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• Yamaguchi City

Yamaguchi Makes NY Times 2024 Travel List

Plenty of great reasons to visit this part of Japan

A number of publications often disseminate travel lists at the beginning of the year, providing readers with information about emerging trends and popular destinations. The New York Times recently released their " 52 Places to Visit in 2024" list, and a Japanese city made the cut.

Yamaguchi, as the list notes, often receives the nickname of "the Kyoto of the West", but it's not burdened with the same over-tourism issues prevalent in some parts of Japan. While the list focuses on sights in Yamaguchi City, such as Ruriko-ji and Toshun-ji Temples, Yamaguchi Prefecture as a whole has plenty of gems to captivate just about any traveler's interests.

For instance, the city of Hagi is known for its Edo-period castle town and unique pottery, and Motonosumi Inari Shrine in the Nagato area is a great alternative to Kyoto's Fushimi Inari Shrine if you're looking for an iconic stacked torii arch photo.

Tsunoshima is a particularly gorgeous spot for travelers seeking cobalt blue waters and pristine beaches, and for history buffs, Iwakuni Castle and Kintaikyo Bridge are well worth the visit. The surrounds of the latter are known as being one of the country's top cherry blossom viewing spots in the spring season.

If you are looking for more information about the Yamaguchi region of Japan, be sure to peruse our site – the articles below are a great place to start!

• Yamaguchi Itinerary Guide
• Highlights of Yamaguchi
• Summer festivals in Yamaguchi
• Top 10 Experiences in Yamaguchi

Getting there

Yamaguchi Station is served by the JR Yamaguchi Line. Most travelers to the area transit through Shin-Yamaguchi Station, however, which is served by the San'yō Shinkansen, the San'yō Line, the Ube Line, and the Yamaguchi Line.

Flights are also available to Yamaguchi Ube Airport (Airport Code UBJ) from Tokyo's Haneda (HND) airport, with the travel time taking around two hours.

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New York Times makes a surprising pick for the best city to visit in Japan

When you think of traveling to Japan, the first destinations to come to mind are likely the most popular: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and maybe Hiroshima. But Japan is a large country with a huge array of beautiful places off the beaten path, and it seems like that knowledge is spreading to more and more travelers.

U.S. newspaper The New York Times recently released a list of 53 Places to Go in 2023, and a Japanese city was second on the list, but it wasn’t one anyone would have expected. After London, the second-most recommended destination for 2023 was Morioka, the capital of Iwate prefecture in northeast Japan.

▼ Morioka Castle Ruins Park

Morioka is surrounded by mountains and intersected by multiple rivers, so despite lacking many famous sightseeing spots, its beauty set it apart as the list’s top destination in Japan for 2023. The New York Times highlighted Morioka Castle Ruins Park in autumn, decked out in the reds and oranges of the fall leaves, as an especially beautiful scene.

▼ Some of the mountains around Morioka

The New York Times described Morioka as a beautiful place to enjoy leisurely walks without large crowds, and just a quick ride by bullet train from Tokyo, to boot. The paper also loved the city’s mixture of Taisho era (early 20th century) architecture, old Japanese-style inns, and modern hotels, and the natural beauty of the city’s many rivers played a starring role as well.

Morioka is also famous for wanko soba, which is an experience in itself, and The New York Times mentioned the city’s many restaurants, including a jazz cafe with 40 years of history. Within an hour’s drive one can also visit a fantastic hot spring area, although many locals will tell you that there’s an even better one just one train stop away.

▼ Wanko Soba is served in individual bowls of small servings like this.

As a result of its high ranking by the internationally renowned newspaper, Morioka is expecting an influx of tourists this year, and deservedly so! It would be a wonderful place to stop and slow down after a hectic tour of Tokyo.

In case you’re wondering,  here’s the full top 10:

Morioka, Japan

Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, U.S.

Kilmartin Glen, Scotland

Auckland, New Zealand

Palm Springs, U.S.

Kangaroo Island, Australia

Vjosa River, Albania

Accra, Ghana

• Tromsø, Norway

The only other Japanese city to make the list was Fukuoka, Japan, which ranked 19th.

Source:  NHK News  via  Hachima Kiko ,  The New York Times ,  Timeout

Read more stories from SoraNews24.

-- Faster! Japan’s Shinkansen to get speed boost along Tohoku route

-- Why are people moving in droves to Fukuoka Prefecture? We asked someone who did for some insight

-- This Year of the Rabbit, visit some of the best Japanese sightseeing spots related to rabbits

• External Link
• https://soranews24.com/2023/01/21/new-york-times-makes-a-surprising-pick-for-the-best-city-to-visit-in-japan/

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10 Comments Login to comment

YeahRight Jan. 23, 2023 08:29 am JST

I never did trust that liberal rag. This list does nothing to build up trust.

Seigi Jan. 23, 2023 11:15 am JST

So random...

virusrex Jan. 23, 2023 02:33 pm JST

Maybe some group from Morioka did a good job promoting the city to the NYT staff, it seems too random for the city to be in the spotlight since it is not really famous. Then again some of the other cities in the ranking are also quite unknown so manybe that is what the selection tried to pick up.

