! 2008 Financial Crisis ! 2020 Covid-19 Outbreak ... crisis to crisis unprecedented ! Storms don't last forever, look out for rainbows to lift your spirits ! If each of us can rewind the clock, how we wish we could go back to the Good Old Days & immerse ourselves in doing things we enjoy most & travel to places we yearn to see in our breathable years (not always run short of breath) !
A Long March to world economic recovery from now on !
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My favourite Chinese Civil War show in CCTV4 now showing
during the Movement Control period in Malaysia ! |
" LIFE is only traveled once, today's Moments become tomorrow's Memories "
1) China - Covid-19 outbreak 2019-2020 in China was first identified in Wuhan, China & as the virus is highly contagious, it has now spread to the rest of the world (over 180 countries); the capital of Hubei with a population of 11 million; draconian law introduced, identifying case patients, screening, isolation & treatment todate 81,518 cases, 3,305 deaths; the good news is that the over two month long lockdown in Wuhan has now been lifted & daily life in Hubei & other provinces are gradually returning back to normal; in Sept 2010, I made a solo visit to China & visited Wuhan ... my Good Old Days ! Wow, that was 10 years ago ! How time has flown !
I had visited all the major cities & provinces of China except Tibet since my first package tour to Beijing in 1997 (over 20 trips) & my last visits to China ie Nanning / Kunming / Guiyang were in Feb 2019 (free & easy 10 days) followed by a package tour (8 days) visit to Kunming / Dali / Lijiang / Jade Dragon Snowy Mountain in Nov 2019 (the coronavirus outbreak has yet to explode then) with my wife ... when things get a bit better in China, I shall return & visit China one more time, may be re-visiting Wuhan, this time with a different feelings !
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| Detian Waterfall, China/Vietnam border (Feb 2019) |
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| World Horticultural Expo Garden, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Migratory birds in Cui Hu Park, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Dianchi, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Yunnan Military Academy, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Yunnan Nationalities Village, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Victory Monument, Kunming (Feb 2019) |
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| Zhucheng Park, Guiyang (Feb 2019) |
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| Jiaxiu Lou, Guiyang (Feb 2019) |
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| Qingxiu Shan, Nanning (Feb 2019) |
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| Chaoyang Square by Night , Nanning (Feb 2019) |
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| Zhongshan Lu Gourmet Market , Nanning (Feb 2019) |
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| Black Stone Forest, Yunnan (Nov 2019) |
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Jiuxiang Gorge & Cave National Park
Yunnan (Nov 2019) |
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Shangrila Dynamic Yunnan Impression
Performance Show, Kunming (Nov 2019) |
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| Erhai Lake, Dali (Nov 2019) |
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| Dali Ancient Town (Nov 2019) |
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| Lijiang Ancient Town (Nov 2019) |
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| Black Dragon Lagoon, Lijiang (Nov 2019) |
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| Jade Dragon Mountain, Lijiang (Nov 2019) |
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| Blue Moon Valley, Jade Dragon Mountain, Lijiang (Nov 2019) |
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| Impression Lijiang Performance (Nov 2019) |
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| Jade Water Village, Lijiang (Nov 2019) |
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| Yiren Ancient Town, Chuxiong (Nov 2019) |
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| Futa Pagoda Park, Chuxiong (Nov 2019) |
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| East & West Pagoda, Kunming (Nov 2019) |
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| Jinmabiji, Kunming (Nov 2019) |
2) India, one of the most densely populated countries in the world (1.3 billion) is on a Coronavirus lockdown for 21 days commencing from March 23 2020 - a tough battle has begun ! Large exodus of economic migrants from major Indian cities to rural villages & public transport like trains & buses are jam packed with people - very stressful indeed ! Others resort to walk more than 100km to reach home ! A number of Malaysian tourists are still stranded in India as most airlines have suspended their flights to India ! Thanks god my 2 recent trips to India were done in 2018 & 2019 ! My Good Old Days & the 3 backpacking trips to India ie July 2007 (solo 24 days), Nov 2018 (29 days) & Sept 2019 (32 days) were full of challenges but rewarding, all were hard earned trips ! The tourist attractions & cities I visited were Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Bodh Gaya, Darjeeling, Gangtok (Sikkim), Hajipur, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Keylong, Khajuraho, Kolkata, Leh (Ladakh), Lamayuru (Ladakh) Lucknow, Menali, Mcleod Ganj, Mumbai, Nalanda, New Delhi, Pangong Tso Lake (Ladakh), Patna, Patan, Pavigath, Pelling (Sikkim), Rajgir, Sarnath, Shirdi, Simla, Srinagar (Kashmir) & Varanasi.
