Let’s Visit Asia

Japanese cuisine is more than just sushi and sashimi. If you’re headed to Tokyo anytime soon and fancy a degustation of local flavors, check out this ABC article for some ideas on what to expect.

Once the menu is presented, the strange and often thrilling journey outside the comfort zone begins. Though Japanese cuisine is based on the familiar — rice, noodles, soups, tofu, fish, livestock — it also appears to embrace most of the other creatures that inhabit the region, with the exception of Hello Kitty. About 450 types of seafood are sold at the city’s Tsukiji fish market, the …read more

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Looks like Asia is not just home to some of the most spectacular wonders of nature, it’s also where you can find some of the top “weird activities” around the world.

Photo Credit: KnOizKi via Flickr
Grab a dinner at the The Modern Toilet Restaurant in Taipei, Taiwan. or at the Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant in Bangkok, Thailand. Both guaranteed to give you a unique dining experience!
And if you think wine belongs to the dining table alone, check out the Hakone Kowakien Yunessun Wine Spa in Hakone, Japan, where you get to sink into a red wine pool in the shadow of …read more

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Not my style… erm, more like not my budget, but if luxury travel is what you want, check this out: Andrew Harper, the Ultimate Resource for the Luxury Traveler.
Designed exclusively for Andrew Harper members, Andrew Harper Signature Tours present the opportunity to experience exotic destinations in VIP comfort and style. As would be expected, each sophisticated one-of-a-kind tour is with groups no larger than 20 like-minded luxury travelers, ensuring an intimate travel experience. Each tour includes the very best guides, accommodations and transport. And thanks to Andrew Harper’s worldwide contacts, guests will personally meet many prominent local figures along the …read more

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Passengers flying Japanese Airlines on First Class and Executive Class Seasons (Business Class) will now be receiving the JAL Guide Tokyo, the first English-language city guide produced by the airline in nearly 20 years.
This 80-page guide contains regularly updated information on shopping and dining in Tokyo, plus sightseeing recommendations, a Tokyo subway map, as well as useful area and walking maps. The guide also has sections on Tokyo cuisine, sake and shochu – Japan’s national drinks – and tips on manners and etiquette when eating out.
The JAL Guide Tokyo will be available in first and business classes on all Americas …read more

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Been to Japan? Care to share your experiences and memories? Here’s a place for you.
Welcome to ReviewJapan, a place to share your experiences and memories of Japan, and review restaurants, places, products, activities, movies, and all things Japanese. We hope that you will post your thoughts and tell us what you think is interesting about Japan.
You can start your own blog, or post comments in their community forum.

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Traveling to Tokyo? Don’t miss b5media’s newly launched blog, The Tokyo Traveler, written by Shane Sakata.

Shane offers tips on getting around the busy metropole– where to go, what to do, and handy tips on how to make the best out of your stay in Tokyo.
Welcome to the b5media Travel Channel, Shane!

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Spring is in the air and it again time for cherry blossoms viewing in Japan.
Every year the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the public track the sakura zensen (cherry-blossom front) as it moves northward up the archipelago with the approach of warmer weather via nightly forecasts following the weather segment of news programs. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and typically reaches Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March or the beginning of April. It proceeds into areas at the higher altitudes and northward, arriving in Hokkaidō a few weeks later.
Join the locals as they hold “hanami” at the …read more

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It’s been less than half a year after the inaugural A380 flight and Singapore Airlines is ready to fly the humongous aircraft to two other international destinations: London and Tokyo.
The first A380 flight to London will leave Singapore on Tuesday, 18 March 2008, and from then on, there will be daily flights between Singapore and London. A schedule of the flight times can be found here.
As for Tokyo, flights to this destination will start on May 20, 2008. You can find the schedule of A380 flights to Tokyo from Singapore here.
Where to next ? New York? Frankfurt? Being based in …read more

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As Cyndi Lauper once said, girls wanna have fun. And Hilton Tokyo is making it even easier as it launches the special ladies room package ‘Urban Girls Escape’.
Starting from ¥33,950 per person, the package includes an original 60 minutes aromatherapy treatment and healthy gourmet dinner in a Deluxe or Executive guestroom or suite, overlooking the impressive Shinjuku skyline. This room package also includes luxurious bath amenities from ‘Korres’ of Greece and a seasonal Hilton Tokyo special gift of LOLA cosmetics to take home.
The perfect get-away for the young female execs!
Source

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The following is a contribution from guest blogger, Kala, who is currently based in Qatar. She has lived in the Philippines and France, and plans to visit 15 more countries before she turns 30.
Wanting a taste of traditional Japanese lifestyle, my recent trip to Japan included booking several nights at a ryokan in Kyoto. A ryokan is a Japanese-style inn, an experience that must not be missed when in Japan, according to my Japanese friends.
The first sight that greeted us at the ryokan was a sea of brown slippers, neatly arranged at the entrance. You are required to remove your …read more

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