Dale Spenser Jan. 23, 2023 03:06 pm JST

Borderline ridiculous.

Chico3 Jan. 23, 2023 05:10 pm JST

London on top of Morioka, Japan? I'm not sure about that. I can name better places to visit ahead of London. I'm not sure if I would put Palm Springs on the map, and I'm from California. This list is totally biased. Palm Springs can be visited in a couple of hours, tops. Arashiyama would go much higher than Palm Springs, for openers.

albaleo Jan. 23, 2023 05:43 pm JST

This list is totally biased.

But also educational. Probably half the population of Scotland had to google Kilmartin Glen to find out where it is. (Or was that only me?)

kaimycahl Jan. 23, 2023 11:35 pm JST

Palm Springs??? I don't get that one!

fa477279 Jan. 23, 2023 11:53 pm JST

You guys don't understand. this isn't a top.of list or anything of that sort, it's a random list of places people never thought to visit. They do it every year so of course it's not gonna be Paris, Tokyo, HK on the list.

JboneInTheZone Jan. 24, 2023 12:23 am JST

it's a random list of places people never thought to visit.

London is number 1

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Morioka, Fukuoka among 52 Places to Go in N.Y. Times List

16:26 JST, January 14, 2023

NEW YORK (Jiji Press) — The Japanese cities of Morioka and Fukuoka have made The New York Times’ 2023 list of 52 places to go around the world.

Morioka “is often passed over or outright ignored,” while Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto are attracting many foreign tourists following Japan’s drastic relaxation of COVID-19 border control measures, according to the list released in the newspaper’s online edition Thursday.

Morioka is “a walkable gem without the crowds, just a short bullet train ride from Tokyo,” the paper said, adding that the city is full of buildings combining traditional Japanese and Western-style architectural aesthetics built during the Taisho era in the early 20th century.

The list also notes food-related attractions in the form of coffee and wanko soba, noodles in small bowls that are served one after another so customers can enjoy eating the noodles quickly.

Fukuoka “is one of the few remaining places in Japan where you will see rows of yatai street food vendors, the paper said, noting traditional ones offering ramen noodles and yakitori chicken skewers, as well as new types selling wine and coffee.

Visitors can savor “an endangered street-food tradition on the often overlooked island of Kyushu,” where the city is located, the paper said.

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The Asahi Shimbun

Yamaguchi aims for more tourism after listing in New York Times

THE ASAHI SHIMBUN

January 11, 2024 at 18:28 JST

YAMAGUCHI--After making a New York Times’ top travel list on Jan. 9, officials here hope to start seeing more tourists from abroad this year despite one disappointment for visitors.

“I think the world is finally starting to see Yamaguchi’s appeal,” joked Yamaguchi Governor Tsugumasa Muraoka on Jan. 10 before adding, “I was really surprised and happy” the city made the list.

The problem, however, is the city’s most iconic sightseeing spot will not be available for tourists to see for quite some time.

The five-story pagoda at Rurikoji temple, a main sightseeing spot in the city that the NYT blurb spotlighted for its “52 Places to Go in 2024"  list, will be closed until well into next year.

It is one of the “three famous pagodas of Japan” along with those at Horyuji temple in Nara and Daigoji temple in Kyoto, and it is the only national treasure in Yamaguchi.

However, the entire structure is completely covered in sheets, and it will likely remain that way throughout the year after work to replace the hinoki bark roofing began last year, the first major project to replace the entire roof in 70 years.

Removing the safety sheeting covering the pagoda is scheduled to begin in March 2025. However, the scaffolding will not be removed and the pagoda will not appear in its original glory, until the fall of 2025.

So much for the “place to go in 2024.”

“It is unfortunate that (visitors) will not be able to see the beauty of the pagoda, but we hope to convey the significance of the fact that they are witnessing a historic moment of work being done to preserve the pagoda for future generations,” said Yukie Yoshitani, general manager of the prefectural tourism federation.

On Jan. 10, a couple in their 60s who came from Tokyo to Yamaguchi visited the temple site. They said they had known that the pagoda was under construction and “were disappointed” that they could not see any of it at all.

Hakushi Watanabe , 53, chief priest of the temple, said that for the sake of the roof’s durability, he hopes the construction work “will be done properly and not be rushed.”

For its part, the Yamaguchi Tourism Convention Association said it plans to “comprehensively promote the entire area of Rurikoji temple.”

CHARMS OF KYOTO MINUS CROWDS

Morioka, the capital of Iwate Prefecture, made headlines last year when it was selected as one of the 52 destinations, which resulted in a sharp rise in both domestic and international tourists.

The Yamaguchi Prefectural Tourism Federation was, thus, elated at being chosen this year.

“We just got over the COVID-19 pandemic and have begun working to get more visitors from overseas,” one official said. “We hope to use this as our tailwind.”

