Politics & Diplomacy
Hashimoto to retract sex suggestion for U.S. military
Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto aims to retract his remark that U.S. servicemen in Okinawa should use its adult entertainment industry to avoid committing sex offenses.
Travel | BACKSTREET STORIES Mar 31, 2013
Suites, treats and backstreets of the Imperial Hotel
by Kit Nagamura
The Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, or "Teikoku Hotel," has occupied the same privileged location, across from Hibiya Park and minutes from the Imperial Palace, for over a century.
Travel Mar 24, 2013
Abashiri astounds with its ice and convict connections
by Kris Kosaka
In April 1890, the Japanese government shipped more than 1,200 political prisoners from all over the country, including samurai insurgents from the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion against the government of Emperor Meiji. Nine years before, more than 250 years of rule by the Tokugawa shoguns ...
Travel | HOTELS & RESTAURANTS Mar 22, 2013
Taste Spanish wines, listen to rakugo; share a night with art; rest in an artist-designed room
Rakugo and Spanish wine event Spain Club Ginza, one of the biggest Spanish product promotion stores in Japan, celebrates the coming of spring with a special dinner featuring rakugo (Japanese sit-down comedy) and wine tasting at its restaurant on April 6. Spain Club Ginza, ...
Travel | TRAVEL INSIDER Mar 20, 2013
Where's Wally? See Virgin Atlantic; Rhone wine selection on Cathay; Jetstar to fly to Matsuyama
Find Wally on Virgin In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the publication of British picture book “Where’s Wally?,” Virgin Atlantic has launched a special Boeing 747 jet designed with an illustration of the title character. Dressed in his famous red-and-white striped shirt and ...
Travel Mar 17, 2013
Toddler-toting invaders no match for this castle's defenses
by Mandy Bartok
Most visitors are awed by Kumamoto Castle's imposing walls; myself, I am more preoccupied with the stairs. According to the map board just inside the Hazekata Gate, there are many of them, tracing a convoluted path up to the raven-black donjon.
Travel | HOTELS & RESTAURANTS Mar 15, 2013
Sri Lanka fair at Imperial Hotel Tokyo; renewed top floors at Pan Pacific Yokohama
Sri Lanka Fair at the Imperial Hotel The Imperial Hotel Tokyo is holding a Sri Lanka Fair at its buffet restaurant and bars through March 16. The hotel, located in the Hibiya district of central Tokyo, has invited a chef from the Hotel Hilton ...
Travel Mar 10, 2013
If you do like to be beside the seaside, try Kamogawa
by Stephen Mansfield
Chiba is a large prefecture, something you notice while traveling from Tokyo to the southern seaside resort of Kamogawa. The journey takes a good two hours — and this by express train. Once past the city of Mobara, the JR lines enter a more ...
Travel | HOTELS & RESTAURANTS Mar 8, 2013
Cherry blossoms in The Peninsula's lobby; Spring Cantonese specialties at Grand Hyatt Fukuoka
Cherry blossoms at The Peninsula As spring approaches, The Peninsula Tokyo is preparing special interior arrangements with installations of the nation’s most iconic seasonal items in the hotel’s lobby from March 11 to 15. Guests can enjoy cherry blossom season with seven magnificent sakura ...
Travel | TRAVEL INSIDER Mar 6, 2013
Jetstar partners with JAL; China Airlines increases Osaka-Kaohsiung flights; Virgin fuel surcharge
Jetstar teams with JAL Jetstar Japan, a joint-investment with the Qantas Group, Mitsubishi Corp. and Century Tokyo Leasing Corp., has announced that it will start a codeshare and mileage program partnership with Japan Airlines as well as Qantas. Jetstar Japan and JAL have entered ...
Travel Mar 3, 2013
A visit to Usa, the Japanese city that knows how to win
by Tomoko Otake
It is the time of the year when many people get nervous about winning and losing. Students are cramming hard to pass entrance exams to get into the high schools and colleges of their dreams.
Travel | HOTELS & RESTAURANTS Mar 1, 2013
Singapore food fair at Royal Park Hotel; Hyatt Regency's new buffet pastry creations
Singapore food fair at Royal Park The Royal Park Hotel in the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo is holding a Singapore food fair at its Symphony restaurant on the lobby floor, through March 31. In cooperation with the Embassy of Singapore, the Singapore Tourism Board ...
Travel | BACKSTREET STORIES Feb 24, 2013
Spring training in Mukojima
by Kit Nagamura
It’s hard to think of February as springlike, what with snowfalls, freezing winds and a dusting of dead leaves everywhere. But I know from experience that the intrepid Prunus mume, or plum tree, blooms this month, and a trek to see some blossoms seems ...