Shoutenguide: Tokyo’s Best Shopping Streets

What department stores are for rich housewives, shoutengai (shopping streets) are for communities. Bustling hubs of activity, there are over 2,400 in Tokyo alone. Tokyo Weekends has visited many and picked our favorite retro shopping arcades and streets. Every shoutengai on our list has over 100 shops, making it worth a trip.

They all hark back to the good old days, when the Japanese economy was booming enough to put large, well-built signs and funky streetlights every couple of meters. Take Musashi Koyama Shopping Street Palm, for example: not only does it have a completely retractable roof, but it’s also twinned with an incredibly popular shopping arcade in Milan.

Nakano Sun Mall | Photo by Lisa Knight

Nakano Sun Mall: A Subculture Haven

The town of Nakano is a lively spot close to Shinjuku, thronging with people both during the day and at night. Known as a champion of subculture,

…

Craig Mod: Shining a Light on the Mundane

Craig Mod has been a resident of Japan for over 20 years, writer and photographer for almost as long and a walker for longer. He chooses traveling on foot over trains and pizza toast over (nearly) everything. This all comes together in his book Kissa by Kissa, a fantastic read that I first came across in a tiny kissaten (Japanese-style café) in Hakodate, Hokkaido. And as it turned out, it was placed there by the man himself.

Mod and I dialed in on a Monday morning and spoke about everything from walking to membership programs to the Iwate city of Morioka.

Unconventional Living Through Special Projects

Mod, an accomplished author and writer with bylines in The New York Times, Eaters and The Atlantic, has a candid writing style that reads like a letter from a friend. Filled with observations and anecdotes, his writings bring stories to the

…

WestJet pilots picket ahead of possible strike next week

The risk of travel chaos is starting to look like a sure thing as Canadians make plans to take the skies this Victoria Day long weekend.

On top of staff shortages, one of Canada’s major airlines is now on the edge of a labor dispute. More than 300 WestJet pilots stood outside Terminal 3 at Pearson International Airport this afternoon, with similar pickets happening in Calgary and Vancouver ahead of a possible strike next week.

Pilots say they are sick of poor treatment, poor pay and the high turnover rate of staff with WestJet.

“We are ready to take legal strike action – or be locked out at that point – but we are still hoping to reach a deal,” Capt. Chris Tholl, a WestJet pilot, told CTV National News.

Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), the union representing the striking workers, says pilots are leaving at an incredible rate, stating

…

Pearson airport boss says summer operations have ‘significantly improved’

The head of Toronto Pearson International Airport says operations have “significantly improved” at Canada’s busiest travel hub after travelers experienced turbulence before they even left the ground last summer.

“This summer is of course very different from summer 2022 with its slingshot of growth of 180 per cent in a very short period of time,” Deborah Flint, Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) CEO, said at a news conference on Tuesday. “The numbers that we show today speak volumes.”

According to Flint, security wait times in Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 have both “dramatically” improved since 2022. Most recent data from the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) shows that during the week of July 3, more than 90 per cent of passengers cleared security in less than 15 minutes.

At customs, the average wait time for passengers was seven minutes, which Flint called a “substantial improvement” over last summer.

Gate

…

New warning issued for rebooking air travel after delays, cancellations

Summer air travel is already off to a bumpy start for many travelers experiencing more flight delays than usual and now there’s a new alert for when it’s time to rebook.

With flight delays higher than last summer, stuck travelers are trying to avoid the lines and calling to rebook — and that’s where the trouble can start.

Shmuli Evers told ABC News he was in an hour on Sunday evening at JFK Airport in New York City when his Delta flight to Florida was cancelled. While in a line of other stranded passengers at the help desk, Evers said he searched online for a number for Delta customer service. He called the number listed and eventually got an automated prompt.

Evers said he was almost scammed.

“There was like two options — like is this for this airline, that airline,” which he recalled thinking was weird. “‘If this is

…

Previewing Nadeshiko Japan at the 2023 FIFA World Cup

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup kicked off in Auckland earlier today with co-hosts New Zealand taking on Norway just two hours after two people died following a shooting in the city. The team known as Nadeshiko Japan began their campaign in Hamilton this Saturday against debutants Zambia.

That match, as well as all the other games involving the 2011 winners, will be shown on NHK (mainly on the BS satellite channel) after the state broadcaster secured rights with just a week to spare. So, how will Japan fare? Here we take a closer look at Futoshi Ikeda’s side and analyze their chances of falling under. We begin, though, by looking back at their results in previous world cups.

Japan’s World Cup History

Japan has featured in every Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991. They made little impact in the first five competitions, though, losing 12 of

…

The world’s most powerful passports for 2023

Editor’s Note: Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments.



CNN
—

The jiggling and jostling atop the global passport rankings for 2023 just got a little more interesting.

For five long years, Japan has been sitting pretty in the No.1 position in the Henley Passport Index, which measures global travel freedom in terms of how much visa-free and visa-on-demand access the world’s different citizens enjoy.

But for summer 2023, Japan’s been knocked down into a third place and the new titleholder is Singapore, whose citizens are able to visit 193 destinations out of 227 around the world visa-free.

And while Asia has long dominated the top of the leaderboard in the index created by London-based global citizenship and residence advisory firm

…

Suikawari 101: Smashing Watermelons in the Summer

Japanese watermelons are famous across the world for their fantastically bizarre shapes and deep, sweet flavors. When they come into season from June onwards, watermelons (suika in Japanese) make for the perfect summertime snacks. The game associated with the fruit, suikawari, or watermelon smashing, providing enjoyment and refreshment in one go. Let’s have a look at the history of it and how to play it.

What is Suikawari?

Suikawari is a traditional Japanese summertime activity. Usually taking place on a beach or on a sports field, it involves participants trying to smash open a watermelon while blindfolded. Frequently, one or more teams will have a go. Once the watermelon is successfully split, it is divided out for everyone to enjoy.

A popular group game for the beach, suikawari is easy to prepare. Most Japanese people have played suikawari at least once in their lifetime. Many even more so. For

…

Tokyo Midtown Events To Get You Through the Hottest Months

Summer in Tokyo is in full swing. Check out these six Tokyo Midtown events to stay breezy in the upcoming months, featuring a cold foot bath and a new 21_21 Design Sight exhibition.

Summertime in the City

Asimizu

Cool down with Tokyo Midtown this summer at the urban development’s Ashimizu event. At the event, you’ll be able to soak your feet in a gently flowing stream set up in Midtown Garden. The partially covered stream area, which will also feature a cooling mist, is the perfect spot to escape the summer heat and bustling city. Enjoy the sight of sunlight filtering through the leaves of the garden’s trees and glistening on the water’s surface or sit back with a book or a drink for a relaxing break. In the evening, the area is illuminated with soft-colored lights, creating a mystical atmosphere where you can savor the cool evening breeze. As

…

Tofino man spends nearly 8 years traveling the world without using motorized vehicles

A Tofino man is on the verge of completing an epic odyssey that most of us could only imagine.

Markus Pukonen has spent nearly eight years traveling the world, all without the use of a single motor.

“No, not even an elevator,” he told CHEK News. “When I say I don’t use motorized transportation [it’s true.] I just, I like to be a man of my word. And it’s fun.”

The idea for the trip came to Pukonen while he was fighting forest fires in BC Initially, the idea was to make a film to inspire people to live with a lighter footprint.

The concept sat with him for seven years before it found new urgency.

“My dad called me up and told me he had two weeks to live,” said Pukonen.

“He had been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia out of nowhere. And on my way home to see

…