The stories of a 21 year-old wanderer invaded by curiosity and a strong desire to travel.
So much rain.
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Japan Journeys, a new book written by art historian Andreas Marks, brings together a gigantic selection of these beautiful and historic prints to show a stunning look into Japan's rich cultural heritage.
Asakusa is home to the Sensō-ji Temple, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo, founded in the year 645 and dedicated to the Kannon Bodhisattva.
Keisai Eisen, circa 1830s / Gift of James A Michener, 1957 – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing.
Since the year 941, its entrance has been dominated by the Kaminarimon — or the thunder gate — featuring a massive paper lantern painted red and black.
(left) Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1856. / Pub: Sakanaya Eikichi / The Margaret McMillan Webber Estate; (right) Kasamatsu Shiro, circa 1934 / Pub: Watanabe Shozaburo – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing.
The Nio Gate of the Sensoji Temple is flanked on either side by two imposing guardian deities. Like the Main Hall which is directly behind it, the gate was destroyed in World War II and rebuilt in 1964.
Utagawa Kuniyasu, circa 1815 / Pub: Enshuya Matabei / Bequest of Louis W. Hill Jr. – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing
Ikaho is a hot spring resort in the center of Gunma Prefecture, located near the foot of Mount Haruna. In this 1883 print by artist Toyohara Chikanobu, foreigners share a festive meal with a bath house visible in the background.
Toyahara Chikanobu, circa 1883 / Pub: Yamamura Kojiro / Gift of Dr. Leslie Wilbur, 1994 – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing
Ryogoku has been the site of Tokyo's sumo hall only since 1909, but sumo is said to have started over 2,000 years ago. This 1859 print by the artist Utagawa Yoshiiku shows the grand pageantry of the events.
Utagawa Yoshiiku, circa 1859 / Pub: Maruya Tetsujiro / National Diet Library – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing
In the seventeenth century, cities like Edo and Osaka developed specific areas that were related to a certain trade. The print on the far left depicts a night view of Saruwaka-machi, where the government ordered all Edo kabuki and puppet theaters to relocate after a fire in 1841. On the far right, Manzai dancers, traditionally part of New Year's festivities, are passing a dry goods store in the Suruga District in Edo. The middle picture shows a line of stores belonging to Mitsue Echigoya, a successful textile business and money broker.
(Left) Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1856 / Pub: Sakanaya Eikichi / The Margaret McMillan Webber Estate; (center) Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1856 / Pub: Sakanaya Eikichi / Gift of Louis W. Hill Jr.; (right) Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1858 / Pub: Tsutaya Kichozo
The customer seated in this famous Ushijima restaurant is believed to be the artist himself, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858). He's playing a popular parlor game of the time called Ken.
Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1838–40 / Pub: Fujiokaya Hikotaro / Gift of Louis W. Hill Jr. – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing
Today's Shinagawa Station used to be called the Takanawa Station until 1924 when it was renamed. This 1872 print by artist Ikkei, depicts a steam train arriving at the station as a horse-drawn carriage passes over the bridge above the tracks.
Ikkei, circa 1872 / Pub: Tsutaya Kichizo / Collection of Paulette and Jack Lantz — All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing.
This famous restaurant was known as a venue for literati and art gatherings. It was also widely revered for its breathtaking view of the Sumida River from its second floor.
Utagawa Hiroshige, circa 1838–1840 / Pub: Fujiokaya Hikotaro / Gift of Louis W. Hill Jr. – All Captions and Images via Tuttle Publishing.
Actually just two words: Giant. Puppets.
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These are images I’d taken during my year in Switzerland.
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Find out if you belong in Berkeley or Beverly Hills.
Thinkstock
http://ift.tt/1bEFXkuGet your wands ready.
That means WIZARDRY ABOUNDS.
Surveys show the flying experience is as miserable as it has ever been. But one bright spot for travelers is the terminal, where beer gardens and high-concept food are taking over.
Delta Air Lines
Just a few years ago, the prospect of flying into or out of New York's LaGuardia airport would've sent chills down the spine of most travelers. The smallest of the New York City metropolitan area's three main commercial airports, LaGuardia offered little in terms of amenities, with low ceilings and dated, drab design. It was a grim experience.
