Tea Leaves

In the 2022 film "Maid in Malacanang," Imelda Marcos -- shown in this scene with her vast shoe collection -- and her family are portrayed as victims of history. (Screenshot from YouTube)
Tea Leaves

Laugh, cry and rage, twice over, at Marcos cinematic redux

In the Philippines, a movie melodrama is happening for real

14 September 2022
A woman checks her phone outside the Parthenon in Athens, Greece, in July. The author says that taking an "outsider approach" to travel, rather than trying hard to fit into the local culture, makes the experience more enjoyable for her. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Asian, female and middle-aged equals a happy traveler

Globe-trotting with cultural identity in mind enriches the experience

7 September 2022
Batek guide Piyan, left, and the author wearing traditional orang asli face paint made of river mud. (Photo by Kit Yeng Chan)
Tea Leaves

Contemporary life lessons from an ancient rainforest

Jungle odyssey in Malaysia highlights importance of ancestral wisdom

31 August 2022
Smiling with her eyes while wearing a face mask, a friendly obaasan -- a grandmotherly woman -- waters her plants on the curbside of a wide avenue in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward. (Photo by Edward M. Gomez)
Tea Leaves

Tokyo's mini-gardens are more than patches of green

Lovingly tended by avid green thumbs, these tiny oases reflect the city's soul

24 August 2022
The roar of the crowd: A decibel meter shows a reading of over 107 at a Hindu festival in Mumbai. Readings of over 125 decibels can lead to loss of hearing. 
Tea Leaves

Sound feeds fury in some Asian megacities

If Indian cities were quieter, would we be less angry?

17 August 2022
The members of K-pop superband BTS visit the "Today" show in New York in February 2020. 
10 August 2022
A beach in Ngwesaung, in the Ayeyarwady region of southern Myanmar, in 2017. With the pandemic easing, the military regime wants to restart tourism. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Sun, sea and civil war: holidaying in Myanmar

Tourists to strife-torn country must first make peace with risks and ethics

3 August 2022
The pandemic has emptied out Kyoto streets once packed with tourists, such as this one near the Yasaka Pagoda. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

In search of the authentic in Kyoto

In post-pandemic recovery mode, Japan's former capital is more like itself again

27 July 2022
A Japanese Brazilian girl gives a "taiko" drum performance during a cultural festival in Sao Paulo.
Tea Leaves

Japanese Brazilians move beyond 'Little Tokyo'

Drive and determination of forebears provide lessons for Japan

20 July 2022
Yayoi Kusama's polka-dotted pumpkin on Naoshima. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Laugh, marvel and live: a philistine visits Japan's art island

Brief but concentrated exposure to Naoshima makes a contemporary art cynic think again

13 July 2022
Anti-government protesters march down the street at Colombo's Galle Face Green park on May 28. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Sri Lanka shows how places of protest shape new generation

Galle Face Green becomes symbol of hope amid economic despair

6 July 2022
The casting of the Netflix hit "Bridgerton" gladdened the Indian diaspora, but there were details in the show that strongly suggested there had been no deeper research into the country or its culture. (Courtesy of Netflix)
Tea Leaves

Asian diversity in Western popular culture is not black and white

Too many portrayals rely on stereotypes or lack important context

29 June 2022
Su Thit and her husband Htet Myat, an ex-army captain, in happier days. “We were only able to meet three times in three years of marriage." (Courtesy Su Thit)  
Tea Leaves

Hey soldier, mind your missus

Myanmar military wives remind us who commands the household

22 June 2022
Tourists and locals in Bangkok celebrate Songkran by spraying each other with water guns and partying on Khaosan Road on April 13. Much of Southeast Asia is disconnected from the far-off war in Ukraine. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Not everyone sees Ukraine as the main issue

Emerging countries accuse the West of hypocrisy

15 June 2022
Like father like son? For many Filipinos who lived through the presidency of Ferdinand Marcos Sr., left, the recent election of Ferdinand Jr. has stirred up a lot of ghosts. (Nikkei montage/photos by Getty Images)   
Tea Leaves

For 'Marcos babies,' election highlights memories and meanings

Can long-forgotten political expressions make a comeback?

8 June 2022
Eighties pop superband Duran Duran perform during their "Red Carpet Massacre" tour in 2008, when the author saw them play in Seoul.   
Tea Leaves

When sport and music collide in Asia

Regional fans of imported acts should take a critical look at 'value for money'

1 June 2022
Lanterns diffuse the light in the Omoide Yokocho alleyway near Tokyo's Shinjuku Station. (Photo by Stephen Mansfield)
Tea Leaves

Japan sheds light on shadows of the past

How the country's 'dark valley' of 1930s paved the way for a brilliant future

25 May 2022
People light incense sticks at a Buddhist temple in the Chinese city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, on Jan. 1, 2021. The country's image as "nonreligious" does not always match the reality. 
Tea Leaves

Same, same but different: curse of the stereotype

Generalizing about Asia's national complexities is fraught with danger

18 May 2022
Military helicopters fly near the Taipei 101 building during a rehearsal ahead of National Day celebrations in Taiwan's capital in October 2021.
Tea Leaves

In China's shadow, Taiwanese keep calm and carry on

For Taipei, this is the best and worst of times

11 May 2022
In one shop’s hodgepodge display of merchandise that spills onto the sidewalk, a plush creature lounges among dishes and old-movie DVDs. (Photo by Edward M. Gomez)
Tea Leaves

Japan's flea markets offer more treasure than trash

Unassuming secondhand stalls are ready for their breakthrough moment

4 May 2022
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip wave to a crowd of children in Bathurst, Australia, during their royal tour in February 1954. (Getty Images)
Tea Leaves

Australia's republican quandary: how to pick a president

Voters are in no rush to dump the British monarchy, despite demographic change

27 April 2022
At 55, Japanese soccer veteran Kazuyoshi Miura is still playing professionally. For comparison, Teddy Sheringham, the oldest player to appear in the English Premier League, was 40 in his last EPL game in 2006.
Tea Leaves

Asia's aging sports stars never say 'retire'

Durability of the region's professional athletes puzzles outsiders

20 April 2022
The Indian game of kattam vilaiyattu is similar to the Western game of tic-tac-toe. (Courtesy of Kreeda Games)
Tea Leaves

Indians go back to future via board games

Modern games lose their monopoly amid a resurgence of traditional pastimes

13 April 2022
The Patpong Museum retraces the history of the Bangkok district from rice paddy to nightlife mile, via the Cold War. It features an exhibit on serial killer Charles Sobhraj, who picked up victims in the area and has returned to the spotlight following last year's release of the BBC/Netflix series, "The Serpent." (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Tom Vater, Netflix)  
Tea Leaves

Bangkok museum highlights curious fame of serial killer

Exhibition and TV drama keep Charles Sobhraj in the limelight

6 April 2022
Bongbong Marcos, sitting beneath a portrait of his father, photographed by director Lauren Greenfield during filming of "The Kingmaker." (Courtesy of Evergreen Pictures/©Lauren Greenfield)
Tea Leaves

A bruising ride on the Bongbong bandwagon

How 'The Kingmaker' warned of a resurgent Marcos regime in the Philippines

30 March 2022