Sandwiched between two popular tourist destinations--Hiroshima, which has World Heritage sites such as Itsukushima shrine and the Atomic Bomb Dome, and Fukuoka, which is known as the “gateway to Asia”--there has been a sense among tourism industry people that Yamaguchi lacks a decisive attraction for overseas visitors.

However, in the NYT blurb, writer Craig Mod highly commended the relatively unknown city.

Mod, who recommended Morioka for the list last year, too, introduced Yamaguchi as being “often called the Kyoto of the West, though it’s much more interesting than that--and it suffers from considerably less ‘tourism pollution.’”

He mentioned several sightseeing spots and events, such as the five-story pagoda at Rurikoji temple, the Yuda Onsen hot springs and the Yamaguchi Gion Festival, which he described as an alternative to Kyoto’s famed Gion Festival.

“I hope people around the world can experience the charms of the wonderful concept of city planning Ouchi (a feudal lord who ruled the area during the Muromachi Period of 1336-1573) did that remains today,” Muraoka said.

(This article was compiled from stories written by Keita Mano, Kazuya Omuro and Satoshi Okumura.)

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MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU IN JAPAN: THE 2024 JAPAN PARADE IN NEW YORK

New York – April 26, 2024 : On May 11, 2024, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) will be celebrating the U.S.-Japan Tourism Year with a commemorative “May the Force Be With You in Japan” float at the third annual Japan Parade in New York. The festivities will kick off at 1pm, with the parade route stretching from 81st Street to 67th Street along Central Park West.

The float will include costumed fans who have been officially invited by Lucasfilm , in conjunction with Japan Parade and members of Japan Society . Star Wars Celebration , the ultimate Star Wars fan event, will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan from April 18-20, 2025. In honor of that, JNTO will roll out a sweepstakes to win a free trip to Japan, which will run until September 30, 2024. Further details of the sweepstakes will be announced online on May 11. Wheelchair tennis star and four-time Japanese Paralympic gold medalist Shingo Kunieda has been named this year’s Grand Marshal, and the parade will also feature a live performance by the cast of Demon Slayer: The Stage, the musical stage adaptation of the popular anime and manga series, Demon Slayer. The parade will also feature performances from taiko bands, bon-odori dance troupes and martial arts groups.

Alongside the Japan Parade, Japan Street Fair will be held on West 72nd Street, with over 20 food tents serving authentic Japanese street cuisine. The street fair will also feature a JNTO tent, highlighting the best of travel to Japan, and cultural activities including calligraphy, water balloon yo-yo fishing, origami and a photo opp with Hello Kitty. A charity tent will collect donations for Noto earthquake victims, providing a free Japan Parade tote bag as a thank-you gift. In addition, JNTO has recently released a special video message from Boston Red Sox player Masahiro Yoshida, whose hometown in the Hokuriku region was affected by the earthquake.

For more information on the Japan Parade, please visit https://www.japanparadenyc.org/ .

ABOUT U.S.-JAPAN TOURISM YEAR

2024 will mark the first time both the United States and Japan have developed this kind of union, which seeks to promote increased travel, mutual tourism, and cultural exchanges between the two countries. The Tourism Year agreement is a project of Japan National Tourism Organization(JNTO), the Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) and the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Travel and Tourism Office and U.S. Commercial Service, the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo and Brand USA. For more information, visit https://www.japan.travel/en/us/us- japan-tourism-year-2024/ .

ABOUT JAPAN NATIONAL TOURISM ORGANIZATION (JNTO)

As the official tourism board, JNTO seeks to inspire international travelers to visit Japan. Focusing on sustainability, diversity and preservation of its history and culture, JNTO encourages travelers to explore the country while supporting local businesses, learning about indigenous cultures, and helping conserve its natural sites.

For more information about travel to Japan, visit https://www.japan.travel/en/us or the JNTO pages on Facebook , Instagram and Youtube . To contact the New York office of the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) directly, please e-mail [email protected] .

ABOUT STAR WARS CELEBRATION

Star Wars Celebration is the ultimate fan experience focused on the galaxy far, far away… The event is filled with major announcements, immersive exhibits, an interactive show floor, screenings, exclusive merchandise, celebrity guests, panels, autograph sessions, fan-inspired activities, costumes, and other surprises celebrating all things Star Wars! Star Wars Celebration is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience where memories are made, families are brought together, old friends are reunited, and new friendships forged — all in the setting of the ever-evolving Star Wars universe.The event is produced by Lucasfilm in cooperation with ReedPop, the organizers of New York Comic Con, C2E2, PAX, and many more events all over the world. The event will be held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan April 18-20, 2025 .

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Guest Essay

A Dangerous Game Is Underway in Asia

By Mike M. Mochizuki and Michael D. Swaine

Dr. Mochizuki is a professor at George Washington University. Dr. Swaine is a senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

This month, President Biden threw one of the most lavish state dinners in Washington’s recent memory. Celebrities and billionaires flocked to the White House to dine in honor of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida of Japan, posing for photos in front of an elaborate display of Japanese fans. Jeff Bezos dropped by; Paul Simon provided the entertainment.

