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Now on BBC News - The Travel Show. | 0:00:00 | 0:00:03 | |
Coming up on this week 's Travel
Show. I dress up and hit the road | 0:00:14 | 0:00:20 | |
here in Japan. We are going through
the most fashionable part of Tokyo | 0:00:20 | 0:00:24 | |
and I am dressed as a Thomas. --
plumber. Lucy gets the lowdown on | 0:00:24 | 0:00:33 | |
travelling without too much plastic.
And we meet a woman who was all | 0:00:33 | 0:00:38 | |
alone in America's smallest town.
Everybody else has either passed | 0:00:38 | 0:00:43 | |
away all moved away and this is
where I chose to stay. -- or. | 0:00:43 | 0:00:48 | |
We are starting this week in Japan,
the home of video gaming. It is hard | 0:01:19 | 0:01:25 | |
to believe that it's a full 40 years
since the space invaders game was | 0:01:25 | 0:01:30 | |
invented here and recently, Tokyo's
sobriquet that anniversary of a | 0:01:30 | 0:01:34 | |
special exhibition and giant video
wall, where today's generation of | 0:01:34 | 0:01:38 | |
gamers can test their retro skills.
But space invaders isn't the only | 0:01:38 | 0:01:42 | |
iconic and to have been created here
in Japan. -- videogame. Tucked away | 0:01:42 | 0:01:49 | |
in the backstreets of sugar year,
just five minutes from the famous | 0:01:49 | 0:01:53 | |
crossing, I have come to find a
guided tour with a different. -- | 0:01:53 | 0:01:57 | |
difference. I guess the best way to
describe what I am about to | 0:01:57 | 0:02:08 | |
experience is a self drive videogame
simulation with some sightseeing | 0:02:08 | 0:02:12 | |
thrown in. Welcome to Mario Kart,
nice to meet you! | 0:02:12 | 0:02:21 | |
This brings back memories from my
childhood. Yoshi, Luigi and Mario. | 0:02:25 | 0:02:31 | |
It has got to be Mario. How do I
look? I feel like Michelle and | 0:02:31 | 0:02:38 | |
Mario. -- Michelin. We have the key
that starts the engine. These | 0:02:38 | 0:02:45 | |
go-kart tours have been run, taking
in the many tourist attractions for | 0:02:45 | 0:02:51 | |
several years now and to take part
you firstly to show your ID and | 0:02:51 | 0:02:55 | |
drivers licence from your home
country. Then there is a compulsory | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
safety briefing. When driving,
always one straight line OK? If the | 0:02:58 | 0:03:04 | |
tour guide does one, it means it you
just stop in one straight line. OK? | 0:03:04 | 0:03:11 | |
If the tour guide does two. Recently
come up behind, same lane, always | 0:03:11 | 0:03:17 | |
the same lane, side by side. See the
two go-karts behind me there are? | 0:03:17 | 0:03:23 | |
They are side-by-side and nice and
close, that is the stopping | 0:03:23 | 0:03:26 | |
formation we want to see when the
tour guide does two. Two, four, six. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:32 | |
Is it possible to stall it? It is
impossible. It is automatic. At the | 0:03:32 | 0:03:37 | |
beginning the engine can be a bit
cold so before we depart it might | 0:03:37 | 0:03:42 | |
cut out, you just start it began. --
began. There is lots to think about, | 0:03:42 | 0:03:49 | |
like how to drive the car for a
start and I feel exposed being so | 0:03:49 | 0:03:54 | |
alone -- lo, then I have to think
about formations? Oh my gosh. I am | 0:03:54 | 0:03:59 | |
not the best driver, you know, right
now this costume is the least of my | 0:03:59 | 0:04:05 | |
worries. I have got my foot on the
brake. Where is the key? John, where | 0:04:05 | 0:04:16 | |
is the key? LAUGHTER | 0:04:16 | 0:04:25 | |
brake. Where is the key? John, where
is the key? LAUGHTER. This is | 0:04:25 | 0:04:25 | |
ridiculous! Oh my god. Even though
it is a Sunday morning and the | 0:04:25 | 0:04:41 | |
traffic is light, it takes a while
to get used to driving a vehicle | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
that feels so low and exposed.
