Japan is the place to come for some of the tastiest food on the planet, particularly noodles. Whether it’s the rich dreamy broth based ramen or the juicy thick yummy udon, Japanese noodles are sure to rock your world.
But when it comes to eating said noodles, what better way to show your appreciation then with several beautifully timed, loud SLURPS!? You read right. In Japan, slurping is considered good manners and a sign you’re enjoying your meal. Just take care of the splash back on your clothes…!
So, should I slurp my noodles in Japan? Absolutely – and with plenty of gusto and pride.
By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at the Nomadic Boys
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Japan is one of the leaders of gay rights in Asia.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Our company started business first in Ba Be National Park, Nam Mau, Bac Kan, Vietnam since 2008. We started in a small office on the lake shore and named it as ‘Ba Be Tourism Center’. We offered accommodation for traveler staying in our traditional stilts house. We offer a unique service of homestay accommodation – Mr Linh’s homestay. We provide excellent home cooking with English and French speaking knowledgeable local guide.
We quickly attracted a steady flow of travelers who were looking for the unspoiled, remote beauty of the mountains, lake, jungle and minority villages. Following these success, we quickly expanded its horizons with the Mr Linh’s Adventures, opening its office in Ha Noi, offering its own tours to other areas. All the itinerary are tailor made and we use our utmost experience about the region to take tourist further not only in the North, but also in the South of Vietnam.
Today Mr Linh’s Adventures serves up to 2500 travelers yearly, Our Sales and Operations offices in Ha Noi and Ba Be are run by a tight knit team, who, if not family, are loyal and long serving staff members, keen to share in Mr Linh’s vision. Sales staff act as consultants and advisors and the operations team work together to ensure that all aspects, travel, boats, hospitality and restaurant all run smoothly to ensure you have an enjoyable, stimulating and unique experience.
Once again, thank you for contacting to us. It would be our pleasure to be listed on your shortlist.
The very sweet Japanese cabin crew girl onboard our ANA business class flight from Tokyo to London giggled at this proud Frenchman as he pouted fiercely, preparing to tuck into his beef steak fillet and Aomori black garlic confit.
Stefan also looked on in a fit of giggles as Sebastien so effortlessly settled into his ANA business class experience. And wouldn’t you? All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, is not only recognised as one of the seven 5-star Airlines by Skytrax, its business class was rated as the fourth best in the world at the 2015 World Airline Awards.
The accolades don’t stop there: in the same year, ANA’s business class was also highly rated for its seats, airline staff, catering and comfort amenities.
“As Sayuri was standing beneath the Cherry tree, speaking to the one man she loved but could not have, a sprinkle of delicate pale pink petals fell upon them like snow…”
At this point, Sebastien GRABBED the remote control, interrupting the most beautiful moment of Memoirs of a Geisha to declare: “STEFAN! One day, we too, will become geisha!”
Fast forward a few years and we find ourselves in the unassuming Studio Geisha Cafe in Morishita, suburbia Tokyo, ready for our own Geisha makeover and experience of a lifetime.
“50% of our customers are in fact Japanese (mainly heterosexual) men who simply want to transform into something completely different”. Michiru, a former model/actress, set up the Studio Geisha Cafe with her husband to provide people the chance to live out their dream. She’s used to Japanese men who want to be transformed and we were fortunate to be her first foreign male geisha makeover.
Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:
Oceanlink Travel assembles members having great passions for the tourism industry. Besides that, our travel product team also specializes not only in running classic tours but also in offering unique and sublime tour programs by bringing tourists deep impressions of culture, local people, and cuisine in Vietnam. Especially, our leading programs are pre-wedding photo shooting, wedding and honeymoon packages for LGBT Tourists. We can turn tourists’ dreams of love into reality by our thoroughness and thoughtfulness, so as to ensure that the tourists will have truly memorable experiences in Vietnam.
Why is Oceanlink Travel trusted to provide these leading packages for LGBT tourists?
Green living is a growing trend, which has expanded exponentially over the past few years. Travellers are now planning their holidays and booking hotels based on their eco-friendliness.
The tourism industry has evolved with many hotels and attractions changing their habits to match the growing demand to be eco-friendly. Today we introduce 5 of the best green spots around the world with a bit of help from our friends at the Travel Ticker team.
#1 LAOS
Tourism in Laos has really taken off in the past decade with tourists heading in their numbers to places like Vang Vieng and the UNESCO protected Luang Prabang. There’s more to the country of course, with a lot of undiscovered beauty, particularly in the more remote South.
For three months I had been filled with pure excitement because my trip to the Maldives was finally booked. I spent hours on the internet looking at the wondrous beaches, fantastic hotels, and the pure idyllic paradise setting that made up the islands of the Maldives. Each island was more beautiful than the next but each had one thing in common. Each one was paradise. But each one was also anti-gay.
The Maldives is governed by Sharia Law which criminalises same-sex sexual acts between both men and women. The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association states that for men ‘the punishment is banishment for nine months to one year or a whipping of 10 to 30 strokes, while the punishment for women is house arrest for nine months to one year.’
I immediately felt the moral dilemma as an LGBTI traveler. Did I want to go to a country where it was illegal to be gay? Would I even feel safe there? Is it wrong to spend my money in a country where I’m not even welcomed?
THIS April, gay beach festival TropOut will head to Thailand for its grand unveiling.
TropOut will draw together likeminded travellers from all over the globe in a bid to promote unguarded and stylish travel experiences for gay people and their straight friends.
Offering a point of difference for gay travellers, TropOut’s aim is to inspire a stylish beach festival which gives gay travellers from all over the globe the opportunity to Chill, Party & Explore together. Guests can also experience Thailand’s rich culture and spectacular sights.
Oh yes, Angkor Wat and the the Cambodian temples – a bucket list favorite and truly outstanding, if you love ruins. From a distance their enormity and grandeur awed and humbled us as we realized what the toil of thousands of workers had produced. But seriously folks, once inside the huge blocks of stone and surrounded by countless depictions of gods, warriors and dancing girls the excess of it all melds together.
To the uninitiated, one interior is like another as they trudge across vast anterooms and then face stairs up to the towers, stairs down to the gardens, stairs up to the gates, stairs down to the pool and stairs up to the main stairs. At every point, the eyes are inundated with imposing statues, elaborate columns and enormous carved panels depicting battles, rituals and kings all with names having six to10 syllables which were reverently intoned by our guide. He had learned it all by rote and happily rattled on (and on) listing everyone’s pedigree and claim to fame.
Also included were minute details regarding the hero’s inevitable companion – usually a lion, three-headed elephant, monkey or bullfrog. Our heads aching and reeling from the mostly incomprehensible verbal deluge, but so grateful for the finale, we gushed our thanks and tipped him hugely before trekking half a mile to our tuk-tuk and hurdling on to the next massive dilapidation whose rooms, towers and corridors duplicated what we just left, including the stairs.