Why visit Japan? Most say they go for the fabulous food

For my Boston Globe essay involving Japan, click here.

There are many reasons why Americans visit Japan, but according to a survey, food is ichi ban, or number one. The recently released on foreign visitors to Japan in 2009 ranks “culinary”  as  first  for  those who stayed  2-30 days in Japan.  The survey was conducted at their departure at major ports and airports by the Japan National Tourism Organization. Here is the food they like best:

* Sushi (the choice of 50%).

* Sashimi and tempura (17.8%).

* Ramen noodle soup (9.6%).

* And my own favorite, udon noodles (7.5%). 

The breakdown indicates that Americans are now embracing a wider variety of Japanese food, such as such as gyoza dumplings, onigiri (rice ball), noodles, yakitori (chicken skewers), and okonomiyaki (a grilled concoction). Food festivals are also of interest. In Shizuoka, the country’s top green tea manufacturing region, Japan’s tea culture will be presented along with teas from all over the world  the last weekend of October, at the World O-CHA Festival 2010. 

In November, the Peninsula Tokyo holds  “Cirque Culinaire.”  The event features fine wines and dishes of  chefs from different Peninsula Hotels and world’s renowned restaurants. Meanwhile, Niigata, one of the cold sake brewery regions, celebrates  sake collections from many breweries in early March.

As the first choice of 70.7% of those polled, "culinary" was way out in front. The runners-up were “visiting historic landmarks” (59.5%), “shopping” (49.6%), “local life, local experience” (47.2%), and “natural beauty, scenery” (45.3%).

Search Amazon.com for Japan travel 

Trivial question

What are the two continents through which the Equator passes? (Answer somewhere below.)

Taking a roadless 'road trip' in Canada 

Traveling by rail has been called a "roadless road trip." And VIA Rail’s 2010 Canrailpass includes seven trips in economy class anywhere in Canada within a 21-day period. Passes for adults during the peak season (June 1-Oct. 15) begin at  $ 910 U.S., while the off-peak period (Oct. 16-May 31) bring starting fares of $568.  Children, students and seniors can purchase off-peak passes beginning at $511, while peak season passes start at $819. For more information visit viarail.ca/canrailpass. 

Those looking for a shorter trip, or who want to hop between major cities in central Canada, can try VIA’s  Corridorpass, which allows seven trips in economy class within a 10 -day period in southern Québec and southern Ontario. Thus, for a single  price, passengers can plan up to seven segments of rail travel to Québec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara Falls.  2010  prices start at $325 U.S.  for adults or $293 for children, seniors and students. For more information visit viarail.ca/corridorpass.

Fabulous fact

Alaska has the highest percentage of people who walk to work. 

Rescue a turtle and go kayaking in Baja

Sea Kayak Adventures is offering an all-inclusive eight-day package where participants can spend three days hands-on helping researchers monitor and tag endangered sea turtles at their nesting beach in Magdalena Bay, then three days paddling a sea kayak alongside dolphins and sea lions in  Loreto Bay in the Sea of Cortez. The itinerary offers opportunities for novices to paddle and explore uninhabited desert islands by stable sea kayak, snorkel with colorful fish along isolated coves and learn all about sea turtles. All activities are led by naturalist guides.

The tour is Oct. 24-31, including the air arrival and departure days. Forty percent of the price of $1,650  per adult ($1,485 for youth 12-17) goes to the local sea turtle conservation efforts. The price includes three hotel nights in Loreto (with pool); all meals at camp; all camping, sleeping and kayaking equipment; airport transfer, ground transportation, instruction and guides, and  taxes. Not included: air fare from Los Angeles, gratuities, $25 national park fee, meals in town, snorkeling gear, and personal items.  For more information or reservations, phone Sea Kayak Adventures at 800-616-1943 or go to www.seakayakadventures.com. 

N.E.'s largest film festival set for  Providence 
Providence will be the site for the largest public film festival in New England, the FLICKERS: Rhode Island International Film Festival, next month. The event  will run Aug. 10-15 and include premieres  of more than 175 films, industry seminars, educational programs and award ceremonies. 
A Weekender Hospitality Package is  available Aug. 13-14 at the Renaissance Providence Hotel, which provides overnight accommodations and festival passes for two, with those travelling from New York and Boston receiving complimentary Amtrak tickets.  Priced at $1,000, based on double occupancy, the  package represents a savings of $800 on the actual cost.  Package activities include select movie screenings, High Tea at Slocum Gardens, a historic walking tour and a Sweet Success/A Cinematic Salute special event screening and dessert party with filmmakers.  Official Flickers 2010 posters, T-shirts and mugs will also be distributed.  For more information or to book, visit www.renaissancehotels.com.

Trivial answer

The Equator passes through Africa and South America.

Happy Canada Day! Here are some fun facts

Today is Canada Day. Why? Because on July 1, 1867, the British North America Act  united Canada as a single country of four provinces. Here are some more facts (some of them arguable, I suppose) about the second largest country in the world.

