Life

A still from the South Korean hit drama "Crash Landing on You." Lighthearted fare like this is exactly what many people are looking for in these uncertain times. (Photo from Netflix India)
Tea Leaves

K-drama reaches across Asian cultures

For Indian viewers, South Korean soaps are perfect pandemic viewing

2 December 2020
An image of Diego Maradona is displayed on a screen during a minute of silence in his memory before a match between Bayern Munich and FC Salzburg at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Obituaries

Diego Maradona, one of soccer's greatest, dies at 60

Argentine legend had huge following in Asia

26 November 2020
"When I was pregnant, I would rarely go to the hospital for a check-up, because that would take me a whole day," said Amina Bano, a member of Kashmir's Gujjar and Bakerwal community, one of India's most remote tribes. (Photo by Safina Nabi)
Life

For Kashmir's pregnant Gujjars, reaching hospital is the hard part

The only way to the maternity ward is usually on a man's shoulders

25 November 2020
Colombo's Mount Lavinia Hotel in the 1960s. One of Asia's legendary colonial hotels, it was managed by the author's father through the political upheaval of the 1970s. "It was a turbulent time, much of which my father spent in remand and jail." (Photo courtesy of Razeen Sally)
Life

Rediscovering Sri Lanka through a travel memoir

Island paradise mixes beguiling charm with an astonishing record of violence

19 November 2020
The growing trend of people posting photos on social media of family members without their permission has become a problem.
Tea Leaves

Social media dilemmas challenge proud Asian parents

Eager 'sharents' in India find children underwhelmed by posts of family snaps

18 November 2020
Members of Jammu and Kashmir's Gujjar-Bakerwal ethnic group, Najma Jan and Tahira Akhter say that birth control in their community has such a stigma attached to it that they are unable to raise the subject even with their husbands. (Photo by Safina Nabi)
Life

Kashmir's tribal women fight the stigma of birth control

Many women unable talk about birth control with their husbands

18 November 2020
Made using river snails, the Chinese noodle dish luosifen is a specialty of the southwestern city of Liuzhou and is recognized as an intangible cultural heritage of the Guangxi region.
Life

A 'loved and hated' noodle star in the pandemic year

Humble river snail from Liuzhou is key part of Guangxi region's cultural heritage

17 November 2020
Australian scientists are investigating the medicinal properties of milk from the platypus, an egg-laying mammal found only in parts of Australia. (Courtesy of CSIRO)
Life

Platypus 'miracle milk' may offer 'superbug' treatment

Australian research raises hope of breakthrough in fight against infections

16 November 2020
To reverse the country’s falling birthrate, Japan needs fathers to take a more active role in child rearing, particularly with the growing number of working mothers.
Comment

Paternity leave in Japan: No time for baby steps

'Work-style' reform key to reversing the country's low birthrate

14 November 2020
Vietnamese cowherd So Y Tiet is not your typical Instagram star. (From Instagram) 
Tea Leaves

Rural Vietnamese vlogger gets 15 minutes of global fame

He herded cows in Vietnam. Then Snoop Dogg put him on Instagram

11 November 2020
After the harvest: rural and fishing views along the Tohoku coast between Niigata and Akita. Sunny days belie the ferocious winds that blow in from Siberia. (Photo by Mark Robinson)
Life

Slow train to Tohoku

Rugged scenery, good food and a mystical encounter with mummies provide respite from Tokyo

11 November 2020
Hong Kong-based Rare Finds Worldwide offers investors the chance to buy into bottles and casks of rare single malt Scotch whisky. (Courtesy of Rare Finds Worldwide)
Life

Hong Kong 'rare whiskey brokerage' targets Singapore wealth

Only investors with deep pockets need apply

5 November 2020
A pro-democracy protester makes a three-finger salute at a demonstration in Bangkok on Oct. 25.
Tea Leaves

