| Apr 24 | Russia Japanese to travel visa-free to Kurils on new boat |
| Japanese tourists will travel to the disputed South Kuril Islands in Russia on a visa-free exchange basis onboard a new boat, the Etopirika, on Tuesday, an organizer said. Visa-free exchanges between Japan and the South Kurils, the subject of a territorial dispute between Russia and Japan, began in 1992 as part of a deal to improve ties between the countries. (RIA Novosti) |
| Apr 24 | Tokyo gets double dose of gay pride for 2012 |
 For the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, gay pride parades are not only a great means to raise awareness of LGBT issues and spread the message of diversity and acceptance, but also a much-needed excuse to gather supporters together and party down. (Japan Times  ) |
| Apr 24 | Narita's second runway marks 10 contentious years |
 Ten years have passed since Narita airport opened its long-delayed second runway, and its operator is hoping the stubby strip, which can accommodate the smaller aircraft favored by budget airlines, will be the key to fending off competition from other airports in Asia.
(Japan Times) |
| Apr 23 | Jessica Alba hits the tourist trail on family holiday in Japan |
 Jessica Alba loves to keep her fans up-to-date by tweeting personal pictures and now she's sharing new snaps from her family vacation in Japan.
The Sin City actress and husband Cash Warren are continuing their jaunt around Japan, this time visiting Kyoto with their two daughters, Honor and Haven.
(Daily Mail) |
| Apr 23 | JAL launches direct Narita-Boston flights |
| Japan Airlines launched a regular direct flight connecting Narita International Airport and Boston on Sunday, the first new route for the airline since it came out of bankruptcy proceedings. JAL is the first airline to operate nonstop services between Asia and the U.S. city. It will initially operate four flights a week on the route and start daily flights in June. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 23 | Jetstar to intensify aviation battle |
| With Jetstar Japan launching services this summer, competition among it and the nation's two other low-cost carriers and major airlines is likely to be intense. Jetstar Japan, backed by Japan Airlines and Qantas Airways, announced Tuesday six routes and corresponding fares for flights out of Narita and other airports, which will begin in July and August. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 22 | Japan to start random body searches at its international airports |
| Some passengers traveling through international airports in Japan can expect body searches beginning in June, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing transport ministry sources. Kyodo said about 10 percent of passengers at all airports with international flights would be randomly selected for a body search and baggage check. (MSNBC) |
| Apr 22 | Sleeping giant Japan turns to tourism to wake up its economy |
| Takata, a shaven headed forty-something with 15 years training in the Japanese art of Inami wood carving, sits cross-legged as he chisels an incredibly ornate dragon's head for a nearby temple. A few feet away, the Asahi brewery hands out free samples of its wares, which are readily snapped up by thirsty Westerners who will later feast on thinly sliced, melt-in-the-mouth Wagyu beef. (Independent) |
| Apr 20 | Gundam center opens on Tokyo waterfront |
 A retail and entertainment complex where science-fiction fans can experience the world of "Mobile Suit Gundam" has opened in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district.
The facility, called DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, is situated in the Odaiba neighborhood in Koto Ward, where it is guarded by an 18-meter Gundam statue. "Diver" is a play on the name of the neighborhood.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 20 | Golden Week exodus at Narita airport projected to surge 16% |
 The number of people taking international flights to and from Narita International Airport during Golden Week this year is expected to rise 16.3 percent from the year before to 597,800, the airport's operator said Thursday.
The figure for the 10-day holiday period from April 27 to May 6 is up sharply from 514,200 in 2011.
(ninemsn.com.au ) |
| Apr 20 | Hokkaido's diverse cuisine recognized by Michelin |
 Hiroshi Nakamichi dreamed of becoming a great one-star restaurateur when he went to Lyon, France, with a Michelin guide in his hands, to work at Michelin-starred restaurants. More than 30 years later, his dream came more than true when his "bible" gave three stars to his Sapporo-based French restaurant Moliere.
