Life & Arts

Wong Kai-wai's deep romance Happy Together (1997), starrring Leslie Cheung and Tony Leung, and has recently undergone a 4K remastering.
Arts

Wong Kar-wai masterpiece restores Hong Kong's mood for love

Remastered print thrills audiences anew at home and abroad

16 November 2021
Vegetables and herbs dominate this dish at Garamanjaku, a restaurant whose owner is on a personal mission to combat the prevalence of fast and processed food in the Japanese island prefecture of Okinawa. (Photo by Stephen Mansfield)
Life

Okinawan cuisine challenges and compels stomach and spirit

Diverse food and culture of Japan’s southern ‘healing islands’ makes unique mark

15 November 2021
Hiroshi Kono, who grew up in Nagoya but came to New York when he was 25 to found a music label, now spends more time promoting independent Japanese cinema in the U.S. (Photo by Jack Strone Truitt)
Life

Japanese sci-fi finds a receptive audience in Brooklyn

Low-budget take on familiar sci-fi themes are connecting with US audiences

13 November 2021
Hailed as the region's first museum of visual culture, and located in the heart of Hong Kong's West Kowloon Cultural District, by the time it is finished M+ is expected to rival New York's Museum of Modern Art and London's Tate Modern. (Photo by Pak Yiu)
Arts

Hong Kong's M+ museum finally open despite censorship uproar

Controversial art house faces myriad challenges including national security law

12 November 2021
Detail of an 1890s photograph showing ancient stone fish traps, on display at the Brewarrina Aboriginal Cultural Museum. (Geoff Hiscock)
Life

Ancient Aboriginal fish traps refocus Australian history debate

Were pre-colonial indigenous people farmers or hunter-gatherers?

12 November 2021
Michiaki Ueno of Japan performs on his way to winning the top prize in the cello division of the Geneva International Music Competition on Oct. 28.
Arts

Japanese cellist of outstanding artistry wins Geneva competition

25-year-old Michiaki Ueno became first Japanese to get cello award

12 November 2021
When a gold-painted head appeared early in 2020, perched on a concrete plinth in a Melbourne park, no one quite knew what to make of it. (Screenshot from Bundoora Homestead Art Centre's Vimeo)
Tea Leaves

Golden heads and fake hotels -- a salve in pandemic times

Melbourne's eclectic public art encourages political expression in lengthy lockdowns

10 November 2021
Rituparna Chatterjee's brave memoir "The Water Phoenix" has helped to bring the issue of child sexual abuse into the open in India. (Courtesy of Bloomsbury India/Rituparna Chatterjee)
Arts

India starts to talk about child sexual abuse

A victim's powerful memoir sheds light on a largely hidden issue

10 November 2021
The director and cast of "Just Remembering," the winner of the Audience Award at the 34th Tokyo International Film Festival, pose on the red carpet at the festival's opening ceremony in Hibiya, Tokyo on October 30.
Arts

Tokyo film festival proves that cinema can unite us all

"Crossing borders" theme backed by diverse lineup and cross-cultural talk series

9 November 2021
Kaew Sinpattananon, right, current proprietor of Sin Do Tailor, with Hiroka “Vee” Limviphuvadh of VL by Vee. The two were collaborative partners for the Made in Charoenkrung initiative. (Courtesy of Made in Charoenkrung)
Life

Reinventing old Bangkok through art, craft and design

Creative initiative brings traditional and cutting-edge businesses together through 'Made in Charoenkrung'

8 November 2021
Canadian-born Katsura Sunshine has performed in 50 cities in 15 countries since he was named as Canada’s cultural ambassador in 2013.
Arts

Canadian 'rakugo' comic storyteller eyes Broadway and beyond

Katsura Sunshine wants to see rakugo included by U.S. streaming giant Netflix

5 November 2021
Malaysian director Edmund Yeo's cinematic interpretation of Banana Yoshimoto's 1986 novella "Moonlight Shadow" tells of a young woman's post-traumatic recovery. (© Moonlight Shadow Production Committee)
Arts