The spectacle was part of a carefully orchestrated series of events to showcase the renewed U.S.-Japan relationship — and the notable transformation of the United States’ security alliances in Asia. The next day, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines was also in the U.S. capital for a historic U.S.-Japan-Philippines summit, during which a new trilateral security partnership was announced.

Both events were directed at the same audience: China.

Over the past several years, Washington has built a series of multilateral security arrangements like these in the Asia-Pacific region. Although U.S. officials claim that the recent mobilization of allies and partners is not aimed at China, don’t believe it. Indeed, Mr. Kishida emphasized in a speech to Congress on April 11 that China presents “the greatest strategic challenge” both to Japan and to the international community.

China’s recent activity is, of course, concerning. Its military has acquired ever more potent ways to counter U.S. and allied capabilities in the Western Pacific and has behaved aggressively in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and elsewhere, alarming its neighbors.

But Washington’s pursuit of an increasingly complex lattice of security ties is a dangerous game. Those ties include upgrades in defense capabilities, more joint military exercises, deeper intelligence sharing, new initiatives on defense production and technology cooperation and the enhancement of contingency planning and military coordination. All of that may make Beijing more cautious about the blatant use of military force in the region. But the new alliance structure is not, on its own, a long-term guarantor of regional peace and stability — and could even increase the risk of stumbling into a conflict.

The security partnership rolled out this month in Washington is only the latest in a string of new defense configurations that reach across Asia and the Pacific. In 2017 the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, known as the Quad, was revived, promoting collaboration among the United States, Japan, Australia and India. In September 2021, Australia, Britain and the United States began their partnership, known as AUKUS, and the United States, Japan and South Korea committed to closer cooperation in a summit at Camp David last August.

All of these moves have been motivated primarily by concern over Beijing, which has, in turn, castigated these countries as being part of a U.S.-led effort to create an Asian version of NATO designed to contain China. None amount to a collective defense pact like the NATO treaty, whose Article 5 considers an armed attack on one member as “an attack against them all.” But China will nevertheless almost certainly regard the latest agreement among the United States, Japan and the Philippines — with which it is engaged in an active territorial dispute — as further confirmation of a Washington-led attempt to threaten its interests.

It’s not yet clear how Beijing will respond. But it may double down on the expansion of its military capabilities and intensify its use of military and paramilitary force to assert its territorial claims in the region, especially regarding the sensitive issue of Taiwan. Beijing could also promote further Chinese military cooperation with Russia in the form of enhanced military exercises and deployments.

The net result may be an Asia-Pacific region that is even more divided and dangerous than it is today, marked by a deepening arms race. In this increasingly contentious and militarized environment, the chance of some political incident or military accident triggering a devastating regional war is likely to grow. This is especially likely, given the absence of meaningful U.S. and allied crisis communication channels with China to prevent such an incident from spiraling out of control.

To prevent this nightmare, the U.S. and its allies and partners must invest much more in diplomacy with China, in addition to bolstering military deterrence.

For a start, the United States and key allies like Japan should make a sustained effort to establish a durable crisis prevention and management dialogue with China involving each nation’s foreign policy and security agencies. So far, such dialogues have been limited primarily to military channels and topics. It is critical that both civilian and military officials understand the many possible sources of inadvertent crises and develop ways to prevent them or manage them if they occur. This process should include the establishment of an agreed-upon set of leaders’ best practices for crisis management and a trusted but unofficial channel through which the relevant parties can discuss crisis-averting understandings.

The immediate focus for the United States and Japan should be on avoiding actions that add to tensions across the Taiwan Strait. The deployment of American military trainers to Taiwan on what looks like a permanent basis and suggestions by some U.S. officials and policy analysts that Taiwan be treated as a security linchpin within the overall U.S. defense posture in Asia are needlessly provocative. They also openly contradict America’s longstanding “one China” policy , under which the United States ended the deployment of all U.S. military forces to Taiwan and does not view Taiwan as a key U.S. security location, caring only that the Taiwan issue be handled peacefully and without coercion.

Japan, for its part, has also become more circumspect about its own “one China” policy by being reluctant to reaffirm explicitly that Tokyo does not support Taiwan’s independence. Recent statements by some political leaders in Tokyo about Japanese military forces being ready to help defend Taiwan will almost certainly inflame Chinese leaders, who remember that Japan seized Taiwan after the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and ’95.

Washington and Tokyo should clearly reaffirm their previous commitments on the China-Taiwan dispute. Tokyo also should confirm that it does not support any unilateral move by Taiwan toward independence and resist U.S. efforts to compel Japan to commit to Taiwan’s defense. Although American officials have reportedly been prodding Japan to join military planning for a Taiwan conflict, a large majority of Japanese residents do not favor fighting to defend Taiwan. Tokyo can best contribute to deterring China by focusing on strengthening its ability to defend its own islands.

