“China through the Lens of John Thomson 1869-1872” offers about 50 photographs from the dawn of the art form’s invention, taken by a pioneer of photojournalism. It’s a look back at China before industrialization, before communism, before tourism.

The weather in Hilo, the driest in a decade, according to news reports, was sunny all day, every day. A good sign. But more important was ensuring that our long-planned family trip would be a sizzler, engaging and entertaining little minds.

There are a number of cruises on Oahu that will take you face to fin with dolphins in the wild, but among the best is the half-day cruise on the Dolphin Star, a double-deck boat custom built for dolphin watching and snorkeling.

China’s largest private property developer, the Wanda Group, opened an entertainment complex on Saturday that it’s positioning as a distinctly homegrown rival to Disney and its $5.5 billion Shanghai theme park opening next month.

We’d floated about 50 yards into the Puerto Princesa Underground River when a bat slapped me on the forehead. It startled me, but I can’t say it was unexpected.

The "Godzilla" series started in 1954. In the middle of the first film, a warning is broadcast as the nation braces for attack by the giant monster: "Godzilla has been detected undersea 15 miles northeast of Kannonzaki cape, moving toward the northwest."

Long more popular with Japanese than foreign visitors, the well-preserved city of Kanazawa became much more accessible last year with the opening of a new Shinkansen line. The high-speed trains hurtle from Tokyo in less than 2 ½ hours.

Cherry blossom mania descends on Japan in the spring, fueling a week or two of pink-tinged scenery, crowded picnics and blurry, close-up flower photos on social media websites.

With the cherry blossoms gone, there’s a new bud in Japan to steal your heart … and break it all over again.

Other than the danger of overextending yourself, hiking New Zealand’s abundance of trails is rarely disappointing. The Kiwis work hard to make hiking attractive.

A shave ice truck on the west side of the island of Hawaii is the talk of the islands. It serves what in local parlance is known as "broke da mouth" icy treats.

Starting this summer, the Japanese government will test a system in which foreign tourists will be able to verify their identities and buy things at stores using only their fingerprints.

With the opening of the Hokkaido Shinkansen line on March 26, the Japanese islands of Hokkaido, Honshu and Kyushu have finally been linked by bullet train — 43 years after plans for a national high-speed rail network were first laid out in 1973.

Located about 45 minutes outside Tasmania’s capital of Hobart, Bonorong is the anti-zoo. There is no train ride, no tinny narration by overly enthusiastic guides. Instead, there are typical Australian fauna and species unique to Tasmania.

As our pilot maneuvers us through the air, my 15 fellow passengers and I are treated to an impressive but bewildering display of temples on the ground below.

If there’s a contest for stunning scenery per mile driven, then a round-trip from downtown Honolulu around the North Shore of Oahu is the grand circle.

Sapporo, the largest city in Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido and fifth-largest in the country, is famous for two things: breweries and snow. Beer is always celebrated here, but snow takes center stage just once a year.

The century-old ruins of a U.S. military base will likely strike a familiar chord for veterans who tour Corregidor island in the Philippines.

We headed to the beautiful atoll of Rangiroa in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia, a one-hour flight northeast of Tahiti, without a single phone or tablet.

Fourteen of Japanese artist Tsuguharu Foujita's WWII works are on display this month alongside art from his Paris days at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

Cape Kamuimisaki is located on the northwestern edge of the Shakotan Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan. I walked along a narrow path that looked like a mountain ridge, going as high as about 260 feet above sea level. I proceeded for about 20 minutes amid the ocean wind and then came to the tip of the cape, which overlooks the crystal-blue Sea of Japan. This beautiful color is known as “Shakotan blue.”

The capital of our 50th state is becoming increasingly known for a vibrant culinary scene that can hold its own with any mainland metropolis.

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We’d entered this untamed forest by a path created not by the park service but worn into the ground by the footsteps of those who went in before us — some of whom never came out.

The land of Genghis Khan is a rare destination for American tourists. For lovers of nature and ancient cultures, Mongolia remains a relatively undiscovered gem. It feels like one of the last frontiers in Asia.

Space-Available can be the greatest thing since The Mile-High Club — a chance to travel for free on military flights. Then there are trips like this one, where everything goes wrong and hopes of getting out quickly are dashed with unintentional cruelty.