Banana Yoshimoto brings youthful bereavement to screen

Helmed by rising Chinese Malaysian director, 'Moonlight Shadow' delights Japanese audiences 35 years later

5 November 2021
Onoda in handmade camouflage gear. (All photos courtesy of Le Pacte)
Tea Leaves

Onoda, the man who fought reality

Japanese soldier's quixotic campaign comes to life on the big screen

3 November 2021
In "Anima," a recently released environmentalist feature by first-time director Cao Jinling, searing indictments of working conditions in Inner Mongolia alternate with worshipful portrayals of the wilderness. (Courtesy of Fortissimo Films)
Arts

Inner Mongolia's frigid north proves fertile ground for hot topics

Acclaimed films highlight environmental concerns and physical extremes

3 November 2021
Lego master model builder Kanna Nakayama typically assembles her designs with no need for a physical blueprint. (Photo by Karina Noka)
Arts

Asia's first female Lego master builds bridges to brick fans

Japan's Kanna Nakayama dreams up models without putting pencil to paper

31 October 2021
The former residence of General Sun Li-Jen was built by Japanese architect Moriyama Matsunosuke in 1905. The building is now leased out by Taiwan's Ministry of Defence and houses a privately run restaurant. (Photo courtesy of ArtGo Design Creative)
Life

Taiwan's enduring fascination with Japanese architecture

Colonial era buildings seen as part of a new identity of pluralism

31 October 2021
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan celebrates the wicket of Scotland's Brad Wheal, during the Cricket Twenty20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and Scotland in Sharjah, UAE, Monday.
Sports

Cricket gives Afghans hope

After victory over Scotland, national team now faces tournament favorite Pakistan

29 October 2021
 In "The Perfect Police State," journalist Geoffrey Cain argues that China's extensive use of surveillance equipment and AI are cause for global concern. (Nikkei montage/Source photos Geoffrey Cain, AP) 
Arts

Book review: China's 'perfect police state' in Xinjiang

Beijing's totalitarian repression brings Orwell's '1984' to life

29 October 2021
Melbourne architect Jan van Schaik points at Lost Tablet Alta, a sculpture made from used Lego bricks. "Maybe someone could make one, but find someone who would make 81 of them," says van Schaik. (Photo by Steve Cook)
Arts

Melbourne architect turns old Lego into new art

Small monuments of meaning selling for $3,200 each

28 October 2021
Yohani Diloka De Silva's song's success offered millions a chance to hear the Sinhala language for the first time. (Photo courtesy of Pettah Effect)
Tea Leaves

When music breaks language barriers

Neglected South Asian tongues can take heart in massive reach of Sinhala popular song

27 October 2021
Montreal pianist Bruce Xiaoyu Liu celebrates after being named winner of the first prize in the 18th Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Oct. 21.
Arts

What the Chopin Competition tells us about classical music's future

Rich multiplicity of spirit keeps Polish composer's work alive

27 October 2021
"Oishii," Eric Rath's book on sushi, brims with fascinating and often amusing anecdotes told in a nonacademic, light writing style. (Nikkei montage/Source photos courtesy of Reaktion Books)
Life

Book review: Exploring the story of sushi, past, present and future

Eric Rath's history of Japan's iconic cuisine tracks rise of rice in Japanese culture

27 October 2021
Former South Korean president Roh Tae-woo in 1997. 
Obituaries

South Korea's former president Roh Tae-woo dies at 88

Decorated war veteran played a pivotal role in the transition to democratic elections

26 October 2021
Sampan Rhum's dedication to old-fashioned purity has paid off, with the label winning gold medals at prestigious spirits competitions in San Francisco, London and Paris.
Life

Vietnamese distillers bottle the spirit of old Indochine

Rum and gin ride a new wave of popularity from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

26 October 2021
Written in accessible and clinical prose, Cheng Li's tour de force offers something to everyone. (Courtesy of Brookings Institution Press)
Arts

Book review: A glimmer of hope in U.S.-China relations?

Washington must update its understanding of contemporary Chinese society

23 October 2021