Travel News

Sayaka Shimoda: From Drift Dreams to Reality

A fast-paced, crowd-pleasing style of racing that hinges on the continued loss of rear-wheel traction, drift racing has risen in popularity across the globe in recent decades, spurred on by the Japanese manga Initial D and Hollywood blockbusters such as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

As with most forms of motorsport, drift racing has long been a male-dominated arena, with the most notorious and successful drivers having been men for almost the entirety of drifting’s existence. But in recent years, the sport has seen an influx of female competitors who are quickly proving that they’ve got what

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Into the Miniature World of TokyoBuild

Anyone who’s ever visited Tokyo will know there’s a lot more to the city than Tokyo Tower or the Shibuya Crossing. Christopher Robin certainly does. Hailing from Stockholm in Sweden, Robin creates stunning replica models of the everyday buildings that make up the fabric of Tokyo: weather-beaten police boxes, Showa-era izakaya and long-shuttered shops, all at 1:20 scale. He then shares photos of his detailed models on Instagram at TokyoBuild with almost 100,000 fans of his work. We caught up with him to find out more.

How does a man from Sweden end up making models of buildings in Tokyo?

Travel News

College Football Playoff picture for Week 7: Changes are on deck

There was not an upset in the top 10 in Week 6, and that means the College Football Playoff picture will not change much.

Change, however, is coming soon. Week 7 will feature two – perhaps three – top-10 showdowns.

Alabama visits Tennessee in the latest installment of the Third Saturday in October. Penn State travels to Michigan in a Big Ten East undercard challenge to see who wants to challenge Ohio State. Oklahoma State and TCU meet in a battle of unbeaten Big 12 teams, and Clemson stays on the road at Florida State.

This is the best week

Travel News

Tracing Japan’s Robot Heritage to Feudal-Era Karakuri Dolls

Autonomous robots, package-delivering drones and towering mecha are no longer wild imaginations from the realm of science fiction. From Skeletonics’ Gundam-style robot suits and Cyberdyne’s wearable HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) cyborgs to SkyDrive’s flying vehicles, we’re inching closer to what used to be considered impossible. Robots like Sony’s Aibo opened the doors for consumer use in the late 1990s, but what if we told you Japan’s fascination with household humanoid (and in Aibo’s case, canine) robots started much earlier?

Aichi: Home of Mechanical Innovation

For the tech-savvy, it will come to no surprise to learn that Aichi Prefecture is a

Travel News

11 Things To Do in Tokyo This Week: September 26–October 2

There’s plenty to keep you occupied in Tokyo this week, including a Czech Festival, Nigo’s Vintage Archive, “The Power of Clothing: History of Cross-Dressing in Japan” exhibition and Oktoberfest. Here’s what to look out for in Japan’s capital over the coming seven days.

1. Czech Festival

The Czech Festival is one of the largest events in Japan that introduces the charms of the Czech Republic. Visitors can purchase accessories, character goods, toys, books and other Czech products. There will be a continuous program of Czech music performances, mini-Czech language classes and talk shows about Czech history, culture and tourism.

when:

Travel News

Artist Luke Jerram Brings the Moon to Shimokitazawa

Tokyo Weekender recently spoke to internationally-renowned artist and moon enthusiast, Luke Jerram, to coincide with his “Museum of the Moon” exhibition showing in Japan for the first time. Visitors to Shimokitazawa this weekend will be greeted by a huge moon hanging over the old Odakyu tracks for a third and final time.

Installation View, Shimokitazawa Moon Art Night Photo: Startbahn

Running until September 25, Moon Art Night Shimokitazawa also includes an exhibition by Australian artist Amanda Parer titled “Intrude” that displays giant glowing rabbits around Kitazawa Hachiman Shrine. In front of the station lies the giant “Museum of the Moon”

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Japan is Finally Getting Ready to Accept Visa-Free Tourists

In this week’s news roundup, we have the latest on the easing of border restrictions as Japan prepares to accept visa-free tourists from certain (as yet unspecified) countries in October while at the same time, scrapping the daily entry cap. We also report on the Okinawa gubernatorial election, the Queen’s funeral, another Olympic bribery scandal and a shocking crime in Osaka. In sport, Munetaka Murakami edges closer to Japan’s home run record.

Japan Set to Further Ease Its Border Restrictions

To the relief of many, Japan has been gradually easing its border restrictions in recent weeks. However, three issues remain:

Travel News

Missing Twinsburg teen seen leaving Atlanta airport Saturday with unidentified male

The FBI has joined a Twinsburg family’s search for their 17-year-old daughter who went missing Tuesday morning and was last seen at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta with an unidentified male.

The Atlanta FBI held a news conference Saturday afternoon seeking information on the whereabouts of Emma Linek, who sometimes goes by Zari or Zarina Holmes.

Eleanor Linek, the teen’s mom, told Beacon Journal news partner News 5 Cleveland that they took her to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and watched her go through security to her gate for a flight to Boston, where she attends a therapeutic boarding school.