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Take a Ride on Japan’s New Amphibious Bus and See the Sites of Tokyo!

Take a Ride on Japan’s New Amphibious Bus and See the Sites of Tokyo!

Japan’s latest tourism offering looks set to capture the attention of both sightseers and locals seeking a spot of adventure. From the Japanese company that embarked on such enterprises as the open air double-decker bus comes the “land and water bus”. The development of the vehicle is part of a new Tokyo sightseeing strategy undertaken by Japanese automobile company “Hinomaru Bus”. The service, dubbed “Sky Duck Tokyo Splash Tour”, launched on March 2013 and has been fully booked since its first day of operation.

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Cherry Blossom Season: Japan’s Top Three Hot Spots for Hanami

Cherry Blossom Season: Japan’s Top Three Hot Spots for Hanami

Ladies and gentlemen, winter in Japan is officially over. The thermal underwear and thick coats have been packed away and people, or at least those who don’t suffer from allergies, are throwing open their windows and letting the warm air in. It’s at this time of year that people rekindle their love of the outdoors and, armed with their blue plastic ground sheets and big bags of food, head to the park in order to catch a glimpse of the cherry blossom at its best.

The official name for this recreational activity is hanami (花見 lit. flower watching), but for many it’s simply a great opportunity to get together with friends to drink beer in the park. Still, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right, so provided you can find it in you to fight through the hordes of other like-minded sakura (cherry blossom) fans, there are three locations in particular that we highly recommend visiting.

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Korea’s Ban on Pachinko Pinball Gambling Sees an Increase in Gamblers Coming to Japan

Korea’s Ban on Pachinko Pinball Gambling Sees an Increase in Gamblers Coming to Japan

In Japan, pachinko – a game similar to pinball but with multiple balls in play and minus the flippers – has always been a big business.  ”Pachinkoten” (dedicated pachinko parlors) have become about as commonplace as temples and hot springs, and it’s not uncommon to see small crowds of men waiting outside such establishments early in the morning, waiting for them to open.

A phenomenon that is particularly noticeable in recent years is that of the large numbers of Koreans coming to Japan to gamble. Up until seven years ago, Korea’s pachinko industry was booming. However, when gambling laws were introduced to combat the recent rise in addictions, many players were left out in the cold with nothing to fill the gap. But with a thriving pachinko scene just a couple of hours away on the plane, many Koreans are heading to Japan to pick up where they left off.

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Tohoku Emotion: Japan’s Newest Tourism Incentive Where the Journey is the Star

Tohoku Emotion: Japan’s Newest Tourism Incentive Where the Journey is the Star

Unveiled earlier this week, the “Tohoku Emotion” is a train unlike anything ever seen before in Japan.

Combining “food, art and scenery”, on board this train the journey itself takes the main role and passengers are able to cruise through Northeastern Japan’s beautiful countryside while sampling food freshly prepared before their very eyes.

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The Nicest City to Visit in the World According to Tourists Is…

  • Dec 21, 2012 by
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The Nicest City to Visit in the World According to Tourists Is…

Okay, I have to say I’m super happy about this particular story! Why? Because guess which city was recently ranked number one in a world-wide survey of what people thought about 40 key tourist destinations around the world — that’s right, none other than my home city of Tokyo!

And this wasn’t just any ordinary survey; it was a survey conducted by TripAdvisor, the well-known international travel site, and based on more than 75,000 responses sent in by people who had recently reviewed on the website the cities featured in the survey. I’m pretty sure it was no mean feat to be ranked first among 40 popular tourist cities in this survey, so I’m very happy indeed that the Japanese capital earned top honors.

I, for one, love to travel and I’m always dreaming about going away on vacation somewhere, but I guess I need to appreciate how lucky I am to be living in what people rated the nicest city in the world. So, what did people find appealing about Tokyo, and which other cities received high marks? We thought you might be interested in learning the details of the survey results, which were as follows: Read More

“Jesus Rock” in Aomori Prefecture, Japan Attracts Hundreds of Tourists

“Jesus Rock” in Aomori Prefecture, Japan Attracts Hundreds of Tourists

With the arrival of autumn in Japan, tourist spots see a sudden influx of visitors, eager to do spot of sightseeing and wander around outdoors without melting into a big, sweaty mess like in summer.

One tourist spot in particular, however, has received more attention than usual this year as tourists squeeze onto boats in order to catch a glimpse of something rather special- the image of Jesus Christ himself!

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What to do when you need to find a good sushi restaurant – hire a Sushi Taxi, and get some sightseeing done at the same time!

  • Apr 5, 2012 by
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What to do when you need to find a good sushi restaurant – hire a Sushi Taxi, and get some sightseeing done at the same time!

Whether you’re Japanese or a foreign tourist, it can be difficult finding a good sushi restaurant when you’re in a part of Japan you’re not familiar with. Well, if you find yourself in that predicament in the city of Kanazawa, there’s an excellent solution to the problem – hire a sushi taxi! Read More