Strawberries anyone?

STRAWBERRY production is flourishing in Chiba Prefecture,Japan home to more than 100 strawberry farms where visitors can enjoy "strawberry picking," which is quite popular with tourists.

Varieties of strawberry species are grown on many of the strawberry-picking farms, and visitors can enjoy eating the berries to compare their tastes. Notably, "CHI-BA+BERRY," a new strawberry variety that hit the stores in January 2017, is available only in Chiba Prefecture.

Chiba Prefecture sits about 40 kilometres southeast of the center of Tokyo on Tokyo Bay. There are many attractions making ii an interesting region to visit. The Chiba Urban Monorail, the longest suspended monorail in the world, Kasori Shell Midden, the largest shellmound in the world, Inage Beach, the first artificial beach in the nation and the Chiba City Zoological Park.

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Tourism to Japan breaks all records

THE Japan National Tourism Organization announced that more than 30 million overseas travelers visited Japan in 2018, an all-time record and an 8.7% increase over 2017 (the previous record year).

"Tourism to Japan from the United States – about 5% of the total – soared 11%," says Naohito Ise, Executive Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization in New York.

In 2018, America's two most influential travel magazines gave #travel to #Japan a major thumbs-up, with Travel+Leisure pronouncing Japan the "Destination of the Year" for 2018 and the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards citing Tokyo and Kyoto as the top two big cities in the world.

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New hotel brand targeting millennials

A leading Japanese hospitality company headquartered in Tokyo, has announced the launch of "Tavinos," a new hotel brand aimed at adventure-seeking millennials and like-minded travelers from around the world.

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO), the number of international visitors to #Japan has increased in recent years, hitting a record high in 2017. Fujita Kanko is adding this brand to their portfolio of 70+ well-established properties to target international visitors and millennials, a fast-growing, yet relatively untapped segment for the company.

With a state-of-the-art blending of design, space, and technology, the company is positioning Tavinos as a sleek hub for international visitors to meet fellow travelers, gather local information, and have fun during their travels.

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To go or not to go . . .

TRAVEL is more than movement, greater than sightseeing. It opens our minds and keeps us alive – through the good and the bad. The transformative power of travel is the main theme of the 2019 Go List and No List unveiled today by Fodor's Travel, the leading name in travel recommendations for over 80 years.

Together, the lists provide comprehensive expert travel guidance for 2019, highlighting can't-miss spots that should be on every traveler's radar while identifying places to skip in the upcoming year.

This year's Go List includes destinations to suit every taste, trip length and budget – from the natural peaks of Bears Ears National Monument to the manmade peaks of Kuala Lumpur; from the bustling metropolis of Lagos, Nigeria, to the quiet refuge of Japan's Seto Inland Sea. This year, Fodor's editors paid special attention to those destinations recovering from the hardship of hurricanes: Puerto Rico, Key West, and St. Martin.

Last year, Fodor's editors expanded the Go List to 52 destinations from its traditional list of 25 destinations. The change proved so popular with the Fodor's audience that Fodor's editors have made the change permanent, meaning the 2019 Go List again comprises 52 destinations – one for each week of the year. www.fodors.com/GoList2019 

The highly cited Fodor's Travel No List enters its third year of surfacing destinations that should be avoided due to political, environmental, or social concerns. Seven locations make up this year's 2019 No List, including Acapulco, Ibiza, and Thailand's Maya Beach. 

Subsets of this year's No List include "Places That Don't Want You To Visit," which includes destinations that are overwhelmed by their own tourism industry and hoping tourists stay away. www.fodors.com/NoList2019


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Day trips on the Odakyu line

THE Odakyu Electric Railway, established in 1948, is one of Japan's major private railway companies. With the Shinjuku central transportation terminal in the capital of #Japan, Odakyu lines extend to Hakone, one of Japan's foremost hot spring tourist destinations, and Enoshima-Kamakura, the historical seaside town close to the city center, and they are used not only for sightseeing but also by two million commuters traveling to work every day.

Four types of day tours allow travelers from abroad to enjoy the tourist attractions in areas along the Odakyu lines.

1) Yoyogi Uehara near Shinjuku and Shibuya in downtown Tokyo;

2) Shimokitazawa well known for young people's subculture;

3) Nature-rich, sacred mountain Oyama also known as a historic site; and

4) Odawara, which is the gateway to Hakone and where there is a station on the Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train line.

All four tours are day trips requiring advance reservations. On all these tours, guides provide detailed information in English on local tourist attractions in these four respective areas. Reservations for these tours can be made online as well as at INBOUND LEAGUE and Odakyu Sightseeing Service Center Shinjuku West for foreign tourists, both situated in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.


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Sustainable travel off the Golden Route

TOKYO based startup tour operator Heartland JAPAN is leading the way in creating sustainable #travel #destinations off the so-called Golden Route (Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima etc.) which is currently overburdened by the year on year increase in inbound travellers (an increase of 450% over the past five years), set to reach 40M in 2020.

