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11 grooming hacks every guy should know


These haunting photos show an abandoned Japanese theme park that used to look like Disneyland

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Nara

On a recent visit to Japan, the French photographer Romain Veillon captured the haunting beauty of Nara Dreamland — one of the creepiest abandoned theme parks in the world.

Built in 1961, Nara Dreamland was inspired by California's Disneyworld in the US, but it fell into abandon after closing in 2006 due to dwindling visitor numbers, according to Atlas Obscura.

Since its closure a decade ago, the park's family-friendly attractions have been left to decay, from a stagnant tea-cup ride that's being swallowed by vegetation to an empty pink castle that's crumbling into disarray.

Go on a tour of the park below:

Welcome to Nara Dreamland, a now defunct theme park that was originally built in Nara, Japan, in 1961.



Nara was built to resemble Disneyland in California, US, and it still looks a bit like a Disney resort, with a pink castle that's similar to the world-famous Cinderella Castle. "The fact that [the park's makers] got their inspiration from Disney World and tried to build its Japanese brother was unique to me," Veillon told Business Insider.



The theme park closed down in 2006. Though Atlas Obscura reports that it was bought in 2015 with plans to demolish the site, it remains eerily untouched. Though it's empty now, Nara was once "a huge success," according to a Bored Panda article Veillon wrote.

Sources: Atlas ObscuraBored Panda



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The best coffee shop in 45 big cities across America

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coffee emporium

There's one dark liquid that's keeping this nation from falling apart, and that's coffee. And if there's one day to get buzzed, it's today: National Coffee Day. Go out there and grab a cup.

To help you find some local gems, we teamed up with location intelligence company Foursquare to compile a list of the top-rated coffee shops in 45 big cities in the United States. Even if you're not around a huge city in America, it's likely you'll still have a handful of good coffee shops in your town. So fear not if you're not near a Blue Bottle or Intelligentsia — plenty of local coffee shops still sling a good latte.

Read on to see if your local shop made it into the list.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best restaurants in America

BIRMINGHAM, AL: THE RED CAT

Address2901 2nd Avenue S (Ste 120)

Foursquare rating: 9.21

Customers of the Red Cat love the place's specially named lattes and well-made soups and sandwiches. The place gets packed, even on weekends.

 



FAYETTEVILLE, AR: ONYX COFFEE LAB

Address2418 North Gregg

Foursquare rating: 9.23

Onyx has kombucha on tap and pour-overs. The company even sells its own line of beans online.



SCOTTSDALE, AZ: DUTCH BROS. COFFEE

Address1422 North Scottsdale Road

Foursquare rating: 9.49

Dutch Bros. Coffee is an old-fashioned drive-through coffee shop that started out in 1992 in southern Oregon with a single espresso pushcart. In addition to coffee, tea, and smoothies, they also sell their own line of energy drinks.



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A $69 million superyacht with its own library and Jacuzzi is up for sale this week

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athena yacht

The Monaco Yacht Show kicked off this week, and with 34,500 people attending, it's one of the biggest superyacht shows in the year.

There are 125 yachts on sale this year with a net worth of $3 billion. Yacht enthusiasts hailing from the US to Russia gather to see the best in the boating industry. 

The Athena yacht is one of the hundreds on display, and for a whopping $69 million, you get a whole lot when you purchase this superyacht:

SEE ALSO: Here's how the super rich buy mega-yachts

The Athena yacht is one of the largest sailing yachts ever made, at 295 feet long.



It has five separate cabins that fit 10 guests on board. The vessel can also accommodate a crew of 21 people.



It features a lot of lightly stained mahogany wood.



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Tour Mercedes' $1.7 million luxury yacht that only 10 people will be able to buy

Why you should absolutely shell out thousands of dollars for this 'outdated' technology

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Eleven James Watches 23

Many men currently coming of age are confused. They don't know much about watches, and they don't know where to start when they realize they need one.

