This is the airline’s third route linking Vietnam and Japan, contributing to the development of tourism, trade and cultural exchanges.

The Hanoi-Tokyo route operates daily return flights with a flight time of around six hours per leg on a new and modern aircraft.

Vietjet also has direct Hanoi-Osaka and Ho Chi Minh City-Osaka flights in cooperation with Japan Airlines. Their code-share service is also applied to Vietjet’s domestic routes, including Hanoi-HCMC, Hanoi-Da Nang and HCMC-Da Nang.

“We are delighted to launch a third direct route from Vietnam to Japan,” says Vietjet vice president Do Xuan Quang.

“This new route brings a new option for people and travellers from Tokyo and the Kanto region in general, to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, from where they have easy access to many more of world-famous destinations such as Sapa, Ha Long Bay, Trang An and Son Doong cave.

“The two countries’ people and other nationalities can also effortlessly transit to other Southeast Asian countries or destinations across the North Asia region with Vietjet’s constantly expanding flight network.

“I believe that, with outstanding service quality, a new fleet, dedicated and friendly cabin crew, delicious and hot in-flight meals, together with amazing ticket fares and exciting in-flight entertainment, Vietjet offers its passengers wonderful flying experiences.”

With a network of 39 domestic routes and 66 international routes, Vietjet operates safe flights with a technical reliability rate of 99.66 per cent, the highest rate in Asia-Pacific.

Vietjet operates 60 A320 and A321 aircraft, with more than 385 flights daily, carrying more than 65 million passengers to date, with 104 routes covering Vietnam, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, mainland China, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Book online at http://www.VietjetAir.com.

Despite its distance from Seoul – about 120 kilometres to the northeast, on the North Korean border – the 23day ice festival draws big crowds.

Continuing this year until January 27, it’s expecting 14,000 foreign tourists each weekend.

The county, whose population is just 27,000, earned 479 million won (US$428,000) in revenues during the first two days, up 17.4 per cent from the same period last year. And this was despite a cold wave that sent the mercury to minus10 Celsius.

Clad in thick winter clothes, families and foreign tourists flock to Hwacheon Stream to fish for sancheoneo, a species of trout that lives only in very clean fresh water and grows the length of a human forearm.

The festival also features outdoor activities including barehanded fishing, a sledding contest and meetings with Santa Claus. Some 27,000 lanterns light up Seondeung Street.

To encourage more tourists to stay overnight, the organiser offers diverse night programmes such as night fishing.

Launched in 2003, the event was chosen as the nation’s best festival by the Culture Ministry in 2010 and has developed into one of the world’s four major winter festivals.

The special dessert is a fresh mixture of fruity blueberry and creamy and delicious cream crumble flavours that will be also available at Guss Damn Good shop from March.

This year, travellers from Thailand can enjoy greater flexibility with 81 weekly flights that depart from its four Thailand gateways. The airline currently operates 49 weekly flights to Bangkok, 18 weekly flights to Phuket, and daily to Krabi and Chiang Mai.

Travellers booking a flight for travel between now and May 20 can enjoy attractive Economy Class fares starting from Bt24,189 to Vienna, Bt24,739 to Zurich and Bt25,219 to London.

Business Class seats start from Bt98,329 for Amsterdam, Bt99,929 for Munich, and Bt102,019 for Venice. Passengers will also receive 50 per cent bonus Qmiles and Qpoints in Economy Class and double Qmiles and Qpoints in Business and First Class.

With more spacious sanctuary options in the sky, passengers from Bangkok to Doha on QR831 will be also able to experience the Qsuite, the industry’s first-ever double bed available in Business Class.

The unique and patented seat features private cabins for up to four people with privacy panels that stow away, allowing passengers in adjoining seats to create their own private room, a first of its kind in the industry. Adjustable panels and movable TV monitors on the centre four seats allow colleagues, friends or families travelling together to transform their space into a private suite, allowing them to work, dine and socialise together.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 200 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA) to more than 160 destinations worldwide. Earlier this year, Qatar Airways revealed a host of forthcoming global destinations in line with its expedited expansion plans, including Tallinn, Estonia; Valletta, Malta; Langkawi, Malaysia; and Da Nang, Vietnam.

Qatar Airways was named “World’s Best Business Class” by the 2018 World Airline Awards, managed by international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named “Best Business Class Seat”, “Best Airline in the Middle East” and the “World’s Best First Class Airline Lounge”

Online booking can be made at QatarAirways.com.

ALONG WITH foie gras and truffles Caviar is one of the world’s top three luxury foods, and is typically known as an imported product from Russia. Japanese people love the idea of putting plenty of the salted sturgeon roe on a bowl of rice and bolting it down.

I’d heard rumours that this delicious dish was available at Okuhida hot spring resort in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Located at the foot of Mt. Yake, an active volcano in the Northern Alps, the resort boasts one of the largest quantities of hot spring water in Japan. Here, you can eat caviar chazuke-style, in which hot liquid is poured over rice.

