Watch live: Tokyo crowd gathers to see cherry blossoms before full bloom
Watch live as tourists gather in Tokyo to see the Japanese capital's cherry blossoms before full bloom.
The trees, also known as sakura, mark the onset of spring in the Asian country, with the beautiful pink and white flowers adorning the streets of many of its major cities.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) confirmed the first blooming of a cherry blossom on Monday, when the specimen tree of the Somei Yoshino at Tokyo's Yasukuni shrine had more than five blossoms flowering on it - the minimum required for declaring the start of the festive season.
According to the JMA, the opening matched the average year, and was five days earlier than the opening in 2024.
The cherry blossoms, which typically reach their peak in late March to early April, regularly appear in Japanese culture, symbolising life, death and rebirth.
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Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
New Survey Names 'Most Dangerous' Country for Travelers
A new survey has ranked the most dangerous nations on Earth for travelers, with an Asian country topping the list. Financial comparison site HelloSafe created a 'travel safety index' based on 35 different criteria across five categories: frequency and severity of natural disasters, levels of crime and violence in society, involvement in armed conflict (internal or external), health infrastructure and militarization. Based on these factors, nations were then rated on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 being the safest and 100 the most dangerous. "It is important to specify that this index is not intended to reflect the tourist attractiveness of a country, but rather a global index of security and safety based on the largest possible number of objective criteria," HelloSafe said. When the results were calculated, the Philippines checked in as the most unsafe country for tourists with a score of 82.32. That mark was more than three points higher than Colombia (79.21), the second-least safe nation to travel to. Mexico finished as the third-most dangerous, with all three countries experiencing "high levels of violence within society," per HelloSafe. India (77.86) and Russia (75.65) rounded out the top five. Yemen (74.6), Indonesia (72.94), Somalia (70.8), Mozambique (69.69) and Pakistan (68.03) comprised the rest of the top 10. As for the safest countries, Iceland led the way at 18.23, followed by Singapore (19.99), Denmark (20.05), Austria (20.31) and Switzerland (20.51). The Czech Republic (21.19), Slovenia (21.44), Finland (21.81), Ireland (22.49) and Hungary (22.87) also cracked the top 10. The United States, meanwhile, finished with a mark of 59.47, making it the 14th-least safe country for vacationers. New Survey Names 'Most Dangerous' Country for Travelers first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
Buzz Feed
40 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
11 Things I Learned On A Trip To Reno And Lake Tahoe
I'm a huge traveller, and there's only a handful of destinations I won't visit. I mean, do you blame me? What 20-something wouldn't jump at the chance to visit a new place? But I gotta be honest, when I got an email asking to join a weekend getaway trip to Reno and Lake Tahoe in Nevada, I was skeptical. I've been to Nevada once before (to see Britney Spears perform in Las Vegas, duh), and I wasn't a big fan of the gambling lifestyle. And upon a quick Google search, I learned Reno was known for their casinos too. But you know what? I decided not to let my fear of casinos stop me from taking the chance. Like, how could I pass up the opportunity to cruise along the same lake Alanis Morissette, Canadian icon, owned a house on? AND explore the city Golden Bachelorette runner-up Guy Gansert is from? So I said YES! It was a three-day getaway with five other gals I'd never met before. And oh boy, did I learn a TON from the trip, including a huge surprise I wasn't expecting. Without further ado, here are some very honest thoughts and recs from my trip to Reno Tahoe — coming to you from a certified high-maintenance girlie. My very first impression of Reno Tahoe was from the plane. And it was unlike anything I've ever seen before, as someone who has basically never been in the desert. Thankfully I booked a window seat, because I was snapping pics the entire hills were ALIVE, all right. You could also see snow-covered hills in the background, which was soooooo cool. After worrying too much about it, it turns out that I surprisingly enjoyed watching the hustle and bustle of the casino and seeing so many people out and about. I'm a certified extrovert, so maybe that's why. I found it creates a cool ambiance, ya know? Even if I don't wanna gamble myself, it's honestly really fun seeing other people so engaged in it. But I have to say, I equally appreciated the quieter weekdays, especially by the I'd definitely visit during the week if that's more your vibe. We stayed at the Grand Sierra Resort, which was HUGE and really