(Japan Times) |
| Apr 18 | Japan's newest tower uses anti-quake technology |
 A Tokyo developer took visitors up the world's tallest freestanding broadcast structure on Tuesday, a 634-meter tower with special technology meant to withstand earthquakes that often strike Japan. Journalists given a tour Tuesday saw sweeping if hazy views of the Tokyo skyline. The needle-like radio and television tower opens to the public on May 22. (BusinessWeek ) |
| Apr 18 | Making it safe: tourism after Japan's earthquake |
| In a highly symbolic move, the World Tourism Summit this week opened in Sendai, Japan, the area most affected by last March's tsunami and Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown. Hosting the Summit, which continues in Tokyo, is particularly important to Japan this year - recovery of the tourism industry from last March's earthquake and tsunami has become a national mission. (theconversation.edu.au) |
| Apr 18 | Japan visa application centre opens in New Delhi |
| The Embassy of Japan in India introduced the processing of visa applications through external service provider in North India by formally inaugurating the Japan Visa Application Centre (JVAC), located at International Trade Tower, Nehru Place, New Delhi. (indiaprwire.com) |
| Apr 17 | The city where Japanese nerds and Japanese temples meet |
 The smoke from cooking fires mingles with potent incense and perfume, a heavy smell that hangs cloying in the air. This is Ōsu, an old "temple town (monzenmachi) spread between Ōsu Kannon and Banshōji in present-day Nagoya. While it might seem an unlikely pairing, the spiritual and the commercial have long been aligned in Japan, with stalls situated near temples to serve visitors multiplying during festivals. (Kotaku) |
| Apr 17 | Jetstar Japan tickets go on sale |
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| Apr 17 | Tourism forum opens in Japan amid sceptism |
| The international travel and tourism industry's annual summit opened in northern Japan on Monday, as the sector moves to recover from a year filled with economic turbulence and natural disasters. The four-day Global Summit, organised by the World Travel and Tourism Council, hosted delegates in the city of Sendai, an area that was devastated by last year's quake-tsunami disaster, which hammered Japan's tourism industry. (Daily Nation) |
| Apr 17 | Hawaiian Air's new service to Fukuoka takes off |
| Hawaiian Airlines continued its strategic "expansion" roll at Honolulu International Airport on Monday. Hawaii's biggest and longest serving airline opened its third route into Japan Monday morning with new daily, non-stop service to Fukuoka, Japan, opening a new gateway for visitors to make their way to the islands. (hawaiinewsnow.com) |
| Apr 16 | Day trips from Kyoto |
 One could spend 30 days exploring Kyoto and never get bored. However, being this was our first trip to Japan, there were a few day trips from Kyoto we simply couldn't pass up. The two that we decided would be most meaningful were Nara and Hiroshima. Both were incredible experiences and definitely worth the trip.
(USA Today) |
| Apr 13 | Louvre goes visual with Nintendo 3Ds guide |
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| Apr 12 | Living with Tokyo's pod people |
 The first thing I notice when I lie back and relax in my hotel is the pong of my own feet. That's almost a relief because I had feared the onset of claustrophobia.
The room I'm staying in is a fibreglass pod tall enough to sit up in and measuring 2m long by 1m wide - one of a row of 12 stacked two high (picture a human kennel).
(New Zealand Herald) |
| Apr 11 | All Nippon to resume flights to Myanmar after 12 year hiatus |
| All Nippon Airways (ANA) Co , Japan's biggest airline by passenger numbers, said on Wednesday it will resume regular flights to Myanmar for the first time in 12 years, as the two countries deepen economic and political ties with Myanmar's emergence from decades of isolation. (Reuters) |
| Apr 11 | Kayaker paddling from Washington to Japan |
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| Apr 10 | Dancing with cranes |
 It is sunny, wintry white. I'm in Hokkaido, Japan, during a particularly cold, snowy March. Icy wind lances through my many layers. No matter. The red-crowned cranes are gathered before me, jumping sporadically in jubilation, probing the marshy wallows for hibernating fish and frogs. Occasionally, one triumphantly waves a flailing snake. At night they roost in nearby streams, the water being warmer than air temperature. (huffingtonpost.com) |
| Apr 08 | Exploring Kyoto |
 I can confidently say Kyoto is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. I would certainly include it in my top 5. For over 1000 years, Kyoto was the capital of Japan. As an American, that concept is extremely tough to grasp. Walking through today's Kyoto you can't help but appreciate the incredible commitment to and feat of preservation this city represents. (USA Today) |
| Apr 07 | Jetstar Japan launch is ahead of schedule |
 Jetstar Japan remains ahead of schedule after the Japanese regulator yesterday issued the crucial air operators certificate needed for it to start flying.
The approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport ticks Jetstar's policies and procedures in areas such as cabin services, ground operations, engineering and customer service.