* Canada has  6,195,692.16 square miles of land, second only to Russia with 6,592,800 square miles. 

* Canadians are said to consume more macaroni and cheese than any other nation.
 
* With only three people per square kilometer, Canada has the fourth-lowest population density in the world.
 
* The world's smallest jail is believed to be in Rodney, Ontario. It is about 270 square feet.
 
 *Canada claims  many great inventions, including basketball, the electric light bulb, the electric range, the electron microscope, standard time,  television, the telephone, the baseball glove and the zipper. 

*There have been no Saturday deliveries of regular mail in the country since 1969.

A night's hotel stay in Taiwan for just $1

Every year, 2 million travelers make a transfer in Taiwan while en route to  Southeast Asia, India or Australia. With a new tourism bureau promotion, they can add a night's stay at one of eight participating hotels for $1 or 1 euro.  In addition to  discounting fares, China Airlines and EVA Airways will absorb the  stopover fee.  If you need to stop for more than a night, those hotels will discount the additional time. 

To book, click here and go to the list of travel agencies.

Fascinating fact

Maine is the only state in the United States whose name has one syllable.

Fine furniture festival coming up in Vermont

Frank Lloyd-Wright, Shaker, American modern and kitchen contemporary are among many furniture pieces handcrafted that will be displayed Sept. 26-27 during the sixth annual Vermont Fine Furniture & Woodworking Festival in Woodstock, Vt. Last year's event drew over 2,500 patrons who made off-the-floor purchases and orders for home furnishings valued at up to $12,000.

For more information, click here.

Get ready to groan -- here comes a travel joke

Two tourists stopped for lunch in the town of Oconomowoc, Wis., and immediately began arguing about how to pronounce the town's name. Finally, as they stood at the counter, one of them asked the  employee. "Could you please settle an argument for us? Would you please pronounce where we are ...  very, very slowly?

The employee leaned over the counter and said, Burrrrrr, gerrrrrr, Kiiiing."

An inn package especially for 'Twilight' fans

The Inn at Rooster Hill, a French Country Inn on 2-1/2  acres in Port Angeles, Wash., has a Twilight Book Tour offer starting at $368, The package includes a self-guided “Twilight” tour map of  area sites featured in the phenomenally selling book series, a $50 gift certificate to Bella Italia (where Edward and Bella shared their first date), a Twilight t-shirt, overnight accommodations and country breakfast.

Click here.

In N.H., a lakefront cottage for you and your pet 

A lakefront cottage compound called Anchorage at the Lake in Tilton, N.H.,  is offering a 20 percent discount on all two-bedroom cabins if you pay in advance by credit card and stay three or more nights. Anchorage at the Lake will also welcome pets for  $20 per animal per day in designated pet-friendly accommodations. Lodging options include studio cabins for two,  one-bedroom cabins for four or five, two-bedroom cabins for six to eight, an apartment for up to 10 and two large summer homes for up to 16.  Rates are from $89 to $199 nightly, with discounts     for multiple-night and weekly stays. 

Visit www.anchorageatthelake.com or call 800-943-6093.

Beautiful bugs in Beijing

We began today's postings with a buggy photo, so let us end with one. In Beijing, he Opposite House has partnered with F2 Gallery to exhibit work from the insect series by artist Feng Shu in the hotel's atrium, July 2-Sept. 27. Pieces on display  include a larger than "insect" life praying mantis, mosquito, beetle, scorpion, dragonfly, bee and spider.

Visit www.theoppositehouse.com and www.f2gallery.com.

These questions have a kind of magic all their own

Photo by Walt Disney Co.

There's nothing temporary about the Contemporary Resort, near the Magic Kingdom.

Guests at Disney's Magic Kingdom sometimes ask the strangest questions. Here, from the book "Realityland: True-Life Adventures at Walt Disney World," are some of the questions that give a new meaning to the term "no-brainer":

* "Are you part of the scenery or do you work here?"

* "When will they tear down the Temporary Hotel and build a permanent one?" [Er, the hotel's name is actually the Contemporary.]

* "Is this bus going to the Polyester Hotel?" [Er, that's the Polynesian.]

* "This place cost over 400 million? Do you have any idea what that is in dollars and cents?"

* Is that the Fairy Godfather's Castle?

* "Just look at the water on that lake!"

* And, my favorite: "Can you show me the way to Toilet Land?"

Fourth of July will sizzle in Chicago ...

Chicago will be an excellent place to spend the Fourth of July weekend, with lakefront fireworks on both July 3 and July 4, the annual Taste of Chicago dining event and many fun and free family activities such as the Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park, and Buckingham Fountain. For those who want to stay in style, the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago, steps from Lake Michigan, and scenic Lake Michigan – has an Experience More package that sort of pays you to stay. Guests get a $100 to $200 room credit per night, based on room category, The credit brings room rates down to a starting point of $295 per night . Still not inexpensive, but this is the Four Seasons after all.