But at the end of 2012, Delta stepped in with $160 million, determined to change the status quo at LaGuardia. It tapped the airport development firm OTG to transform its two terminals there into an oasis of dining, shopping, and work-while-you-wait options, including local favorite Artichoke Pizza, a French restaurant from the chefs at Balthazar and Minetta Tavern, the Sullivan Street Bakery-inspired Crust pizza place, and even a Brooklyn-themed beer garden.
"It has really just been a wonderful, fabulous experience," OTG founder and CEO Rick Blatstein told BuzzFeed News. "We have wonderful restaurants, be it wine bars, steakhouses, pizza, or the beer garden, and what's nice is, we see that our customers are coming to the airport a little bit earlier and really enjoying the experience."
The new terminals are even becoming something of a destination in their own right. "If you'd have told me this years earlier, I'd say you're nuts," Blatstein said, "but customers are coming off the plane and having lunch or dinner — they're having a meal in the airport before they even come into the city!"
The push to rev up the terminal experience is in full swing at other airlines as well, with each company deploying capital for renovations during a time of record profits. In many ways, better terminals are an easy win for companies whose core product is becoming more unpleasant: Celebrity chefs and designer furniture are arriving in glitzy new terminals at the same time that economy-class seats are shrinking, fees are rising and studies show customer satisfaction with U.S. airlines is at an all-time low.
United recently unveiled plans for a massive redesign at Newark International Airport that Bloomberg dubbed a "foodie theme park." Meanwhile, American last year announced a $2 billion investment in "customer improvements" at terminals in Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Dallas.
And JetBlue, an early mover in the upscale terminal game with its gut renovation of JFK's former TWA-operated Terminal 5 (which was also an OTG job) is currently renovating terminals in Boston and Fort Lauderdale.
"Probably, over time, travelers did feel neglected, and that's one of the successes of JetBlue to bring customer satisfaction back to the airline industry," Richard Smythe, JetBlue's vice president of corporate real estate, told BuzzFeed News of its efforts at JFK. "Throughout the terminal we don't necessarily brand it, all of our customers just know that the whole experience is the JetBlue experience. And we know that our design and concept has informed airlines' work at other terminals, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive."
Indeed, JFK Terminal 5 ranks number one by a large margin on the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey's annual survey of airport terminals, and has done since its opening in 2008. JetBlue recently completed an extension of T5, and it hopes to re-create the experience in its Boston and Fort Lauderdale projects. "We're hoping that the end product is going to look and feel very similar to JFK," Smythe said.
One industry watcher told BuzzFeed News the terminal beautification race is a result of airlines chasing big-spending customers, as more penny-pinchers defect to budget carriers.
"They're losing customers on the bottom end and adding customers at the higher level and the international level, and the customer that travels globally is used to international customer service and amenities at the terminals around the world," said Mark Sixel, founder of airline and airport consultancy Sixel Consulting Group. "The international traveler is much more lucrative than the domestic-only traveler, and they have to invest in things that will differentiate or at least bring themselves on par with other international airlines to compete. So it's catering to a more service-conscious passenger."
The changes in terminals are also a reflection of how the industry changed in the last decade, with airlines merging and cutting the number of flights and routes on offer. "Demand has increased and capacity did not increase, so the main carriers have cut their service to lower airfare customers. It ratchets up the price per passenger and squeezes the number of people that can fly on a regular basis," Sixel told BuzzFeed News. "When people pay more money, they expect more service, and that's what's happening in airline infrastructure."
Delta at JFK.
Delta Air Lines
With LaGuardia's makeover nearly finished, Delta has also been focusing renovation efforts on JFK Terminal 4, where it rolled out a $1.2 billion renovation beginning in May of 2013 and culminating at the beginning of this year. The project includes a 346,000 square-foot addition to the terminal, 11 additional gates, outposts of local New York City eateries like The Palm Steakhouse, Shake Shack, and a bistro by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, as well as a 24,000 square-foot glittery new SkyClub complete with a rooftop terrace that looks like something straight out of a South Beach nightclub.
But Delta's most recent efforts have been in Los Angeles. Next month it is slated to unveil its renovations of the former U.S. Air Terminal 5 at LAX, a $229 million improvement project that features completely renovated ticketing, gate, and security areas, as well as local vendor restaurants and shops. In a nod to the high rollers, there's a brand new "ultra VIP" check-in area with frosted glass windows, iPad check-in reminiscent of a chic nightclub's entry protocol, and a private escalator and lounge access for the highest-spending travelers.
