Did you think there were only Seven Wonders in the world? Years of traveling have convinced me that there are at least a thousand times more. Quirky people, hilarious situations, breathtaking views and sites, inspiring ideas.

The innate magic of fire - the most aggressive and immediate of the Five Elements - that alternately overwhelms and hypnotizes people is what must be responsible for Omizutori's never abating popularity spanning well over a millennium.

“Naramachi” literally translates as “Nara Town”, and it's a Japanese version of an Open-Air Museum, “Japanese” being equivalent to “original”.

It's that uncanny objectivity - in a situation that is screaming for anything but - that turns the Diary Exhibition into the most stunning and overwhelming experience of the whole Memorial Park.