Sébastien Duval

39℃ even in Siberia's neighbour #Hokkaido Japanese prefecture last week 🌡️ Farmers & winemakers feeling #ClimateChange started cultivating Pinot Noir grapes and producing #wine in new areas 🍇🍷

41.8℃ for the first time ever in #Japan today (Isesaki, Gunma) with Japan Meteorological Agency heatstroke alerts for 44/47 prefectures 🌡️ 39℃ on my balcony in #Tokyo #Machida this afternoon, still 31℃ at 21:00, 29℃ minimum forecast! Let's hydrate often, ingest salt, and stay indoors! #ClimateCrisis

New rules force companies in Japan to address heatstroke crisis - The Mainichi TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Companies in Japan are now required to take steps to protect their employees against heatstroke, with the government imposing new rul

#Japan strives to remain safe! New labour law prevents heatstrokes at workplaces (2024: 31 deaths) with fines & jail. Heartfelt: doctors said a guide friend was 1 hour away from dying… Take good care of yourself & colleagues 🌡️ mainichi.jp/english/arti... #ClimateCrisis

Bird on a branch with cherry blossoms and a pure blue sky in Japan

Gorgeous #vegan #JapanTravel with @miyokoschinner.bsky.social: wasabi & tea plantations, #CherryBlossoms (warm/cool coasts + mountain/sea levels for the right warmth), places I recommended… Early-bird tour discount: 89,000 yen (= 520 euros = 600 dollars) 🧵4/ en.tours.japantravel.com/tours/packag...

Giving Back and Exploring Tanzania with Miyoko Schinner Embark on an inspiring 14-day, 13-night journey with Still Waters Safaris, a distinguished women-owned safari company Tanzania, on this exclusive “Giving Back and Exploring Tanzania with Miyoko Schinn...

Breathtaking #Tanzania tour with @miyokoschinner.bsky.social: female-led #CrueltyFree #safari in Serengeti National Park (@unesco.org said its annual migration is one of the world's most impressive natural events), orphanage visit, local vegan cooking…🧵3/ www.stillwaterssafaris.co.tz/trip/giving-...

Vegan Tour of South India — Ahimsa Travel Club A Vegan Tour of India exploring indigenous vegan food, Ayurveda and sustainability with Miyoko Schinner.

Enlightening #India tour with @miyokoschinner.bsky.social: animal rehabilitation centre, fresh farm-to-table #Ayurvedic recipes, local beliefs… #Bengaluru tops Indian cities for vegans according to @peta.org and #TamilNadu is #LGBTQ progressive 🧵2/ www.escapeto.in/vegan-south-...

Miyoko Schinner and me in Japan

Forbes-featured activist, award-winning chef @miyokoschinner.bsky.social will lead new #VeganTravel in #Asia & #Africa in 2026. She inspired me when I guided her lovely 2025 group in Japan. I'm honoured to support her again for human health, animal welfare… Join us 🙂🧵1/ www.miyokoschinner.com/travel

Starry sky during a night tour organized by the hotel.

Sunrise above the clouds from the terrace of the hotel.

Sea of clouds from the terrace of the hotel.

Private open-air bath with view of the highlands at the hotel.

Refreshed & reinvigorated by my weekend in #UtsukushiGaHara Highlands 🙂 Mountain top, ginger miso, night deer & stars tour, sea-of-clouds sunrise, private open-air bath, flowers & bugs hiking, open-air art, lovely staff… I'd love to stay there in winter too 🧵 1/ #Nature #美ヶ原高原

#French tourists value freshness, quality, storytelling, and uniqueness e.g. food aged & dried using volcanic ashes powerfully matching #Japan volcanic identity 🌋 Sheer novelty may lead to visits at a #volcano and production centre, and to gifts to foodie relatives, cook friends, Japanophiles… 🧵3

I explored familiarity (France produces wakame/nori), consumption (fresh/can/frozen + cooking styles), markets (first-time + repeat + adventurous foodies), seasonality, health/luxury/celebratory perception, awards, sensory appeal, variations e.g. tempura/topping, cooking classes, visits, gifts… 🧵2

Thrilled to support a #JapanTravel colleague as a #food advisor to unlock new culinary experiences and revitalize the #Tohoku region economy through international tourism 💹 I evaluated 70 spots from a French traveller's perspective, based on my expertise, French institute data, and French news 🧵1

Stunned to discover volcanic ash #soap in a lovely reusable box at #Kagoshima Yurakukan #AntennaShop in #Tokyo! From 400,000+ y.o. white ash of Sakurajima volcano, it perfectly showcases #Japan volcanism beyond hot springs 🌋 I bought the olive, tea, and mint ones! #Unboxing #MadeInJapan shihaku.jp

To inform my tourism recommendations for partners & officials, I dived into the Japanese brochures and hundreds of webpages on #Nansatsu to curate top spots, activities & foods in Google Sheets. I'll ask locals to help find interesting people, awards, vegan options, and story hooks. 🧵5 #consulting

Two bottles of Ibusuki onsen cider with price.

