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Adventure Do Something Different For Women Only Fun Inspiration Mindfulness Nature & the Environment Special Interest Spend Wisely Sponsorship Sustainability The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Be a better traveler

By default, just because you're reading this (and have visited our site,) we can assume that you're a smart, aware, thoughtful, curious and fun human being.  But, we always have room for improvement, it's safe to say.  The choices we make on the road can have a big impact on the people and places we encounter…
2021-12-070Comments

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Adventure Asia Do Something Different Fun Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller Travel Solo Unusual World Culture

Spelunking in Tokyo

It's hard to believe, but there is the very slim chance that you might run out of activities when you're in Tokyo. You will have had to have combed the entire city of 13.96 million people, the 60,000+ restaurants, 6,000 different parks. (see some of our suggestions, below.) But, if all of that is not enough, watch…
2021-12-030Comments

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Activity Asia Food and Drink For Women Only Health History Inspiration Nature & the Environment Special Interest Sustainability The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Healthiest and happiest.

Residents of Okinawa are some of the world’s healthiest and happiest. Strong social networks and good food may be why. The island unlocked the secret to long life—and knows how to get through tough times. Read more here courtesy of NationalGeographic.com Booking.com Let 12go show you around Okinawa. Click above.
2021-11-270Comments

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Adventure Asia Design and Art Do Something Different Fun History Meditation Nature & the Environment Special Interest The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

Where is Ultraman when you need him?

It is so nice to see when something actually means something to the people around it, and that they treasure it and preserve it. Especially when it is larger than life. Sendai Daikannon, officially known as the Sendai Tendou Byakue Daikannon, is a large statue of Byakue Kannon bearing a gem in her hand located…
2021-11-260Comments

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300 kph kitty

Manga?  Man, go! Japan is a wonderous place of so many contrasts. Surgically-focused mega-corporations.  Almost unreal scenery.  Respectful and warm humans. And a Hello Kitty bullet train.  Never again will your commute be mundane.  You can even be the engineer - sort of. Enjoy the video below and experience it yourself.  Bullet trains in Japan are just…
2021-11-200Comments

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Right, said Fred again

We've featured Fred. Olsen cruises here -  they're one of our affiliate friends.  One of the reasons we like them is that they seem to come from a different angle than other cruise lines - a little playful, a little artistic. They also travel to places that are not frequented by other cruise lines.  And, in…
2021-11-130Comments

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Distinctive and immediately recognizable

The architecture of Japan is one of the things that sets the country apart from others. It's very distinctive and immediately recognizable, and something whose charm beckons out to many tourists. While in cities like Tokyo, where landscapes change continuously as older buildings give way to new and modern ones, there are areas where you can take a look…
2021-11-020Comments

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Battleship holiday

Here's another article for those who have seen it before and have done it before. You’ve seen it in James Bond's Skyfall and all over the media. Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ruins of Nagasaki Prefecture‘s abandoned Hashima Island, better known as Gunkanjima (or “Battleship Island”), has attracted attention for its post-apocalyptic appearance. Well,as you…
2021-10-250Comments

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Asia Do Something Different Fun History Mindfulness Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller Unusual World Culture

In my day, things weren’t like this

You think your job is tough?  Think the boss asks too much?   Well, suffer this poor guy, who works for Japanese Rail.  This almost looks like a joke at first.  But it's not.  They are deadly serious and that is something to reckon with. No wonder Japan is admired in so many ways.  But, don't mess up! See…
2021-08-010Comments

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Passports of power

In the past, have you been able to waltz through airport customs like you owned the place, simply based on your nationality? Well, it might be time to check your ego, because the world is becoming a very different place (for the better, in our opinion.) Now a new Henley Passport Index, the original ranking…
2021-07-070Comments

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It all comes out in the washi

Every summer, giant warriors roam the Japanese city of Aomori. Lit from within by lanterns, these formidable paper floats are the centerpiece of the Nebuta Matsuri, a weeklong evening festival in August and one of Japan’s biggest seasonal events. Accompanied by taiko drummers and dancers, the floats depict scenes from kabuki and Japanese mythology. Each…
2021-06-300Comments

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ああ私の (Oh my)

If you feel like you have visited almost every place on earth, you might want to give this a try.  You can tour the Fukushima disaster zone - where the simultaneous, earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant melted down and devastated the Fukushima  area, and the ghost town Namie itself. It is safe enough for…
2021-06-270Comments

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Activity Adventure Asia Design and Art Do Something Different Food and Drink For Women Only Fun LGBTQ Partytime Technology World Culture

Sold out? Hold out . . .

There's nothing worse than booking something - anything - and then finding out that you've be bumped.  Especially when you've been counting on it, you're tired and it's late at night in a city that you don't know. Companies have codes of ethics, don't they?  The customer comes first, correct?  They have contingency plans for…
2021-06-270Comments

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The little train that couldn’t

We here at Matouring have often written about the wonders and the practicalities of rail travel.  Much of the world uses it as the default mode of travel.  But the United States has still not caught on to this global way-of-life.  Like it or not, the United States has a big transportation problem. According to…
2021-05-200Comments

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Adventure Asia Design and Art Do Something Different Fun History Nature & the Environment Special Interest Technology The Thinking Traveller World Culture

Large home – 414 years old. Six careful owners.

We recently watched a fascinating documentary about Kumamoto Castle on the Curiosity Stream channel. This impressive Japanese dwelling for six generations of Japanese monarchy has survived battles, earthquakes . . and more earthquakes, the most recent by another Kumamoto Earthquake in 2016.  The last quake unearthed unexpected damage to the building, to the point of…
2021-05-090Comments

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Self Service Travel – Rail, Buses and More

Rail, Buses & More Self-service travel shop If you want to shop on your own, this is the place to do it. Click on any of the images below to explore our travel partners. Eurail is the official online sales channel for Eurail Passes, based in the Netherlands. Our fulfilment centers are operating from the U.S.A.,…
2021-05-040Comments

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