Sales of Suica and Pasmo IC cards, which are used to pay for train fares and other payments in Japan, will be temporarily suspended from Thursday of next week due to a global semiconductor shortage. (NHK)

A ground-breaking ceremony was held on Friday in Tokyo to mark the start of construction for a new train line connecting Tokyo Station and the capital's Haneda airport that will begin service before March 2032. (Japan Today)

Built in 1979, the King Kong-like figure is perched atop a pink commercial building which houses a gym and a brightly lit FamilyMart. From afar, the giant creature is seemingly overlooking the bustling district, leaning towards the edge of the building, with its right arm dangling freely. (NOJ)

Weather officials say that Japan had the warmest spring in 125 years this year, characterized by early blooms on cherry trees, and summer-like temperatures on certain days in May. (NHK)

The Maman Spider Sculpture by the late Louise Bourgeois is a famous landmark in Roppongi Hills. (NOJ)

An Air France service between Osaka and Paris was forced to turn back on Sunday after a bird strike damaged its nose cone. (simpleflying.com)

Japanese weather officials say a very strong typhoon, now east of the Philippines, may approach Japan's southwestern prefecture of Okinawa on or after Tuesday. (NHK)

On a service road to the Bruce Highway, one of Australia's most dangerous roads, is a lone traveller on a kick scooter. He set out from Melbourne in late January and has been making the exhausting and occasionally perilous journey almost 3,000km to Cairns in far-north Queensland. (theguardian.com)

The operator of Japan's Narita airport plans to raise user charges for international passengers from September, including up to 330 yen for a facility fee, reflecting recent price and labor cost hikes, a source close to the matter said Wednesday. (Japan Today)

Tire Park is every child's dreams come true. Over 3,000 tires (and a lot of sand) were used to build the coolest playground in Tokyo. It's filled with robots, dinosaurs, rocket ships, and more... (NOJ / Japan Travel)

Hokkaido is home to Japan's most luxurious and rarest steam train, the winter express. Only in operation several weeks of the year, we bag ourselves tickets as we continue our journey across Japan. (Abroad in Japan)

You DON'T Need to worry about Traveling to Japan, but you DO Need to know some these simple unspoken RULES when you come to Japan (Inaka Adventure)

Kitaro Square has play objects featuring Yokai (spirit-monster) and others, including "GeGeGe no Kitaro," from manga artist Shigeru Mizuki. (NOJ)

Japan is considering overhauling its tax-free shopping scheme for foreign visitors in response to a growing number of cases of tax-free items being resold overseas for profit at tax-inclusive prices, sources close to the matter said Monday. (Kyodo)

Tokyo's Haneda Airport will reopen an area for international flights in Terminal 2 in July to handle surging demand since Japan eased its entry rules. The part of the terminal had been shut down due to COVID-19 pandemic. (NHK)

Japanese weather officials say yellow sand from China's deserts is likely to reach wide regions from northern to western Japan on Monday. (NHK)

Things to do in Fukuoka Japan (Happy Trip)

Okunoshima or Usagi Shima is a tiny, pretty, and abandoned (no human) island in the Inland Sea of Japan, sitting in the city of Takehara, Hiroshima Prefecture. (WION)

Today, we are trying a monorail which looks like running upside-down in Kanagawa Japan. Just relax and enjoy the unique trip. (travelgeek)

Qantas Airways will double the number of flights to Japan later this year as part of an international service expansion, the airline said Friday, as it seeks to ride the tailwind of a recovery in travel demand. (Nikkei)