Washington and its allies should shift to a more positive approach to China, aimed at fostering accommodation and restraint. This could include working to secure credible mutual assurances regarding limits on Chinese military deployments, such as amphibious forces and missile capabilities relevant to Taiwan, in return for U.S. limits on the levels and types of arms that it sells to the island. They could also explore increasing security cooperation with China regarding cyberattacks, the defense of sea lanes and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, as well as better collaboration to combat climate change and the outbreak of another pandemic.

China, of course, has its own role to play. In the end, Beijing, like the United States, wants to avoid a crisis and conflict in the region. Given that, it should respond to a more cooperative American and allied approach by moderating its own coercive behavior regarding maritime disputes.

None of this will be easy, given the intense suspicion that now exists between Beijing and Washington and its allies. But new thinking and new diplomatic efforts could incentivize China to reciprocate in meaningful ways. At the very least, it’s necessary to try. Focusing on military deterrence alone won’t work. Trying to find a way to cooperate with China is the best way — perhaps the only way — to steer the world away from disaster.

Mike M. Mochizuki is a professor at George Washington University and a nonresident fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. Michael D. Swaine is a senior research fellow focusing on China-related security topics at the Quincy Institute.

The Times is committed to publishing a diversity of letters to the editor. We’d like to hear what you think about this or any of our articles. Here are some tips . And here’s our email: [email protected] .

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Travel’s ‘great comeback’ has a price: chaos

In recent weeks, travelers on both sides of the atlantic ocean have endured long lines at airports, flight delays or cancellations, and plenty of frustration. is this the new normal.

Arriving at London’s Gatwick Airport for his EasyJet flight to Malaga, Spain, with his wife and 12-year-old daughter on April 4, Alasdair Crawley said it was like walking into the mayhem of the aftermath of a soccer game. The 49-year-old plumber from East London described long, unruly lines of angry passengers trying to determine the status of their flights and families sprawled out across the floor eating, drinking and sleeping to get through long delays.

Crawley was not alone in his urge to seize the moment - or in encountering chaos when he did. Over the past two weeks, travelers on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean have endured long lines at airports, flight delays or cancellations, and plenty of frustration.

Thousands of Britons have flocked to airports for the start of the Easter vacation season, which coincided with governments across Europe dropping coronavirus restrictions. But in the past two weeks, more than 1,000 flights have been canceled across Britain, upending vacation plans for tens of thousands of passengers. On April 9 alone, British Airways and EasyJet canceled more than 100 flights.

In the United States, low-cost carriers such as Southwest and Spirit were also forced to cancel flights earlier this month after technical glitches and bad weather. Additionally, JetBlue and Alaska Airlines announced reductions to spring and summer flight schedules, with JetBlue reducing its May flight capacity between 8% and 10% and saying it plans to make similar cuts to its summer schedule, while Alaska cut 2% of its flight schedule through June.

The cuts came at a time when travel demand has come roaring back, with some airlines and airports reporting the highest passenger numbers since the start of the pandemic. London’s Heathrow Airport received 4.2 million passengers in March, a more than sevenfold jump from a year ago. In the United States, passenger traffic in recent months has reached nearly 90% of pre-pandemic levels, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

"When Europe lifted its restrictions, that was an invitation to come back,” said Janice Riley, 54, an American basking in the sunshine in the old town of Geneva early this past week. Riley’s trip to France and Switzerland had been smooth so far — but she said she was willing to get stuck or face disruptions for the sake of going somewhere. "I just had an itch to travel and see friends and family, and taking that risk has been worth it,” she said.

It is the moment the travel industry had been waiting for — "the great comeback,” despite rising prices and the uncertainty over the war in Ukraine. But it seems like the new normal for travelers may be chaos driven by the continued spread of variants and subvariants of the coronavirus and travel operators who are still unable to cope with the volume of demand.

"We’re in for a very bumpy and turbulent two months ahead,” said Paul Charles, CEO of The PC Agency, a London-based travel consultancy firm.

Easing of restrictions and booming demand

The freedom to travel after two years of stringent rules caused a sudden surge in demand for European travel. The International Air Transport Association, which represents nearly 300 airlines, expects total passenger numbers in Europe to reach 86% of 2019 figures in 2022 and make a full recovery in 2024.

The biggest issue, said Charles, the travel consultant, is that many travel companies were not prepared for demand to snap back so quickly and are now scrambling to recruit staff.

"The labor shortfall is now being seen in the fact that companies cannot operate as normal,” he said.

During the height of the pandemic, tens of thousands of jobs were slashed across the aviation industry, and now many airline and airport workers are reluctant to come back to jobs that can offer long hours and low pay. The uncertainty over the future of the pandemic has also pushed people in the industry to seek more-secure career opportunities.

"Stories of unruly passengers, often long commute times and job uncertainty, as seen with COVID-19, could be off-putting for many currently seeking work,” said Ralph Hollister, a travel and tourism analyst at the data analytics firm GlobalData.

Hollister said a lack of staff in security roles has contributed to the disruptions experienced at British airports, adding that the time it takes to vet and train people means that the issues will not be resolved soon.