In spite of the staggering rise in foreign tourists, relatively little has been done so far to make travellers aware of alternative destinations, with a continued fixation on commercialised travel spots. It is here that Heartland JAPAN positions itself in providing the information and means for inbound visitors to journey off the beaten track.

Heartland JAPAN aims to create life-changing journeys, to provide physical and spiritual fulfillment through outdoor activities, hands-on experiences and cultural exchanges with locals. The company’s current fully guided adventure tours cover five destinations across #Japan, all of which are reachable from the various 2019 Rugby World Cup and 2020 Olympics game sites, providing the perfect opportunity for visitors to these events.

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Up in the air . . . Thai Airways

THAI Airways International Public Company Limited (THAI) celebrated 30 year of flights to Nagoya, Japan with a reception based on the theme “the World is Always New with THAI,” . Over the past 30 years that THAI has operated flights to and from Nagoya, passenger traffic has increased substantially and on a regular basis. 

Presently, THAI operates 14 round trip flights per week from Bangkok-Nagoya with Boeing 787-8 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. THAI operates all flights with touches of Thai culture and tradition, an excellence that has received recognition with three Skytrax Awards: World’s Best Economy Class, World’s Best Airline Lounge Spa, and Best Economy Class On-board Catering.



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Up in the air. . .

BRITISH Airways customers are set to soak up #Osaka next summer as the airline is launching direct flights to Japan’s second largest city. The four-per-week service takes off from March 31, 2019 with flights departing from Heathrow Terminal 5 and landing into Osaka’s Kansai International Airport.

The new route takes the number of daily flights between London and #Japan offered as part of British Airways’ joint business with Japan Airlines up to 32 per week. Japanese tourism is set to grow from 24 million annual visitors in 2016 to 40 million in 2020. Osaka was recently named as the third most liveable city in the world and is considered to be the food capital of Japan. 


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Epic dream job from Ski.com

THE Epic Pass offers more access than ever, and Ski.com, the largest provider of ski vacations in North America, is searching for a candidate who can show what it's like to experience it all. 

One lucky person will be hired to travel the world for two months via United Airlines to seven countries on three continents, and ski or ride more than a dozen of the 65 destinations available on the Epic Pass. In addition to being introduced to unique experiences at world-class resorts, he or she will be decked out in head-to-toe gear from Helly Hansen, Rossignol and Oakley; capture enviable content with video equipment from GoPro; have a direct line to custom snow forecasts from OpenSnow and collect a paycheck of US$10,000.

The ideal candidate must have a serious desire to travel to some of the most amazing mountain destinations in the United States, Canada, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, France and Japan; must be able to ski and/or snowboard and must love après, mingling with locals and documenting new experiences.

To apply, interested job seekers must submit an application video between September 5 and October 15, 2018 explaining in 60 seconds or less what makes them the perfect candidate. For more information and to apply, applicants should visit www.ski.com/dreamjob or apply by posting an application video to Instagram tagging @skicom, @epicpass and using the hashtag #EpicDreamJob.


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Explore the Russian Far East

ACCOMMODATING just 200 guests, Crystal Endeavor, the world’s largest, most spacious purpose-built polar class expedition yacht, will set sail from Tokyo in August 2020 on a journey encompassing the far east of Russia and Japan to mark her maiden voyage. 

The territory Crystal Endeavor will cover during this 17-day voyage is dramatic and far from the beaten path – from the rarely explored Kamchatka Peninsula and the Kuril Islands (places favoured by whales, otters, seals, bears and foxes) to the glorious hot springs in the Valley of Geysers, to the natural paradise along Japan’s northern shores and the volcanic peaks of Mt Rishiri.

Crystal Endeavor itineraries will go on sale Thursday, 23 August 2018.


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Website for Travelers Visiting Japan

All Nippon Airways (ANA) announces the introduction of a new website "Japan Travel Planner" aimed to help travelers visiting Japan discover the beauty of the country by obtaining valuable travel information.

The two informative current websites "ANA Experience Japan" and "Taste of Japan" were integrated into the new " Japan Travel Planner" website which offers enhanced research and travel plan creation functions making it easy to find the best ways to get to sightseeing spots. By selecting a location and the desired traveling time, a recommended itinerary of the trip will be created and an option to make a reservation for an air ticket will be given.

Through this new "Japan Travel Planner" site, ANA will introduce not only the most popular sightseeing spots, but also many hidden attractive locations throughout Japan, strongly contributing to the accomplishment of the Japanese government tourism target of reaching 40 million overseas visitors to Japan in 2020.



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Travel Japan with a local

TRIPFRIENDS, an SNS application dedicated to introducing tour guides to tourists, which the company SeaCalls has developed based on the concept that "Traveling alone is no longer lonely."

Tripfriends, fully compatible with Android and iOS, attracts many keen travelers, helping them find nice food at places visited, experience Japan's culture and look for partners to enjoy various activities.

Tripfriends is recommended to people who would say:

I like traveling alone but would sometimes like somebody's company
I want to interact with locals
I want more people to know about my town
I want a social networking site where users love traveling
I want to make an album of my travel memories and share it with my friends
I love hanging out with people more than anything

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Tokyo Metro Opens New Tourist Information Center

A new tourist information center has opened in #Tokyo station to assist international travelers. This is the fifth tourist information center Tokyo Metro has opened with the other five being located in Ueno, Ginza, Shinjuku, Omotesando, and Shibuya stations. 