Kauai is the fourth largest of the seven inhabited Hawaiian islands, more than 500 square miles with dozens and dozens of beaches. Some of the coast’s brick-red cliffs (na pali means “many cliffs”) rise 4,000 feet above the Pacific.

After a cologne that smelled something like a Whopper flamed out, Tokyo-based Burger Kings went back to their original bag of tricks and brought something more colorful to the table. This time around, the burger kings brought out a red-colored burger.

I’m sitting at Godfather’s Bar, a mobster-themed place staffed entirely by young Filipino women in Saipan, when the big question comes up among a smattering of former U.S. mainlanders: Why are you here?

There’s nothing quite so vibrantly, blindingly blue as the lagoon on Tikehau, an hour’s flight from Tahiti, in French Polynesia.

On Baloy Beach in the Philippines, you can feel a gentle sea breeze on your face and warm sand between your toes as you listen to the gentle lapping of waves and the laughter of children at play.

Taking a customized tour of Shanghai was my way of dealing with a predicament: I had just one free day and wanted to see the city’s highlights. But I also wanted to step off the beaten path, maybe meet some residents, sample good local cuisine and get a sense of what it is like to live there.

China's Great Wall is an elevated highway, although sometimes a disintegrating one. Where it crumbles, there is the most freedom for hikers to maneuver freely.

Places in Japan and South Korea to celebrate the bloom.

The cherry blossom, or sakura, has been a cultural hallmark in Japanese art and literature for centuries, and the fun associated with the two weeks of hanami -- flower viewing -- season has become a U.S. custom, too.

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Yokohama houses two unique museums dedicated to the noodle that changed it all: the Shinyokohama Raumen Museum and The Cup Noodle Museum.

Ahead of the band’s 40th anniversary world tour, hot KISS buns hit store shelves at Circle K and Sunkus convenience stores throughout Japan on Feb. 27.

No more than a 10-minute walk from the west side of Shinjuku Station is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, home to not only the Tokyo Metropolitan Government headquarters, but also two of the city’s most popular observation decks.

An exhibit of artifacts and photographs at the East-West Center Gallery in Honolulu offers a glimpse of two minority groups, the Rai and Tamang, who live in the remote mountains of Nepal.

Despite its opulence, Kinkaku-ji is perhaps the greatest symbol of Japanese culture, modest magnificence and beauty.

There’s a place that brings the beautiful ocean off Okinawa indoors: the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium at Ocean Expo Park in Motobu.

Big fish, spectacular scenery and clear waters have made New Zealand, particularly the South Island, a bucket-list destination for diehard trout anglers.

Although Tasmania is better associated with a spinning cartoon character, it’s also prime whiskey-making territory, well worthy of a sipping trip.

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During WWII, hundreds of Japanese-Americans — most of them second-generation immigrants — served in the U.S. Military Intelligence Service, acting as translators, interrogators and spies.

The islands of Vanuatu offer unspoiled tropical landscapes, friendly locals and a heritage that draws upon ancient Melanesian culture, colonial France and famed British explorer James Cook.

Japan’s whisky expertise gives U.S. servicemembers in the country an opportunity to try the whiskies at a fraction of what they cost as imports.

It’s true that Europe’s vast ski and snowboard options get the most publicity. But on the other side of the world, it’s not as if powder hounds in Japan and Korea are missing out on snow sports.

"We're on Fiji time here," said Manasa Ragigia, Yasawa's resident elder and the "Spokesman" at Bukama, the neighboring Fijian village. "You want to fish all day? Fish," he told us, mixing drinks at the sunset cocktail party. "You want to kayak or snorkel? Whatever you like, it's your choice."

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The Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters was the scene of extreme violence, where 5,000 sailors from the Former Imperial Japanese Navy under the command of Rear Adm. Minoru Ota made their last stand during the Battle of Okinawa at the tail end of World War II, many armed with only rudimentary spears.

Hanoi, Vietnam, is a study in contrasts, a bustling but laid-back city that has worked hard to become a tourist attraction based on French colonial influences that fuse with Southeast Asian tastes and traditions.

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For a glimpse of what Honolulu looked like 100 years ago, head to Chinatown, a roughly five-block square neighborhood in the heart of the city’s downtown.