The issues have been compounded by a record surge in coronavirus cases across Europe, particularly in Britain, which has dropped all of its coronavirus requirements for masking, testing and vaccination. Early this month, the government reported that 1 in 13 people were infected with the virus, and the World Health Organization said virus restrictions in several countries, including France, Italy, Germany and Britain, were relaxed too quickly, causing cases to rise. Coronavirus infections have also been rising in parts of the United States as highly contagious omicron subvariants spread.

In an echo of what American carriers faced as omicron spread, EasyJet said hundreds of its cancellations occurred because of coronavirus-related crew absences. British Airways has also been struggling with staff sickness but said a majority of its flights continue to operate as planned.

On Tuesday, EasyJet CEO Johan Lundgren said he would have expected to see the spike in COVID-19 infections across the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe to have dropped by now, but that has not happened yet. "Until that moment in time, we’ll continue to monitor the situation,” he said.

Still, the airline has flown 94% of its planned schedule in the past week, the highest number of flights operated since 2019, and is confident it will be able to return to a near pre-pandemic schedule by the summer, Lundgren said.

‘Time is running out’

For American travelers, one of the biggest concerns is the predeparture coronavirus test required to return home, which they feel could mean they’d be stuck overseas if they test positive. Among major Western tourist destinations, the United States is a holdout in continuing to require a negative test to enter; the Netherlands, Ireland and Jamaica all recently dropped the requirement.

The U.S. travel industry has been pushing the Biden administration to drop both the testing requirement and its mask mandate for planes and other public transportation. The American Society of Travel Advisors, or ASTA, said the inbound testing requirement is the single biggest barrier to the full recovery of the international travel system.

On Wednesday, the United States government announced that it would extend a mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on public transport, including on airplanes and at airports, for another two weeks. It has not addressed the future of the pre-arrival test requirement.

Demand for travel among American travelers for European destinations is recovering but has been dimmed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. In a recent survey of 1,300 Americans by the travel app TripIt, 33% of respondents said they would take a trip abroad by June. The travel booking site Hopper said that, in March, 15% of international bookings on its site were for U.S. travel to Europe, down 6% since the invasion. In 2019, United States travel to Europe accounted for 30% of international bookings on the site.

"I put this trip off in 2020 and then again in 2021, but I’m in my 70s and time is running out,” said Richard Zelinka, a lawyer from Naples, Florida, discussing a visit to France he has planned for June. "At a certain point, health issues will prevent me from traveling, and you just don’t know what will happen in the world next year.”

When Crawley, the plumber from East London, emptied the majority of his savings account to book the trip to Spain, he told his wife that it was time to "let go and live again,” he said. "I didn’t want to wait for the next bit of bad news or a new COVID variant or World War III to start. It felt like now or maybe never.”

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New York Times makes a surprising pick for the best city to visit in Japan

Sure, Tokyo and Kyoto are nice, but this northeastern town is their top Japan travel pick.

When you think of traveling to Japan, the first destinations to come to mind are likely the most popular: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and maybe Hiroshima. But Japan is a large country with a huge array of beautiful places off the beaten path, and it seems like that knowledge is spreading to more and more travelers.

U.S. newspaper The New York Times recently released a list of 53 Places to Go in 2023 , and a Japanese city was second on the list , but it wasn’t one anyone would have expected. After London, the second-most recommended destination for 2023 was Morioka, the capital of Iwate prefecture in northeast Japan.

▼ Morioka Castle Ruins Park

View this post on Instagram A post shared by とーこ (@toko.toko.4289)

Morioka is surrounded by mountains and intersected by multiple rivers , so despite lacking many famous sightseeing spots, its beauty set it apart as the list’s top destination in Japan for 2023. The New York Times highlighted Morioka Castle Ruins Park in autumn, decked out in the reds and oranges of the fall leaves, as an especially beautiful scene.

▼ Some of the mountains around Morioka

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wakana 若菜 (@a3wkn)

The New York Times described Morioka as a beautiful place to enjoy leisurely walks without large crowds, and just a quick ride by bullet train from Tokyo, to boot. The paper also loved the city’s mixture of Taisho era (early 20th century) architecture, old Japanese-style inns, and modern hotels , and the natural beauty of the city’s many rivers played a starring role as well.

Morioka is also famous for wanko soba , which is an experience in itself, and  The New York Times mentioned the city’s many restaurants, including a jazz cafe with 40 years of history. Within an hour’s drive one can also visit a fantastic hot spring area, although many locals will tell you that there’s an even better one just one train stop away .

▼ Wanko Soba is served in individual bowls of small servings like this.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Keiko Ito (@keiko.ito.3152)

As a result of its high ranking by the internationally renowned newspaper, Morioka is expecting an influx of tourists this year, and deservedly so! It would be a wonderful place to stop and slow down after a hectic tour of Tokyo.

