Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai: Exploring future technologies shaping the sea, sky and land

With a long history as Japan's mercantile heart and major port of call, Osaka is dense and delightfully in your face. Now, as it gears up to host World Expo 2025 this month and welcome more travelers than ever before, the neon-lit metropolis has been reinventing itself. It has launched several ambitious urban renewal projects—like the Grand Green Osaka, a 22-acre mixed-use development that is transforming a freight terminal into verdant public spaces—to draw leisure seekers beyond the usual tourist haunts. The city has also lured some of hospitality's most luxurious names: The Four Seasons arrived last August, and the Waldorf Astoria opens its first hotel in Japan this month. Star chefs from Japan and abroad are shaking up the dining scene with inventive gastronomy, though delicious casual eats from rough-and-ready street stalls and mom-and-pop shops are still Osaka's calling card. Among Japan's major cities, Osaka remains unique: unpretentious, energetic, and ready to show you a good time—as long as you know where to go.

Social media loves a travel hack. While some are clever, many are questionable – and a select few are so misguided they might even leave you stranded at the airport.

Looking to book a last-minute spring break trip or get ahead on planning summer travel? March offers a blend of last-minute offers and amazing deals that extend through the end of the year—if you book quick enough. Whether you're gearing up for a summer Euro trip, cruise to Alaska, or spa staycation, there are plenty of deals to choose from. Wave season is coming to a close but with spring sale events ramping up, you can score free room upgrades, earn onboard credit, and get free cruise fares depending on how big your group is. Hotels are prepping for peak travel season by offering heavily discounted accommodations with top-tier amenities for those who book early. Spring is a great time to explore new destinations through events—consider checking out a baseball game or booking a concert in a city you’ve never been to. With these 28 travel deals, this will surely be a spring to remember.

When Suzanne Ross, an English-born artisan based on Japan’s Noto Peninsula, began her 40-year career making traditional Japanese lacquerware, she was told repeatedly that only men could make Wajima-nuri. To create Wajima-nuri, one of the oldest forms of lacquerware in Japan, one must painstakingly apply urushi (lacquer made from tree sap) to the object—say, a bowl or dish—let it dry, then repeat the process dozens of times. This technique, born in the city of Wajima, builds the resilience of the wood and the durability of the finished products. It also depends on the persistence and perseverance of its practitioners, such as Ross. Decades into fine-tuning her craft and growing her business, she never faltered—until a year ago, when the ground in her Wajima studio opened up beneath her feet.

A new fleet of TGV trains is set to hit the rails in France and the first images of their stylish interiors have been released.

Oceania Cruises is offering an amazing new world cruise itinerary — and this one is currently the cruise industry's longest.

Scoring a table at soup dumpling institution Din Tai Fung anywhere in the world comes with hurdles. It might be waiting for your number to pop up on the screen outside Taipei’s four-story Xinsheng Branch, queueing up outside the Santa Clara, California, one, or fighting for an online reservation at midnight for the New York City outpost. But there’s one way to seamlessly enjoy your own private meal—on board the airline EVA Air.

To properly get up close and personal with America’s public lands, which cover roughly 840 million acres, you’ve got to pitch a tent, unroll your sleeping bag, and camp. Whether you’re looking for the high desert mesas of Zion National Park or hoping to backpack across California’s Sierra Nevada, there’s a hearty list of gear you’ll need to stay cozy and comfy in the great outdoors.

When asked to weigh in on his travel in's and out's for 2025, associate editor Matt Ortile did not hesitate to declare the practice of “country counting” decidedly passé. If you're unfamiliar, a traveler engages in country counting when they present, usually on their Instagram story or some other form of social media, a list of destinations with adjacent boxes checked for each that individual has visited. If you don't think too hard about it, such posting is perfectly innocuous. But may we suggest that it only seems so because it is shallow and consumptive?

Ex-007 actor Pierce Brosnan has weighed in on the next James Bond, insisting that the iconic spy must be British, as a leaked memo reportedly confirmed the character will remain a man.

Verdant grass, stone carvings, and a delightful bench to relax on. By all means, the green space in the small town of Nagaizumi, Japan—about atwo-hour drive southwest of Tokyo—has all the elements of an idyllic park … except for the fact that it totals about 2.58 square feet.

If you’re like me and your March travel plans revolve around spring skiing, don’t let chasing powder distract you from nabbing next year’s season pass while prices remain low.