9 Japanese Ingredients Perfect for a Vegan Barbecue

When friends invite you to a barbecue, or even when you host yourself, as a vegan, it can be hard to work out what to bring. In Japan, where the number of vegans or vegetarians per group is considerably smaller than that in the west, meat and seafood reign supreme. But fear not, vegans, as there are actually plenty of choices. From vegetables to tofu, you can impress your friends with an exciting array of completely vegan barbecue dishes.

1.
Shishito

Shishito is a small green pepper, about the size of a chili pepper. It is readily available in Japanese supermarkets, often coming in plastic packets which hold around 10 peppers. Popping a shishito on the barbecue until its skin blackens and blisters brings out a delicious smoky taste. Incredibly moreish, one pack of shishito peppers probably won’t cut it.

The interesting thing about shishito pepper is that there is

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Memorial Day weekend travel to be extra busy this year

Travelers walk through security at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 19, 2023.

Travelers walk through security at the Salt Lake City International Airport in Salt Lake City on Friday, May 19, 2023. | Ryan Sun, Deseret News

Just getting back to pre-pandemic volumes is no longer the metric of reference as holiday travel over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend is projected to blow by those numbers and could come in as one of the busiest since 2000 for the traditional start to the summer travel seasons.

And while both gas prices and airline fares are down from recent peaks, travel this Memorial Day weekend, regardless of chosen mode, is going to be significantly more expensive than before COVID-19 hit. And, industry experts are projecting Memorial Day 2023 will see some of the highest travel volumes since 2000.

AAA travel in partnership with S&P Global released an analysis last month that estimates over 42 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from

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Tokyo Revengers 2 Misses an Opportunity to Be the Perfect Sequel

Tokyo Revengers 2, or technically Tokyo Revengers 2 Part 1, or even more technically, Tokyo Revengers 2 Chi no Halloween Hen: Unmei (Bloody Halloween: Destiny) is a sequel to a 2021 film whose title can be guessed from the first part of this sentence. Based on the manga by Ken Wakui, the 2023 film by director Tsutomu Hanabusa and writer Izumi Takahashi premiered in late April and came close to being a rare gem. Not only do you have a good live-action anime film, but a good live-action anime sequel as well. It unfortunately stumbles too many times to be called a complete success, though, despite having a lot to offer audiences.

Tokyo Revengers 2 Part 1 | Courtesy of Warner Bros Japan

What You Need to Know About Tokyo Revengers

the Tokyo Revengers manga, anime and the first live-action movie all tell the story of Takemichi Hanagaki,

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Air Canada nearly doubles revenue, checks out profit as travel demand takes flight

Air Canada reported that first-quarter revenue nearly doubled compared to a year earlier as travelers hopped back on airplanes en masse — even as higher costs tamped down net earnings.

Buoyed by a record $4.9 billion in revenue, the quarter marked the second in a row where the carrier has turned a profit following 11 straight quarters of losses totaling $10.1 billion.

Net income amounted to $4 million, in stark contrast to $974 million in losses a year ago.

Chief executive Michael Rousseau said the results for the three months ended March 31 beat out all expectations for a traditionally weaker quarter, and that he believes demand will persist amid strong advance bookings for the rest of the year. They hit $5.3 billion at the end of March, up from $4.1 billion a year earlier.

“The winter and the start of the spring can be very challenging in North America,

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Travelers in Two Minds About JR Rail Pass Price Increase

As recovery from the pandemic labors on and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to send economic shockwaves across the globe, inflation has become an inextricable facet of modern life. The price of more than 12,000 food items in Japan has increased or is expected to increase this year at an average of 16%. The Tokyo government made international headlines last year with entreaties to the public to wear turtlenecks at home to save money on energy bills. While the average price of a Tokyo condo hit a record high for the second straight year in 2022.

One of the biggest commercial price hikes of the year is that of the Japan Rail (JR) Pass. The multi-use ticket is available to non-residents only and provides full access to JR lines, including most of the Shinkansen trains. It currently comes in three basic forms: a seven-day pass for ¥29,650, a 14-day pass

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How to turn a rundown castle into a luxury retreat

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In travel news this week: a restaurant on the edge of space is now taking bookings, a hypersonic startup promises to fly people from Europe to Australia in under five hours, and couples transform incredible properties in Italy and Japan.

A little English island inspired by legendary crime novelist Agatha Christie is up for sale, and it comes with its own Art Deco hotel and helipad. Burgh Island, off the Devon coast, has a 25-room hotel with mermaid pool and billiard room – an ideal spot for Colonel Mustard and the candlestick.

Seems like too big a job to take on? Well a South African couple bought a rundown castle on a Tuscany hilltop and turned the fortress into a

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