Stress Busters: Global Destinations to Relieve your Stress

by Neil Woodburn on

Stressed out?

The fine folks at Marie Claire have provided four Global Stress-Busters to help you relieve your anxiety and tensions.

I wasn’t too surprised to see that a sauna/spa was on the list, but the other three proved rather unique. Spending the night at the Enoshima Aquarium in Japan surrounded by jelly fish tanks, for example, has been proven to stimulate “the production of a compound in the saliva associated with relaxation.”

Or, on the other end of the spectrum, spend an evening at the Rising Sun Anger Release Bar in Naning, China where patrons pay up to $37 to “yell, scream, break glasses, and even beat 20 muscle-bound staffers.” (I’m pretty sure this service is just limited to women; the article doesn’t specify if men can join in on the fun.)

Lastly, Marie Claire sends us to Mumbai India to participate in yoga. But not just any yoga. Mumbai is home to laughter yoga where participants are encourage to laugh their heads off instead of the more typical Downward Dog grunting noises one normally hears in a yoga studio. (Check out the John Cleese video here).

One for the Road: Japan – A Traveler’s Literary Companion

by Kelly Amabile on

Whereabouts Press publishes a small but well-done series of literary guides for only a dozen countries (like Mexico, Chile, Israel) and a few cities (Amsterdam and Prague). A few months ago I devoured their 2006-released Japan edition: Japan: A Traveler’s Literary Companion is a magical collection of original works by Japanese writers that have each been translated into English.

The stories are organized geographically, taking readers along on journeys to places like Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto, Kumano, Okinawa and Tokyo. Donald Richie’s foreword points to the concept of “furusato”, a term that carries more meaning than its translation “hometown”. This theme of revisiting or returning weaves through all the stories, as each one paints a picture for the reader of the deep relationship that exists between person and place.

There seems no better way to explore the culture of another country (besides actually being there) than by reading literature from a variety of voices native to the land. This is an excellent place to begin any journey through Japan.

Golden Bathtub Stolen

by Erik Olsen on

There are several jokes that I am tempted to make here about golden showers, but I will refrain. That would simply be too tasteless. To ribald. Too easy. And besides, the story here is almost bizarre enough without resorting to the easy foul joke. The question at hand here is how, dear readers, a couple of thieves managed to get away with stealing a 200 pound gold bathtub from a Japanese hotel without getting caught? (the tub here is not the stolen one, btw)

The tub, said to be worth almost a million bucks, was stolen from a hotel near Tokyo, Japan. The hotel staff discovered the tub missing and yet no evidence that the tub had been in any way dragged out. Excuse me, sir! What’s that you’re carrying on your back?! Sir! Oh, never mind.

The crack team of police in Tokyo have little to go on, but they are sure of one thing: “We really don’t know how this happened at this stage. But what we can assume now is that more than one person was involved in this incident.” Ah, yes, a brilliant deduction. It was, shall we say (giggle) a CLEAN getaway.

All-you-can-eat Candy Bars in Japan

by Neil Woodburn on

This is great. Some entrepreneur in Japan has managed to tap into the childhood fantasy of being locked in a candy shop with no parents and an empty stomach.

Dagashi bars, according to a Reuters article by Sophie Hardach, cater to the nostalgia of stressed out Tokyo adults who want to escape, if ever so briefly, back to the halcyon days of their youth.

Unless you’re from Japan, however, don’t get all excited about this and catch the next flight to Tokyo. The all-you-can-eat candy is not abba-zabas, pixie sticks, or sweet-tarts, but rather “Japanese childhood favorites like chewy soybean candy and pickled squid on a stick.”

Ugh. All-you-can-barf is more like it.

Stuck in an Airport: The Best Ones

by Jamie Rhein on

When I flew back from Taiwan on my way to Albuquerque, N.M., I had a scheduled eight-hour (or more) layover in Minneapolis, Minn. The best part was the convenience of the rented luggage cart. Pick up was right where the bags came off the conveyor belt. Drop off was at the gate of my connecting flight. In between my landing and takeoff, I spent a good deal of the time sleeping with my feet propped up on my carry-ons piled on the cart. It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

There are airports that crank it up a notch or two to create great layover spots. These are the places recently named as the best of the best for places to be stuck for a while in Forbes Traveler. Click on each link to find out what’s the reason. If you happen to be somewhere bored of waiting, take photos. That’s what nashsnazzy did. I like the black and white.