CBSA prepares for Canada and US Independence Day weekend travel surge

With Canada Day and US Independence Day approaching, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has shared a reminder and expected border procedures for travelers in order to have a smoother trip traveling between the two countries.

According to the reminder issued on Monday, CBSA employees will be monitoring travelers to ensure the prevention of entry of harmful goods into Canada.

CBSA says that its employees facilitated the arrival of over 60 million travelers in 2022 while keeping more than 1,100 firearms and 24,400 prohibited weapons off the streets and seized over 41,000 kg of illegal drugs.

To ensure a smooth border crossing experience, CBSA recommends considering the following tips:


Plan ahead: Check the border wait times web page and avoid traveling during the peak hours – Monday of holiday long weekends tend to be the busiest – instead, cross the border during non-peak hours such as early in

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What’s New in Tokyo in July 2023

Just at the tail end of June, the iconic guitar company Fender opened a flagship store in Harajuku. The next day, the apparel brand Ugg opened its inaugural flagship store in Asia, also in Harajuku. In Uehara, a new stylish commercial complex named Cabo opens, while in Yoyogi, there’s a new facility dedicated to shogi, Japanese chess. This and more in our monthly showcase of what’s new in Tokyo.

Ugg Flagship Store in Harajuku

Ugg (stylized as UGG) is a lifestyle brand based in Southern California with a legion of fans all over the world. Renowned for its comfy beige sheepskin boots, the brand also sells other footwear and casual clothes that emulate the laidback culture seen in both California and Australia (where the company founders are from). On July 1, Ugg opened a flagship store in Harajuku, its first in Asia. The interior design aims to showcase the Californian

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Yoyogi Broadway Is a Haven of Hospitality That Follows Its Own Rules

Under the watchful eye of NTT Docomo Yoyogi Tower (Tokyo’s Empire State Building-reminiscent landmark), an east-meets-east coast neighborhood sprawls out just a few steps from Yoyogi Station’s east exit. Previously known as the quiet side of the station, this former residential area has blossomed into Yoyogi Broadway: a smattering of buildings fusing nostalgic Japan exteriors with New York energy to create a hub of art, music and gastronomy in one convenient location.

Center Stage

Yoyogi Broadway’s first point of entry is its flagship venue, Broadway Diner and its neighboring snapshot-worthy open space, Broadway Square. The diner was revamped in April, creating a contemporary movie theater-themed hangout. Events are held frequently and range from illustrator exhibitions and film director talks to jazz concerts. If you prefer singing yourself, head up to Nuts Record on the second floor of the building for a velvet-encased karaoke bar experience.

Broadway Square — complete with

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Canadian wildfire smoke disrupts US air travel

The wildfire smoke that has cast a sickly pall over major cities across the eastern US snarled air travel Thursday, creating headaches for big aviation hubs and upending plans for thousands of travelers.

Nearly 600 flights across the country were delayed and six more had been canceled as of Thursday afternoon, according to FlightAware.com, a flight tracking service.

Follow live coverage of US air quality conditions and Canada’s wildfires

The Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday morning that it had delayed all flights bound for New Jersey’s Newark Liberty International Airport nationwide. It also delayed certain flights bound for New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The agency warned that delays were also possible at airports in Charlotte, North Carolina, Dallas and Philadelphia and at New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

FlightAware’s “MiseryMap” showed that LaGuardia and Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport were seeing the most significant disruptions at 4 pm ET Thursday.

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Namale Resort & Spa Named a Top Resort in the Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards Asia Pacific 2023

SAVUSAVU, Fiji, June 21, 2023 /CNW/ — Namale Resort & Spa, a leading luxury resort in the South Pacific, is thrilled to announce its outstanding recognition in the prestigious Travel + Leisure Luxury Awards – Asia Pacific 2023. The resort received accolades ranking in the top South Pacific Resorts and received #1 in South Pacific Resort Pools, a testament to its unparalleled commitment to excellence and guest satisfaction.

Namale Resort & Spa Logo (PRNewsfoto/Namale Resort & Spa)

Namale Resort & Spa Logo (PRNewsfoto/Namale Resort & Spa)

With sweeping ocean views and world-class amenities that include award-winning spa hydrotherapy and a 4:1 staff-to-guest ratio, Namale Resort & Spa is a haven for travelers seeking relaxation, adventure and luxury in a tropical paradise.