Okuhida caviar is served on top of rice at the Okuhida Garden Hotel Yakedake in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, as a sturgeon swims in an aquarium in the background. Photo/Japan NewsYomiruri

I put some caviar on cooked rice before pouring hot dashi broth and tea over it. Combined with the aroma of bonito, the modest salty and savoury flavor of the high-end delicacy went well with the rice in the broth. The dish costs 5,000 (Bt1,460) before tax, which sounds very expensive for a chazuke dish. However, the price would double if commercially available caviar was used.

Named Okuhida caviar, the delicacy is offered at the Okuhida Garden Hotel Yakedake. Rather than the texture of regular caviar, which bursts when eaten, this Takayama variety has a smooth texture that melts in the mouth.

“This is because the caviar is fresh, which is different from imported ones as they have been pasteurised,” says Seiichi Ishida, 66, president of the hotel.

Hiromi Oki holds up a sturgeon at a breeding facility. Photo/Japan NewsYomiuri

The hotel also offers the caviar with a savoury naan prepared by an Indian chef, as well as sturgeon sashimi. The fish itself was also delicious as it had a rich flavour with a firm texture similar to that of sea bream.

The caviar produced in the Okuhida region is designed to go well with washoku Japanese cuisine as its salt concentration is set at 3.5 per cent, less than half that of imported products. Okuhida caviar is now used in a long-established restaurant in Kyoto and a popular Japanese restaurant overseas.

But why on earth is caviar offered at a hot spring resort deep in these mountains in the first place?

“We raise sturgeon for caviar using underground water from the Northern Alps,” Ishida explains.

Okuhida caviar served with naan, foreground, and sturgeon sashimi. Photo/Japan NewsYomiuri

Although sturgeon look like an ocean shark, the fish lives in freshwater rivers and lakes in the Northern Hemisphere. While the famous Hida brand of beef can also be enjoyed in Tokyo, Ishida wondered if there were any other high-end delicacies that could be appreciated only at his hot spring resort in Okuhida.

While searching for such a delicacy and raising suppon Chinese softshell turtles using hot spring water, Ishida received 600 sturgeons from a construction company after it gave up on farming the fish. He decided to give it a try and started farming it in 2006.

When I visited a farming facility, sturgeon were slowly swimming around in pools. “It takes at least 10 years for their eggs to develop. It’s a long-term job,” explains Hiromi Oki, 69, who’s in charge of breeding. In sections for pregnant female sturgeon that have grown about two metres long, the light is blocked out so that algae will not grow in the water and it will stay clean. Sturgeon raised in water that flows from underground do not develop diseases, so it is not necessary to use medical agents, Oki says.

The Okuhida hot spring resort has now become one of the nation’s largest caviar production areas – along with Miyazaki and Kagawa prefectures –cultivating about 12,000 sturgeon and shipping nearly 100 kilograms of caviar a year. The shining “black diamond” is definitely a gift from the mountains.

 Until February 28, Mango with Anchan Sticky Rice and Tubtim Krob prepared by THAI Catering using high-quality natural ingredients will be delighting travellers.

The sticky rice in the first has a purple hue derived from the butterfly-pea flower (anchan), a symbol of THAI’s identity. Tubtim Grob, also called Siam Amethyst in a Cloud, is water chestnut in sweet coconut milk with ice.

American news network CNN named both dishes among the world’s 50 best desserts last month.

They’re being served to passengers travelling from Bangkok to Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, Tokyo, Nagoya, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei, London, Munich, Zurich, Frankfurt and Paris.

Find out more and book fares at ThaiAirways.com or (02) 356 1111 any time of day.

 Situated in a prime location at the junction of Duxton, Tanjong Pagar and Maxwell Road, Six Senses Maxwell occupies a place replete with history.

Originally the site of a nutmeg plantation, 14 three-storey and four-storey colonial-style buildings were subsequently constructed and later joined together as a single entity to create a colonial-style 19th-century heritage building that now houses the hotel.

Built in 1929, the structure features an Art Deco frontage with exposed brickwork, unique lion-head rainspouts and a flagpole hinting at a possible past as a government building.

The property showcases the refined yet flamboyant and sensual aesthetic of renowned French architect and interior designer Jacques Garcia, and stands in contrast to the Anouska Hempel-designed Six Senses Duxton.

The hotel has 138 guestrooms and suites on four floors of the sustainably restored building, all thoughtfully decorated with custom furnishings and original artwork. An outdoor rooftop lap pool, a gymnasium, two restaurants and three bars are destined to add to the vibrancy of the already ebullient neighbourhood.

“We are absolutely delighted to deliver the complete unparalleled Six Senses experience in Singapore with the launch of this property,” says general manager Murray Aitken. “Guests will be able to immerse themselves fully into what makes Singapore so special, while at the same time benefiting from the wellness aspects that are the hallmark of the Six Senses experience.”

Located on the ground floor and lined with lush tropical foliage right next to the lobby area is Cook & Tras, a social library restaurant and bar influenced by Straits heritage cuisine.

Featuring a mirrored ceiling highlighting the classic decor and luxurious style of designer Garcia, Cook & Tras reflects a warm European influence and personality showcased through richly textured custom-designed furnishings.