"We've had a track record of investing in the ground business for a long time. The ground experience is critical; it sets the tone for the journey itself," Ranjan Goswami, Delta's vice president of sales for the West Coast region, told BuzzFeed News after a tour of Terminal 5 at LAX, some of which was still under construction. "With food and beverage, we learned that to be global, you need to be local. You see all those elements having been incorporated in our terminals. What we are really excited about being a first mover and setting the standard in New York and L.A."
Airlines believe terminals with beer gardens, comfy seating, and good food translate into more loyal customers, a claim that will be easier to evaluate once the current round of terminal mega-renovations is finished and frequent fliers start developing their favorites. But in the short term, the winners are fliers, who get something a better on the ground even if the experience in the sky is going downhill.
Even if you’re not outdoorsy at all.
Yeah, they're right beside a lake...but that lake isn't heated! Soak in comfort wherever you happen to be with the Nomad collapsible tub--it'll make the great outdoors even greater.
Price: $550
Burgers, beers and beaches. It’s time to pick a winner.
Fairy tales do come true.
Why do they call it the Garden of England again?
Rape seed field, near Folkestone.
Flickr: tfpc / Via Creative Commons
Hever Castle, Hever.
Flickr: 93448689@N02 / Via Creative Commons
Leeds Castle, near Maidstone.
Flickr: guldfisken / Via Creative Commons
Poppy field, near Shoreham Village.
Flickr: ukgardenphotos / Via Creative Commons
Live every day like it’s fry-day.
This delicious Brazilian street food has everything a late night indulgence needs: warm, savory filling, flaky buttery pastry, all rolled in breadcrumbs and fried to perfection. Dip it in fresh salsa for a final touch.
If you though the typical Nutella Snack & Go was everything you needed in life, you were wrong. Italian supermarkets offer a level up: the Nutella Snack & Drink, which features the regular breadstick and Nutella helping, plus a built in iced tea.
This Japanese pizza chain is undeniably epic, offering such gems as the "Sausage Rim Bacon Potato" and "Wild Salmon and Cream Cheese" pies.
The name means "war chips" in Dutch, so you know this greasy delight is serious. Holland has a decent list of chip-cased dishes, but this combo of fried potato, onion, mayo, and peanut sauce has to take the cake.
Cambridge used to be The Land That Food Forgot. Not any more. Get your head around these amazing street food offerings.
The best burgers in Cambridge by a street. Two vans popping up all over the city. Where are they today?
Follow them on Twitter.
Image by Michael J. Sim – @mikeysim – michaeljsim.squarespace.com
A little van serving up huge South East Asian flavours. Regulars at Foodpark lunch markets.
Find them on Twitter.
Image by Michael J. Sim – @mikeysim – michaeljsim.squarespace.com / Via Twitter: @JalanJalanUK
Gorgeous fresh veggie falafel served in a wrap in the middle of the historic city centre. Find them Tuesday-Saturday on Market Street. And be quick: they sell out!
With phenomenal meaty and veggie options available (and crack pie to follow), these guys truly are rich in bunly goodness.
Go drool over this review and then feel the #bunlove on Twitter!
Adventures on the cheap.
Scones on scones on scones.
Worth the trip, just to admire how pretty it is. And the tea is delicious too, naturally.
Flickr: garryknight / Via Creative Commons
Treat yo'self!
PS: Want more London reccs? Here are 15 Places In London You Must Visit For Afternoon Tea.
Claridges
Scones on scones on scones. One of many fine tea choices in Devon.
The lemon meringue pie here is decadent and luscious, and is begging to be washed down with a cup of refreshing tea.
Reem team.
Tiptree jam is literally a famous jam. Not only is it world renowned and arguably the best jam in the UK, but they also have THE Tiptree Jam Factory, where you can enjoy tea and scones and all the jams your heart could possibly desire.
A lot of Essex folk will flock to Clacton or Southend as soon as the sun shows up, so you can be sure of a prime location to lay your towel by opting to spend your day at one of our less well known beaches.
instagram.com / Via Flickr: caverguy
Fancy a fine selection of sausages, chicken and steak for under 50 quid? Or how about a not-quite-but-could-almost-be Michael Kors bag? North Weald Market is the place for you, my friend.
