Japan Prepares for Ultra-Luxury Train Launching this Summer
The new 10-car train will be set up like a hotel with some sweet private digs including a suite that fills up an entire rail car!
Japan
Airbnb Has Built a Hotel
Homeowners turned entrepreneurs have been renting our their spaces for tidy little profits, and hotels have…
Magic in Japan: A Traditional Ryokan Stay
Sleeping so near the floor on something other than a regular bed might make a couple readers cringe, but when it was time to sleep I found that the thick futon mattress was actually quite comfortable and the air smelled fresh and woodsy.
Magic in Japan: Day in Narita
Trip Index: Introduction Getting There – JAL First Class Hotel Review: Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Guide to Tsukiji…
One Day in Osaka
Trip Index: Introduction Getting There – JAL First Class Hotel Review: Ritz-Carlton Tokyo Guide to Tsukiji…
Food Shopping in Japan
A toothpaste-style tube with a smiling kid on the front and a jumble of letters? It could toothpaste…or mayonnaise, fish paste, or spreadable meat.
Review: St Regis Osaka
Nudging closer, we were just in time for the show! One performer gave the drums a good workout while dancing around. I thought he was wearing socks but upon further inspection realized that they were shoes designed to look as if he only had two toes.
Opening Soon: Four Seasons Kyoto’s Introductory Offer
To see what the room rates look like I did a random search using the weekday date of October 16, 2016 and selecting the lowest category Deluxe Room.
5 Wacky Christmas Traditions Plus 31 Days of Giveaways – Day 5
Some children tie a string to their big toe and let the other end dangle all the way down to the road below, so that it is within arm’s reach of those passing by.
The Ritz-Carlton is Bringing Two New Luxury Properties to Asia
Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties are on the smaller, more intimate side with less rooms and usually in great locations. This new hotel will be no exception. With just 50 rooms, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve will be located at the base of Mount Niseko-Annapuri in Niseko Village, a super popular ski destination which is well-known for its dry champagne powder snow.
Magic in Japan: Day in Hiroshima
A watch in the museum has the hands frozen in time at 8:15 and outside the Peace Clock Tower chimes gently each day at the exact moment the world changed.
Magic in Japan: Day Trip to Miyajima
Traipsing down the path I came to a halt as one nimble deer followed by another leapt across my path and folded themselves up delicately to take a nap in the sunshine. I quietly snuck out my camera and was busy snapping away before I saw another deer out of the corner of my eye…and another.
Magic in Japan: Hotel Review – Sheraton Hiroshima
She didn’t have an answer but kept repeating that we were in a Club level King room and that the Suites were unavailable. I asked if they were all occupied and she said no, but wasn’t able to provide a satisfactory answer as to why I couldn’t stay in one unless paying for that specific room type.
Magic in Japan: Getting to Hiroshima
What a treat! It was what is officially known as Japanese government exclusive aircraft, or more commonly known as Japanese Air Force One used by the Emperor and Prime Minister. I have to admit I was more than a little in awe of it.
Magic in Japan: Park Hyatt Tokyo Revisited
After Kyoto I couldn’t resist sneaking in a night at the famed Park Hyatt Tokyo before heading to Hiroshima. I’ve stayed there many times before as I figure many readers have, but it is a favorite of mine. The outstanding staff, suite and breakfast all blend together for a fantastic stay. To me it is one of the top aspirational chain properties in the world that is absolutely worth the stay, if even for one visit or night.
Magic in Japan: Day 2 in Kyoto
A coffee shop is not always just a coffee shop in Japan. There’s Moomin cafe, where solo diners can sip a beverage seated next to a huge life-sized stuffed animal so they don’t feel lonely (either the stuffed animal or the patron). Then there are the super popular animal cafes. You pay a small cover charge, and once inside you can pet and play with the animals to your heart’s content.
Magic in Japan: Day 1 in Kyoto
It was cool and misty, and people walked quietly through the torii, stopping to take selfies and pictures of their friends making peace symbols with their fingers. Tweet-tweet-tweet-tweet called a bird softly in the distance, and there was something calming about following the winding paths.
Tea at the Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
Just then, my sand ran out. It was time for tea! I had chosen the chocolate tea, which turned out to be a lightly colored liquid when poured, accompanied by a single fairy blossom floating on top.
Hotel Review: Ritz-Carlton Kyoto
The white-gloved driver pulled the taxi right up to the porte-cochere where three well-dressed Ritz employees were standing attentively. As soon as the vehicle stopped, two of them sprung into action and pulled the suitcases out of the trunk. The third led us along a path that meandered over the top of a shallow stream, where the cool water tumbled over smooth stones.
Magic in Japan: Taking the Shinkansen “Bullet” Train
Tokyo is connected to many of Japan’s largest cities by way of a high speed train often called the bullet train or Shinkansen. Standing beneath the board with the day’s timetable, a quick glance at the screen filled with triangles and circles and I decided not to use the automated kiosk.
