For the latest in its ‘Best of Japan’ series, Palace Hotel Tokyo is launching ‘Couture Tokyo: The Art of Japanese Fashion’, a stay package created to elevate travelers’ understanding of Japanese culture and aesthetics through the lens of fashion and textile artistry. Designed to highlight the substance and creativity behind Japanese fashion design and sensibilities, the experience is anchored by an insider’s introduction to some of Japan’s most exemplary brands with a selection of tours curated by Kaori Nakano, a scholar of fashion and luxury culture.

Japan is speeding up its transition to smarter, faster border control by extending the availability of automated e-gates to foreign visitors. This initiative, known as Japan e-gate access for foreign visitors, is designed to cut down on long queues at airports, speed up immigration processing and offer a more seamless arrival and departure experience for international travelers.

Fukuoka City is gaining attention as Japan’s most attractive destination for ‘slomads’ as the digital nomad community slows down and looks for places to stay put for a few months rather than a few weeks. Fukuoka was the first city in Japan to introduce the Startup Visa (in 2015), an initiative allowing foreign nationals to live in the city long-term while launching businesses or working as freelancers. Numerous digital nomads have been drawn to the ‘startup hub of Asia’* by its urban convenience, noted food scene, access to nearby nature, mountains and beaches, affordable living costs and diverse network of coworking spaces and communities. These are some of Fukuoka City’s unique spots designed to support this dynamic community.

Japan’s Tohoku region occupies the northeastern part of Honshu, comprising six prefectures—Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, Akita, Yamagata, and Fukushima. Surrounded by mountain ranges and river valleys, with castle towns and rural landscapes scattered throughout, the area becomes one of Japan’s most appealing spring destinations when cherry blossoms reach their peak.

After a busy festive period, January offers the perfect time to reset and plan for a year focused on health and wellness.  From Clink I Lar hostels partnership with light therapy experts Lumie to a yoga retreat on the island of Herm, a Caribbean wellness escape in Aruba, an ecotherapy stay in Uganda and a pilgrimage in Japan, 2026 is full of opportunities to prioritise self-care.

In numerology 2026 marks a Universal year 1 (2+0+2+6 = 10, 1+0 = 1), an opportunity for new experiences and fresh starts signified by the start of a new nine year karmic cycle. The Setouchi Region in Japan offers a variety of immersive hands-on adventures that allow guests to embrace this time for innovation, stepping out of the comfort zone and embarking on a new chapter by actively participating in the cultural traditions and natural beauty of the destination. Rather than simply observing, visitors are encouraged to get involved, try new skills, meet local experts and engage directly with the landscapes and communities that make Setouchi unique.