Tag: travel | RocketNews24

travel

Pigs fly (in broth form) as ANA serves up in-flight Ippudo ramen

9 hours ago by Casey Baseel
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Japan has earned plenty of foodie cred over the last few years. Tokyo has topped multiple lists of the best cities in the world to eat out in, morning talk shows showcase delicious, hole-in-the wall restaurants and bakeries almost every day, and this month even provincial Hiroshima got its own Michelin Guide.

But even with a nation of enthusiastic diners and gastronomic craftsmen ready to serve them, airline food is, for the most part, nothing to get too excited about. Unless you happen to be flying ANA internationally, that is, where you can now get Ippudo ramen. Read More

Ranking of Taxi Fares Around the World – Japanese Passengers Getting Hosed, Even More So Next Year

3 days ago by Master Blaster
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Countries of the world have a lot of different features and services that make them unique to each other, but one of the things you can always find from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe is the humble taxi cab.

Of course not all taxis are equal; the cars used and more importantly the fares charged can vary greatly. If you’re interested in where your country stands or if you’re planning a trip abroad, Trip Advisor Japan has whipped up a quick and handy infographic ranking 25 places around the world by the rates of their taxis.

4 days ago by Casey Baseel
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When you’re a kid, theme parks are a place where your dream can come to life. Wouldn’t it be great to feel that excitement once again?

In search of that childlike wonder, one of RocketNews24’s reporters recently visited the Lecian Grand Carnaval amusement park in Mandaue City on Cebu Island, in the Philippines. While it doesn’t have the high-tech animatronics and pyrotechnics of Disneyland, it offers plenty of old-fashioned attractions like a tilt-a-whirl and haunted house, plus a life-endangering roller coaster and very lenient napping policy. Read More

‘So Glad I Went!’ 2013 Ranking: The Places In Japan That Made an Impact on Foreign Visitors

5 days ago by Oona McGee
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Every year, seven to eight million foreigners make the trip to Japan. But where do they go sightseeing? And, more importantly, do these places come up to scratch? A list of the most impressive sightseeing spots for the year to date, as ranked by foreign tourists, has been released by the popular travel site TripAdvisor. And while you’d think the top spot might go to a beloved and well-known destination like Kyoto or Tokyo, it actually goes to a simple-looking, modern building in the south-west of the country, in Hiroshima Prefecture.

5 days ago by Casey Baseel
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Located in Kanagawa Prefecture, the city of Hakone is a popular weekend travel destination for people living in the Tokyo area. The town’s numerous open-air hot springs and traditional inns, several with spectacular views of Mt. Fuji, attract visitors both young and old.

Most people headed to Hakone take the train, although the mountain passes that wind through and around the town make it a popular destination for drifters, too (the kind with cars, not the kind with bindles). One group of recent Kanagawa junior high graduates thought it would be more fun to bypass motorized transportation and headed out for Hakone by skateboard, taking their video camera with them. Read More

Meet the Buildings Used by Millionaires, Statesmen … and Naked Bathers and a Ghibli Movie

5 days ago by Oona McGee
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This collection of culturally important buildings, moved from their original locations in Japan and preserved in a park in Tokyo, gives us a glimpse into time periods from the Edo era (1603-1868) through to the early Showa era (1926-1945). Thirty buildings have taken up residence here over the past two decades, and each one is like a giant treasure box, filled with trinkets, memories and undiscovered gems. If their walls could talk, we can only imagine the stories they would tell. Come with us as we take you through the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Musuem and stop by some of the most interesting buildings Japan has ever seen.

May 15, 2013 by Michelle
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If a wardrobe filled with musty coats brought people to Narnia, we wonder where these beautiful tunnels might bring you. Let’s take a look at ten beautiful passageways from around the world.

May 15, 2013 by Mike
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It used to be that to go to space you needed to join NASA and become an astronaut. But you’re an evil billionaire, and you’re far too busy being evil for all that training in the gravitron.

Lucky for you and whatever evil space plans you’re hatching, SXC (Space Expedition Corporation) offers the dream of space travel to any commoner with US$100,000 lying around, a pittance that will barely put a dent in your underground chamber of dubiously acquired gold bricks.

There are also a number of other aerospace companies offering a variety of space travel flavors, from a few minutes in orbit to a full 9 days at the International Space Station (ISS), complete with space walk. Let’s take a look at the different space travel packages offered, including one that costs US$150 million.

May 15, 2013 by Preston Phro
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In 1597, Japan was reaching the end of the Warring States period and starting to unify under the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. At the same time, which was 15 years after the Tenshô embassy (the first Japanese embassy to Europe), three Japanese men were completing their (unwilling) journey to Mexico, of all places.

Using records from the Inquisition found in the National Library of Mexico, Lucio de Sousa (University of Evora in Portugal) and Oka Mihoko (University of Tokyo) have discovered conclusive proof of the men’s journey to the New World. They’ve also managed to piece together a few details of their stories.

May 13, 2013 by Oona McGee
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This beautiful photo collection, sourced from a Korean website, takes us back to Tokyo and Seoul in the ’60s, when both cities were undergoing a period of renewal, redefining themselves after years of war. But with Japan’s reconstruction efforts beginning in 1945, after World War II, and Korea’s reconstruction starting almost a decade later, in 1953, after the Korean War, the photos depict two very different levels of progress. While equally beautiful to us, these photos have inevitably become another point of debate between net users from the two countries.

