Located about an hour’s flight from Okinawa’s main island and 1,240 miles from Tokyo, the Yaeyama islands are home to traditional Ryukyu culture. The area features many scuba-diving spots, thanks to its clear waters and the atoll that surrounds Okinawa. On the east side of Ishigaki is the world’s largest blue coral leaves, a rare habitat of giant manta rays. Kayaking tours through mangrove forests are very popular. Ishigaki’s new airport gives direct access from all major cities in Japan, including two international airports in Tokyo.

“Whether you are an adventurer who explores beautiful mountains and oceans or a flâneur who enjoys the sights and sounds of the city, Kyushu is an ideal destination,” said Masato Okudate, General Manager of Canal City Fukuoka Washington Hotel. “There are festivals, seasonal local foods and beautiful nature to enjoy in the summer, and we love assisting international travelers with everything from sightseeing to arranging and suggesting itinerary and transportation around Kyushu.”

Washington Hotels, a chain operated by Fujita Kanko Inc., has three locations in major destinations around Kyushu: Canal City Fukuoka Washington Hotel, Nagasaki Washington Hotel and Sasebo Washington Hotel. Each hotel is located just a short walk from train and bus stations, providing affordable comfort and easy access to major tourist destinations, such as:

Hakata, Fukuoka – Lively harbor town and home to famous dishes like pork ramen and spicy cod roe and a major commercial complex, Canal City Hakata, where the Washington Hotel is located. Hakata Gion Yamakasa, a big summer festival held in July, culminates with a race between teams from local neighborhoods carrying 1-ton floats through the city.

Nakasu & Tenjin in Hakata – Culinary adventurers flock here to dine at Yatai, street-side food stalls that serve a variety of Japanese fare. Nakasu and Tenjin are the busiest areas in Kyushu with thousands of restaurants and large-scale shopping centers.

Nagasaki – A beautiful and historic port city uniquely situated along the steep slope of a mountain with many attractions such as O-ura Tenshu-do, Japan’s oldest Christian church.

Sasebo – Home to the U.S. Navy base and popular resorts like the Saikai Pearl Sea Resort and Huis Ten Bosch, Sasebo is very English-ready for travels and a great place to slow down.

For more information about traveling in Kyushu, visit the Japan National Tourism Organization.

About Fujita Kanko Inc.

Fujita Kanko Inc., a publicly-traded tourism industry corporation headquartered in Tokyo, was established in 1955, but has roots going back to 1877, when the founding Fujita family opened predecessor company Fujita Denzaburo Shosha (Trading Company). In addition to its core hospitality business, the company’s subsidiaries include wedding and banquet facilities, high-end resorts, leisure facilities and related services. The company has approximately 60 properties/facilities, including 30 mid-priced hotels throughout Japan in two chains: Gracery Hotels and Washington Hotels and its five-star flagship property, Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo.

Kyoto is also expanding its free internet connection. Responding to a recent survey result that says that the top demand from travelers for destinations is free internet access in public, the city announced the implementation of 630 hotspots across downtown Kyoto in the next few years. They have already installed 385 WiFi hotspots (297 bus stops, 78 Seven Eleven convenience stores, three subway stations, etc.), the majority of which are at the bus stops for Kyoto City Bus.

According to Kensington’s Asia Director, Sarah Ferguson, price has been an issue for Japan tourism. “Japan is truly worlds apart from every other destination and certainly on every jetsetters bucket list,” she says. “Unfortunately, we found that the country’s high prices were deterring travelers who didn’t want to join big bus group tours. Our new itineraries have clients traveling with expert private guides by bullet train as opposed to private cars that cut back costs into the thousands. In addition, we have revamped our Japan portfolio to include fun new cultural activities and adventures like sushi classes, a day at a sumo training gym, an animation studio and even an itinerary focused on the Cherry Blossom Festival.”

