Sep 01

Kyoto's Miyako at 120, inn for the long haul (Japan Times)

In a city where some traditional inns are more than 400 years old, the Westin Miyako Kyoto, which celebrates its 120th anniversary this year, is a relative newcomer to the world of Kyoto lodgings. But since the Meiji Era, the hotel now known as the Westin Miyako has greeted a long line of visiting royalty, heads of state, Hollywood stars, artists and musicians, and all manner of Japanese dignitaries. In the lobby are photos of past guests ranging from Charlie Chaplin and Helen Keller to Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President George H.W. Bush. Located in eastern Kyoto, at the edge of the Higashiyama mountain range and not far from Heian Shrine, the Westin Miyako was, from the time it opened, an unofficial state guesthouse for visiting foreign dignitaries at a time when Japan had just opened itself up to the West after centuries of isolation.

Aug 31

Over 250,000 climbers scale Mt. Fuji this year (Yomiuri)

More than 250,000 people--a record high--have climbed Mt. Fuji by the trail on the mountain's Yamanashi Prefecture side this season, according to the Mt. Fuji safety guidance center. Last year, 247,066 people--the previous record--climbed the nation's highest mountain from the Yamanashi Prefecture side. The figure is likely to reach 260,000 by Tuesday, the last day of the climbing season, which started July 1. According to the center at the 6th stage of Mt. Fuji, the season's 250,000th climber set out on the Yoshidaguchi trail at about 11:30 p.m. Saturday.

Aug 31

Sunshine aquarium to shut for yearlong revamp (Japan Times)

Sunshine International Aquarium, located atop the Sunshine City building in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, will close for a year beginning Wednesday for large-scale renovations to compete better with other aquariums in the Kanto region. When it opened in 1978, the aquarium was touted as the first in Japan to be build on top of a high-rise. In recent years, the aquarium has suffered a decline in visitors as rival venues opened.

Aug 30

Japan resort a hot spot for men with virtual girlfriends (inquirer.net)

Long a favorite of lovers and honeymooners, a Japanese beach town with fading sparkle has found a new tourism niche in the wired age by drawing young men and their virtual girlfriends. One recent sweltering summer's day, a tour bus from Tokyo pulled up at a sun-kissed beach at Atami, a Pacific coast resort southwest of the metropolis, and disgorged more than a dozen excited, iPhone-clutching young men. The determined youngsters, paying scant attention to the bikini-clad girls frolicking on the sand, instead headed straight for a bronze statue that depicts Kanichi and Omiya, a couple from an old love story set in Atami.

Aug 30

Japan beyond the Ginza (Toronto Sun)

Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Canon, Nikon, Toshiba, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan -- these are just some of the brands that helped build Japan's reputation as a leader in cutting-edge technology. But this ancient country is also home to centuries-old traditions, which endure despite the hi-tech revolution that has taken place around them. The contrast between old and new is what makes Japan a truly fascinating country to visit.