South Korea’s hyper-efficient capital doesn’t immediately spring to mind when you think of exotic Asian destinations. But this mega-city offers much to tempt travelers.

Our quest was emblazoned on the T-shirts we were given before we left for Alaska: “8 men, 4 highways, 5 days, 865 miles.” On motorcycles.

After about four days of lying on the soothing sands of Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach, you might feel a yearning to get up and stretch your legs. If so, look to your left and in the distance soars the wall of the Diamond Head volcanic crater. In about an hour, you could be standing atop its crest looking down on all of Honolulu.

The State Department is advising caution for all U.S. citizens in Thailand, following the declaration of martial law throughout the country Tuesday.

On the North Shore of Kauai, the earth writhes like a topographer’s fever dream — 3,000-foot cliffs, plunging waterfalls, tangled green valleys and sharp, serrated ridgelines.

A history gallery in Okinawa City connects visitors with American servicemembers who once lived on the island and underwent the difficult times of post-World War II and the Vietnam War.

The beaches along the Gulf of Thailand have a renowned trio in Koh Samui, Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. Each has its own charms and attractions, and regular boat service makes it easy to travel among them.

My trip to the tiny Chinese gambling mecca of Macau, at the height of the Lunar New Year holiday on Feb. 3, was decidedly less glamorous than that of superspy James Bond in the movie "Skyfall."

There is nothing quite like the beauty of cherry blossom trees in bloom. Here's where to see them -- and experience the many festivals celebrating the bloom.

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The icy thud of booted footsteps buffalo through flurries of snow and ember as a group of torch-wielding men make their way toward a towering beech wood shrine.

The Space Available seats on the flight to Yokota were all gone, and several disappointed people were wheeling their luggage out of the Hickam terminal when the loudspeaker announced the check-in process was starting for the next plane departing the Hawaii base.

Nearly 300 pieces of artwork — produced by local senior citizens — were unveiled Jan. 8, 2014, at the Okinawa Prefectural Fine Art Museum as part of the annual Kariyushi Art Exhibit.

The fizzy lager that Americans, Japanese and most people outside of Europe long thought of as the catch-all definition of “beer” is a bit like insisting that plain chicken breast is the only suitable definition of “meat.”

A full account of ski areas that can be reached for a day or weekend trip from Tokyo would fill a large book. However, here are a few worth pondering.

Tucked inside a hangar behind one of this country’s best aviation museums is a sight few people get to see: The first aircraft to fly above Japan.

The 2013 Tokyo Motor Show is notable for what you’re less likely to find under several automakers’ brightest lights — a car running just on unleaded gasoline.

What would Okinawa be without the habu? The island’s indigenous pit vipers stalk sugarcane fields and tombs, wriggle into folklore and even flavor the local liquor. So, it might not come as a surprise the snakes also play a starring role at a theme park here.

From its air-conditioned mega malls to its colorful Hindu temples and the trinket-packed alleys of Chinatown, Singapore offers an almost dizzying breadth of sights and activities.

The Tokyo metropolitan area has about 36 million people, 160,000 restaurants, and at least 100 rail lines.

Melaka is a city defined by its mix of East and West, of mosques and churches and Taoist temples, that reflect the city’s colonial heritage as well as its past as a crossroads between Asia and Europe.

Two different online guides describe climbing Mount Fuji as "relatively easy to climb for most people" and requiring "little expertise or equipment." Don't let that deceive you. Hiking to the summit of Japan's iconic highest peak is truly an exciting, "bucket-list" achievement -- an experience that comes with breathtaking, unforgettable views and bragging rights.

Hikers who “go walkabout” in Australia’s Northern Territory often find themselves tramping down the land rather than climbing hills and mountains.

When I approached the taxi stand in front of Yangon International Airport after arriving in Myanmar recently for the first time, I asked the young attendant for a car with a meter.

At least 85,000 were killed March 10, 1945, when U.S. B-29 bombers began dropping incendiary bombs of jellied gasoline and magnesium on the dense and wooden metropolis of Tokyo. Since 2002, a little-known brick structure within the historical bomb zone represents the main archive for the Great Tokyo Air Raid.

They were little more than skeletons clad in rags, skin stretched over bone. The scars they bore told the story of some of Japan’s most brutal World War II prison camps: Formosa — or modern-day Taiwan.