Young Thais let their funny bones do the talking

Satire and fancy dress undermine draconian laws protecting royals

4 November 2020
Tokyo's Denkushiflori, which opened on Sept. 30, blends casual fine dining with Japanese and French fusion cooking. It is believed to be the first time that two Michelin-starred chefs have joined forces to open a restaurant in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Life

Two Michelin-starred chefs join forces in Tokyo

At Denkushiflori, Zaiyu Hasegawa and Hiroyasu Kawate design every dish together

3 November 2020
"The response has been beyond our imagination," says Mask.com store manager Saya Takahata. Retailing for just over $1,000, the luxury facemask features about 700 Swarovski crystals. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
Life

COVID chic: Japan's $1,000 face mask

Tokyo store attracts buyers with collection of over 5,000 masks

1 November 2020
Ziyaul Mustafa's wooden handloom has stood virtually unused since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Without urgent government support, Varanasi's hand-woven sari industry faces extinction. (Photo by Mohammad Muqeed)
Life

India's Benarasi handloom sari faces extinction

COVID-19 threatening the viability of a cherished heritage craft

31 October 2020
A visitor at the Cardamom Tented Camp, an ecotourism-focused resort in Cambodia, explores nearby waters by kayak. (Courtesy of Yaana Ventures)
Life

Asia expects dramatic rise in 'regenerative' tourism

Experts say travel will become greener and more tailored

28 October 2020
Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, the founder of Thailand's now banned Future Forward Party, was the political choice of most first-time voters in the March 2019 elections. Banning the party left 6.3 million people disenfranchised and in many cases angry. (Photo by Akira Kodaka) 
Life

Looking forward to Thailand's future

Four scenarios emerge for the opening of a new political space

27 October 2020
Dogs are crammed into cages like this and transported to slaughterhouses in Cambodia -- one of several Asian countries where their meat is consumed. Experts say the trade exacerbates the danger of rabies.
Asia Insight

Cambodia cools on dog meat as COVID puts Asia on disease alert

Bans in Siem Reap, China and India raise hopes for healthier, more humane future

27 October 2020
Jean Leung Siu-wah inspects the wound where a dog had bitten this aging water buffalo, named Ngau Ngau, on his tail. (Photo by David Sutton)
Life

Saving Hong Kong's water buffaloes

Feral animals face a bleak future on Lantau island's rural southern fringe

26 October 2020
The traditional Filipino martial art of arnis was an official event at the 30th Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines in 2019. Here, Vietnam's Thai Viet Phu, in red, takes on Mike Banares of the Philippines in the men's 65 kg and over final in Clark City on Dec. 1, 2019. Banares won gold.
Life

Filipino martial art stages comeback in its native land

Local revival of indigenous sport follows growing popularity overseas

24 October 2020
Bleak House Books founder Albert Wan. He moved his family to Hong Kong from the U.S. in 2017, trading a legal career for the life of a bookseller. (Photo by Jeremy Smart)
Life

A Hong Kong literary outpost stands its ground

Bleak House Books helps nourish the city's creative and intellectual soul

23 October 2020
The debut issue of Monkey, an eclectic publication launched this month, showcases some of the most lauded creative artists from Japan (cover illustration by Shinta Cho).
Tea Leaves

Hearing the music of language

New magazine helps Japanese literature score big abroad

21 October 2020
An array of ayurvedic herbs and spices. With health consciousness on the rise in India, the Hindu wellness system is finding greater resonance at home among modern consumers, especially millennials.
Life

India's millennials get a taste for ayurveda

Traditional wellness system redefined in home market as consumer health concerns mount

21 October 2020
One way to understand Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, 41, founder of Thailand's Future Forward Party, is as exemplifying the hyper-leader who "floats above the party like a gas balloon and attempts to lift the party's militancy and its electorate all by himself." (Photo courtesy of Duncan McCargo) 
Life

Thanathorn: the rise and fall of a Thai political icon

Can the movement he founded thrive in his absence?

20 October 2020