The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet is the latest novel from David Mitchell. The story focuses around the central character of Jacob De Zoet. Young Jacob is a penniless Dutch clergyman`s son sent to Nagasaki in the final year of the 18th century. A member of the Dutch East India Company, he is supposed to make his fortune in six years so he can return to marry his beloved Anna back in Holland. The Dutch trade with the reclusive Edo-era Japanese on an island and are rarely allowed on the mainland. The practice of Christianity is banned; they are forbidden from learning Japanese and there are spies everywhere among servants and interpreters. Jacob is charged with uncovering corruption among the traders and soon falls out of favour with his boss and his peers. Nothing goes to plan. He falls for another woman, a Japanese midwife, who is sent to a mysterious shrine in the mountains.

This is a marvellously wrought novel, full of fully formed characters and the kind of detail that allows you to sink deep into its imaginary world. I was sorry when I fnished.

Tokyo Japan

Tokyo is the perfect short-stay destination for a kick of adrenalin. You can spend a lifetime exploring Tokyo and never run out of new things to do and discover. It`s best not to think of Tokyo as one city but as a collection of separate smaller cities all connected by rail as it makes it much easier to explore the city. Each of these smaller cities has its own distinct character and attraction.

The highlights of Tokyo include, The Imperial Palace, Meiji Shrine; Asakusa district famous for Sensoji temple and Nakamise shopping street with cheap, antique kimonos, geisha bags and beautiful paper products, Sensoji temple, and the Kappabashi kitchen street for those plastic replicas of food seen in restaurant windows. Ueno for its park and museums, Akihabara for electronics, Shinjuku for its shopping with its huge Takashimaya department store and food hall, Tokyu Hands eight level craft store and Uniqlo store for really cheap, high quality, basic clothing, Harajuku for cheap shopping and Japanese street fashion, and Shiodome for entertainment.

Other places of interest include Shibuya for its famous intersection where the style tribes gather and Shibuya 109 the 10 level fashion emporium. Roppongi traditionally known for its nightclubs and bars, but now for its numerous upscale boutiques, smart cafes and Roppongi Hills with the 52 storey Mori building and Tokyo City View a walkway that wraps around the building offering 360 degree views stretching as far as Mt Fuji. Ginza for Matsuya department store and food hall.

At night time Tokyo really comes alive with mazes of blazing neon lights, tiny street stalls, bars complete with karaoke boxes, and the amazing pub food of yakitori and izakaya.

Japan`s New Prime Minister Naoto Kan

Naoto Kan, 63, will become Japan`s new prime minister following an internal party vote and parliamentary vote, replacing Yukio Hatoyama, who resigned over broken campaign pledges. Japan`s governing Democratic Party has chosen the plain spoken finance minister with activist roots to be the party`s new leader. Mr Kan is known for his quick temper, and gained national attention in the mid 1990s when as health minister he exposed his own ministry`s use of blood tainted with HIV. The party is hoping for a second chance to fulfil a historic election mandate for change. Mr Kan faces a big task in trying to win back public support that Mr Hatoyama squandered in months of indecision over the fate of a US military base. He must also help the party regain the momentum it had in August after a landslide election victory that ended a half century of virtual one party rule.

Red Hill Winter Wine Fest

Red Hill Showgrounds will hold a Winter Wine Fest on Saturday, June 12th. The Red Hill Winter Wine Fest will showcase the produce of more than 50 peninsula wineries. The launch event is the Winter Wine Fest on Saturday but there is more for the lovers of wine over the weekend with the Winter Wine Weekend. This weekend 50-plus peninsula wineries are throwing open cellar doors and pulling bungs on barrels to showcase the diversity of the Mornington Peninsula wine region, which is just on Melbourne`s door-step at just an hour`s drive away.

Sorrento Food and Wine Festival

Sorrento is staging its first food and wine festival next week with 20 events over 6 days. It will be a feast of food, jazz and shiraz. The Sorrento food and wine festival is from June 6-11 and will feature jazz and shiraz, masterclasses, cooking demonstrations and tastings, gourmet menus, music, film, art and wine tasting at various locations around town.

Mornington Peninsula Attractions

Jazz & Shiraz

If you love great jazz music then you must see Melbourne based pop-jazz singer-songwriter Connie Lansberg. Connie`s music is reminiscent of Blossom Dearie and June Christy, but with the modern edge of Sade and Sting. In Melbourne, Connie hosts frequent Jazz & Shiraz nights and captivates audiences at her Friday night residency at Capital Kitchen in Chadstone. This is a must see for all of those jazz lovers. Please check out Connie`s MySpace link below for more details.

www.myspace.com/connielansbergquartet

Himeji Japan

Himeji Japan features exquisite gardens, excellent sushi, and the most elegant of Japan`s feudal castles. Himeji Castle or Himeji-jo as it is known in Japan has to be the most spectacular castle in Japan. The 16th century castle with its foundations made of stone, massive granite pieces arranged to form gentle curves with centimetre perfect geometry. Above the foundations the construction is built from timber, and all external surfaces coated in white plaster to protect the wood from threat of fire. Viewed from a distance the castle sits peacefully atop a tree lined hill, earning the castle the nickname “White Heron”.

The Secrets Of Speaking Japanese Fluently