Zi Ching

Less is more as Japanese minimalist movement grows | Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Fumio Sasaki’s one-room Tokyo apartment is so stark friends liken it to an interrogation room. He owns three shirts, four pairs of trousers, four pairs of socks and a meager scattering of various other items.<p>Money isn’t the issue. The 36-year-old editor has made a conscious …

Where to encounter marine animals on the Great Barrier Reef

Guide to the Great Barrier Reef<p>Guide to the Great Barrier Reef<p>Guide to the Great Barrier Reef<p>The 2300 kilometre (1430 mile) Great Barrier Reef is the …

20 Things Every 20-Something Needs in Their First Home

Your 20s can be hard. There’s more than enough to worry about besides decorating your apartment. Dorm dwelling, after all, certainly doesn’t prepare you to choose the right sized kilim rug—or better yet, chaise longue. So let the experts advise you on how to nail your 20-something apartment with …

16 Best Places to Visit in 2016

From the medieval Spanish town most people overlook on their way to Madrid to the U.S. city experiencing a cultural renaissance, these 16 editor-endorsed destinations are best places to travel this year.<p>Australia<p>At this moment, on all fronts, Australia is simply—as the kids say—crushing it. Its …

10 global destinations that are on the rise, according to TripAdvisor

There's a certain appeal to visiting a city before it's a global destination that's constantly packed with tourists.<p>TripAdvisor recently released the winners of its Travelers' Choice Awards in several different categories, including the global destinations that are on the rise.<p>To create the list, …

10 Beautiful Canal Towns (That Aren't Venice)

<i>By Jason Heidemann for the Orbitz Travel Blog</i><p>When it comes to a romantic punt along a canal, Venice, Italy is always top of mind. But plenty of other cities around the world are built around enchanting canal systems. Here are 10 of the most beautiful canal towns that aren't Venice.<p><b>1. Amsterdam,</b> …

The Cities You Need To See In Your Lifetime

Here at The Active Times, we're big proponents of off-the-beaten-path adventures and exploring wilderness around the globe, but that mentality occasionally means that cities are overlooked.<p>Urban centers offer their own form of adventure -- and some even satisfy the most active outdoor enthusiasts …

The 50 best B&Bs in America

Our friends at Bedandbreakfast.com curated a list of the best bed and breakfasts and inns in America.<p>In order to come up with the list, Bedandbreakfast took properties from the Diamond Collection, an exclusive group of inns that are professionally inspected and evaluated on a 200-point scale.<p>They …

12 reasons Luxembourg is the best country in the world

The area of the whole country is 998 square miles, and as of January it counted 562,958 inhabitants.<p>Luxembourg has a stable political landscape and is the ninth-least-corrupt country in the world.<p>For 19 years until 2013, the country was led by the head of the Christian Social People's Party (CSV), …

Articles about 5 creative uses ladders modern spaces on Dwell.com - Dwell

Glass blocks—the old-school square blocks of translucent glass found in many buildings constructed from the 1940s through the...<p>Stephen Shoup is the kind of person to see potential in things that others might miss.<p>It's never too early to instill a good sense of design into your kids.<p>It’s been …

7 incredible Japanese destinations that tourists haven’t discovered yet

Japan is often known by tourists for its most popular attractions, like Mount Fuji, the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto, and its amazing shrines and temples.<p>But there's a lot more to the island nation than that.<p>We took a look at a Quora thread that asked, "what are some of Japan's best kept secrets," and …

damn.com

The 50 best tacos in America, ranked

So we asked our friends at Foursquare to dig through their troves of user data and compile a list of the best taco joints in the US.<p>Because the site allows users to save and favorite venues they love, Foursquare was able to track down which tacos diners are raving about most across America.<p>To …

21 pictures that will make you want to visit Thailand

It's perfect for the traveler who wants to experience the outdoors, history, and religion all in one trip.<p>From stunning islands in the south to remote elephant sanctuaries in the north, here are 21 photos that will inspire you to book a trip to Thailand.