In case you’re wondering, here’s the full top 10:

1. London, U.K. 2. Morioka, Japan 3. Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, U.S.A. 4. Kilmartin Glen, Scotland 5. Auckland, New Zealand 6. Palm Springs, U.S.A. 7. Kangaroo Island, Australia 8. Vjosa River, Albania 9. Accra, Ghana 10. Tromsø, Norway

The only other Japanese city to make the list was Fukuoka, Japan, which ranked 19th. Fukuoka Prefecture itself has become a popular place to move to , so they might be on to something!

Source: NHK News via Hachima Kiko , The New York Times , Timeout Top image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter !

• ( COK • Iwate • Japan travel • Morioka • sightseeing • Tohoku • travel )

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This is where to travel in 2024, according to the New York Times

Japan, France and New Zealand ranked highly in the newspaper’s annual list of travel destinations

There’s a tonne of guidance out there about where to head if you’re planning a trip away this year, but the New York Times ’ annual list of 52 Places To Go is more comprehensive than most. 

The paper’s experts have compiled this year’s list of destinations with sustainable travel and cultural events in mind. From the Path of Totality , which will be one of the best places to watch April’s solar eclipse to Maui , Hawaii , which was severely damaged by wildfires in 2023, there’s very good reason to visit every place on the list in 2024. 

There’s also an abundance of choice, no matter the vibe you’re craving. For adventurous travellers, there’s the underwater world of Hurghada, Egypt , but for those seeking some mystical peace and relaxation, there’s Salar de Uyuni , the world’s largest salt flat. 

Here’s the full New York Times list of places to go in 2024

• The Path of Totality, North America
• Paris , France
• Yamaguchi, Japan
• New Zealand by train
• Maui, Hawaii
• Baaj Nwaavja I’tah Kukveni, Arizona
• O’Higgins, Chile
• Ladkah, India
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Dominica, The Caribbean
• Manchester , UK
• Craters of the Moon, Idaho
• Baltimore , Maryland
• Salar de Uyni, Bolivia
• Negombo, Sri Lanka
• Massa-Carrara, Italy
• Bannau Brycheiniog, Wales
• Valencia , Spai n
• Kansas City , Missouri
• Antananarivo, Madagascar
• Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
• Lake Toba, Indonesia
• Almaty, Kazakhstan
• Quito, Ecuador
• Mingan Archipelago, Quebec
• Montgomery, Alabama
• Tasmania, Australia
• Waterford, Ireland
• Tsavo National Park, Kenya
• Brasilia, Brazil
• El Salvador
• Koh Her, Cambodia
• Vestmannaeyjar, Iceland
• Montevideo, Uruguay
• Mustang, Nepal
• Vienna , Austria
• Brisbane , Australia
• Pasadena, California
• Hurghada, Egypt
• Boundary Waters, Minnesota
• Thessaloniki, Greece
• Normandy, France
• Grenada, The Caribbean
• El Camino de Costa Rica
• Albanian Alps
• White Horse, Yukon
• Choquequirao, Peru
• Dresden, Germany
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, Mexico
• Flamingo, Florida

For more 2024 travel inspo, read our guide to  the best things to do across the world in 2024  and the world’s coolest neighbourhoods right now .

Did you see that these are the top trending destinations to visit in 2024, according to Tripadvisor ?

Plus: these are all the strikes at European airports you need to watch out for right now . 

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Jan 16, 2023

Morioka No.2 destination on New York Times global travel list

The northern Japanese city of Morioka has been ranked second by the The New York Times on its list of 52 places around the world to go in 2023. 

Morioka, in Iwate Prefecture, and the city of Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu in western Japan, were the only two Japanese destinations to feature on the paper’s influential annual travel list published on Thursday.  

London topped the list of the places to go in 2023 with Morioka, Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park (US), Kilmartin Glen (Scotland), and Auckland (New Zealand) completing the top five destinations. Fukuoka featured at number 19. 

(Image: The Site of Morioka Castle Park,  yisris flickr license )

Around two hours from Tokyo by shinkansen bullet train, the city of Morioka is “a walkable gem without the crowds,” the paper said. Morioka is also praised for its Taisho-era (1912 - 1926) buildings, old ryokan, and an ancient-castle-site-turned-park, among other features. 

The city’s “fantastic” coffee and all-you-can-eat wanko soba noodles are also highlighted by the paper - the latter being a speciality of the Iwate region, particularly in Morioka, where diners binge on the buckwheat noodles, slurping down small portions that are immediately replaced until they can’t take any more.

Sandwiched between The Alaska Railroad and the island of Flores in Indonesia, at number 19 on The New York Times list subtropical Fukuoka is highlighted for its rows of yatai which the paper describes as “open-air street-food stalls resembling boxes of neon light” 

Many of these yatai - something of an endangered dining experience in Japan - serve-up outdoor staples such as ramen , yakitori and oden , while a little more diversity, including wine and coffee, can be found along the riverfront on the island of Nakasu, according to the paper.

What are your go to destinations in Japan in 2023?  Let us know in the comments.