Unlike most fashion accessories, watches are complicated objects, and the choices watch purchasers must make are incredibly numerous and varied. Do I go for mechanical or quartz? What differentiates one brand from another? What complications do I need? Is the difference in price really worth that amount of money?

For every man who fancies himself a discerning gentleman, however, I'm about to make one of those decisions extremely clear. Choose the mechanical watch every time.

Mechanical watches are, in a word, outdated. They're less accurate than a battery-powered quartz watch. The best mechanical watches are within a few seconds of accuracy, but still may lose 5-10 seconds a day. Quartz watches, on the other hand, are perfect by design, and may only lose about 4 seconds a month.

And yet, mechanical watches are still significantly more interesting. They're more complicated, incorporating all the expertise and knowledge of watchmaking of the 20th century. They have a much larger number of tiny moving parts inside, and require hours and hours of painstaking labor to make. They're impressive pieces of machinery — monuments to the height of mechanical achievement in an analog world. 

"A mechanical watch allows us to express our appreciation for something done the best it can be done," writes Fashionbeans' watch columnist Robin Swithinbank.

Eleven James Watches 20

But mechanical watches can also be viewed as a conscious step backward. A reminder of a simpler, less technology-obsessed time, when the most complicated piece of machinery you'd encounter on a daily basis was the combustion engine.

"There's something very anti-tech and hipster about mechanical timepieces," tech entrepreneur and watch enthusiast Kevin Rose told me in July.  "A rejection of technology."

Mechanical watches are outdated technology. And yet, people are willing to shell out thousands of dollars for them. A mechanical watch identifies you as a discerning buyer: one that cares about the tiny details, one that appreciates history and heritage, and one who spends their wealth wisely and intelligently. 

Don't mistake me — I'm not advocating you run out to the nearest boutique and buy a top-of-the-line $20,000 Patek Phillippe. Beautiful as they are, that wouldn't be a smart move. What if you grow to hate winding your watch with the movement of your wrist, or resent having to reset it every time the power runs out? You need to make an informed decision.

seiko 5Instead, invest in something relatively cheap like the Seiko 5. The Seiko 5 is a mechanical watch that isn't the least bit flashy — it has a military-inspired look and a solid, though not bulletproof, mechanical movement. It only lasts about a day without being worn and wound, but it's the perfect test run for your new interest in mechanical watches. Oh, and it can be had for less than $60.

Just like a real car enthusiast would never be caught dead with an automatic transmission, anyone who calls themselves a watch fan will choose the mechanical every time.

If you want to be involved in the office conversations revolving around watches, there's only one way to do it.

SEE ALSO: 11 grooming hacks every guy should know

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NOW WATCH: These are the watches worn by the smartest and most powerful men in the world

8 things no man should wear this fall — and what to wear instead

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fall man

As far as dress codes go, fall can be a tricky time.

The changing weather can mean that it's tough to dress appropriately every day.

We've created a list of seven items that should be best avoided, as well as exactly what they should be replaced with as the weather gets chillier.

These eight simple upgrades will take your fall wardrobe to the next level.

SEE ALSO: 11 fall clothing and style hacks every guy should know

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

DON'T: Skip socks

The sockless look is great for the spring and summer, when a carefree vibe is expected.

In the fall, though, everyone will just get secondhand shivers after looking at your ankles.



DO: Wear wool socks

Wool socks may be a little overkill in the early fall, but by late fall you'll be thanking yourself every day.



DON'T: Wear colorful patterns and florals

Bright designs and colorful patterns are the norm in spring and summer. But as the weather cools, they looks out of place and strange. Inappropriate for an increasingly gray environment.



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These are the new New York City restaurants Wall Street should check out this fall

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fish cheeks family meal

We've finally settled into fall and that means a slew of new restaurants in New York City.

Of course, not all restaurants are created equal.

Some restaurants are for Wall Street. And others are bar/restaurant/coffee shops by "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier, where you can eat candied bacon quinoa sushi or a taco churro cannoli.

You can see how there's a difference.