Of course, you don't need to have a dog with you to explore Epping forest, but consider how happy this guy looks.
Take your pic(k).
Tiny TARDIS on a journey through time, space, and Instagram.
Smoke and ash rise from the Calbuco volcano as seen from the city of Puerto Montt. The Calbuco volcano in southern Chile erupted for the first time in more than five decades on Wednesday, sending a thick plume of ash and smoke several kilometers into the sky.
Stringer Chile / Reuters
A competitor spits water as he passes under a fence during the first Belik Race on April 19, 2015, in Cabanillas del Campo, in the region of Guadalajara, Spain.
Pablo Blazquez Dominguez / Getty Images
Mainasi Issa, a 23-year-old Malawian albino woman, stands outside her hut in the traditional authority area of Nkole, Machinga district. Six albinos have been killed in the poor southern African nation since December.
Gianluigi Guercia / AFP / Getty Images
Benjamin Whitaker lands a punch against Skender Halili in the sixth round of their welterweight bout at College Park Center on April 18, 2015, in Arlington, Texas.
Tom Pennington / Getty Images
Caroline Rotich of Kenya crosses the finish line to win the 119th Boston Marathon on April 20, 2015, in Boston.
Jim Rogash / Getty Images
Taylor Swift accepts the Milestone Award from her mother Andrea at the 50th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Arlington, Texas.
Mike Blake / Reuters
Honoree and comedian Amy Schumer pretends to trip and fall on the floor in front of honorees Kim Kardashian and Kanye West as they attend the Time 100 Gala celebrating the Time 100 issue of the Most Influential People.
Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images
A humanoid robot named Han developed by Hanson Robotics reacts as the controller commands it via a mobile phone to make a facial expression during the Global Sources spring electronics show in Hong Kong.
Tyrone Siu / Reuters
Children form a reef fish on a beach in Hong Kong on the occasion of the third annual Kids Ocean Day, on April 23. The event is aimed at raising awareness of seas protection and the conservation of coral reef worldwide.
Philippe Lopez / AFP / Getty Images
Martinez Sutton speaks about the shooting death of his sister Rekia Boyd by Chicago Police Detective Dante Servin as his mother Angela Helton covers her face during a rally to mark the finishing of March2Justice at the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Dozens of marchers took part in an eight-day, 250-mile-long march from Staten Island, New York, to the nation's capital to demand congressional intervention to tackle "the national crisis of police violence."
Alex Wong / Getty Images
Baltimore Police react to objects thrown by demonstrators during a protest against police brutality and the death of Freddie Gray outside the Baltimore Police Western District station in the Sandtown neighborhood.
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Security guards carry a protester wearing a mask depicting Sir David Walker, outgoing chair of Barclays Bank, during a demonstration outside the bank's annual general meeting in London on April 22.
Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images
An Indonesian health officer uses a blowgun to vaccinate a dog at Dalung Village on April 20, 2015, in Badung, Bali, Indonesia. A three-month vaccination drive has been launched in Bali with the aim of inoculating as many of the island's dogs against rabies as possible.
Agung Parameswara / Getty Images
An anti-xenophobia activist stands chained in front of a banner as thousands of people get ready to march against the recent wave of xenophobic attacks in South Africa through the streets of Johannesburg CBD on April 23, 2015.
Gianluigi Guercia / AFP / Getty Images
An Indian Muslim devotee, who is on a pilgrimage to the shrine of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti for Urs, performs a stunt during a procession at Ajmer in the desert Indian state of Rajasthan.
Stringer India / Reuters
An Egyptian youth carries a lit flare as supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood gather in the El-Mataria neighborhood of Cairo to protest the 20-year sentence for ousted president Mohammed Morsi and verdicts against other prominent figures of the Brotherhood. Morsi was convicted of using force against protesters and sentenced to 20 years in prison on Tuesday, the first verdict against him since he was removed by the military nearly two years ago.
Belal Darder / AP
Convicted Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev gestures toward a surveillance camera in his holding cell in this 2013 surveillance image released by the U.S. Justice Department. Prosecutors on Tuesday began their case to sentence Tsarnaev to death with an emotional gut-punch to the jury as survivors described the toll of the April 15, 2013, attack that killed three people and injured 264.
