7 trips for 7 travelers

Where’s the best place to escape another year’s grind and remember that a whole world is still out there?

A mountain. A beach. A Greek idyll. Only you know who you are and what suits you.

But we’ve got a decent idea. Or seven.

What follows are seven trips for seven traveler types, all of whom deserve an adventure this year — and a friendly 2012 reminder to not forget the sunscreen.

1. The outdoorist: Mount Whitney, California, United States

You want to clamber up a “highest” mountain somewhere. Gotcha.

But, let’s be honest, it’s not gonna be Everest or even Kilimanjaro in this lifetime.

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Tokyo day trips: Cool off in Karuizawa

As the sticky
Japanese summer heat stretches into August, what Tokyoite doesn’t long to escape
to cooler climes? Luckily for us, a world-class weekend getaway waits just
about an hour away in the mountains of Nagano Prefecture.

Overheated urbanites

Located on the
eastern edge of the prefecture, Karuizawa was once a busy post station on the Nakasendo, a highway linking Tokyo and
Kyoto. After the Meiji Restoration, however, that traffic was diverted and the
town began to fall into decline.

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Insider hotline to the best Tokyo onsen trips

Like all good things, let’s start with a proper introduction
– I’m Beniko Yamada, and I love onsen. I make my living as an office worker,
but I spend all my free time on trips to Japan’s hot springs, and to date I’ve
visited 3,750 of them. And no — that’s not a typo, by the way.

I’m enchanted by the bubbling waters of onsen and it’s an
honor to be able to share some of my favorites in Tokyo with CNNGo readers.

While the word “onsen” conjures up images of springs
bubbling in sylvan valleys, there’s no shortage of superb soaks in and around
the capital city.

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Tourism Information for Tokyo

When one thinks of Asia, they tend to think of it as the center of all happenings within the region. There is nothing to indicate anything other than that of a fast-paced people, made of different races and cultural backgrounds, accustomed to this living style. Tokyo, Japan’s capital is the place that this refers to. This booming giant is now found to be one of the largest cities in the world, with an estimated population count of twelve million.

The tourism sector of Tokyo is thriving, in respect of the large number of tourists that flock there on a yearly basis. Not even mentioning that Japan, better known as the “land of the rising sun”, and it’s financial institutions are over run with many who are educated in music, politics, business, technology, advertising, the arts and fashion and are labeled, “overachievers”. Many want or desire to induct themselves into the city life there, simply because they want to a part of and witness history that in the future will be in books.

The tourism of Tokyo has also been found to be booming because of the country’s landmine of innovation. Tokyo is looked at as the leader in this. In the past, the country was struck with criticism that called them mere imitators or copiers and lacked originality. They took this criticism as a reason and challenge to raise themselves above and beyond the ranks. Presently, the city mirrors itself as the leading producer of technology related gadgets that are available today.

However, Tokyo is not all it’s hyped up to be in image because it does have some downfalls. Tokyo and its tourism have had a decrease due to the country’s economy. Today, growth in Tokyo is at less than one percent, a mere shadow of the 1980′s growth rate at six percent. A few factors are linked to this drop in growth like a rise in unemployment levels, the 1995 earthquake and the nuclear energy catastrophe, just to list a few.

Tourism in Tokyo is continuing to remain stabilized, even though the city is facing numerous issues. Presently, the capital of Japan offers a large number of attractions like restaurants that offer affordable French cuisine, shops and boutiques that offer designer wear from the previous year, and hotels which haven’t increased rates as of yet. Tokyo is also in the midst of an industrial explosion that has been due to huge parcels of land that were formerly owned by the country’s railway system. This large land space has been prepped for commercial buildings to be built.

Taking Cheap Flights to Tokyo

Have you wondered why people have dubbed Japan’s capital the World’s ugliest city?  You can better come to your own decision and truth, if you visit the city yourself besides relying on reading reviews of people and this theory. Booking a cheap flight to Tokyo will allow you to do your own research. More than what it appears on the surface in one’s owns eyes, it could be a strategy to draw perspective visitors and tourists to the country.

Shopping and having a good time within the city of Tokyo is an added bonus in addition to being able to fly there on a cheap flight. Tokyo will astound you in the wide variety of goods and items such as apparel to cutting edge technological gadgets that are being marketed and sold, and will make it difficult to choose. Also being marketed and sold are the many products that where made in generations past and the original craftsmanship of its people in which one can furnish their home.

If you are on a strapped budget, you may wonder what such cheap flights to Tokyo are really for. You don’t want to find yourself denied of taking a rare and once of a lifetime opportunity to experience foreign culture as it’s best, and you don’t want to miss out. The reasons are to many to list as to why you should visit Japan’ capitol. A large amount of museums, galleries, fine dining and entertainment all can be had, even beautiful parks and oriental gardens amidst the many others.

You may find the cheap flights to the city are based on season, due to the weather. Tokyo’s winters are filled with temperatures that are usually found to be below freezing. But, in their springtime, ideal warmer temperatures for travel and trips to the city and around town are found. Summers are often stifling and hot. In the season of fall, August is the month where you can find substantial relief of cooler air temperatures.

Make yourself aware of peak periods when making your early reservations for any cheap flights that will take you to your destination of Tokyo. Within Japan’s capitol, you will find that fall and spring trips are much easier. Summer signifies flight rate increases due to the high amounts of people staying in the city. Many find that they are not scared away by the oppressive city heat. And within the month of July, one will find that there are numerous festivals and gatherings taking place.