Slightly vulnerable, but I think I | 0:04:45 | 0:04:52 | |
am getting the hang of driving this
car now. Oh my god. Do you see how | 0:04:52 | 0:04:57 | |
close I came to a taxi? We are going
through the most fashionable part of | 0:04:57 | 0:05:09 | |
Tokyo and I am dressed as a fact, | 0:05:09 | 0:05:11 | |
through the most fashionable part of
Tokyo and I am dressed as a fact,. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:16 | |
-- fact Thomas. Little chance of
anybody wanting to copy my outfit | 0:05:16 | 0:05:19 | |
but Nintendo are reportedly unhappy
with their trademarks being used by | 0:05:19 | 0:05:24 | |
the twos. There has been talk of
legal action but the subtle name | 0:05:24 | 0:05:31 | |
change from Mar Sue Maricar and the
inclusion of other characters seems | 0:05:31 | 0:05:37 | |
to be keeping the lawyers at bay. We
are coming up to the crossing. Oh my | 0:05:37 | 0:05:49 | |
goodness. Oh my gosh, I can't
believe we are going through the | 0:05:49 | 0:05:56 | |
crossing! Although some of Tokyo's
taxidrivers say that they can be | 0:05:56 | 0:06:06 | |
disruptive and dangerous. Johnny
tells me that he has supervised over | 0:06:06 | 0:06:12 | |
2002 is without any serious
accidents. But several cab drivers | 0:06:12 | 0:06:15 | |
we met still had concerns. | 0:06:15 | 0:06:19 | |
Last year, a record number of almost
29 million people came to Japan and | 0:06:46 | 0:06:52 | |
as Tokyo gears up to host the
would-be games in two years time, | 0:06:52 | 0:06:56 | |
the authorities are keen to see the
Maricar tours continue, but they are | 0:06:56 | 0:07:01 | |
looking into how safe they are. | 0:07:01 | 0:07:03 | |
New regulations now mean that
modifications will have to be made | 0:07:31 | 0:07:35 | |
to the go-kart and it is hoped that
repositioning taillights and better | 0:07:35 | 0:07:39 | |
back and head protection and
mudguards will provide safety for | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
other road users and pedestrians.
Tokyo is such a hotbed of trends and | 0:07:43 | 0:07:51 | |
innovation and as the birthplace of
idiot games, it would be ashamed to | 0:07:51 | 0:07:56 | |
see an end to these tours are. Hope
the new safety regulations will help | 0:07:56 | 0:07:59 | |
keep them on the road here. That was
so much fun! I really had a good | 0:07:59 | 0:08:04 | |
time. Once I started to relax and
got used to driving this car it was | 0:08:04 | 0:08:10 | |
crazy, I can't believe they let you
drive this on the streets of Tokyo. | 0:08:10 | 0:08:13 | |
I really felt like I was in a video
game that most of the time. It was | 0:08:13 | 0:08:18 | |
crazy and I was so close to cars, so
low down. That it was really fun and | 0:08:18 | 0:08:23 | |
I felt like a celebrity, everyone
was waiting at you, it was a great | 0:08:23 | 0:08:27 | |
way to see the city. -- waving. | 0:08:27 | 0:08:31 | |
And if you're thinking of heading to
Tokyo any time soon. Here is the | 0:08:42 | 0:08:47 | |
travel show guide and other things
you can see or do. Public transport | 0:08:47 | 0:08:55 | |
here in Tokyo is clean, efficient
and easy to use, with signs in | 0:08:55 | 0:08:59 | |
Japanese and English on all trains,
stations and us as. But if you find | 0:08:59 | 0:09:04 | |
a language barrier and issue, there
are now plenty of reliable | 0:09:04 | 0:09:07 | |
translation at speed can download to
your smartphone. If you are flying | 0:09:07 | 0:09:12 | |
to all from Narita, one tip worth
remembering is not to take a cab | 0:09:12 | 0:09:19 | |
because the cost can be I watering,
so jump on board one of the regular | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
trains that run between the airport
and the city centre in stead. The | 0:09:23 | 0:09:34 | |
end of March and the start of April
at peak times for travel in Japan as | 0:09:34 | 0:09:38 | |
locals and terrorist two flock to
see the start of spring and the | 0:09:38 | 0:09:42 | |
burst of colour brought in by the
annual cherry blossom season. -- | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
tourists. In Tokyo, one of the best
places to take it in is a national | 0:09:46 | 0:09:52 | |
garden which is a short walk away
from Shinjuku Station. One piece of | 0:09:52 | 0:09:59 | |
good news for travellers is that
nobody here in Japan expects you to | 0:09:59 | 0:10:03 | |
leave a tip, providing good service