Cup of Satsuma ware made in Nansatsu, with its characteristic surface cracks

I've not yet visited the area so my second action was to explore #Kagoshima Yurakukan, regional specialty store in #Tokyo: #Ibusuki onsen "cider", Satsuma ware made in #Nansatsu, brochures about each city… The staff kindly gave me tips for my business trip and local luxury travel 👍 🧵4 #AntennaShop

My first action was to contact my LinkedIn network on #Kyushu, island of Nansatsu. Travel agents/writers/photographers admitted they'd missed #Nansatsu. It seems a hidden gem even for regional pros! Some proposed to collaborate, and a #VisitKyushu Tourism Organization manager shared useful tips 🧵 3/

Stark challenge: #Nansatsu population halved since 1950! Its 4 cities are #Ibusuki 67,977→39,011, #Makurazaki 34,480→20,033, #MinamiKyushu 82,021→33,080, and #MinamiSatsuma 89,852→32,887. Officials thus strive to attract some of Japan's foreign tourists (37 millions in 2024 maybe 40 in 2025?). 🧵 2/

Grateful & thrilled to support a #JapanTravel colleague who chose me for consulting to fight depopulation and boost the economy in off-the-beaten-path #Kagoshima #Nansatsu. We'll visit soon 🙂 Stay tuned for info/photos and let me know if you visited the land of #JamesBond "You Only Live Twice"! 🧵 1/

Two packs of curry of the future. Brown chicken pack on the left, green vegan pack on the right. The blue and red character with many eyes is the official mascot of the 2025 World Expo.

Tasty surprise! I stumbled upon World #Expo2025 ミライカレー "curry of the future" at my countryside Aeon supermarket 🍛 Some omnivores prefer #vegan (green) to chicken packs! Containing banana, tomato, ginger, garlic, onion, soy, wheat… Living in #Japan? Taste it for ¥648 = €3.8 = $4.4!

Catching up work all June made me feel useless (overflow from May as VIP guide + World Expo staff + …). My spirits are up as colleagues requested me as the consultant for a 9-month project, 9-day guide for a key client (future contracts in play), and 12-day guide for a client with delicate beliefs 🙂

Illustration of a celestial maiden dancing for a human

Saturday 09 August in #Osaka — The performances & workshop in English at Choyo Kaikan Noh Stage will let you observe #Noh mask-making (rare!), experience #Kyogen laughter/tears/movements, and wear Kyogen & Noh masks 🎭 Expect Kani Yamabushi "The Crab" comic play then Hagoromo heavenly dance 🧵 4/

Illustration of two samurai killing a giant spider

Sunday 03 August in #Osaka — The #Noh workshop at Yamamoto Noh Theater will introduce origins, history… in English, and will let you wear masks & costumes as well as play #music 🎵 Expect a fearsome spider projecting "web" onto #DemonSlayers (#Tsuchigumo Ground Spider play) 🕷️ 🧵 3/

Poster

I'm glad my work leads me to support Noh during the World #Expo2025 in Osaka. @unesco.org designated #Noh an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as the oldest major #theatre art still regularly performed (since the 8th century)! Check it out if you enjoy authentic #JapaneseCulture 🧵 2/

#Noh performances on the ship (weekend 26-27 July) will follow the 1,000 y.o. Tenjin Festival (Top 3 #Japan matsuri)! Its ship was used that way only once as prelude to the World Expo 🚣 Be ready for a fearsome spider projecting "web" onto demon slayers during Tsuchigumo "Ground Spider" play 🕷️ 🧵 2/

Osaka Noh Festa 2025 - Events in Osaka The organizers provide a rare opportunity for foreign visitors and residents to experience Noh in various forms, notably with the "Noh Boat Performance" as a symbol of Osaka's nickname, "Aqua Matropol...

The 8 events of #Osaka Noh Festa 2025 include exclusive backstage tours and Noh-on-ship experiences organised by #Japan Arts Council and Agency for Cultural Affairs 🎭 #Theatre & workshop tickets from 5,000 yen (35 dollars = 30 euros) until October 🧵 1/ en.japantravel.com/permalink/70...

Appetizers plate

Sushi selection

Soybean meat wrapped in radish. So refreshing in summer!

Edamame tofu topped with fig and shiso flowers, in sesame sauce

Work! Tasting Kigi restaurant's cute/textured appetizers & #sushi for 2026 #JapanTravel #VeganTour With @miyokoschinner.bsky.social 🙂 Organic, local (Tokyo + 80km), #BCorp, #FoodMadeGood sustainable standard… 💡 Saké/shochu/juice pairings, chef's homeland Kyushu dish, kabuki? #VeganJapan #VeganTokyo

Stunning dragon fruit #ramen 🍜 Soup-less cold noodles in spicy black sesame sauce with savoury soymeat miso, broccoli, eggplant, coriander, balsamic sauce… Perfect when exhausted by heat! #Vegan summer dish launched today, tasted on my way home at T's Tantan #Tokyo Station.

#VeganJapan #VeganTokyo

Chicken tartar burger, with vegetation in the background

Impressive #PlantBased egg-like filling for this big & tasty "chicken tartar" burger at Komeda Is Higashi-Ginza 🍔 Sweet & sour sauce accompanies the soy meat… with good fries! Despite summer heat in Tokyo, I felt comfy in this restaurant with blinds and air-conditioning 👍🏻 #VeganJapan #VeganTokyo

Great views from the balcony, restaurants, bars, and rooms at Fairmont #Tokyo hotel. I shall return during an evening: the humid summer whitens daytime views, #Odaiba and its Rainbow Bridge are splendidly illuminated after sunset, and the Tokyo Tower is visible from another angle 🧵 4/

Me with smiley Céline

I met the CHO (Chief #Happiness Officer) of Fairmont #Tokyo hotel 🐕 Go say Hello to this friendly 1 y.o. #dog called Céline when you stay there 🙂🧵 3/

World-famous Kodo drumming troupe closed the opening ceremony at Fairmont #Tokyo hotel with #taiko Japanese drums and a flute🧵 2/

#Music