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A police officer in Chennai, India wearing
a helmet depicting conronavirus on duty ! |
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| Taj Mahal, Agra, India (2007) |
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| Simla, India (2007) |
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| Jaipur, Inida (2007) |
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| Golden Temple, Amritsar, India (2018) |
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| India Gate, New Delhi, India (2018) |
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| Bodhgaya, India (2018) |
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| Varanasi, Inida (2018) |
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| Charminar, Hyderabad, India (2019) |
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| Ellora Caves, Aurangabad, India (2019) |
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| Kolkata, India (2019) |
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| Gateway of India, Mumbai, India (2019) |
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| Darjeeling, Inida (2019) |
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| Gangtok, Sikkim, Inida (2019) |
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| Pelling,Sikkim, India (2019) |
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| Khajuraho, India (2019) |
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| Saibaba Complex, Shirdi, India (2019) |
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| Sanchi Stupa, Bhopal, India (2019) |
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| Rani Ki Vav Stepwell, Patan, India (2019) |
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| Dal Lake, Srinagar, Kashmir, India (2007) |
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| Lamayuru Gompa, Ladakh, India (2007) |
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| Ancient Leh Palace, Ladakh, India (2007) |
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| Pangong Tso Lake, India/Tibet border, India (2007) |
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| Manali Town, India (2007) |
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| Old Manali Village, India (2007) |
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| McLeod Ganz (2007) |
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| North Himalaya Range, India (2007) |
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| Keylong, India (2007) |
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| Sarnath (2018) |
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| Hussainabad Tower, Lucknow (2018) |
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| Golghar Canary, Patna, India (2018) |
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| Nalanda, India (2018) |
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| Vishwa Shanti Stupa, Rajgir, India (2018) |
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| Hajipur, India (2018) |
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| Pavagadh Hill, India (2019) |
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| Ahmedabad, India (2019) |
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| Allahabad, India (2019) |
3) Myanmar - as of 23 March 2020, Myanmar, with 54 million people has no single case of coronavirus reported ! Well done ! Myanmar is one of the South East Asia least developed countries, many of their migrant workers worked as menial workers in Thailand & nearby ASEAN countries ! My wife & myself did a free & easy "golden" visit to Yangon & Bagan in January 2012 (5 days)
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Security officers spraying water to clean
the floor of Shwedagon Pagoda to stem
the conronavirus outbreak in Yangon |
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| Shwedagon Pagoda, Yangon (2012) |
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| Bagan (2012) |
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| Yangon River (2012) |
4) New Zealand started a 4 week compulsory lockdown starting on March 26 2020 to slow the spread of the conronavirus ... I made a solo backpacking visit to North & South islands of New Zealand in March 2016 (22 days) - very scenic & picturesque in both the North & South islands !
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Staying safe- an empty intersection is seen
near the Sky Tower during a lockdown in Auckland |
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| Auckland, North Island (2016) |
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| Rotorua, North Island (2016) |
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| Wellington, North Island (2016) |
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| Ferry crossing from North to South Island (2016) |
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| Picton, South Island (2016) |
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| Kaikoura, South Island (2016) |
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| Christchurch, South Island (2016) |
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| Lake Tekapo, South Island (2016) |
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| Queenstown, South Island (2016) |
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| Arrowtown, South Island (2016) |
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| Milford Sound Cruise, South Island (2016) |
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| Lake Wanaka, South Island (2016) |
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| Frank Joseph Glacier, South Island (2016) |
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| Nelson, South Island (2016) |
5) Japan seemed to have escaped a massive coronavirus outbreak ! This maybe the tip of the iceberg ! Hope not ! Japan's 1st case of Covid-19 was a Chinese national who traveled to Wuhan where the virus first emerged & returned to Japan on January 6, 2020; Olympic 2020 Tokyo deferred to July 2021 ! Smaller crowds & thinner parties to admire cherry blossoms in Japanese parks ! My wife loves to visit Japan, a very clean & safe country with beautiful scenery ! My 4 visits to Japan - 2 free / easy (April 2010 & March 2008) & 2 package tours (April 2017 & Oct 2015) gave us fond memories in this Land of Rising Sun, a country so close to where the sun rises ! Both of us look forward to another visit to Japan in the near future !
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New normal: People wearing face masks
as they stroll through Asakura district in Tokyo |
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| Kyoto, Japan (2017) |
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| Kansai, Japan (2017) |
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| Nagoya, Japan (2017) |
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| Onsen City of Gero, Japan (2017) |
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| Chubusangaku National Park, Kamikochi (2017) |
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| Wasabi Farm, Matsumoto, Japan (2017) |
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| Snow Wall, Alphine Route, Tateyama, Japan (2017) |
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| Cherry Blossoms, Takayama, Japan (2017) |
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| Shirakawago Village, Japan (2017) |
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| Gujo Hachiman, Japan (2017) |
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| Nagahama Castle, Japan (2017) |
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Ainu Akan Cultural Village,
Akan National Park, Hokkaido (2015) |
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| Ikeda Wine Castle, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Lake Machu, Akan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Akan National Park, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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Ryuosan Volcanic Valley, Akan National Park,
Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Okhotsk Tower, Underwater Drift Ice Observatory, Hokkaido (2015) |
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Monument of the Crab Claw,
Monbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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Okhotsk Sea Ice Science Museum of Hokkaido
- Minus 20c (2015) |
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Okhotsk Takkari Centre -
Seal Protection Center, Hokkaido (2015) |
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| Daisetsuzan National Park- Gin Ga No Taki, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Daisetsuzan Sounkyu Mt Kurodake, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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Otaru Handicraft Street,
Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Otaru Canal, Hokkaido (2015) |
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| My 1st encounter with Alaska Crab , Hokkaido (2015) |
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My 1st bite on Alaska crab over a dinner
in a Hokkaido Hotel, Japan (2015) |
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| Sapporo Tower, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Odori Park, Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium,
Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Late Autumn in Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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Late Autumn Beauty in Sapporo,
Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| A beautiful Day in Hokkaido, Japan (2015) |
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| Osaka Castle, Japan (2011) |
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| Kinosaki Town, Hyogo, Japan (2011) |
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| Himiji Castle, Himeiji City, Japan (2011) |
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| Miyajima Island, Japan (2011) |
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| Shiraito Falls, Fujinomiya City, Japan (2011) |
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| Tokyo Disney Resort, Japan (2011) |
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| Yokohama Port, Japan (2011) |
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| Kofukuji Temple, Nara, Japan (2008) |
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| Shizouka, Japan (2008) |
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| Mt Fuji, Japan (2008) |
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| Hiroshima, Japan (2010) |
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| Tsukiji Market, Tokyo, Japan (2008) |
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