Handout / Reuters
Special Forces soldiers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states take part in joint military exercises in the Shamshi Gorge, some 100 kilometers from Bishkek.
Vyacheslav Oseledko / AFP / Getty Images
Statues depicting civilian casualties of clashes between the Soviet army and Mujahideen, at the Jihad Museum in Herat city, west of the capital Kabul, Afghanistan. Despite being an obvious homage to victory over the Soviet Union, the museum's creators say it does not seek to glorify war. The goal, they insist, is to preserve the memories of sacrifice and cruelty so future generations can avoid the painful mistakes of their forefathers.
Massoud Hossaini / AP
Islamic State militants lead what are said to be Ethiopian Christians along a beach in Wilayat Barqa. The video appeared to show militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.
Reuters TV / Reuters
An injured girl lies inside a field hospital after what activists said were airstrikes and shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus.
Mohammed Badra / Reuters
A rebel fighter fires his weapon at the frontline during what the rebels called a battle to unite rebel factions against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Jobar, a suburb of Damascus.
Stringer Shanghai / Reuters
Local residents and rescue workers help a migrant woman after a boat carrying migrants sank off the island of Rhodes, southeastern Greece, on April 20, 2015. At least three people, including a child, died when a boat carrying more than 80 migrants sank off the Greek island of Rhodes.
Argiris Mantikos / AFP / Getty Images
A man looks out at the Statue of Liberty in the rain and fog from the Staten Island Ferry on April 20, 2015, in New York City. Much of the East Coast experienced heavy rains and high winds following a beautiful spring weekend.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
A sea of red poppies are pictured at the site of the former Royal New Zealand Air Force base at Hobsonville Point in Auckland, New Zealand. On April 25, Australia and New Zealand will commemorate 100 years since more than 20,000 Australian and New Zealand servicemen landed at the Gallipoli Peninsula during the first World War on April 25, 1915.
Phil Walter / Getty Images
An Israeli soldier hands a buttercup flower to a child in a field near Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak in southern Israel, just outside the Gaza Strip.
Amir Cohen / Reuters
Palestinian students supporting Hamas flash three fingers to draw attention to their electoral number during an election campaign for students' council at Palestine Polytechnic University in the West Bank city of Hebron.
Mussa Qawasma / Reuters
Silvard Atajyan, 103, sits at home during an interview with Reuters in Yerevan. Atajyan remembers vividly when French soldiers saved her and her family from the mass killings by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago.
David Mdzinarishvili / Reuters
Bakarwal nomad children are seen through a veil that covers their tent as they react to a Kashmiri man photographing them on the outskirts of Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Tuesday, April 21, 2015. Bakarwals are nomadic herders of Jammu and Kashmir state who wander in search of good pastures for their cattle.
Dar Yasin / AP
A man dressed as Julius Caesar takes part in an event to mark the anniversary of the legendary foundation of Rome, the eternal city, in 753 B.C.
Filippo Monteforte / AFP / Getty Images
An Indian girl looks at an elephant that sits during the Suwori festival in Boko, about 47 miles west of Gauhati, India. Traditional elephant fights, elephant races, tug of war, and dances mark this festival, which coincides with the Assamese Rongali Bihu, or the harvest festival of the northeastern Indian state of Assam.
Anupam Nath / AP
A man watches a carriage exhibition in The Maestranza bullring of the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain.
Marcelo Del Pozo / Reuters
Egyptian dancers in traditional costumes perform Sufi dance known as "whirling dervish" in Cairo. Whirling dervishes of al-Tannura entertain visitors with their colorful and artistic spinning dance.
Amr Nabil / AP
Hubble Space Telescope shows a breeding ground for stars in the Constellation Carina, about 20,000 light years from Earth. Friday, April 24, 2015, marks the 25th anniversary of Hubble's launch.
Uncredited / AP
People fly their kites to form the shape of a car in the sky on the beach in Berck, northern France, on April 20, 2015, during the 29th "Rencontres Internationales de Cerfs Volants" (International Kite Meeting), which runs from April 18 to 26.
Philippe Huguen / AFP / Getty Images
A meerkat stands on a rock at Zoom Torino, a zoological park in Cumiana near Turin, on April 22, 2015.
Marco Bertorello / AFP / Getty Images
Gabriel Bouys / Getty Images
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