It seems a long drive down the valley that we came up by Shinano train only the day before, the Kiso river snaking below us in a hurry to get down to the open sea. To borrow a line from ‘Out of Africa’ – ‘This water lives in Nagoya’ and is eager to get home.…

I have always felt quite at home in an aeroplane. It’s one of those times when you feel no guilt at doing absolutely nothing except stare dreamily out of the window, take your shoes off, and drink champagne. That is until I was on my latest South African visit and spending a night at the…