(The Australian) |
| Apr 06 | Narita plans budget carrier terminal |
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| Apr 06 | 'Scariest ever' haunted house opens |
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| Apr 05 | Japan tickets cheaper than Jeju trips |
 Lee Jung-yoon, 26, bought a round-trip plane ticket to Fukuoka for 99,000 won, which she found surprising because it was cheaper than a ticket to Jeju Island. Normally, the price of airfare to the Japanese city is at around 200,000 won. But with Japan struggling to fully restore its power as a travel destination following its devastating earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis, budget travelers are no longer priced out. (Korea Times) |
| Apr 05 | Swiss treks across Japan to boot radiation fears |
| A Swiss man who walked from Hokkaido to Kagoshima Prefecture on foot in five months to dispel fears of radiation in the country among people overseas is receiving worldwide attention. Thomas Kohler, 44, worked at a travel agency in Zurich before the accident at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. He was in charge of arranging trips to Japan, but was forced to quit after many customers canceled trips to Japan because they believed the entire nation had become contaminated. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 04 | Japan's first glacier discovered in Tateyama mountain range |
| A body of ice found by museum officials in the Tateyama mountain range in Japan's Northern Alps has received official recognition from the Japanese Society of Snow and Ice as Japan's first glacier. Previously it was thought that there were no glaciers in East Asia south of Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. (Mainichi) |
| Apr 04 | Special train deal offered for tourists |
| Three Japan Railway group companies said they will offer, starting April 10, five-day passes to foreign travelers good for unlimited travel in western Japan. The pass is good for all bullet, express and local trains on Sanyo lines west of the Osaka area, all JR lines in Shikoku, and some JR lines in Kyushu. The pass won't cover lines in some areas, such as Sanin in southwest Honshu. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 03 | Japan's low-cost Peach Aviation may ignite Asia airline price war |
 Korea's low-cost airlines are girding for fierce competition in the skies as Japan's Peach Aviation is racing to launch a new route to Seoul, seeking a slice of a budget travel boom in Asia's fourth largest economy.
With the number of cost-conscious tourists surging, budget carriers are increasingly steering abroad in a bid to offset high jet oil prices and prop up their balance sheets.
Osaka-based Peach is the latest in a string of no-frills airlines venturing into Korea's aviation market. (China Post ) |
| Apr 01 | Yonaguni: Japan's most westerly isle |
 A colossal, dark-skinned man rides along the sidewalk on a motorbike: no helmet, two small children aboard - a vision of life in the laconic Tropics. There are times here too on Yonaguni, the westernmost land mass in Okinawa Prefecture, when you see a curvaceous island woman in a vivid, flower-patterned dress, and you think of Paul Gauguin and the Tahitian women he painted. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 01 | Sky Tree to offer world's highest bungee jump |
 Tokyo's newest and biggest visitor attraction, the 634-meter-high Tokyo Sky Tree in Sumida Ward, will open to the public on May 22. And if 11th-hour contract negotiations bear fruit, visitors to the Sky Tree may soon have the opportunity to plummet 430 meters (over 1,400 feet) toward terra firma, in what is claimed to be the world's highest commercial bungee jump.
(Japan Times) |
| Mar 31 | Cherry blossoms set to lift national mood |
 The nation was too stunned last year to partake in the national ritual of "hanami" cherry blossom viewing after the March 11 disasters left more than 18,000 dead or missing, but now people are in the mood.
The first cherry tree, or "sakura," blossomed in Kochi Prefecture last week and the light pink glitter will soon spread across the archipelago, giving the nation a much-needed uplift.
(Japan Times ) |
| Mar 31 | A guide to Jizo, guardian of travelers and the weak |
 "Jizo Bosatsu has confirmed you as a friend on Facebook," said the email. I clicked on "view profile," which took me to Jizo's Facebook page. Not much information was revealed, except that his religious views are Buddhist, and he has 409 friends. His profile picture is a stone Jizo statue sitting peacefully with eyes closed, a hand-knitted cap atop his head, and a string of juzu beads around his neck. Jizo Bosatsu (or Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Sanskrit) is known as the earth bearer, and he holds a shakujo staff in his right hand and a mani jewel in his left. The shakujo staff is the kind with six rings that jingles. His mani jewel grants all wishes.
(Japan Times) |
| Mar 31 | New five-year tourism plan gets OK |
| The Cabinet on Friday adopted the next five-year basic plan to promote tourism starting in fiscal 2012, setting a goal of increasing the annual number of foreign visitors to 18 million by 2016. The new tourism promotion plan stipulates that increasing foreign visitors will contribute to the reconstruction of the Tohoku region, which was hit by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture. (Japan Times) |
| Mar 31 | Budget flight options making access to Asia even easier |
 Asia's airspace continues to open up like never before and the announcement this week of another budget airline continues to help make access to the region -- and within the region -- both easier and cheaper.
Qantas Airways and China Eastern Airlines Corp say their new Jetstar Hong Kong carrier will come into service next year and will target the mainland China routes currently dominated by Cathay Pacific by offering "half-price fares."
(New York Daily News) |
| Mar 30 | Lucky winners drawn for first to visit Tokyo Sky Tree |
 The winners of individual admission tickets to become the first to visit Tokyo Sky Tree were announced on March 30, bringing joy to thousands and disappointment to many more.
A total of 22,912 lucky individuals won the chance to be among the first to visit Japan's new 634-meter-high landmark -- and the world's tallest free-standing broadcast tower -- between May 22, the day of the tower's scheduled grand opening, and May 31.
