Travel
United Airlines sharply cuts flights to Japan, S Korea
United Airlines Holdings Inc said on Friday it was sharply cutting flights to Japan and South Korea as travelers worried about the coronavirus outbreak have slashed ticket purchases for those destinations. United shares fell 3.6% on Friday and are down 22% over the last week. The Chicago-based airline said near-term… Read
Yusuhara: a showcase of natural wood in Kengo Kuma architecture
In the late 1980s a highway expansion program had slated for destruction the wooden theater in the Kochi Prefecture mountain town of Yusuhara. The theater, known as Yusuhara-za, wasn’t particularly old. It had been built in 1948. But it was a lovely building, done in a traditional pre-war style, and it had quickly… Read
ANA to test autonomous mobility assistance at Narita airport
All Nippon Airways (ANA) is to test autonomous mobility assistance solutions at Narita International Airport. Designed by ZMP Inc, the advanced RakuRo prototypes are designed to streamline transportation, making it easier for passengers to navigate Narita Airport. The trial will take place over two days on Thursday and Friday. "ANA… Read
Air travel with kids: The keys to a successful flight
Back in the days, I dreaded getting on that first 15-hour flight with my then 9-month-old. The idea of facing air travel with my kid when going back to the States was giving me pure nightmares. Now aged five years old, my daughter is a veteran traveler with a total… Read
Best spots to view plum blossoms
Plum blossoms or ume, might not be as famous as the cherry blossoms, but the view they offer is just as spectacular. Announcing the beginning of the spring, the plum trees between the first to blossom, bringing out their nice fragrance and making us feel warmer inside and excitedly awaiting… Read
A trip to Niigata’s phallic Shoki Festival
Along the Agano river, deep within Niigata Prefecture are several small villages. Each one supposedly participates in maintaining a long religious folk tradition, found dating back to the late Edo period involving deities named Shoki-sama. During the annual Shoki Festival, each village fashions it’s own life-sized deity out of straw giving special… Read
Floating petri dishes? Coronavirus puts cruise industry in the dock
Deadly viruses, chickenpox outbreaks and mass cases of the runs: Sometimes luxury cruise ship holidays are not the trips of a lifetime elderly passengers had hoped for. Cruise-goers have fallen sick en masse in the past, their predicament on the high seas coming into sharp focus because the holidays can… Read
Shibuya capsule hotel comes with free beers, unusual beds and unique soundless wake-up system
Since capsule hotels first became a thing in Japan back in the late ’70s, they’ve been improved upon over the years with modifications like anime art, all-you-can-read manga, traditional Japanese design features, and even live cats. Recently, the hole-in-the-wall, coffin-like capsule design has been getting an overhaul as well, and these days you can… Read
U.S. warns against cruise ship travel in Asia over coronavirus
Americans should avoid traveling by cruise liner within Asia because the vessels act as amplifiers of the novel coronavirus, a senior U.S. official said Friday, adding that future evacuations of ship passengers were not guaranteed. The warning came as the number of confirmed cases of people on U.S. soil who… Read
Japan Rail Pass finally being made available for purchase online
There are several reasons Japan has been booming in popularity as a travel destination over the past decade, and a big one is the Japan Rail Pass. Offered by Japan Railways Group (aka JR), Japan’s largest rail operator, the pass is only available to visitors from abroad, and provides travelers with unlimited use of… Read