With that in mind Business Insider has put together a list of restaurants to serve the Street.

Some of them are in key locations like midtown Manhattan or the Financial District. Others look perfect for clients or a date night that will make you look in the know when it comes to the city's food scene.

You're welcome in advance.

Empellon Midtown

Wall Street is often an endless parade of dinners and lunches by the office. The office is mostly in midtown, and midtown's food offerings are ... not always the most creative.

Plainly said, if you're not careful you can find yourself eating the same cut of steak three nights a week. After a time, this sounds better than it looks on you.

That is why so many people in New York City are excited that Chef Alex Stupak will be bringing his much-lauded Empellon brand to Midtown.

Stupak is known for high-end, creative Mexican fare, and once told Crain's New York that he approaches his food with a "punk-rock mentality."

That's definitely something midtown could use.



King — 18 King Street

King is one of those restaurants that just happen to be perfectly executed — fresh ingredients, wonderful recipes, and an experienced team.

Chefs Clare de Boer and Jess Shadbolt are veterans of London's legendary River Cafe, and news that they would be opening their own spot in New York City had this town's foodies talking before the first grill was fired.

The restaurant's menu changes daily (again, this about ingredient sourcing) so the fare is simple, based on cuisine from southern France and northern Italy. 

 



Augustine —in the Beekman Hotel, 5 Beekman St.

Famed restaurateur Keith McNally is taking his considerable talents downtown to the Financial District, joining in the wave to revamp the neighborhood and covert it from food desert to food Mecca.

You know who Keith McNally is, by the way. He created Balthazar, Minetta Tavern, and Pastis, among other New York City restaurant classics.

Augustine, located in the Beekman Hotel, will be helmed by the chef in charge of McNally's Bowery restaurant, Cherche Midi. Expect big, fancy, French things.



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The 7 most impressive buildings that are going to completely change New York City's skyline

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You don't have to be a New Yorker to know what New York City looks like. Simply turn on the TV, and you can have a bird's eye view of the famous metropolitan city.

Our common perception of the city, however, is about to change as new skyscrapers are being designed and built. Architectural firms such as Zaha Hadid ArchitectsBjarke Ingels GroupSHoP ArchitectsDiller Scofidio + RenfroHerzog & de Meuron, and Ateliers Jean Nouvel are leading the movement. Additional information about these constructions can be found at YIMBY.

Produced by Gene Kim and Rob Ludacer.

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Here's what it's like to eat a $245 meal at one of New York City's finest restaurants

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daniel

My food-loving mom recently flew in from North Carolina to spend Mother's Day weekend in New York City with me.

We did a lot of exploring — and even more eating.

As a Mother's Day treat, my incredibly generous grandpa, who happens to be a restaurant connoisseur and former food critic, treated us to an experience of of a lifetime: brunch at Chef Daniel Boulud's renowned restaurant, Daniel.

The experience was thrilling, educational, humbling, and at times, confusing (which of the three forks do I use?); the food was beautiful, complex, mouth-watering, and at times, perplexing (do I eat that small appetizer in one bite?); and, yes, the portions were small ... but we were somehow incredibly full afterwards.

Here's a closer look at the two and a half hour marathon meal:

SEE ALSO: I research restaurants at every price point before my mom visits NYC — here are 15 we've gone to so far

SEE ALSO: The 50 best restaurants in America

Daniel is tucked away on the Upper East Side, on 60th street between Park and Madison.



The revolving doors led us to a reception area, where we were greeted by the hostess. She checked our coats (and my mom's suitcase), and despite arriving 15 minutes early, we were escorted to our table immediately.

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When we made our reservation, we had the option of sitting in the main dining room (pictured) or the lounge. We went with the smaller lounge area — it seemed like the less intimidating, more casual option at the time — but if we were to do it all over, we'd like to be in the heart of the action.



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21 signs you're mentally stronger than average

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21 Signs mentally stronger_face_with_fear

Mental strength takes a long time to develop. 

