Tea Leaves
​​​​​​​Why rice rules Japan
The crop is embedded in the national DNA, but output is under threat
Tea Leaves
How life and politics converge in India's tea shops
As gathering places, traditional 'kadai' are focal points for information, gossip and butter cookies
Tea Leaves
Golden age for Hollywood's Asian leading men
New generation of cinema stars upturns traditional notions of macho male leads
Tea Leaves
You can learn a lot from a country's supermarkets
Sri Lanka's economic crises and farming decline have driven up prices, led to shortages
Tea Leaves
Thai border town offers geopolitical lesson for India
Bangkok's discreet yet pragmatic stance on Myanmar refugees works better than India's hostility
Tea Leaves
Japan's reverence for past gives new musical meaning to old appliances
Improbable avant-garde artists' collective Electronicos Fantasticos celebrates a retro-future
Tea Leaves
China's stressed young people find solace in Japanese manga
Struggles facing ‘Chiikawa’ characters resonate with youth amid economic slowdown
Tea Leaves
Tiger spotting among the mangroves
A conservation lesson in South Asia's forested Sundarbans region
Tea Leaves
Learning from Japan's 'yummy' school lunches
The enduring tradition of 'kyushoku' levels the playground for pupils
Tea Leaves
Singapore hawkers highlight generational challenge to famed culinary traditions
Young cooks dip spoons into street food trade as older chefs pass on
Tea Leaves
Goodbye Shanghai: reflections on five years at China's gateway
Covering tech, pandemic and social issues in commercial hub yields insights into national trajectory
Tea Leaves
Patriotism and curry meet Japan's naval traditions
British-Indian contribution to naval culinary tradition feeds national spirit
Tea Leaves
Malaysian soup row provides recipe for harmony
Controversy over 'bak kut teh' underlines need for compromise and respect
Tea Leaves
Life lessons from airstrikes in resistance-controlled Myanmar
In Tanintharyi, civilians learn to wait and cope with bombing campaigns
Tea Leaves
How Japan's 'cat lit' lures fans abroad
Books about felines leave an outsize pawprint at home and abroad
Tea Leaves
Shedding light, and dust, on Australia's European art
Historic artists' retreat near Melbourne threatened by giant roadworks
Tea Leaves
How Radio Ceylon became an Asian institution
Sri Lankan station played a major role in building links with India
Tea Leaves
Global curry trail crosses continents
Variations of the traditional Tamil dish have conquered the culinary world
Tea Leaves
Bangladesh eatery takes diners back to future
Dhaka's only heritage dining place shows the city's potential for tourism
Tea Leaves
Saudis bask in Bangkok's mojo
Middle Eastern visitors flock to Thai capital and balmy beach resorts after diplomatic deal
Tea Leaves
Why Japan's Noh theater is cool in Azerbaijan
Groundbreaking performance in Baku gets a Broadway-style ovation
Tea Leaves
How food crosses Malaysia's ethno-religious boundaries
Loved by all, 'mamak' restaurants provide comfort food and respite from politics and identity issues
Tea Leaves
How tourism can soften hard-line Aceh
Indonesia's most buttoned-up province opens up, somewhat, to visitors
Tea Leaves
Nomadic culture on the Himalayan front line
Climate change, conflict and development threaten Bakarwal tribe's existence
