Tag - travel

 
 

TRAVEL

Fukui Prefecture is home to 80% of Japan’s dinosaur fossil discoveries, yet it is routinely one of the least-visited regions in the country.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 20, 2026
Beyond crabs and dinos: Japan’s least-touristed region rethinks its appeal
Fukui Prefecture routinely ranks among Japan’s least-visited prefectures, but a crop of young professionals in the tourism industry are pushing a new set of charms.
A new global ranking puts Osaka Itami Airport as not only best in Japan but Asia's top travel hub in terms of punctuality, passenger experience and facilities.
LIFE / Travel
Jun 19, 2026
Osaka Itami Airport named Asia’s best in new travel rankings
Fukuoka Airport and Nagoya’s Chubu Centrair International Airport rounded out Japan’s top three airports graded on punctuality, passenger experience and facilities.
A rendering of a Supreme Class premium private compartment to be offered on Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen train cars from October
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 18, 2026
Private compartments coming in October to Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen trains
The compartments in the Supreme Class will feature reclining seats and lockable doors, and tickets for them can only be purchased online.
People attend the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Annual General Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday.
BUSINESS
Jun 8, 2026
Global airlines slash 2026 profit forecast on fuel shock from Iran war
The downgrade underscores airlines’ exposure to geopolitical shocks and fuel volatility.
A Middle East Airlines aircraft approaches the Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on March 30.
WORLD
Jun 3, 2026
Lebanon launches safety audit of Middle East Airlines amid pilot groups’ complaints
The audit puts scrutiny on the Beirut-based flag carrier, which has kept the country connected through war and financial collapse.
The Yaima Maru ferry, which will operate between Taiwan and Ishigaki Island in Okinawa Prefecture, is docked in Keelung, Taiwan, Thursday.
JAPAN
May 28, 2026
New Taiwan-Japan ferry service debuts on ship that has war evacuation role
The Yaima Maru is among vessels to be used to evacuate residents on southern Japanese islands to mainland Japan in times of crisis.
People walk past an advocacy poster against the spread of Ebola virus, as aid agencies intensify efforts to contain a new Ebola outbreak involving the Bundibugyo Virus at the Platinum Medical Center in Kampala, Uganda, on Tuesday.
WORLD
May 27, 2026
Canada and Bahamas impose Ebola-related travel bans
The entrance ban of residents from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda and South Sudan comes as the WHO raised the risk of ​the Bundibugyo strain to “very ⁠high.”
Pilgrims perform umrah around the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque ahead of the start of hajj in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
WORLD
May 24, 2026
Pilgrims from the West flock to hajj despite Mideast war
For many, the chance to perform the sacrosanct Muslim rite has taken precedence over the fears of instability caused by the war against Iran.
Tourists relax along Patong Beach on the southern Thai island of Phuket in 2024. Thailand is drastically cutting the length of visa-free stays for tourists from more than 90 countries in an effort to curb crime involving foreign nationals, officials said on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
May 20, 2026
Thailand cuts visa-free stays, citing crime by foreigners
Tourism is vital to the Southeast Asian nation’s economy, but foreign arrivals have yet to return to their pre-COVID highs.
A passenger aircraft operated by Deutsche Lufthansa in Frankfurt, Germany, on April 13. The airline group — Europe’s largest — said it’s scrapping 20,000 uneconomic short-haul flights in the region this summer.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 13, 2026
How a jet fuel supply crunch threatens summer flights
Faced with higher fuel costs and lower supply, airlines have axed thousands of flights, grounded less-efficient aircraft and raised airfares.
A Spirit Airlines Airbus A321 aircraft is seen parked  at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 3, 2026
Spirit ends operations after White House bailout collapses
All Spirit flights have been canceled and passengers have been advised not to go to the airport after the airline failed to secure a deal with the Trump administration for funding.
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways reported year-on-year growth in reservations for both domestic and international flights for the eight-day period ending Wednesday.
BUSINESS
Apr 30, 2026
Air travel bookings for Japan’s Golden Week holiday robust
Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways reported year-on-year growth in reservations for both domestic and international flights for the eight-day period.
At a plenary session on Friday, the House of Councilors passed a bill cutting application fees for 10-year passports to ¥8,900 for online applications and to ¥9,300 for in-person applications.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2026
Japanese passport fees going down to ¥9,000 in July
Under the revised passport law, which takes effect on July 1, adult Japanese nationals aged at least 18 can apply for passports valid for 10 years only.
Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less. Using the devices aboard planes will be prohibited.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2026
Japan to restrict power banks on flights from April 24
Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights will be prohibited.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby speaks during a media event in Los Angeles on March 24.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 14, 2026
United Airlines CEO pitched American Airlines tie-up in meeting with Trump, sources say
A combination of two of the largest U.S. network carriers would be the most consequential consolidation since the last wave of big airline mergers ​ended more than a decade ago.
In recent years, the combination of a surge in tourism to Hokkaido and the operations of the Rapidus semiconductor plant has led to congestion at New Chitose Airport’s train station and on express trains.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Apr 13, 2026
Amid travel boom, Hokkaido struggles to improve airport rail link
Express trains arriving at and departing from New Chitose Airport are congested, creating concern.
An airplane of VietJet Airline taxis in front of the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines airplane, at Noi Bai International Airport, in Hanoi on May 28.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2026
Asian airlines trim schedules and carry extra fuel as supplies tighten
European carriers are bracing for similar disruption after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz cut off nearly 21% of global seaborne jet fuel supply.
New and old long-distance hiking trails hope to draw tourists from crowded cities to unhurried rural regions.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 4, 2026
‘If you walk, you will see’: National parks bet on trekking tourists
Multiday hikes through Japan’s most rural stretches aim to benefit locals and visitors alike.
A JTB survey shows outbound travel from Japan during Golden Week will rise 8.5% to 572,000 people.
JAPAN
Apr 3, 2026
Some 570,000 Japanese plan to travel abroad during Golden Week
The average spending per person on overseas trips during the April 25 to May 7 period is estimated at ¥329,000, the highest figure since comparable data became available in 1996.
A Japan Airlines airplane flies past an oil refinery as it approaches to land at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, as seen from a park in the Keihin Industrial Zone in Kawasaki, on March 17.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 1, 2026
Japan’s international flights to get pricier due to hike in fuel surcharge
Fuel surcharges are expected to rise up to double their current rates due to the ongoing Iran conflict.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival