Sherman's Travel

Today, I learned about this incredible dining experience, and as a wanna-be-foodie, I couldn’t help but be intrigued. First thing I thought was: Leave it to Las Vegas to take something as simple as dinner and make it into a life-threatening, heart-dropping, stomach-churning experience. Enter: Dinner in the Sky. I poked around a little more into the phenomenon, and found that Sin City isn’t such an innovator, after all! The newest addition to Sin City’s roster of unique consumer experiences has actually debuted in a number of other cities and 40 countries around the world! This news sparked my curiosity: What are some of the other crazy dining experiences that I’ve never heard of? Here’s what I uncovered! Read more

I could rattle off a list of impressive and beautiful volcanoes (have you seen this one with three color-changing lakes on it?!), but none seem quite as amazing as this isolated mountainous landmass hundreds of kilometers off the coast of Tokyo, Japan. Aogashima is the southernmost island in the Izu archipelago. And, though it might seem improbable, people actually live on the island (and there are things to do there!). Read more

With news that Google Streetview sent a camera into Fukushima, the city that was abandoned after a 2011 Japanese earthquake cause the meltdown of the Fukushima Daiich nuclear power plant, we’re now able to see inside the now desolate town. Take a look at the eerie photos and others from around the world. Read more

Happy National Fragrance Day! Since many perfumes draw inspiration from places around the world, we thought there was no better way to celebrate than finding fragrances that best evoked their respective locations. Want to smell like a spring day? Maybe you’re more interested in evoking the romance of Paris at night? Either way, we’ve put together a list of fragrances that pay tribute to some of our favorite places in the world.

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Whisky conjures up a bunch of feelings for me: First, I cringe a little (I’m more of a vodka-cranberry-type girl – I know, falling into a stereotype). Next, I think of either Tennessee, Kentucky, or Scotland, where whisky is best-known in my books. I definitely don’t think about Japan. But then again, maybe I should. Read more

My globetrotting ambitions should have been clear to my parents when at age 13 I chose as my bat mitzvah theme “Around the World with Liz.” The place cards looked like miniature passports, and each table represented a different country. Now that I’m twice as old as I was when I was called to read from the Torah for the first time, I decided to look back on that fateful day and count off how many of those “tables” I’ve actually visited:

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Here’s a sliver of good news for Japan tourism: United announced today that it will resume twice-weekly flights to Sendai, Japan – the city closest to the March 11 earthquake’s epicenter – beginning October 2; it’s the first foreign airline to touch down regularly at the airport since it reopened April 13.

Visitor numbers fell by 73 percent immediately after the 8.9-magnitude earthquake devastated the country, fueled a tsunami, and set off a nuclear crisis, according to the Japan Times, but United’s restart of Sendai flights is one of a handful of signs that travelers are warming up to the idea of returning to the country.

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The March earthquake and tsunami decimated tourism to Japan, and officials are eager to remind potential visitors that the country is safe and open for business. Head off to Tokyo next month with a jaw-dropping four-night package – including hotel, airfare, plus all taxes and fees – for only $780. Departures are available every Wednesday and Thursday in June from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles (plus June 14), San Francisco, and Honolulu, as well as June 2 from Newark. For each booking, $50 will be donated to the Consulate-General of Japan for continued relief efforts. Book by 5pm EST on May 31.

THE VALUE: Airfare alone to Tokyo from L.A. costs close to $1,000, and East Coast fares run around $1,400 – with this deal, you’ll save $200 or more on airfare AND get a four-night hotel stay.

THE CATCH: Airlines and hotels (one of which is at Haneda airport, 30 minutes outside Tokyo) are determined by the travel agency based on availability. Stays cannot be extended beyond the four nights. The package is non-refundable.

THE DETAILS: Find the details of the package here.

Book through one of the following travel agencies:

• IACE Travel – 877-489-4223, 212-972-3200
• Nippon Travel Agency America Inc. – 800-682-7872
• JTB USA – 800-222-5824, 800-305-5824, 877-798-9808
• ANA Sales Americas – 800-826-0995
• Amnet – 212-247-1900
• Kintetsu International – 800-422-3481

WE’VE GOT MORE: Use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates and travel deals on hotels, flights, vacation packages, and more.

For general trip-planning information, see our Tokyo Travel Guide.

As Japan continues to struggle with the aftermath of last Friday’s earthquake and tsunami, it is clear travel to and from the country will not return to normal for some time. Most airports – including those in Tokyo – have reopened, and most public transportation in the capital has resumed. However, damaged roadways continue to disrupt overland transport.

UPDATE: The Japan National Tourist Office has posted information about travel to and within the country, as well as created a page with important links for those who are still in Japan. You can also find the most current information on what’s going on in Japan on the website of the Embassy of Japan in the U.S.

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We at ShermansTravel.com were shocked to learn of the devastating earthquake that hit Japan Friday and the tsunami that occurred in its aftermath, with waves hitting Japan and Hawaii and making their way towards the West Coast of the U.S.

For those who are currently traveling, planning to travel, or have friends or loved ones in the affected areas, here are some resources to find the latest information on the disaster:

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