Asia from Hong Kong

Hong Kong is a “Special Administrative Region of China”. It comprises the island of the same name, 259 other islands in the South China Sea, as well as areas of the mainland around the Kowloon Peninsula and in the so-called “New Territories”. Although it was occupied by Chinese settlers as early as the 2nd millennium B.C., the region remained untouched by Chinese imperialism up until the 17th century when it was the setting for a conflict between the Ming and the Manchu dynasties. However it only acquired international interest in the 19th century with the Portuguese being the first Europeans to develop colonies and trade here, silk and tea being the most sought-after goods in Europe

Keelung (sometimes called Jilong) is a major port city in the north-eastern part of Taiwan. It borders Taipei County and forms the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area together with the City and County of Taipei.
Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and its important maritime role, the city is Taiwan’s second largest seaport (after Kaohsiung). Keelung is currently administered as a provincial city of Taiwan Province in the Republic of China. It has been suggested that the name Keelung was derived from the local mountain whose shape resembles a rooster cage. However, it is more probable that the name was derived from the first inhabitants of the region, like the names of many other Taiwanese cities. Indeed, the area’s earliest inhabitants were the Ketagalan people, and Ke-lâng was thus probably derived from Ketagalan.

Naha Port is located on Okinawa prefecture’s main island, situated 600 kilometers southwest of Japan in the middle of the East China Sea. The population of the prefecture is 1.3 million.
Okinawa consists of a few dozen small islands in the southern half of the Nansei Shoto, the island chain which stretches over about one thousand kilometers from Kyushu to Taiwan. Okinawa Prefecture is be divided into three major island groups, the Okinawa Islands (Okinawa Shoto) around Okinawa Island (Okinawa Honto), the Miyako Islands (Miyako Retto) around Miyako Island and the Yaeyama Islands (Yaeyama Retto) around Ishigaki Island. Okinawa’s climate is subtropical, with temperatures barely falling below 15 degrees in winter.

Kyushu’s southernmost prefecture contains the city of Kagoshima, overlooked by the majestic volcano of Sakurajima across the bay. Having earned a reputation as “the foremost metropolis of the south, full of graceful refinement and passionate vigor,” Kagoshima is a forward-looking international tourist destination. Its proximity to the Asian mainland and to the islands of the southern seas led Kagoshima to engage in early trade with the world, through the Ryukyu Islands.
In addition, it served as an essential gateway the reception of continental and western European culture. As early as the mid-16th century, Francisco Xavier arrived here to become the first person to introduce Christianity to Japan. In the mid-19th century, Kagoshima imported spinning machines from England and established the first Western-style spinning mill in Japan. Thus the shores of this area became the source of modern industrial civilization in our country.

Tokyo, Japan’s busy capital, mixes the ultramodern and the traditional, from neon-lit skyscrapers to historic temples. The opulent Meiji Shinto Shrine is known for its towering gate and surrounding woods. The Imperial Palace sits amid large public gardens. The city’s many museums offer exhibits ranging from classical art (in the Tokyo National Museum) to a reconstructed kabuki theater (in the Edo-Tokyo Museum).