in Japan is all part of the code of | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
hospitality. So there is no need to
give your waiter, taxi driver or | 0:10:08 | 0:10:13 | |
porter anything other than what it
says on the bill. If you do there is | 0:10:13 | 0:10:18 | |
every chance they might run after
you to return the tip. And if you | 0:10:18 | 0:10:26 | |
are looking for something a little
different when it comes to taking | 0:10:26 | 0:10:30 | |
travel pics, once you have visited
all the usual tourist sites in | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
Tokyo, why not head to nearby
Yokohama or Kawaski, could jump upon | 0:10:33 | 0:10:40 | |
a night cruise. Picking atmospheric
photos of plants, which translates | 0:10:40 | 0:10:52 | |
to factory passion, is growing study
join in and you'll go home some | 0:10:52 | 0:10:56 | |
striking pictures that are a world
away from the usual cherry blossom | 0:10:56 | 0:10:59 | |
and kimonos that. -- snaps. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
Stay tuned to the travel show
because coming up after the break: | 0:11:34 | 0:11:42 | |
Lucy is here with some tips on how
to travel the planet without using | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
too much plastic. And we met the
woman in America who has a town all | 0:11:46 | 0:11:51 | |
to herself. I am the May at and I am
the town board basically, but then I | 0:11:51 | 0:11:59 | |
do worry about elections because
there is not much competition. So | 0:11:59 | 0:12:02 | |
they go away. -- don't go away. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:07 | |
We have been hearing a lot in the
news lately about sustainability and | 0:12:17 | 0:12:23 | |
coffee cup recycling schemes, but
being green when you travel can be | 0:12:23 | 0:12:28 | |
tricky. Disposable water bottles
like this are easy to feel at home | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
without a second thought, but what
if you are in a new and unfamiliar | 0:12:31 | 0:12:35 | |
city? Weed you go to get clean and
free water? Some places around the | 0:12:35 | 0:12:40 | |
world I try to tackle the issue by
providing more drinking water with | 0:12:40 | 0:12:45 | |
the hope of cutting down on single
use bottles thrown away. Travelling | 0:12:45 | 0:12:49 | |
internationally it is worth firing
up the Wetap app. I really like the | 0:12:49 | 0:12:58 | |
fact that it is community-based, so
if you stubble across a drinking | 0:12:58 | 0:13:02 | |
fountain that isn't identified, you
simply tap this button here and add | 0:13:02 | 0:13:05 | |
it to the platform. In London, a
network of tricking points is being | 0:13:05 | 0:13:09 | |
rolled out in summer. Here in
Borough Market, new fountains are | 0:13:09 | 0:13:14 | |
already up and running and rather
than a civil use disposable bottle, | 0:13:14 | 0:13:17 | |
I have got this to try out the. This
what bottle connects to a app on | 0:13:17 | 0:13:24 | |
your phone via Bluetooth. Once you
are connected, a sensor is able to | 0:13:24 | 0:13:28 | |
detect how much water you are
drinking. You can set daily goals | 0:13:28 | 0:13:32 | |
based on information and it will
glow to give you a gentle reminder | 0:13:32 | 0:13:35 | |
when it is time to hydrate. However,
in order for it to keep tabs on how | 0:13:35 | 0:13:40 | |
much you are drinking it needs to be
placed on a flat surface every time | 0:13:40 | 0:13:44 | |
you take a swig. Great if you are at
their desk, not so much if you are | 0:13:44 | 0:13:49 | |
at the gym or on the move. I like
that you can tell it where you are | 0:13:49 | 0:13:53 | |
in the world, if you are in a hot
country it will increase in our | 0:13:53 | 0:13:58 | |
times he tells you to ring. It is
not just cutting down on plastic | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
bottles that will reduce your carbon
footprint. I popped in to see Andrew | 0:14:01 | 0:14:06 | |
to talk about some friendly apps for
my next trip. One I would recommend | 0:14:06 | 0:14:11 | |
is going on Green Globe, it has
results, and attractions that are | 0:14:11 | 0:14:17 | |
eco- friendly. Is a pretty extensive
list, P on Jamaica. To be in Jamaica | 0:14:17 | 0:14:24 | |
right now! You can see there is a
list of all of the different ones | 0:14:24 | 0:14:29 | |
here. Quite a lot of resorts.