Melding tradition and modernity, this establishment is characterised by its specially curated book collection designed by the UK’s Ultimate Library, known for their dedication to building bespoke book collections for hotels and private residences around the world.

For Cook & Tras, a storied collection of more than 3,000 titles has been curated which reflects the local neighbourhood as well as volumes on subjects such as wellness, meditation, nutrition, herbal medicine, natural history, climate change and sustainability. Hotel guests and future members will also be able to “borrow” books the old-fashioned way.

Open throughout the day for light breakfasts and an all-day small-plates for sharing menu, guests can expect quality ingredients in small flavourful portions or sip on freshly squeezed cold juices and energising healthy beverages providing nutritional benefits. Homemade tonics and kombuchas along with fine teas are featured on the afternoon menu.

By night, the bar takes centre stage with a display of hundreds of spirits from all over the world forming the backdrop to a 20-metre-long bar counter. Evenings are all about bespoke cocktails based on classics and influenced by Straits flavours, infused house-made spirits, shrubs and tonics, with signatures specially developed by award-winning mixologist Ricky Paiva.

Murray Terrace Brasserie is a European styled brasserie named after the building in which it is housed. and coincidentally also the first name of the hotel’s general manager. Its design blends classic Parisian elements with marble tables, and Asian influenced wine displays along with handcrafted Indonesian furniture. The Brasserie’s grand entrance, just opposite Maxwell Food Centre, follows a Parisian cafe style layout with sidewalk tables along the five-foot (1.7-meter) way, a private room, and seating for up to 100 guests inside the dining room.

Recipes are European inspired, with a strong focus on Mediterranean cooking methods that let the ingredients take centre stage. Six double wine chillers holding over 1,500 bottles of wine enclosing a wine tasting table form the centrepiece of Murray Terrace Brasserie.

A special opening offer is for direct bookings online via http://www.SixSenses.com. Guests can enjoy a 15 percent saving, and the offer includes daily breakfast for two people, a guaranteed room upgrade and a signature cocktail for two people.

TOURISTS DRESSED in kimonos and riding rickshaws are a common sight in Tokyo’s Asakusa district. The slightly raised view from a rickshaw lifts the spirits and can be a way to rediscover Asakusa’s charms.

English, Chinese, Spanish – a symphony of languages can be heard around Kaminarimon Gate at Sensoji Temple.

“Taking a stroll in a rented kimono, rickshaws and Japanese food – bundling these three mainstays is an efficient way of enjoying Asakusa tourism to the fullest,” says Shinichiro Yamaguchi of hotel and restaurant firm Fujita Kanko Inc.

Yamaguchi devised the “Japanese culture experience” plan that includes kimono rentals and fittings, a ride in a rickshaw and a Japanese lunch for 8,000 yen (Bt2,400), including taxes and service fees.

After changing into kimonos at Hanaka, visitors from Hong Kong have their picture taken. 

Working with local businesses, they began soliciting customers in September through the website of the Asakusa Tourism Federation and elsewhere.

I’m following two twenty-something women from Hong Kong as they take the tour.

First, they visit the kimono rental shop Hanaka to don the traditional attire. After the women choose kimonos and obi sashes from a wide selection, the staff spends about 30 minutes helping them dress.

When they see each other in kimonos, they smile in delight and say, “So cute!”

Posing in a corner of the store set up for photography, they take pictures to remember the day.

Stepping outside, they find a driver employed by the rickshaw company Ebisuya waiting. The two-person rickshaw had a retro design intended to evoke the time when Japan was opening up to the West during the Meiji Era (1868-1912). The driver speaks good English.

Going along the Sumidagawa River, the rickshaw passes the Azumabashi Bridge with its striking red balustrades, Kaminarimon, and through the alleys around Sensoji.

Tokyo Skytree is among sights seen on the rickshaw ride. 

After about 15 minutes, the driver drops the pair off at the starting point. The route is a popular one for the view it gives of Tokyo Skytree across the river and passing close to Sensoji.

Waiting at a traffic light, another pair of foreign tourists spot the women in the rickshaw and point their smartphones in their direction. Smiling and waving in response, they appear to enjoy behaving like celebrities.

“The rickshaw was faster and more comfortable than I thought it’d be,” one of the women says. “I got a taste of regular Japanese life in the alleys.”

After the ride, the women go for lunch to the restaurant Origami Asakusa run by Fujita Kanko. The main course is fried beef cutlets, followed by dessert – tokoroten, a kind of jellied agar, garnished with dark molasses.

They enjoy it using a tool called a tentsuki to push the tokoroten through a mesh that cuts it into thin strips.

After the meal, they walk around Asakusa in their kimonos, which don’t have to be returned until the evening. Depending on the time of day, some tours have lunch before the rickshaw ride.

“The current trend in travel is experience-based. Putting on a kimono, riding on a rickshaw and talking with the driver – these are out-of-the-ordinary experiences. I think Japanese customers would enjoy it as well,” Yamaguchi says.

With the end of the Heisei Era (1989-the present) approaching, it might be time for some retro fun.