In Kamakura, 30km southwest of Yokohama and home to some of Japan’s best-known temples and beaches, local officials are asking visitors not to eat while walking.

Eat and (don’t) run

They call it street food but that’s not where you’re supposed to eat it. Kamakura, 30km southwest of Yokohama and home to some of Japan’s best-known temples and beaches, has issued a bylaw asking visitors not to eat while walking. One concern is trash and leftover food, which can attract animals and make a mess for locals to clean up. Further, many Japanese believe it’s poor manners to walk while eating because you’re not appreciating your food properly. Florence bans eating on city-centre footpaths, roads and doorsteps with a $850 fine; in Bangkok some locals want to restrict or close outdoor markets and food stalls because of evergrowing crowds.

May it rain on your parade

The Italian island of Elba will refund your night’s hotel charge if it rains during May. Its tourism office says: “The overnight stay is free on days when there is rainfall for more than two hours between 10am and 8pm.” The idea is so popular that the office is considering extending it to an autumn month. It’s intended to boost low-season numbers — Elba is popular with Italians, who crowd the island 10km off Tuscany in August. Trivia: Napoleon was exiled there in 1814. He escaped in February,1815, thus failing to cash his rain check.

All you every need is . . .

Here’s the ultimate Broadway show package: see The Cher Show, stay in the Cher suite. While a musical about the singer’s life and style crimes plays on the Great White Way, New York’s Sofitel Hotel has created a $750-a-night Cher-themed suite. It features a show poster signed by the cast, a Time magazine cover signed by Cher and longtime costume designer Bob Mackie, portraits by celebrity illustrator Al Hirschfeld and original costumes from the show. The Sofitel is a 15-minute walk from the Neil Simon Theatre, where the musical is playing. Three actresses portray Cher from her television show days with late-husband Sonny Bono to her superstar era.

Swim with feeding rays

Fiji’s South Sea Cruises is adding a Manta Ray Experience to its day cruises in the Yasawa Islands. Guests leap into the islands’ crystal-clear waters to ride the current alongside the rays that frequent a particular channel between May and October each year. The company says there’s “a high chance” that the rays will be feeding in the channel on certain tides during the season. If not, there are plenty of spectacular snorkelling sites in and around the islands’ coral reefs.