The best thing to eat in every country around the world

In Argentina, you must try the grilled meats.Shutterstock<p>What is the single dish visitors should not miss when visiting a foreign country?<p>Quora users set out to answer that question in a thread on the question-and-answer-based website, singling out the most iconic thing to eat in their homelands. …

This is the biggest mistake tourists make when visiting Rome

Our first stop was in the historical city of Rome.<p>I'm not much into touristy things, but I knew I had to see the Colosseum and the Vatican. Luckily, a friend who spent a summer in Rome gave me a crucial piece of advice about visiting these two hot spots: <b>Buy tickets in advance online.</b><p>The lines to …

12 apps you need to plan the perfect wedding

Planning a wedding can be one of the most stressful, fun, exhilarating, and hair-pulling experiences you'll ever go through.<p>The months leading up to your big day involve juggling all kinds of responsibilities, and the actual event has its own special set of logistics to work through.<p>Luckily, there …

100 Bedroom Designs That Will Inspire You

These cozy escapes will make you want to bliss out on all the bedding.<p>Bedrooms can often be the forgotten room in your home because no one else sees it — but it should be the exact opposite, because it's the one space where you get to <i>recharge</i>. With 100 different designer styles, there's an idea for …

Man who traveled to every country in the world before turning 40 reveals the 3 items he never travels without

And he did it by the time he turned 37 years old, a pretty impressive accomplishment considering all the obscure countries he had to visit.<p>It's thanks to three very simple items that Garfors made it through these countries: <b>a printed-out itinerary, a small notepad, and a pen.</b><p>His itinerary included …

World's. Best. Travel Tip. Ever! I Promise.

Before I tell you the world's best travel tip -- and I will, I promise -- I need to give you some context.<p>In the summer of 2014, my family (wife, two kids ages 9 and 13 and me, age, 48) went to Edinburgh, London and Paris for two weeks. In the months leading up to the trip, my wife and I spent much …

8 Beautiful Castles to Visit Around the World

You don't need to be in a royal family to enjoy what these palaces have to offer.<p>You don't need to be in a royal family to enjoy what these palaces have to offer.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Cucumbers

Well, we know who has replaced Panacea, Greek goddess of universal remedy: the cucumber. They're delicious, yes, but cucumbers are so much more than just taste. Here are ten things that the supernatural cucumber does.<p><b>1. Is there more to cucumbers than just water?</b><p>Cucumbers also contain Vitamins B1, …

Epson's new printers ease refill woes with ink tanks

We've all been there. It's late, and you have a final project or presentation due first thing in the morning. You've been awake for days and you've finally finished. Only when you go to print, there's no ink. Epson's latest printers offer a simple solution that should go a long way to remedying the …

11 must-see San Francisco destinations that most people don't know about

In case you've been considering a sojourn to California, we've picked out some hidden gems of San Francisco.<p>Even if you don't make trip to the West Coast, you can live vicariously by scoping each destination on Maps.

Iceland: The Perfect Destination for Solo Travelers

By College Tourist; Author: Angela Serednicki, Ryerson University<p><b>If you really want to accomplish something or travel somewhere, don't let lack of company prevent you from doing so</b>.<p>Traveling solo has always been on the top of my bucket list. During my semester abroad in Denmark, I found a good …

Glorious award-winning National Geographic photos will make you want to travel the world

The contest, in its 27th year, is divided into four categories: Travel Portraits; Outdoor Scenes; Sense of Place; and Spontaneous Moments.<p>Grand-prize winner Anuar Patjane Floriuk, who won with a dynamic whale image, said the photo wasn't even planned. "I was taking photos near the head of the …

Blue Moon in Pictures, 7.31

15 airports you'll actually want to have a long layover in

These airports have everything from IMAX movie theaters to golf courses and rooftop pools.<p>From an on-site brewery with live music at the Munich Airport to over 1,000 slot machines in Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport, here are 15 airports where you won't mind having a long layover.