It is the daily practice of pushing yourself to grow stronger, maintaining realistic optimism, and setting healthy boundaries. Mentally strong people don't do things like waste time feeling sorry for themselves or give away their power to other people.

How do you know where you fall on the spectrum? We asked psychotherapist Amy Morin, the author of "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do."

Morin shared the following 21 signs you're mentally stronger than average, which we've listed here in her words:

SEE ALSO: 13 things mentally strong people don't do

21 Signs mentally stronger 01

"Mentally strong people understand how their emotions can influence their thinking. In an effort to make the best decisions possible, they balance their emotions with logic."



21 Signs mentally stronger 02

"While it may be tempting to make excuses, complain about other people, and avoid difficult circumstances, mentally strong people refuse to waste time on unproductive activities."



21 Signs mentally stronger 03

"Mentally strong people know that although change is uncomfortable, it's tolerable. They focus their energy on adapting to change, rather than resisting it."



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Some experts say you should freeze your jeans instead of washing them — here's the truth

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Levi's

Everyone owns a pair of jeans, but not everyone understands the way jeans are different from other pants.

Levi's CEO Chip Bergh claimed in 2014 that machine washing jeans is completely unnecessary.

Flying in the face of convention, he instead advocated sticking jeans in the freezer when they start to smell.

It was chaos. People revolted. There were fires in the streets.

OK, not really, but it offered a new way to think about cleanliness and conservation.

It's true that if you compare swabs taken from jeans washed within the last 13 days and those from jeans washed within the last 15 months, you'll find a similar amount of natural skin bacteria. And this bacteria isn't likely to do anything harmful, though it does occasionally build up a smell as it feasts on the dead skin cells shed from your legs.

So the idea is that the freezer will kill the bacteria, enabling you to wash your jeans far fewer times, saving you work and saving the environment at the same time.

Here's the problem, though.

The freezer isn't actually cold enough to kill the bacteria that collect on your jeans, and it'll do nothing to get rid of the oils and dead skin cells hidden in the cracks and crevices from wear. When the jeans heat back up to room temperature, they'll just start to smell again, according to research by microbe experts.

Bergh says he hand-washes his jeans when they get really dirty. Unfortunately, that may not be quite enough to fully clean them. Denim is not a delicate fabric and should not be treated as such. It should be worn into the ground, and then cleaned, and then pummeled again, until it's so faded and hole-filled it needs to be replaced.

Don't baby your jeans. The only reason denim fans don't machine wash their jeans is to preserve the indigo coloring and the hard-earned fades from wear. Just wash your damn jeans every couple of weeks or when they smell, and stop worrying about it. 

There's just no substitute for a good scrubbing. 

SEE ALSO: 8 things no man should wear this fall — and what to wear instead

DON'T FORGET: Follow Business Insider's lifestyle page on Facebook!

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Why your jeans have that tiny front pocket

How one woman built herself a brand new career traveling the world after 21 years of working 9-5

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Cacinda Maloney Shark Diving in Roatan

Cacinda Maloney has always traveled.

At the start of her 21 years as a licensed chiropractor, a business coach advised her to travel every six weeks.

She and her husband "thought he was crazy at first, especially since we had just graduated from college with our doctorate degrees and in debt of college loans at $100,000 each," she told Business Insider in an email.

"We were go-getters who were ready to work after 10 years of college. However, the advice he gave us ended up being the best advice we have ever received from a coach."

So, while building and running an Arizona chiropractic practice with her husband, Maloney made regular travel a priority. In 2014, she made it her profession as well, leaving the practice's daily management to her husband and beginning a new career as a travel entrepreneur.

Maloney, who runs PointsandTravel.com and its associated Facebook and Instagram pages, is today a Travelocity ambassador who's visited over 50 countries so far. While her husband and two teenage sons sometimes join, she takes the majority of adventures on her own.

Below, Maloney tells Business Insider what it's like to leave an established career, the realities of a life lived on and off the road, and the challenges of building a career that sends you around the world.

