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LIFE

Travel

Asuka was one of Japan's earliest imperial capitals before the court eventually decamped for other locales.

LIFE / Travel

Jul 6, 2024

Cycling through Asuka, the forgotten capital of ancient Japan

By Edward J. Taylor

During the Yamato Period (300-710), this village was one of the earliest capitals of the nascent Yamato state, even meriting its own aptly named Asuka Period (552-645).

Tour guide and history buff Rory Dent left his job at a U.K.-based tour operator to move to Japan and start his own business.

LIFE / Travel / Longform

Jun 30, 2024

Guiding Japan through the challenges of overtourism

By Alex K.T. Martin

With the number of overseas tourists breaking records, guides and tour operators are seeing their businesses flourish.

To be the best of the best, according to the exclusive Relais & Chateaux group, Japan's 'ryokan' inns need to leave guests with "a transcendental feeling."

LIFE / Travel

Jun 29, 2024

To Relais & Chateaux, not all ‘ryokan’ inns are created equal

By Melinda Joe

In Japan, this exclusive association has partnered with just 13 hotels and traditional 'ryokan' inns and seven stand-alone restaurants spread across the country.

In the future, more tour operators and sites of interest may start marketing themselves based on travelers' preferences to set their own schedules.

LIFE / Travel

Jun 29, 2024

When Japan travels, it doesn’t mind going it alone

By Justin Randall

Regardless of the destination, more tour operators and regions are leaning on “travel as a form of self-care.”

Tokashiki Beach acts as a sanctuary for sea turtles and offers ideal snorkeling waters. It was also the site of the U.S. Army’s preliminary invasion that led to the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 150,000 people.

LIFE / Travel / Longform

Jun 23, 2024

On Okinawa's Tokashiki Island, life's a beach — one of the best in the world

By Lance Henderstein

Many of the island’s residents first came as tourists, attracted to the exquisite Aharen Beach, and simply stayed.

A family marches into the newly opened Fantasy Springs section at Tokyo DisneySea on Thursday.

LIFE / Travel

Jun 9, 2024

Japan's theme parks are ramping up their offerings ahead of summer

By Yuko Tamura

You don't need to take the kids overseas when there are plenty of amusement parks at home to plan a summer vacation around.

Designed by architect Akira Watanabe, Numazu Club’s villa rooms offer views of a tranquil pebble-lined shallow pool that draws clear spring water from Fuji River.

LIFE / Travel

May 25, 2024

Meditation as architecture at a Shizuoka teahouse turned villa

By Mio Yamada

Whether you meditate by the crystal-clear pool or enjoy a dip in a "hinoki" bath, you're bound to appreciate Numazu Club's original vision: a sanctuary from modern life.

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.

Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.

As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

mission sustainability vol.8: Omron Corp.Omron helping firms achieve carbon neutrality

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