(Mainichi ) |
| Mar 30 | Blossoms, hope return to Japan |
 Thirty-five years after my first visit, the uniqueness, orderliness, egalitarianism and the theatre of everyday life in Japan still fascinates me. I am always happy to return here, as I did this Thursday.
Even the simplest of gestures, such as the proffering of business cards with two hands and a humble bow, is done elegantly and to a unique script in Japan that would be mocked anywhere else.
(montrealgazette.com ) |
| Mar 30 | Helping Tokyo menus to get found in translation |
 One of the longtime complaints of English-speaking foreigners visiting restaurants in Japan is that few of them offer menus in English. Well, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government is doing what it can to help eateries translate their menus into English and other languages, to help them become more hospitable to expats and tourists.
A website run by the metropolitan government's tourism division, named Restaurants with Multilingual Menus (www.menu-tokyo.jp/menu), lists 263 restaurants with menus in English, Korean, traditional and simplified Chinese, German and French. (Japan Times) |
| Mar 30 | Spring, summer festivals offer a crafty craft beer |
 No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow - and to help you shake the winter doldrums, we've compiled a list of upcoming beer festivals. Whether you prefer to drink outside under sunny skies or in rowdy tents while the plum rains fall, these should have you covered. (Japan Times ) |
| Mar 30 | Princess Cruises brand to enter Japanese market with largest deployment ever |
| Responding to the growing interest for cruising in Japan, Carnival Corporation & plc is introducing the largest deployment ever by a global cruise line in the Japanese market when it brings Sun Princess to Japan for a spring to summer season of cruising in April 2013. Princess Cruises is launching an 87-day program featuring a total of nine cruises on seven different itineraries operating April through July of next year from both Yokohama and Kobe. The cruises will be from nine to 12 days in length. (traveldailynews.com) |
| Mar 28 | Google Street View gears up for Japan's tourist season |
 Just in time for Japan's cherry blossom season, one of the biggest tourist events of the year, Google has produced a Street View guide to show you around.
The special Cherry Blossom Season Edition provides some of the best locations to enjoy the sights, with beautiful pictures from last year's blossoms. The guide looks at several of the big attractions in Japan, providing details on shops and restaurants in each area.
(ZDNet ) |
| Mar 27 | Japan Airlines takes home their newest toy: A Boeing 787 Dreamliner |
 Until now there's only been one airline with access to the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, but that's about to change. All Nippon Airways is about to get some company when it comes to flying the 787, as it's finally Japan Airlines' turn to play with the brand new airplane.
All the pomp and circumstance took place over the weekend, as the official handoff between Japan Airlines and Boeing went down. The new plane is even unique in that it has different airplane engines than those currently utilized by ANA's Dreamliners. (jaunted.com ) |
| Mar 26 | 'Sazae-san' character statues unveiled at train station in Tokyo |
 Bronze statues modeled after characters of the hugely popular manga series "Sazae-san" were unveiled near a Tokyo station over the weekend, in a bid to attract more visitors to local shopping streets.
A total of 12 statues of the "Sazae-san" family characters appeared near Sakurashinmachi Station on the Tokyu Denentoshi Line on March 25. The move was initiated by local shoppers in the area, where the manga's author, Machiko Hasegawa (1920-1992), once lived.
(Mainichi ) |
| Mar 26 | Promoting Tohoku tourism |
 "Destination Tohoku," the tourism campaign to help promote and revive tourism in the Tohoku region, started March 18. The Japan Tourism Agency and the local governments and tourism industry in the region hope that the campaign will bring tourists back to the region, which was devastated by the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, and the subsequent Fukushima nuclear crisis.
The appeal of the campaign, which will last through March 31, 2013, is that people can help Tohoku recover from the effects of the disasters by enjoying hot springs, festivals, shopping, local food, cherry blossoms, and other attractions in the region.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Mar 23 | Sky Tree releases individual bookings |
 Individual ticket reservations for the Tokyo Sky Tree, the world's tallest free-standing tower, which will open to the public in two months, became available on Thursday.
About 8,000 people can visit the tower in Sumida Ward, Tokyo, each day.
It is possible that reservations will exceed capacity, travel agency sources said. If this occurs, people who reserve tickets will be granted admission at random. (Yomiuri ) |
| Mar 23 | Japan's snow monkey park a real splash |
 In the Japanese Alps, where hot springs are so popular, you just might be surprised to see whose taking a dunk.
Bathing in an "onsen", a traditional hot spring, is one of the top cultural activities when visiting Japan. It's so relaxing you can instantly unplug from all the monkey business in your life.
But in one part of Japan, submerging in hot springs is nothing but when you visit the Jigokudani onsen, the home of the adorable snow monkey.
(ny1.com ) |