Photo of the day – What’s for dinner?

by Meg Nesterov on


Food photography (or less delicately, food porn) are always a popular travel subject. Travelers love to capture the unusual, the delicious, and the beautiful eats of the world. This shot by Flickr user Marisoleta of

a live lobster tied up in Kyoto, Japan manages to be all three. Marisoleta explains that it was part of an offering demonstrated by a priest in one of Kyoto’s largest festivals, and as usual, the Japanese show their flair for food presentation. The lobster seems to be at peace with his fate, whether it’s to be boiled and eaten with melted butter, or untied and set back into the water.

Add your favorite food shots to the Gadling Flickr pool and if they make us hungry, we might use one for a future Photo of the Day.

Americans still don’t like dollar coins

by Meg Nesterov on

According to an NPR story this week, the Federal Reserve is sitting on a billion dollars worth of the $1 Sacagawean and Presidential coins, and the program to replace dollar bills with the metal coins has largely been deemed a failure. The government spends millions annually to mint new coins in order to introduce all the US presidents, resulting in millions languishing in vaults a la “Scrooge McDuck” said Planet Money’s David Kestenbaum. Despite the fact that they are legal tender and the government’s many efforts to promote their use, Americans still distrust the dollar coin.

Why the reason for the distrust? Americans claim they are difficult to spend, not recognized by many merchants, or just weigh down pockets too much. Perhaps we should ask our foreign neighbors how they have integrated them into daily life. America is one of the few countries in the developed world to use a $1 banknote and the only one of the top five traded currencies (including the Euro, British Pound, Japanese Yen, and Australian dollars) to use a bill in such a small denomination. Canada replaced the dollar bill with the “loonie” coin in 1987 and the British pound note has been out of circulation since 1983. Is taking away the $1 bill the only way to get Americans to use the coin? We reported earlier this year on a possible way to earn frequent flyer miles by purchasing dollar coins, a legal (but not encouraged by the US Mint) practice that may actually contribute to this back log of currency. Maybe go out and spend the coins instead and hope the trend catches on.

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Photo courtesy Flickr user cometstarmoon. Hat tip to Honza Kerver for the NPR story link.

Travel to Japan returning to normal, slowly

by Chris Owen on

In the wake of the major earthquake and resulting tsunami that hit Japan in March, travel disruptions were fueled by a rising death toll, fear of a nuclear disaster plus travel warnings issued worldwide. Now, just a few months later, flights, tours and cruises are returning to normal scheduling.

“We are confident of returning the capacity to full level on July 1” Japan Airlines President Masaru Onishi told the Mainichi Daily News today noting that business travel in Japan has rebounded and Japanese tourists have also resumed making overseas trips following a drop-off after the disaster.
Passenger bookings had fallen nearly 30 percent in March, and were still down by about 20 percent for international routes and 15 percent on domestic routes in April.

Cruise lines are returning too with Royal Caribbean’s Legend of the Seas set to be back calling in Okinawa on August 1st.

“Judging from the current situation in Japan, we are well-assured of the safety of travelling to Japan. Japan has always been an attractive tourist destination and its show of great resilience in the face of the recent crisis has given travelers the confidence to visit the country again,” said Kelvin Tan, regional director Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

It looks to be a long road to “business as usual” in Japan. The US Department of State downgraded a Travel Warning just after the disaster to a Travel Alert recently, signaling an improvement in conditions but still urges caution:

“Japan is one of the most seismically active places in the world. Tokyo and areas to the Northeast continue to experience strong aftershocks related to the March 11 earthquake. Aftershocks following an earthquake of this magnitude can be expected to continue for more than a year. Identifying potential hazards ahead of time and advance planning can reduce the dangers of serious injury or loss of life from an earthquake” the Department of State notes in their most current analysis.

Photo courtesy Royal Caribbean International

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Photo of the Day- Rainbow Bridge

by Chris Owen on

Today’s Photo of the Day of Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo, Japan, at night. comes from Flickr user Marc-André Mireault who captions “The rainbow does not really come fro the bridge itself, but from the colourful boats in front of it!”

Do you have an image you would like to share with us? Upload it to the Flickr Gadling group pool. If we like your image we might just pick it to be a future Photo of the Day.

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Four top battle locations to remember on Memorial Day

by Chris Owen on
Memorial Day is all about honoring those who gave their lives via military service to the United States. Picnics, celebrations and parties are typical to commemorate the day. Travel to typical Memorial Day locations like beaches, parks and theme-parks is too. But what about locations where some of the most famous battles of all times occurred? Check these four top battle locations with photos from Flickr users who give their impressions of what they mean today.

Gettysburg– Flickr user Soaptree tells us “the portrait statue of General Gouverneur K. Warren, Chief Engineer of the Army of the Potomac, stands on the boulder from which he spotted the Confederate advance on Little Round Top the afternoon of July 2, 1863.”


Pearl Harbor survivors render a salute during Taps in this photo from Flickr user expert infantry taken at the joint U.S. Navy and National Park Service ceremony commemorating the 66th anniversary of the Dec. 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. “More than 2,500 people attended the ceremony on board Naval Station Pearl Harbor that honored those who gave their lives during the attack. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Michael Hight)”

Midway was a major event in the Word War II campaign against Japan. Just 1,000 miles northwest of Hawaii, Midway atoll was an important strategic objective for the Japanese Navy who thought a victory there would prove their superiority in the Pacific. Little did they know that the United States had cracked Japanese message codes and set up an ambush. This Flickr photo from USFWS Pacific shows “Albatross and bonin petrel nests can be seen on both sides of the walkway. Sand Island, Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. “

Iwo Jima This photo of The Marine Corps War Memorial, aka the Iwo Jima Memorial, in Arlington, Virginia comes from Flickr user NCinDC showing the iconic image of five Marines raising the U.S. flag, a photograph that brings support for American soldiers even today.

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