Ponytail Journal

It’s that time of the year again, and in Hong Kong that means fake snow and ridiculously lavish mall installations. While the high-street brands adorn their plastic mannequins with the anointed sequined dress of the season, we’ve done a little Ponytail round-up of Hong Kong’s homegrown stores that are anything but fake. It’s only natural that when you find people and projects so dedicated to their craft, they only need to whisper to be heard.

Come on a wild ride with Eric and Kiro through their favourite digs, eats, party times, and treats of the big apple.

Our gal Rosie follows her nose through the charming city of Luang Prabang, the old capital of Laos that lies in a valley at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers.

In Hong Kong, the cool air of autumn also marks the start of hiking season. This city is known for its high-rise buildings and tightly packed business districts, but can be delightfully surprising once you cross the boundaries that distinguish the urban jungle and well, the real jungle. Today, we’ll explore the best kept secret in the saltiest side of Hong Kong: Mount Davis.

This week Anne travels by rail around the island of Shikoku to explore the land of udon, intricate feudal castles, and her favourite fruit – the prized yuzu.

On the yearly vintage run to LA, Kapital designer Kiro Hirata starts the hunt for inspiration for his ever wild mens and women’s collections. He joins his buddy Eric Kvatek who has been shooting Kapital’s cult catalogue for over 2 decades to scour, drink, ride, roll, and side-step their way through the bountiful world of American vintage. ’Take it from here Eric

This summer, Lauren took the Yoox team to one of her favourite secluded islands in the Gulf of Thailand to show them what the tastiest, funnest, dreamiest vacation can be.

The ancient kingdom of Ayutthaya, the previous capital of Thailand, is a day trip away from Bangkok and a soulful place to visit. If you’re planning to go, you may have already scoured through the millions of travel guides, Lonely Planet advice, and perhaps even Wiki-ed it, but let us show you what makes it so special.

El Nido is living proof that marine life has the ability bounce back in diversity and beauty from nothing thanks to blast fishing that wipes out entire coral reefs and all of its inhabitants. So our travel guru Anne Berry takes us with her on a kayak journey through the set of pristine islands - come along with her

While in Sydney last, we went fishing with Matt Rees of marine research group, ’Fish Thinkers’ to understand more about how we should be moving towards a foraged bait system when we go fishing. We fished for luderick that day using floats and some stinky weed bait, and you can learn how to do it yourself here too.

The hokuriku shinkansen between Tokyo and Kanazawa has opened a door for those wary of the long hours and unnecessary stops accompanied with train travel. This week, Ponytail correspondent Anne Berry takes you on a detour through the chilly calm of the Hida Region, and the salty winds of the Kanazawa coast.

This week we welcome the world’s pearls of wisdom into the Kingdom of Thailand for the 2015 One Young World summit, an organisation that voices young peace makers, environmentalists, sustainable business advocates, and delegates of equality on a global stage. It comes at a time where the world is seeking freedom, comfort, answers, and guidance after recent terror attacks and the overwhelming number of refugees seeking hope, yet the message is simple: live life with the freedom that we are entitled to.