Call 312-280-8400 or click here.

... and sparkle in New Hampshire

New Hampshire's Waterville Valley Resort will have an old-fashioned New England Fourth of July with a town-wide parade on Sunday, July 4, a free outdoor concert and a fireworks display over Corcoran's Pond. And on July 3 at Packard's Field, there will be games, crafts, a 100-foot obstacle course, fireman's BBQ, band and dunk tank. A holiday deal: two nights' lodging, parade flags at check-in, a free glow necklace, and a host of included activities. Prices start at $46 per person per night, quadruple occupancy.

Go to www.visitwatervillevalley.com or call 800-GO-VALLEY.

Worth quoting

“Don’t tell me how educated you are, tell me how much you traveled.”

-- Mohammed

Fall trip prices are expected to jump

With many airlines expected to cut capacity later this year, Travelocity.com says consumers are likely to see price increases as early as fall, making trips this summer a relative bargain. A Travelocity report shows average domestic airfare is $299, down 17 percent from last summer, and the average price of hotels is $142 per night, a decrease of 14 percent. For a family of four, that represents a savings of $374 on accommodations and airfare for an average six-night domestic summer vacation. Similarly, with both average international hotel rates ($197) and airfare ($690) down 14 percent compared to last year, a family of four can save an average of $847 on airfare and hotel for a typical 13-night international vacation.

Time for a (very small) chuckle

A sobbing hotel guest phoned the front desk to say she couldn't get out of her room. "I don't understand," said the clerk. "Why not?"

"Well, the guest said, "there are only three doors in here. One is the bathroom, one is the closet, and one has a sign on it that says, 'Do Not Disturb'!"

Vermont luxury lodge offers a deal for its birthday

Vermont's Stowe Mountain Lodge is celebrating its first birthday with a package with a package deal that is good through Sept. 30, but must be booked between 12:01am on Sunday, June 21, and Tuesday, June 23. A rate of $299 per night to include a choice of one a 50-minute pure results facial, a 50-minute massage of your choice, a 50-minute body treatment. a three-course dinner for one plus wine pairings, a one-hour guided hike followed by a royal foot treatment in the spa or a $100 gift card to be used in Stowe Mountain Lodge's retail shops. This represents a 30-50 percent discount, and although there are blackout dates, there is still room for July 4 weekend.

Visit www.stowemountainlodge.com or call 888-4-STOWE-VT and refer to booking code BIRTHDAY.

Answer to Friday's trivia question

The United States and Canada are the two countries that border three oceans -- the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic.

Wednesday's trivia answer

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, encompassing 814 square miles, is the most-visited national park in the United States. The park, located in Tennessee and North Carolina, drew more than 9 million visitors in 2008, compared with 4.4 million for Arizona's Grand Canyon and 3.4 million for California's Yosemite. (Source: National Parks Conservation Association.)

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Fun at the pier with this Chicago hotel package

A Day of Fun in the Sun package from Affinia Chicago hotel starts at $229 per night and includes overnight accommodations, four tickets to the IMAX Theater at Navy Pier, four tickets for the Ferris wheel, four tickets for the carousel, four tickets for the Wave Swinger, four tickets for miniature golf and a Navy Pier discount coupon book. Guests staying at the hotel on Saturday will also get a free trolley ride to the pier by showing a hotel keycard. The offer, which Affinia says represents an added value of $144, is good until Aug. 31.

Click here or call 866-246-2203 and mention the code PIER.

Socko slogan

The Week magazine had a tongue-in-cheek contest to come up with a new slogan for Canada. The winner: "Canada: It's Almost Like a Foreign Country!"

Let's not forget dear old Dad

Father's Day at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C., is designed for golf-loving fathers to share their weekend withtheir children. For $750 per person, golfers get three nights' accommodations at the Carolina Hotel, two rounds of golf (including one with caddies on famed Pinehurst No. 2), breakfasts, dinners and an opening night reception with author James Dodson. Golfers can also experience third- and final-round U.S. Open coverage on big-screen TVs.

Click here or call 800-ITS-GOLF (487-4653).

The biggest bargain at Disneyland

In the penny arcade on Main Street in Disneyland's Magic Kingdom, you can peer into an old-fashioned music machine to watch the antics of Charlie Chaplin and many other actors of old. The cost is still one cent, as it was at the turn of the 20th century.

All the Toronto you could possibly want

The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto is offering a Much More Toronto package, available until Sept. 7 and starting at about $118 U.S. Participants will get a booklet good for discounts at more than 20 attractions, dining experiences and touring activities. Included are tours of a brewery and a rooftop garden; two stage productions; three restaurants; four museums and galleries; and five Toronto landmark attractions.

Click here or call 800-441-1414.