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Non-Stop to New York? Japan Airlines Boosts Flights with Bigger Planes

J apan Airlines (JAL) is giving flyers a reason to cheer! They’re adding more flights and upgrading their planes on the popular route between Tokyo (Haneda Airport) and New York (JFK Airport) this summer.

Starting July 1st, JAL will be flying to New York twice a day using their fancy new Airbus A350-1000 planes. These planes will be the main option for this route, with some Boeing 777-300ERs still flying occasionally.

This means more flights and potentially a more comfortable flying experience on the Airbus A350s during peak travel season.

The number of seats offered will go up slightly in July compared to June, but it will be a little lower than May because May has more days. Flights in June will be similar to April before the switch to mostly A350s in July.

It looks like JAL might eventually use only the A350s on this route in the future, but for now, there will still be a few Boeing 777s flying between Tokyo and New York.

So what’s so special about the A350?

JAL says their A350s are super comfy and have plenty of space for 239 passengers. First class sounds amazing – spacious suites with big comfy seats, big screens, and even a choice of mattress sizes! Business class isn’t too shabby either – lie-flat seats, personal screens, and all the legroom you could ask for. Premium economy gets recliner seats with privacy dividers and legrests that go all the way up. Even coach seems a little nicer with standard seats.

New Flights, New Competition

JAL started using the A350 on this route in January, and now their partner American Airlines is joining the party in June with daily flights on their own planes (Boeing 777-200ERs). More choices for travelers means more competition, which can sometimes lead to better deals!

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The White House said on Monday it viewed the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in two assassination plots in Canada and the United States as a serious matter.

Weak yen plays on Japan holiday choices

Spring holidays have begun in Japan. The break comes as the yen briefly weakened to the 158-range against the dollar in New York, marking a fresh 34-year-low. The feeble Japanese currency is proving a boon for many foreign visitors, who have been flocking to tourist spots.

The historical townscape of Kawagoe city is located about an hour from central Tokyo. The traditional warehouse-style residences are a major draw.

Now the yen's depreciation is giving inbound tourists more reasons to enjoy their time in Japan.

One tourist from abroad told NHK that the weaker yen makes it easier for them to go shopping and visiting many spots in Japan.

If foreign travelers are smiling, Japanese visitors find it hard to share the sentiment.

One newly-wed woman said, "I really want to travel overseas but it's not that easy now."

A Japanese couple is feeling the pain of the exchange rate during their one-week stay in Hawaii.

"We sometimes skip breakfast and just have brunch, to save on dining costs," said the woman. "And sometimes our breakfast is instant food we brought from Japan. If the rate was even a little better, our trip would be much easier."

A survey by major travel agency JTB suggests more than 70 percent of respondents are choosing not to take overnight trips. It says more people are citing economic challenges compared to last year.

Everyone is visiting Japan. An extended currency slump means the tourists will just keep coming.

• Japan's weak currency is boosting tourism, with a record-breaking 3.1 million visitors in March.
• The devalued yen is encouraging tourists to spend more on luxury goods.
• The currency is negatively impacting outbound travel, with more Japanese tourists staying in the country.

Japan is a beloved tourist spot . A weak currency is ensuring that it will remain that way for foreigners.

The country just broke its pre-pandemic tourist record, with 3.1 million foreign visitors in March. The government said it's on track to surpass 2025's target of 32 million annual foreign visitors this year, after 8.6 million tourists visited in the first quarter of 2024.

Japan opened to tourists in October 2022, after over two years of strict, pandemic-induced border restrictions. Pent-up demand, combined with a cheaper currency, has fueled the record number of visitors.

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Tourists are staying longer and spending more due to the weak yen, which makes it cheaper for foreigners to purchase accommodation, activities, food, and gifts. The yen has fallen nearly 10% year-to-date , compared to the dollar.

Japan's currency has been depreciating largely due to high interest rates in the US, which makes the dollar more attractive to investors. A historic rate hike in Japan last month — the first since 2007 — did little to reverse the downward trend.

Japan is a tourist hot spot because of its status as a culture and entertainment icon, its natural wonders, and its unique cuisine. Tourists from South Korea, China, Taiwan, and the US made up the biggest portion of foreign visitors in March, according to Japan's National Tourism Organization.

Japanese carriers like Japan Airlines and ANA plan to cash in on the tourism boom by running more routes from Asia.

The sharp decline of the yen has also expanded demand for luxury goods. Foreign tourists are taking advantage of the currency discount by snapping up cheaper products in Japan from premium brands such as Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer, Chanel, and Prada, Bloomberg reported earlier this month.

While the weak yen creates a sweet spot for foreigners, it is severely hurting Japanese travelers.

The number of outbound travelers was less than half the number of inbound travelers in March, per the National Tourism Organization. Outbound Japanese travel was down 37% last month compared to the same period in 2019, though it ticked up from February, the agency's data shows.

High airfare costs and low buying power is compelling more locals to skip international travel in favor of domestic locations.

Watch: Japanese denim is costly, but it's considered one of the best denims in the world. Here's why.

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