Here I sit, watching the battery recharge on my new HD camera (less than an hour to go!), making final preparations for my trip to Hong Kong and Tokyo. For the purposes of keeping a travel diary of sorts – and keeping you all entertained, natch – I’m attempting my second foray into the wonderful world of blogging. Unlike the last blog which focused on the show and its various behind-the-scenes happenings, this one will adopt a more scattershot approach, covering a variety of topics in a half-ass manner, ensuring that anyone checking it out in search of any one thing will come away feeling wholly dissatisfied or, at the very least, somewhat disappointed.

That said, for the next couple of weeks, I’ll mostly be writing about my trip to Asia and the fantastic meals I’ll be enjoying along the way. Some people travel to experience the world and its various cultures. Others travel to learn more about themselves and discover their true priorities in life. I travel to eat – really, really, really well. And, to that end, I can’t think of two better places than Tokyo and Hong Kong, a couple of the cities that make up part of my holy trinity of dining destinations (Las Vegas being the third). Among the establishments topping my “To Visit” list are Ginza Miyachiku Restaurant (which, if you believe my friend Ena, offers a terrific “steak/fat-soaked toast cracker dessert! Crazy good!”), Jiyugoaka Sweets Forest (a dessert theme park in which Japan’s top chefs show off their signature creations), and Liu Yuan (for its famed crispy eel of course).

And if I can figure out how to do it (provided I can theoretically do it at all), I’ll include some pics to accompany the undoubtedly dry text to follow.

Joe