Different resorts, you tap on the | 0:14:29 | 0:14:33 | |
ones you are interested in and you
tap on it and also what it does to | 0:14:33 | 0:14:38 | |
help the environment. The next one
is Olio. I have heard a lot. It is | 0:14:38 | 0:14:46 | |
supercool, it is great if you are
travelling or not. It is all about | 0:14:46 | 0:14:50 | |
reducing food waste. And so it means
that you can give away through that | 0:14:50 | 0:14:55 | |
you don't need, but also get through
that people are giving away. If you | 0:14:55 | 0:14:59 | |
are planning a trip and you look in
your fridge and you are like a have | 0:14:59 | 0:15:03 | |
got a carton of milk and a fruit
role of fruit and it will go to | 0:15:03 | 0:15:08 | |
waste. Put it on the app and
somebody will let it. The other way | 0:15:08 | 0:15:11 | |
round is that if you are in a city
and you don't really want to pay for | 0:15:11 | 0:15:16 | |
a meal or whatever, you look under
the act and see who is giving away | 0:15:16 | 0:15:20 | |
food. The last one I would recommend
is Spinlister, think of it as a B&B | 0:15:20 | 0:15:26 | |
but for bikes in your local area
that you can hire. I have searched | 0:15:26 | 0:15:30 | |
Los Angeles and you search your
local area and find what is | 0:15:30 | 0:15:33 | |
available and so there are road
bikes, mountain bikes, they do surf | 0:15:33 | 0:15:37 | |
gear, ski gear, all sorts of stuff.
It usually works out less than | 0:15:37 | 0:15:43 | |
around $20 a day and it is much
cheaper than getting taxis | 0:15:43 | 0:15:46 | |
everywhere and you are eco- friendly
because you are riding a bike. And | 0:15:46 | 0:15:51 | |
finally, if you can't start the day
without a caffeine fix even away on | 0:15:51 | 0:15:55 | |
holiday, then the pakito cup could
help. Reusable copycats are nothing | 0:15:55 | 0:16:02 | |
new and some offer a discount if you
bring your own. That it can be | 0:16:02 | 0:16:05 | |
annoying carrying those around. What
is great about the pakito is it | 0:16:05 | 0:16:09 | |
swishes down and extends to three
different sizes. It is a little | 0:16:09 | 0:16:13 | |
fiddly to pull out, but once fully
extended about a full-sized cup. | 0:16:13 | 0:16:17 | |
Regular Americano, please. | 0:16:17 | 0:16:25 | |
To finish this week, we're off to
the vast and rolling prairies of | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
midwest to meet a woman in Nebraska
who pays taxes to herself, runs the | 0:16:37 | 0:16:42 | |
only business in town and wins every
local election for mayor hands down | 0:16:42 | 0:16:48 | |
because she is the only person still
living there. That has made her | 0:16:48 | 0:16:53 | |
something of a tourist attraction in
her own right. I live here in Monowi | 0:16:53 | 0:17:07 | |
Nebraska. Everyone else has either
moved away or passed away. This is | 0:17:07 | 0:17:12 | |
where I chose to stay. My parents
moved to a farm about a quarter of a | 0:17:12 | 0:17:19 | |
mile out of town he when I was just
over a-year-old. For 14 years now I | 0:17:19 | 0:17:23 | |
have been here by myself. We get to
this corner and an over that way... | 0:17:23 | 0:17:32 | |
It looks like a rusty building
sitting in those trees. That was the | 0:17:32 | 0:17:37 | |
town jail at one time. These were
just family pictures we had taken. | 0:17:37 | 0:17:44 | |
My array of them here at is
immediate family. As a wedding | 0:17:44 | 0:17:48 | |
picture. This is my German
grandparents. And then this was a | 0:17:48 | 0:17:55 | |
family picture we had. That is me.