“We are deeply honored to be recognized as one of the top resorts in the South Pacific,” said Co-General Manager Nowdla Keefe. “These awards showcase the hard work and dedication of our entire team who consistently went

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Japan Falls Nine Places in Latest Gender Gap Report

In this week’s news roundup we report on the latest Gender Gap Report as Japan slides further down the table. There are more problems with the government’s My Number card system. Five people are tragically killed in a traffic accident in Hokkaido. Carlos Ghosn sues his former employer for more than $1 billion. And there’s outrage as a report on Japan’s now defunct eugenics law reveals that children as young as 9 were sterilized.

Japan Falls to 125th in the Gender Gap Report

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its Gender Gap Report 2023 on Wednesday with Japan again ranked near the bottom. It fell further down the table to 125th out of 146 countries, nine places lower than last year. That’s the nation’s worst position since the WEF started publishing the report in 2006. The index ranks countries according to four key areas: health, education, politics and economic participation.

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Tsukikageya by Natsuki Shigeta: Yukata With an Attitude

An alternative yukata designer and queen of do-your-own-thing, Natsuki Shigeta is a well-loved presence in the subculture fashion world in Harajuku and beyond. “I didn’t study this, I’m just winging it,” she said candidly when we met her at Tsukikageya, her shop and studio in Shibuya’s Tomigaya district. Shigeta is unmissable with her beehive hairdo and impossibly long pink nails. She can often be seen in a yukata with a bling-bling obi belt. Her friends sometimes kindly call her the “Japanese Amy Winehouse.”

We invited Shigeta to the TW May-June 2023 issue party on June 9 to do a pop-up shop and exhibit. Spending the day with her, we got to learn about her life and her philosophy.

natsuki shigeta yukata designer

Photo by ©Niccolò Berretta

Tsukikageya Origins

“Tsukikage” is “moonlight” in English, while “ya” means “store.” However, the meaning of the name goes a little deeper than that. “Tsuki,” meaning “moon,” is also

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The Most Influential Travel Brands Right Now

Donald Wood
by Donald Wood
 Last updated: 1:20 PM ET, Thu June 22, 2023

The American magazine company TIME released its annual list of the 100 most influential companies in the world, with several travel-related brands making the list.

The list comprises five categories—Leaders, Disrupters, Innovators, Titans and Pioneers—by TIME editors who evaluate each company based on key factors, including impact, innovation, ambition and success.

In the Leaders category, adventure tour operator Intrepid Travel made the annual list, with the magazine highlighting the brand’s environmentally and socially responsible options. Intrepid “saw record-breaking booking days after launching a flight-free program (and more than 100 Indigenous-led tours) last year.”

SpaceX also found itself listed among the Leaders category, partly due to the company’s dedication to the emerging space tourism market. Elon Musk’s company launched 61 Falcon 9 flights last year, “making it the world’s workhorse rocket.”

“It’s fantastic to see that TIME focused on

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Vacabee and Stay and Voyage Join Forces to Host the Ultimate Travel Experience

Miami, FL, June 22, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a groundbreaking move that is set to reshape the travel industry, Vacabee and StayandVoyage – an Instagram account created by the famous travel photographer Mads Nordsveen – have announced their merger, forming a formidable alliance under the new Vacabee brand. This groundbreaking move is set to transform the industry, offering travelers an extraordinary experience that combines the unique strengths of both platforms.


Continuing their strategy of precision and alignment through partnerships with industry-leading entities like Grizzlyfi, Kingzletter, SocialGains and others, Vacabee and StayandVoyage have come together to create a synergy that will redefine the travel and earn experience.

Vacabee has been regularly featured on the top news sites, including Benzinga and Bloomberg.

Vacabee, known as an industry-disrupting Travel and Earn platform, has garnered recognition for its innovative approach. By providing margin-free user friendly travel to its members with cutting edge technology,

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Tokyo Art Scene: Playful Art

This month, we recommend these three art exhibitions in Tokyo with a collection of artwork that embodies the playfulness and revolutionary elements of the avant-garde.

The emergence of modern art in the late 1800s signaled a shift of fine arts as a medium for the people. When Gustave Courbet kickstarted the Realism movement by depicting the lives of the working class in his paintings, he also sparked the beginning of avant-garde. Sociopolitics began intertwining with the arts, and creatives started going above and beyond experimenting with their craft. Until today, the fine arts are often used as social agencies and self-expression tools.

“Play Play Art”

© Photo by Nadila
Andy Warhol’s silkscreen prints welcome visitors to the exhibition.

For artists, the canvas is their playground. Perhaps not only the canvas but the camera, metal scraps or wood. Contemporary artists are fond of using anything they can get their hands on

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