As members earn more points, they are upgraded to higher level membership categories with more benefits. In addition, members of Japan Airlines’ frequent flyer program, JAL Mileage Bank, will be able to join and earn mileage points, as well as One Harmony points, for staying at Nikko Hotels International and Hotel JAL City properties if they book using the company’s J-SMART plan. There will be no membership fees. New members can sign up at the front desk of any participating hotel, or at www.oneharmony.com beginning April 1. The program does not include the Hotel Nikko Guam and Hotel Nikko New Century Beijing

The Kabukiza has a colorful history – it has been heavily damaged and rebuilt four times since its initial opening. It has been ravaged by a fire, an earthquake, the bombs of war and was once taken down so a skyscraper could be built on the land it occupied. The theater’s performances feature actors who wear elaborate colorful costumes and bright face masks to express the nature and meanings of their characters. The actors are also masters of vocal expression – so much so that many of the themes of a Kabuki play can be picked up without understanding any of the spoken words.

ANA and JAL were both affected by Dreamliner battery issues in January, which sparked the investigation of the lithium-ion battery on the 787 and a lengthy and expensive grounding during that investigation.

ANA said that it will also introduce the Dreamliner onto a further three international routes from this summer – Narita to Beijing and Shanghai and Haneda to Taipei – bringing the number of overseas destinations served by the 787 to five.

Osamu Shinobe, President and CEO of ANA, said in a statement: “We are pleased to announce that our 787 aircraft will be reintroduced on scheduled flights from June onwards. ANA’s priority is the safety of our passengers. Our engineers have worked closely with Boeing to undertake the required improvements and we are fully satisfied with the safety of our 787 fleet.”

The airline also plans to establish a website for consumers to help ease any fears on the safety issues of the ANA Dreamliner.  ANA currently owns 17 of 50 Boeing Dreamliners.  JAL has seven in its fleet.

The schedules for the Narita to Seattle and Narita to San Jose routes had not been finalized from June onwards, but these flights will now operate from June 1. The reservations service for these routes will reopen on May 10, 2013 (Friday).

When it debuts at the end of this coming autumn, the train will start a schedule that will see it moving about 150 days a year, with weekends, public holidays and Japan’s “golden week” holiday period as the main periods of operation. The train will be able to seat 48 diners at any one time. It features a live kitchen car, an open dining car, and a carriage made up exclusively of individual compartments for total privacy. The food served on board will be sourced from local areas and based on traditional recipes.

These packages include roundtrip airfare, six nights’ hotel accommodations with breakfast, series game tickets (at an extra charge), taxes and fees for either series in Tokyo or Fukuoka.

The packages include the departure cities of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF) and created by Major League Baseball (MLB), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), and other professional baseball leagues and their players associations around the world.

The 2009 Classic, the second edition of the event, was won by Japan for the second tournament in a row. Japan is the two-time defending champion, having won each of the first two Classics in 2006 and 2009. The six-night packages to Tokyo or Fukuoka are priced in three tiers: Standard, Deluxe B and Deluxe A, with separate prices depending on departure city or land only (from $745). The air and land package prices range depending all of the above from as low as $1,443 to as high as $2,897. Extra nights and single supplements are also available. Also available are three-night packages to Fukuoka and Tokyo.

“Traditions” features the Kyoto area, a perennial favorite among foreigners. The site will promote Japan’s “cool-ness” to audiences in the world. “Is Japan Cool?” is a project intended to revive interest in tourism in Japan by exploring Japan’s culture and appeal as a travel destination.

Tourism has been in a lull after the Great East Japan Earthquake. “Is Japan Cool?” began with Season 1 in February 2012, broadly showcasing the wonders found across Japan. Further content was added in the summer of the same year when the campaign was renewed for Season 2 with a focus on two cities which each have their own unique fascination, titled Okinawa and Tokyo.

Also included was additional content of Japan’s sub-culture of cosplay.

Following in the footsteps of the last campaign, “Cool Campaign Season 3!” travelers outside of outside Japan can win free round-trip tickets to Japan. Details are available on the website. ANA will also set special discount fares for all domestic flight segments when connecting from overseas flights. Regardless of what airline is used to visit Japan, there will be a new fare of 10,500 yen including tax ($112) per flight segment on domestic routes.