Basically all of us lived here in | 0:17:55 | 0:18:00 | |
Monowi at one time. I have a
daughter and a son. They have both | 0:18:00 | 0:18:06 | |
lived away ever since they got out
of school. People ask if they worry | 0:18:06 | 0:18:10 | |
about me and I say they do but they
also respect the fact that this is | 0:18:10 | 0:18:15 | |
what I want to do. The Post Office
and the little grocery store closed | 0:18:15 | 0:18:20 | |
at about the same time we bought
this in 71. So that put us into the | 0:18:20 | 0:18:25 | |
business. I open the Bharat Nayan.
Trucks come and salesmen come and | 0:18:25 | 0:18:35 | |
customers come and some people come
to visit and have a cup of coffee. | 0:18:35 | 0:18:41 | |
They leave messages for one another.
Their call to see if someone is | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
here. It is a harbour and I think
everyone feels welcome to come. | 0:18:45 | 0:18:51 | |
Everyone needs a place like that, I
guess, including myself. I needed | 0:18:51 | 0:18:57 | |
this type of vehicle to haul things
for work and what have you. I am the | 0:18:57 | 0:19:05 | |
only one who lives in town I thought
it would be great to show it off, I | 0:19:05 | 0:19:10 | |
guess. Monowi. I don't go anywhere
where people don't recognise me, | 0:19:10 | 0:19:16 | |
that's for certain. It was an active
church until the middle of the | 0:19:16 | 0:19:21 | |
1960s. I used to go to church on
Sunday school there. My father 's | 0:19:21 | 0:19:26 | |
funeral was the last funeral there
in March of 1960. This was broad | 0:19:26 | 0:19:31 | |
Street. In front of my bar. It was
laid out, there were houses all | 0:19:31 | 0:19:35 | |
around here. This is a new flag. It
has not been up for that long. It is | 0:19:35 | 0:19:43 | |
beautiful. Being as I am the only
one here in town there are other | 0:19:43 | 0:19:53 | |
responsibilities besides the bar. I
am the mayor. I am the town board, | 0:19:53 | 0:19:57 | |
basically. But I don't worry about
elections because there is not a lot | 0:19:57 | 0:20:02 | |
of competition. I kid about it but
if you're not within the city limits | 0:20:02 | 0:20:10 | |
you cannot vote. And here is the
library. He had accumulated looks. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:19 | |
He got put in here. He couldn't do
that they were put in for him. A | 0:20:19 | 0:20:26 | |
wall over their is a clerk that his
son made. I think it is a great | 0:20:26 | 0:20:34 | |
memorial to him because he was such
a book person. He would be so proud | 0:20:34 | 0:20:40 | |
of anybody who comes to borrow some.
The town of Monowi and I, to a | 0:20:40 | 0:20:52 | |
certain extent, we have become a
household word. I think people find | 0:20:52 | 0:20:59 | |
it interesting or fascinating or
something. I have people who have | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
been here from 47 of the states and
I have had from 41 or two foreign | 0:21:02 | 0:21:10 | |
countries. When you get to be 84
years old there is a comfort in | 0:21:10 | 0:21:14 | |
knowing everybody and around here
somebody is always checking on me | 0:21:14 | 0:21:19 | |
and looking after me. You know,
doing things for me. So I am kind of | 0:21:19 | 0:21:27 | |
spoiled because they keep track of
me and look after me. I don't have | 0:21:27 | 0:21:33 | |
any desire to live anywhere else. I
am perfectly happy right where I am | 0:21:33 | 0:21:39 | |
at right now. That is it for the
travel show this week. Coming up | 0:21:39 | 0:21:47 | |
next week... We look back at our
travels so far this year including | 0:21:47 | 0:21:55 | |
the time Henry headed to Australia.
And when Mike got this gentle | 0:21:55 | 0:22:05 | |
introduction to life. There
gunshots, there are sirens. There | 0:22:05 | 0:22:14 | |
are people crawling on the ground. I
don't know what is going on. I hope | 0:22:14 | 0:22:18 | |
you can join us for that. Don't
forget, if you want your followers | 0:22:18 | 0:22:23 | |
on the road in real time you can to
on social media. Until next time, | 0:22:23 | 0:22:27 | |
from all of us here in Tokyo, it is
goodbye. | 0:22:27 | 0:22:52 |