History of Karaoke in Japan

These days, karaoke is everywhere. In the West, it is rightfully considered very Japanese, although Western visitors are often surprised to find it is practiced differently in its country of origin. The Japanese are not inclined to embarrass themselves drunkenly before a considerable audience of equally drunk strangers. Instead, they find privacy in so-called karaoke boxes, where one can face the music alone or among a select number of friends and family members. That wasn’t always the case, though.

The Word Came First

It is hard to pin down the one definite point in history when karaoke, as we know it, was invented. Technical systems that might be considered predecessors of modern karaoke hardware were developed independently in at least five different parts of Japan during the 1960s. The word itself, which is a composite of ‘kara’ (empty) and a shortened version of ‘orchestra,’ had then already been in use

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After chaotic 2022, how is Canada’s air travel sector shaping up for summer? -National

Canadian airports and airlines are bracing for a hot summer travel season ahead as they attempt to bounce back from the chaos of long lines and delays that have been seen across the country last year.

Travelers might have a smoother ride this time around as the air travel sector rolls out a series of measures, from hiring more staff to technological advancements.

There’s also increased pressure on accountability as strengthened air passenger rights measures proposed by the federal government loom.

With COVID-19 restrictions completely lifted, improvements at airports and better staffing, “we’re in far better shape than we were before,” said one travel insurance broker in Toronto.

“If there’s any bright light that’s come out of COVID, it’s that we have changed a lot of things right from passports to air travel and compensation,” said Martin Firestone, president of Travel Secure Inc.

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“The bottom line

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The Artificial Intelligence Driving Travel Innovations

Skift Take

AI news drove headlines this week, from Expedia, to Google, and even to Skift. Click through for a summary of the top stories.

Jason Clampet

If you missed Skift’s big news about its AI chatbot this week, we suggest you go Ask Skift to pose questions that can’t be easily tackled by traditional search engines. Let us know what. you think of the tool by leaving a comment or using the thumbs up/down button. You can read more about what the tool does and why we built it in this story.

Skift started the week with a look at tourism influencers and how they are impacting the choices both destinations and consumers are making. In a companion podcast, Global Tourism Reporter Dawit Habtemariam said “These destinations are using these influencers to show visitors things on the ground that they would not have found if the potential visitor was

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Don’t Tip in These Foreign Countries

Not sure of whether to leave a tip? Read on.

Tipping is a hot topic among travelers, primarily because tipping practices vary so widely from country to country. But in most destinations, the differences are small—many service workers accept and appreciate tips for various services ranging from waiting tables to cleaning hotel rooms.

There are some places around the world where tipping isn’t a standard practice, but there are a few others where tipping actually goes against the grain of a country’s culture. Whether collective societies are uncomfortable with individual recognition at the expense of a group effort, or they simply view hospitality as unconditional, these destinations should be approached with care among travelers accustomed to North American tipping practices.

While these countries generally have an adverse view of gratuities, it should be noted that there are also some exceptions.

French Polynesia

Tahitian welcomes are legendary. In this country, spanning

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Ginza Heist Highlights ‘Dark Part-Time Work” Trend

It was a robbery so brazen, some passersby thought it was a film shoot. On Monday, three masked assassins stole around 70 watches from a Rolex specialty store in Ginza as stunned onlookers filmed them on their phones. The suspects, all in their teens, told the police they didn’t know each other. It seems certain, therefore, that they were recruited for “yami baito,” which literally translated means “dark part-time work.” The phrase made headlines earlier this year due to the so-called “Luffy” robberies.

In other crime news, a 13-year-old boy was stabbed in front of his home in Tokyo, while in Osaka, a 22-year-old man was arrested following the death of his teenage girlfriend. Also this week, we report on the magnitude 5.2 earthquake that struck the greater Tokyo region, the downgrading of COVID-19 and calls for the amendment of Article 16 of the Status of Forces Agreement. In

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