proximal to pretty much everything. And can I just say, the food and activity options were A MAJOR WOW inside the resort. Bowling? A whole cake shop? A Starbucks? An Asian restaurant, sports bar, buffet…yeah. Sign me the heck up. I very well could've never left the resort if I so desired. Although, like, I definitely did get lost making my way up to my room on the 15th floor. Yes, I'm flexing. The view was beautiful. The weather in Reno was scorching — like, 35 degrees Celsius and sunny every day — which I personally LOVED, as someone who has been the victim of constantly rainy spring weather in Toronto. I had no clue that Nevada gets so hot (clueless Canadian over here), but it was awesome! I spent every free hour I got at the pool, soaking in the sun. This is your sign to just BOOK THE TOUR, wherever you're travelling. Even if you're hesitant to really lean into the whole "tourist" thing, seriously, find a tour and book it anyway! We went on a pedicab art tour around Reno and saw so much sustainable art, which was absolutely sick as someone who loves both art and the environment. That polar bear!!! How adorable?! On the tour, I surprised myself with how much I learned, and it totally helped me appreciate the city even more. Plus, the tour was the perfect thing to do at the beginning of the trip, because from then on, I couldn't stop gawking at all the murals all over the city. OK, let's talk about Lake Tahoe. We went there in the early morning, which I highly recommend to beat the rush (and if you're jet lagged, it makes total sense). It was around 45 minutes to get there from the hotel, which flashed by. We went on a clear kayak tour with Clearly Tahoe, and I can't even begin to explain to you how STUNNING it was. By far my highlight of the trip. Truly, during the entire tour, I just kept gasping the entire time. The colour of the water is unbelievable, and being surrounded by the mountains is so unique. Seeing the bright water under my legs in the kayak was truly life changing. I swear, that two-hour kayak tour single-handedly melted all my stress away. Now I understand why so many celebs own houses on this lake. Other than the undeniably beautiful views, there's also a ton of deeper history behind Lake Tahoe that was fascinating to learn about on the tour. I'd tell you myself, but what happens in Lake Tahoe stays in Lake Tahoe. Here's my favourite fun fact from the tour that I've been sharing to everyone, like the Ravenclaw I am: Lake Tahoe is deeper than the height of the Empire State Building. Try and wrap your brain around THAT. We hit up a Banana Ball (AKA Savannah Bananas) game in the evening, because we were lucky enough that the Party Animals team was visiting. If you don't know what Banana Ball is, think of it as baseball, but a million times more entertaining and absurd. And in the spirit of honesty, I have to tell you, it was way more fun then any MLB game I've been to (sorry, Blue Jays). At the game, between innings and outs, they had the most hilarious audience interactions — like a "dad bod" relay race and an old couple make-out sesh (yes, I'm serious). Plus, there was music playing at all times, making it a huge dance party at the same time. Vibes were ON POINT. Now whenever I go to a regular baseball game I'll wonder, Why is nobody dressed as a giant frog or monkey, leaping around the field while the teams play? It just won't be the same. I gotta talk about the restaurants in Reno Tahoe for a sec, because I had some of the most unique meals of my life. Sage Leaf Tahoe had these incredible sage biscuits, and a chicken bowl I'll be dreaming of forever. Not to mention a wholesome brekkie at Great Full Gardens, and celebratory dinner at Mexican steakhouse Toro Bravo. So if you're wondering if we ate well in Reno, the answer is a thousand times YES. IMHO, Reno is definitely the place to go with friends. Our group of five girls was the perfect number, and it was soooo much fun to explore the activities with some new gal pals. There's no way to bond quite like exploring a new city — we genuinely had the greatest time all together. (If you're reading this, ladies, HI!! Your new Canadian pal misses ya!) And lastly, here's the one thing about Reno Tahoe that I TOTALLY didn't expect and truly knocked my socks off: the sheer volume of activities and events. This city is ALIVE and VIBING!!! We went to the Reno River Festival, for one, but there are countless events going on every single week — I'm talking food festivals, street parties, and world-renowned art shows. Like, just LOOK at this list! I'm a huge traveller and I've literally never seen anything like this before, so this was definitely the biggest shocker. It's worth going back to Reno for the events alone. You heard it here first: Reno Tahoe gets my gold-star stamp of approval. So what do you think? Are you adding Reno and Lake Tahoe to your bucket list? Will I maaaaaybe see you there on my next girls' trip? Tell me in the comments below! And if you're into travel, make sure to follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram for more!
