NY Times Announces ‘Places to Go This Year’: Toyama and Osaka Selected

The New York Times has announced its 2025 edition of ’52 Places to Go,’ selecting Toyama City and Osaka City from Japan.

Toyama City was introduced as “surrounded by the Japanese Alps and the Sea of Japan, serving as a gateway to the Noto Peninsula. The Noto Peninsula suffered devastating damage from earthquakes and heavy rainfall, and while it is still on the path to recovery, attracting tourists has been part of the reconstruction efforts.” Highlights of Toyama include the Toyama Glass Art Museum designed by architect Kengo Kuma, the ‘Owara Kaze no Bon’ dance festival held in early September, Toyama Castle Park, wine bar ‘Alp,’ pub ‘Hida,’ Keema Curry specialty store ‘Suzukeema,’ coffee shop ‘Coffee Station Blue Train,’ and bar ‘Hanamizuki no Heya.’

Osaka City is noted for its luxury hotels such as the Grand Front Osaka on the former Umeda Freight Station redevelopment site, the top-tier Hilton brand ‘Waldorf Astoria Osaka’ opening in April, and the ‘Four Seasons Hotel Osaka’ opened in 2024, along with the Osaka-Kansai World Expo starting in April.

The announcement has been made annually since 2005, and in 2014, matched the number of locations to the weeks in a year, making it 52. Reflecting on the evolution of travel from 2005, a time when “there were no smartphones, Instagram, or Google Maps, and most travelers might have carried around paper lists and traveler’s checks,” the NYT posits how travel has dramatically evolved. It ends with the reflective question, “What hasn’t changed?”