What happens on the mountain doesn't stay on the mountain
A few days ago, snow finally fell on Mount Fuji.
This might not sound like big news.
After all, pretty much every image of Japan’s tallest mountain you have ever seen depicts it with a snow-cap.
(And yes, there are lots of Mount Fuji images out there - few things in Japan have inspired as many artworks as this peak.)
But Mount Fuji has just gone through its longest period without snow since records began 130 years ago.
That quirky fact came up during a recent conversation about life as a travel writer.
Someone asked me how I reconciled my career with my concern for sustainability.
I understood the point he was making.
We all know that air travel is a major contributor to climate change.
But not everyone who reads a travel section is racking up countless frequent flyer miles.
The regular readership includes plenty of armchair travellers who love reading about places they will probably never see.
And for those who are planning a trip, today’s travel sections highlight plenty of operators putting sustainability first, alongside advice on how to lower your own impact.
That includes everything from swapping planes for trains to staying longer in one destination rather than hop-scotching across a continent.
How we travel makes a difference.
I’m also keenly aware that if we all stopped travelling tomorrow, it would be great for the planet but terrible for society - and I’m not just talking about those countries that depend on the tourist dollar.
Leisure travel has broadened our horizons.
It has helped us appreciate people and places that are far away.
It’s hard to care about icebergs melting in Antarctica or snow disappearing from Mount Fuji if you don’t have any conception of what those places are like.
And that’s one of the beauties of travel.
It connects us – with the wider world, and with each other.
And I would hate to see that disappear.
One more thing
Bling it on! At New York’s American Natural History Museum, the dazzling Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry charts the evolution of rap’s most eye-catching accessories from the oversized gold chains of the 1980s to the intricate diamond-studded works sported by the likes of the Notorious B.I.G, Erykah Badu, Tyler, the Creator, and A$AP Rocky, who loved this Lego piece. On until January 5, 2025.