May 12, 2013 by Oona McGee
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If you’ve ever longed to go back to an old Japan, where samurai stayed at old ramshackle inns and merchants filled the air with the scent of food, then some of these traditional streets will be right up your alley. We take you to five of Japan’s most-loved streets, from well-worn paths in secluded valleys to bustling pilgrimage routes in scenic villages, all with an amazing history and atmosphere. Let’s take a stroll together and see what they have to offer.

May 8, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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Okayama Prefecture lies in west Japan, three and a half hours from Tokyo by bullet train. Known for its castle, 17th century garden, and folktale of Momotaro the Peach Boy, it’s a laid-back, slow-paced kind of place, so we can understand the difficulties local bus operator Ryobi Group faces in trying to promote the region as a travel destination for young people.

So Ryobi has made the cornerstone of its newest marketing campaign something young Japanese males will enjoy: a bus tour guide who’s also a cute anime idol. Read More

Around the World with Your iPhone: Nine Convenient Apps for World Travelers

May 7, 2013 by Preston Phro
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It doesn’t take 80 days to circumnavigate the world anymore, but we do have a host of new problems, like how to stay connected when overseas and outside of our smartphone carrier’s signal!

Well, a fun article popped up on Gizmodo Japan this weekend with nine great apps to have on your iPhone while traveling the world. Based on the author’s personal 3-month long journey around the world, there are lots of good recommendations! Unfortunately, some of these apps might not help you if you don’t live in Japan, but most of them will be useful for any world traveler. We’ve come up with our own alternatives where applicable.

May 7, 2013 by Master Blaster
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It looks like Mt. Fuji is well on it’s way to becoming an official piece of World Heritage, which means the area can expect an upswing in tourism. Around 200 km away in Gunma Prefecture, workers at Fujiyamashita Station are also bracing for an increase in foreigners mistaking the tiny station for the closest stop to the majestic mountain.

For Hirokazu Nagumo, the operator of a single car train for Jomo Rail, this is bad news. The disappointed faces of heartbroken visitors over his 18 year career is an image he has trouble shaking from his memory.

May 3, 2013 by Master Blaster
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When people think of Japan they often think of Hello Kitty, portable watermelon fridges, or haircuts that look like tomatoes. It’s a country often under-appreciated for all the nature it has to offer.

It being the Golden Week holidays here in Japan and time to kick back, we’re going to take you on a whirlwind tour of the nation, making stops at some of the most beautiful natural areas around. These places range from local favorites and national treasures, to some places even Japanese people aren’t aware of.

We’ll be working our way right down to the Ryukyu region, but let’s begin our photo journey at the northernmost tip of the country in the vast, unspoiled wilderness that is Hokkaido…

Read More

Mt. Fuji Moves Towards World Heritage Site Certification

May 1, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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UNESCO’s advisory board has released the results of their analysis of Mt. Fuji’s bid for World Heritage Site status. The mountain and its surrounding area have been deemed “fit for certification,” with the title expected to be officially given in June. Read More

Eat Pray Love… and Drink Starbucks Coffee in a Breathtakingly Beautiful Balinese Village

Apr 22, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Starbucks is well-known for taking up residence in some unusual places. They’ve had a pop-up store in Tokyo and they even have a historical western-style house house in Kobe. But in the beautiful mountain village of Ubud, Bali, there’s a more subdued Starbucks. Set up in an old storehouse, and blending perfectly with the environment, you wouldn’t instantly think this was part of a global coffee franchise.

We went to check out this unique coffeehouse and found it to be incredibly beautiful and serene. Out of all the Starbucks stores we’ve visited across the world, this is by far the one we recommend the most. With an exceptionally unique atmosphere, we bring you four reasons why this may very well be the best Starbucks in the world.

Apr 9, 2013 by Michelle
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Going on vacation can be stressful. Wandering through an unfamiliar land, deciphering a strange language, and deciding on which places to visit can all lead to a massive headache. Instead of frantically navigating the streets trying to squeeze in a stop at every popular tourist attraction, why not view the entire city all at once at one of the top twenty lookout points in Japan.

Apr 7, 2013 by Oona McGee
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Hashima Island, better known as Gunkanjima (lit. Battleship Island) due to its warship-like silhouette, is a small island off the coast of Nagasaki with a remarkable history. Owned by Mitsubishi as a coal mining facility from 1887 to 1974, this was once the most densely populated place on the planet, with more than 5,000 inhabitants crammed into its 6 square-kilometre dimensions. Now, the place is deserted and all that’s left of the once-bustling metropolis is an eerie landscape of crumbling, grey buildings.

When the Bond villain Raoul Silva chose the island as his secret lair in the latest 007 movie Skyfall, Gunkanjima received worldwide attention. But did Bond’s nemesis know that the island is home to Japan’s first-ever multi-storey concrete reinforced apartment block? We visited the island and checked out areas off-limits to the public to find out more about what makes this the perfect villain’s lair. Take the full virtual tour and see our photos after the jump.

Apr 6, 2013 by Michelle
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Many people around the world are captivated by the images they see in anime, movies, and (hopefully) wonderfully silly Internet sites like our own, but for some, visiting the land of matcha and Hatsune Miku is nothing but a distant dream. However, unlike most dreamers, YouTube user, TheAinioHinaki, turned his aspirations of traveling to Japan into a breathtaking video.

With nearly 300,000 views in two weeks, “Our Dreamland – Japan,” features scenes from popular anime such as K-on! and Cowboy Bebop intertwined with actual footage of people and places in Japan. It’s enough to make you want to hop the next plane to Tokyo.