The newest information center will keep 9:00 am – 5:00 pm hours 365 days a year to serve traveling tourists in need and will be located near the central ticketing gate of the Marunouchi line. 

In addition to offering transportation information and Tokyo Metro tickets, the information desk will also provide information on facilities around Tokyo station as well as sightseeing spots, and hotels in the area.

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Where Old meets New

THE Tokyo Metropolitan Government is holding a campaign to promote Tokyo's charms overseas and also in a broad scope in Russia using the logo and slogan "Tokyo Tokyo Old meets New." 

The key messages -- "Unparalleled Excitement" and "Your Next Kick" -- have appeared at airports and on trains as well as various media outlets such as newspapers and magazines since June 1, 2018, as part of this full-scale promotional campaign. 

Along with promoting Tokyo's charms effectively to travelers around the world, it is spreading the image of #Tokyo as a tourist #destination worldwide.

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Up in the air . . .

VIETNAM'S new-age carrier Vietjet will officially launch a direct route connecting Hanoi with Osaka (Japan) on 8 November 2018, looking to further boost tourism and trade integration between the two countries and across the region.

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Best passport to have?

JAPAN has taken the top spot on the Henley Passport Index, now offering its citizens visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to a record total of 189 destinations.

Following closely behind #Japan are Singapore and Germany in joint second place, with 188 destinations accessible without a prior visa.

Third place is shared by six countries: one Asian (South Korea) and the rest European (Finland, France, Italy, Spain, and Sweden).  The UK and US hold joint fourth place.

While Schengen Area countries have traditionally topped the index as a result of their open access to Europe, developed Asian nations have been able to secure equally high scores in recent years thanks to their strong international trade and diplomatic relations.

So far, 2018 has seen little to no activity in the European and North American visa-policy space, although American and British foreign policy continues to dominate headlines. By contrast, dozens of new immigration and border policies have been legislated by countries in Asia and the former Soviet Union in recent months, as well as in Africa and the Caribbean.

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Up in the air . . .

SINGAPORE Airlines flight SQ223 has touched down in Perth marking the world’s first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner flight to Australia. Perth has become just the second destination in the world, behind Osaka Japan, to welcome the newest member of the Dreamliner family for regular scheduled services.

The new cabin products feature full-flat beds in Business Class, with a staggered forward-facing layout providing direct aisle access for all customers. All customers will enjoy the latest in personalised in-flight entertainment through myKrisWorld. The Airline’s 787-10s will be used on flights of up to eight hours duration, with more destinations to be added as additional aircraft are received.

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Surfboards fly free

AIRASIA, Australia’s Official Airline of Surfing, has announced changes to its baggage policy as part of its partnership with Surfing Australia and state surfing bodies. From May 1, surfers from across Australia will be able to travel with their surfboard to and from surfing hot spots such as Indonesia, Thailand, the Maldives, Japan and the Philippines, at no additional cost.

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Upscale glamping near Mt. Fuji

LOCATED in the gateway city to Mt. Fuji, Gotemba in Shizuoka Prefecture, which is merely a 90-minute drive from the center of Tokyo, Fujino Kirameki aims to offer the best combination of two worlds: open-air space with outdoor activities surrounded by dynamic nature and sophisticated comforts of luxury hotels.

Leading Japanese hotelier Fujita Kanko Inc. announced the launch of "Fujino," a new brand for upscale glamping, and it will open the first property "Fujino Kirameki Fuji Gotemba" on April 27 near Mt. Fuji, the iconic and highest Japanese mountain and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia.

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Photo series highlights Japan's Chugoku region

#JAPAN National Tourism Organization (JNTO) Los Angeles Office, together with photographer, Krista Rossow and National Geographic have released a photo series highlighting Krista’s recent photography tour through the beautiful natural landscape of Japan’s Chugoku region.

This photo series, which can be viewed on National Geographic's website, appears in three parts that take readers on a journey through the rugged coastlines, mystical shrines, and intense natural beauty of Shimane and Hiroshima prefectures. "Behind the Lens: A Peaceful Moment in Japan" is Krista's own account of finding a spectacular photo opportunity in the most unsuspecting circumstances. 

"Shimane Prefecture: Japan's Best Kept Secret" introduces readers to Shimane's very best from a trip to Japan's most sacred shrine to a hike through the volcanic Oki Islands, a UNESCO Global Geopark. Finally"Hiroshima: Ancient Works, Stunning Sights, and a Passion for Peace" highlights Hiroshima's lasting quest for world peace against a backdrop of historical sights and unforgettable experiences. Japan's abundant natural beauty, cultural experiences, and expansive history are brought into sharp focus through Krista’s photographs which are sure to inspire and excite travelers to recreate her journey themselves.

JNTO has begun an online consumer campaign as of January 18th to entice American travelers to follow in Krista's footsteps and discover the wonders of the Chugoku region. 


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