Second Life Destinations

Yesterday, Krys Vita, the designer and owner of the lovely and seasonal Kaleidoscope, announced that the sim will be closing its doors this weekend, mostly likely on Sunday afternoon. "I want to thank all of you for all of the support, love, laughs and pics you've given me — but, like all good things, it's time to close the doors to Kaleidoscope and find new exciting adventures," she posted in her notice on Flickr.
he sim was last featured in this blog when it was winter (read here), but now summer has arrived, and the sandy island is home to shady trees, cozy dwellings, quiet beaches and sea birds that drift overhead. It's a beautiful place to wander, feel the breeze, and to take in the panoramic views.

Shen Molinaro, designer of the recently blogged Suomi, has just completed a new sim, Tatakai Tochi (meaning Fight Land in Japanese), owned by Regina Mills (HeatherFury). The result is a stunning region that evokes the mountainous lands of rural Japan, with tremendous opportunities for photography.
Visitors arrive near the top of the rugged landscape, which hosts several small buildings and looks down through swirling flower petals and clouds to the land and seascape below. There is a way down: look for the windmill, and take the zigzag path nearby down to the ocean's edge, there following the wooden walkway that hugs the stones until reaching the valley floor. Here, a delightful display of floating lanterns awaits, and explorers can take a couple of different stone paths to continue their journeys. The lowland interior of the sim, often dotted with shrines or places of reflection, is filled with pastel trees in bloom, thick bamboo, and gently winding streams fed by high waterfalls.

I was drawn to Tatakai Tochi for two reasons. The first is that it features the work of Shen Molinaro. The second is that it offers an oriental theme, something guaranteed to attract my attention much like a moth to a flame:) . A homestead region held by Regina Mills, (heatherfury) Takakai Tochi literally means “land of flight”. In keeping with this name, it presents visitors with rugged highlands pushing their way into a misty sky, an early morning sun just edging over the highest peaks. Sitting atop the shoulders of several of this craggy hills are flat-topped plateaus occupied by traditional Japanese houses and buildings which overlook the deep slices of the valleys and gorges dividing up the land.