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The home of Hawaii's drive-in Volcano has a lot more to offer than just beautiful beaches.

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Museums are often places for quiet reflection, studious observation and stone-faced self-education. But, at a popular museum in Suwon, South Korea, visitors frequently squat and giggle.

If you look up, keep your mouth closed. That is the first and perhaps most crucial piece of advice you will get from guides at one of the world’s longest navigable subterranean rivers, a half-submerged limestone cave located in a national park on the remote island of Palawan in the Philippines.

In today’s world, we rarely find time for ourselves, for our passions, as we hustle from one job to the next, commitment to commitment.

Don’t be “that guy.” No, I’m not talking about the U.S. military campaign against excessive drinking being waged via American Forces Network public service announcements.

The ocean is an awesomely big place with sea life that can make humans seem truly tiny by comparison. But unless you are an avid scuba diver, you probably are missing out on much of the ocean’s beauty and true scale.

How long does it take to get to the top of the Tokyo SkyTree? Sixty seconds by watching the video but much, much longer in real life, as this pictorial timeline shows.

Midway Atoll has been described as the "window" to the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument as the only site open to the public within the remote island chain. But that view is dimming with the federal budget crunch, a more than $1 million budget shortfall and a decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to shut down ecotourism.

A day at Yasukuni Shrine — on its grounds and at the accompanying military museum — offers a surprisingly in-depth perspective to both the ceremonial beauty of Japan and the former imperial aggression of a now peaceful nation.

If you enjoy visiting lush forested mountains, clear blue rivers and a rugged gorge, then a day trip to Shosenkyo Valley in Yamanashi prefecture should be in your future.

Looking for something to do this fall in South Korea? These six festivals offer something different, unique and in one case tasty for those who attend.

There’s nothing like getting information from the best of sources. When it comes to cutting costs while traveling, Pauline Frommer is one of the most trusted names in the travel industry. I heard her speak at a recent Travel and Adventure show in Washington, D.C. Her topic: Saving and splurging when traveling. This is a topic that held my attention. I love traveling, but I’m often intimidated by the cost. Flight, hotel, food and activities — the first two alone can quickly consume the most generous of budgets.

If you have only 48 hours in Thailand’s bewitching, bewildering and sometimes quite bonkers City of Angels, here are the major visitor highlights:

In the shade of ancient branches that extended from the shore and hung low over the murky water, two young lovers kissed, flanked by flowers and bright green river vegetation.

For more than a thousand years, the deer that roam this former imperial capital have been regarded as emissaries of the gods. Today, the deer of Nara are still considered sacred, and they have a clear message for the many visitors to this quiet, temple-strewn city: Feed us. Now.

Tsukiji reveals a different side of Tokyo. It’s blue collar, yes, but it’s more than that. It’s chaotic, noisy and seemingly a world apart from the stereotypically polite Japanese society.

“Lions and tigers and bears! Oh my!” That line from “The Wizard of Oz” came to mind as I looked out my car window and saw ferocious creatures staring straight at me like I was a dinner platter on wheels.

"Eat, Pray, Love" has had a huge impact on travel in Bali. But to truly enjoy the destination, travelers must look for treasures not in the book.

As I trudged through the jungle on the northern side of Ioujima island, I was on the lookout for monkeys.

On June 29, 1945, American fighters launched a raid on the Sasebo Naval District, an expansive base on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. The Japanese defenders fired more than 600 artillery rounds from 13 air defense posts and 167 rounds from three heavy machine guns. They felled four American aircraft but were ultimately unable to stave off the attack.

Rich in folklore and ancient Korean history, Buraksan Hiking Preserve in Songtan — about two miles southeast from Osan Air Base’s Main Gate — has year-round natural delights. It’s an overall easy hike, especially the well-trodden first half (officially two stars out of five in difficulty). You can cycle the trails with a mountain bike, too.

A weekend road trip showcases the beauty of Kyushu and provides a perfect sendoff for a group of servicemembers moving on from Sasebo.

Catching space-available flights around the world should be a little easier for military travelers this summer if they use Facebook.

Got a few days and a few dollars? Keep to your budget by considering these ideas, which include climbing Diamond Head, visiting Pearl Harbor and eating shaved ice.