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For the latest installment of our It‘s Still a Big World series on underrated destinations, we featured Kobe—Japan’s seventh-largest city, best known for its famous (and oft-misunderstood) strain of beef. 

I spent a day there earlier this year and, yes, I had an incredible steak dinner, but there’s so much more to this highly cosmopolitan city. Kobe sits on a narrow sliver of land between the mountains and sea, and so it’s not unusual to hike or bike along a cliff one hour, enjoy the exotic architecture and amusements of Kobe’s waterfront the next, and then spend your night getting lost in historic drinking districts where tradition collides with modernity. I loved it!

Elsewhere, Nevin Martell wrote about La Isla de las Muñecas, undoubtedly Mexico City’s freakiest attraction. It’s the stuff of a creepy urban legend: A swamp island filled with dolls, placed there to appease the spirit of a girl who drowned there. Oh, and it’s only accessible via a four-hour boat trip. Sounds daunting, but Martell’s dispatch makes it sound like a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Enjoy!

— Andrew Kirell, Senior Editor

This Japanese City Is So Much More Than Just Beef

Most know this posh city for its famous (and oft-misunderstood) meat, but it’s a deliciously unique town full of awe-inspiring nature, innovative architecture, and, yes, steak.

Mexico’s Creepy ‘Island of Dolls’ Is Worth the Four-Hour Boat Trip

Mexico City’s freakiest attraction is the stuff of urban legend: An island full of dolls, allegedly appeasing the spirit of a girl who drowned. Here’s what it’s like to visit.

Shikoku Is Japan’s Overlooked Food and Adventure Paradise

A world-class art island, a gorgeous river valley retreat, and the best chicken we’ve ever had—here’s why this lesser-known region of Japan deserves your attention.

Perfection Is a Myth, but This Obscure Island Comes Close

It has the thrill of being somewhere that seems to have miraculously escaped the 21st-century depredations of mass tourism, deforestation, and uncontrolled development.

“As our boat slipped through the mucky green waters of the canal, I looked back and shivered a little, despite the blistering heat of the day. No matter the truth of the island’s legend, there was no doubt its beyond-freaky doll collection would be living rent-free in my mind for the rest of my life…”

—Nevin Martell on the freaky experience that is Mexico’s Isla de las Muñecas.

Amp Up Your Storage Space With Compression Packing Cubes

The Thule packing cubes check all the basics when it comes to packing cube features. They’re made from a durable, 100-denier ripstop nylon material that is both water-repellant and Bluesign-approved (meaning it meets third-party sustainability criteria). What makes these packing cubes truly stand out is that on top of being strong, sturdy, well-designed, and eco-friendly, they are also compression cubes, which allow you to press out excess air to save space in the bags. 

—Scouted by Mia Maguire

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Travel Inside Milan’s Coolest Homes

Unlike Rome, Venice, Florence, or even Naples, Milan for the casual tourist can be a challenge. There isn’t a long checklist of must-sees. In fact, Italy’s most modern city can seem cold and uninviting. But a new book from Vendome, Inside Milan: Colorfully Creative Italian Interiors, takes you past the forbidding gray stone walls of its apartment buildings and into some of the city’s more spectacular residences. It’s also the latest highlight from our series on gorgeous new coffee table books, Just Booked.

The book was compiled by the interior designer Nicolo Castellini Baldissera and the photographer Guido Taroni, whose other works covering Tangier and Mongiardino we have covered. Each home is given a little introduction by Baldissera, almost as if you’re meeting your hosts before you’re welcomed across the threshold.

And while the streetscape of Milan might be relatively sedate, these homes are anything but. They’re colorful, loud, vibrant, provocative, sumptuous, and filled with odds and ends that come alive through Taroni’s lens.

Don’t miss our other selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked.

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