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Chicago seeing fewer international travelers, but local hotels still expect ‘solid' summer
The number of international guests staying at Chicago hotels is down amid tensions between the Trump administration and other nations, and economic uncertainty is discouraging business travel. But local hoteliers say they still expect a busy summer, thanks in part to a tourism calendar that relies heavily on domestic leisure travelers coming in for events like Lollapalooza and July's two-day NASCAR Chicago Street Race. 'It's true we're seeing a drop in foreign inbound travelers, but the drop is not significant,' said Maverick Hotels and Restaurants CEO Robert Habeeb, the proprietor of the 223-room Sable at Navy Pier. Government-related travel is also down after months of spending cuts by the administration of President Donald Trump, Habeeb said. 'But in the summer, it's leisure, leisure, leisure and most of these folks will show up. It's going to be a solid summer,' he said. The decline in international travelers to Chicago is difficult to measure, as hotels generally don't report statistics on guests' country of origin, said Brian Arevalo, managing director with HVS, a consultant for the hospitality industry. 'But it has been noticed and it's something we're hearing a lot about from hotel operators,' he said. Andrew Eck, general manager of L7 Chicago By LOTTE, a 191-room hotel at 225 N. Wabash Ave., said summer bookings from Canadians were off by about 25% compared with 2024. The number of Asian guests at the hotel, which carries a Seoul-based brand, seems steady, he said. Overall, the summer is shaping up to be a busy one, Eck said. 'Because we were under construction for part of the year in 2024, we are seeing growth that's off the charts. We could sell out every single day this summer.' It's already been a solid year. Healthy attendance at some conventions held at the McCormick Convention Center, along with blockbuster events, including Beyoncé's three-night, sold-out 'Cowboy Carter' extravaganza in May at Soldier Field, kept Chicago hotels ahead of their 2024 pace. About 1.3 million people are expected to attend McCormick Center events in 2025, according to the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, the municipal corporation also known as McPier, which owns McCormick Center. That's still far below pre-pandemic numbers, when the venue typically attracted between 2 million and 2.9 million visitors. But some conventions are close to full recoveries, said McPier CEO Larita Clark. The International Manufacturing Technology Show attracted almost 90,000 visitors last year, compared with the more than 100,000 seen pre-COVID. In March, ProMat 2025, a manufacturing and supply chain convention, brought about 52,000 to McCormick Center. 'That show set a new attendance record,' Clark said. Chicago hotel occupancy hit 65.6% in April, up from 64.6% last April, while the average daily rate for a room increased from $150.96 to $157.89, a 4.6% bump, according to CoStar data. 'We are ahead of where we were last year,' said Kiara Felfle, director of sales at The Robey Chicago, an 89-room boutique hotel in the Wicker Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side. 'Beyoncé's concerts were a record-breaking time for us as far as occupancy goes.' The Robey Chicago, which opened in 2016 in the landmark Northwest Tower, anticipates a stream of customers this summer, many headed to the neighborhood's many street festivals and small music venues. 'Chicago really shines in the summer, so it's a big time for us, and this year will be no different,' she said. Choose Chicago launches new marketing campaign: Never Done. Never Outdone. The Trump administration tightened border controls and began imposing on-again, off-again tariffs on many nations this year, including Canada and China, souring relations and leading some travelers to cancel U.S. trips. 'While other nations are rolling out the welcome mat, the U.S. government is putting up the 'closed' sign,' said World Travel & Tourism Council CEO Julia Simpson in May. The council estimates international visitor spending in the U.S. will decline from $181 billion in 2024 to $169 billion this year, 22% lower than the peak year of 2019. Early summer bookings by Canadians were already down more than 20% year-over-year, with March visits from the United Kingdom falling 15%, and German travelers declining by 28%. Chicago hotels should be able to absorb the hit. The city attracted 55 million total visitors in 2024, according to Choose Chicago, the city's tourist agency. About 2 million were international travelers, so if the city sees fewer people from overseas this year, domestic tourists may fill the gap. 'Based on our monthly projections that are tracking 3-4% higher year-over-year, and with recent record-breaking weekends for hotel occupancy as well as several conferences that are setting records for attendance and room blocks, we are expecting a slight increase in our summer hotel occupancy over 2024,' Choose Chicago CEO Kristen Reynolds said in a statement. Juan Leyva, general manager of the 452-room LondonHouse Chicago at 85 E. Wacker Drive, said the hotel will shift its summer marketing strategy, hopefully making up for any international losses by bringing more guests in from Indianapolis, Detroit and other domestic markets, especially for the Lollapalooza and NASCAR weekends. 'We are on a good pace for Lollapalooza, slightly ahead of last year,' Leyva said. 'Being a drive-in event, it doesn't really depend on international travel.' Chicago's cold and rainy spring led many tourists to book rooms at the last minute and was probably a bigger concern than the decline in international travel, he said. 'We're finally getting summer, but it did take a long time,' he said. 'When all is said and done, we expect to be in line with last year, and maybe a little bit ahead.'