SEE ALSO: How a woman who's visited over 50 countries built a luxury travel business from scratch

She had started PointsandTravel.com in 2012 as a way to document her travels. That year, she visited eight countries and 38 cities. In 2013, she did about the same.

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In Palawan, the Philippines.



By 2014, Maloney had reached a crossroads. "I was extremely busy at the clinic and then became busy at PointsandTravel.com and I knew something had to give. It was a good thing, but there was just too much work!" she said.

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In Wadi Rum, Jordan.



"I had been working long hours for years and was ready for a break," Maloney remembers. "I was one of the lucky ones, who had built-in vacations every six weeks of my life for over 20 years. But still, I was tired of the same routine."

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At the Hill of Crosses, Lithuania.



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I flew on a $61.5 million private jet, and now first class just won't do

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Gulfstream G550

There are private jets, and then there are Gulfstreams.

In an opaque world filled with eight-figure price tags and anonymous clients, Gulfstream has managed to transcend the business-aviation industry and become a pop-culture icon. 

Companies such as Bombardier, Embraer, and Cessna all build world-class business jets, but none have become engrained in pop culture quite like Gulfstream and its G-series jets. After all, no other business-jet company has been the subject of a pop song that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sample the Gulfstream experience when the airplane maker invited me and several other journalists to visit the company's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. Our chariot for this trip was none other than a new Gulfstream G550, worth a cool $61.5 million. Business Insider provided financial compensation to Gulfstream for the trip.

SEE ALSO: How Emirates found success with the most controversial jet in the world

The trip started at the Jet Aviation private-jet terminal on the grounds of Teterboro Airport in New Jersey. Like Gulfstream, Jet Aviation is part of the General Dynamics family of companies.



Inside the Jet Aviation terminal, those who are fortunate enough to fly are treated to all of the services rendered at a traditional airport ...



... but in a much nicer and more private setting.



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Failing to use moisturizer is one of the biggest grooming mistakes guys make — here's why

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moisturizer

When switching to a fall and winter grooming routine, there are a few things that are important to remember.

Colder air is often drier than warm air, and dry air can suck the moisture right out of your skin.

That's an issue, especially for the skin on your face. Using moisturizer is important, as it wards off premature skin aging, stops wrinkles from settling in, and, with added SPF, prevents skin cancer.

Yes, sun exposure is an issue even in the fall and winter. It still shines down its harmful cancer-causing UV rays that must be protected against with a SPF-containing moisterizer.

Taking all that into account, it's pretty easy to see why it's such a huge mistake to neglect to apply a daily moisturizer, especially in the fall and winter. It protects against skin cancer and makes you look younger. There's really no downside.

SEE ALSO: 11 grooming hacks every guy should know

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NOW WATCH: A dermatologist reveals how she takes care of her own skin

Italian Anti-Mafia police recovered two stolen Van Gogh paintings worth $4.5 million

100 under-the-radar places everyone should visit in the world

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Bruce Peninsula Blue Grotto

Travel should be more than crossing attractions off a bucket list. It should be an opportunity to see some truly magnificent — and surprising — parts of the world.

That's why we have compiled a comprehensive list of lesser-visited destinations, whether they are natural or man-made spectacles, hidden wonders, or points of breathtaking scenery.

From a Japanese island that doubles as an active volcano to a neon green lake in New Zealand, here are our top 100.

Methodology: We have considered the number of current traveller reviews on TripAdvisor to rank the attractions in this list, from those with the most to least visitors. Have we missed any under-the-radar spots? Let us know in the comments.

Will Heilpern contributed to this story, including an earlier version focused on Europe.

100. Go surfing in Munich, Germany, where city-based surfers take their boards to the Eisbach, a small man-made river in Englischer Garten park.



99. Have afternoon tea in a rainforest in the centre of London at the Barbican Conservatory.



98. Weave through the world's longest hedge maze at Wiltshire's Longleat Maze, which measures nearly two miles.



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