Life & Arts

Visitors can face long lines outside the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum.
Politics

Hiroshima A-bomb museum to sell tickets online to ease congestion

Last year's G7 summit in city stoked interest in historic site

4 February 2024
Human rights lawyer Aishwarya Ayushmaan performs in drag as Lush Monsoon in a scene from "Rainbow Rishta," a new documentary series from Amazon Prime Video. (Amazon Prime Video India)
Life

Breakthrough series explores India's LGBTQIA+ community

Amazon show coincides with Supreme Court ban on same-sex marriages

3 February 2024
"Empress DiMucki" and "Emperor DaKaRe" welcome visitors to the Chinese Carnival, which was attended by some 25,000 people last year.  (Karl Donauer)
Life

'Chinese' festival rolls on in German town despite racism claims

Consulate and partner city in Nanjing offer support to help fend off criticism

2 February 2024
A platform attendant stands outside a female-only train car in Tokyo. Some men have begun calling for male-only cars, arguing that they can be victims of harassment, too. 
Tea Leaves

In Japan, it can be hard to be a man, say men

Groping problem triggers female outrage amid male sense of injustice

31 January 2024
Foreigners attend an annual Muay Thai event in the ancient city of Ayutthaya, Thailand. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Thailand takes aim at film censorship, Muay Thai in soft power push

Paetongtarn Shinawatra says movie restrictions to only cover the monarchy

29 January 2024
Sweety Shah, front left, and her kitty party members dress up for a gathering during the festive season. (Photo by Teja Lele)
Life

Kitty parties live on to provide cash and comfort for Indian women

Despite improving financial inclusion, many still rely on informal saving

28 January 2024
Lee Kun-hee, center, the former Samsung Group chairman, in 2010. The family donated his vast art collection to the South Korean nation after his death in 2020 following a long illness. (Photo courtesy of Samsung)
Arts

Late Samsung chairman's art collection to go on global display

Major exhibitions overseas will showcase Lee Kun-hee's cultural legacy

27 January 2024
A taste of home: From left, rice noodle and fish soup, pulled pork tart, and pennywort salad with spicy charred shrimp. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Bamama Cooks)
Life

Myanmar's favorite dishes show the bonding power of food

Diaspora throughout the world finds solace and memories of home in unique flavors

27 January 2024
Tibetan exiles parade through Melbourne on Australia Day on Jan. 26, 2015. (Courtesy of Amy Yee)
Arts

Books: Tales of hope from Tibet's global diaspora

Emigrants' stories highlight political clouds hanging over troubled region

26 January 2024
Circular boats known as thuyen thung rest on a beach in central Vietnam. (Photo by Andrew Benfield)
Tea Leaves

Lessons from Vietnamese basket cases

A colonial-era tax dodge shows how hardship can catalyze creativity

24 January 2024
Shih Ming-teh speaks with the press in Taipei in 2007. Many Taiwanese news outlets across the political spectrum paid tribute to Shih's legacy, calling him "Taiwan's Mandela."
Obituaries

Shih Ming-teh was Taiwan's indomitable fighter for democracy

Human rights advocate spent more than 25 years in jail

23 January 2024
This photo, showing the Exhibition Hall of the Union of Artists on the left, was one of a series that was first presented at the Tashkent Modernism.Index exhibition that took place in Milan in April and in Tashkent in October. (Photo by Armin Linke)
Life

Tashkent hopes to draw tourists to its modernist buildings

Capital of Uzbekistan undergoes drive to preserve cultural heritage

21 January 2024
A model in New York wears an upcycled, semi-oversized "sari blazer" designed by Megha Rao, who says her creations are "culturally rich and contemporary." (Courtesy of Megha Rao)
Life

Blend trend: Indo-Western fusion shines in world of fashion

Saris with a twist and other pieces win fans in Indian diaspora and beyond

20 January 2024
Jakkai Siributr is pictured at the 100 Tonson Foundation in Bangkok, where his exhibition "Matrilineal" opened in December 2023. (Photo by Manie Bootaranark)
Arts

Thai artist weaves the personal with the political

Jakkai Siributr combines diverse strands in textile artworks

19 January 2024
Yamaha's push in India comes as children have had few opportunities until now to play musical instruments in public schools, where the emphasis is on academic studies. (Photo courtesy of Yamaha Corp.)
Business Spotlight

Yamaha taps school music lessons to score growth in India, Southeast Asia

World's top instrument maker offers recorders, classes in emerging markets as Japan sales slide

19 January 2024
A casual conversation over sushi can go more toward forging bonds between business parties than a daytime office meeting.    
Tea Leaves

Genteel Japanese art of the business dinner

Face-to-face interactions can build trust while enriching our work lives

17 January 2024
Takako Saito, “Sound Chess” (circa 1977), wood chessboard with 32 wood pieces containing sound-making materials. (Photo courtesy of The Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift, 2008, via Japan Society Gallery)
Arts

How Japanese female artists helped to expand Fluxus

New York exhibition showcases contributions of Yoko Ono and other avant-garde pioneers

13 January 2024
Supporters of Kuomintang presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih cheer as he speaks at a rally in Taichung on Jan. 8. Like many other Taiwanese politicians, Hou has released songs tailor-made for his campaign. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Life

Taiwanese election grooves to multiple rhythms

Rallies and campaign music showcase the island's vibrant democracy

11 January 2024
Masked performers show off a phallus used to ward off demons at a festival for the Chezhi Goenpa Temple in the Bhutanese village of Genekha. (All photos by Humphrey Hawksley)
Tea Leaves

How tiny Bhutan deals with its demons

Phallus legends and fancy resorts both play roles in the kingdom's pursuit of prosperity

10 January 2024
A Gramedia shop inside conglomerate Kompas Gramedia's office compound in Jakarta. The company operates a network of over 100 such stores nationwide. (Photo by Devin Jimie)
Media & Entertainment

Indonesian book giant turns to tech to fight piracy

Kompas Gramedia unit sees promise in blockchain to defend intellectual property

6 January 2024
Rising Australian R&B stars, from left, Anieszka, Budjerah and Milan Ring. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Kobla Photography, Max Doyle, James Evans)
Arts

Musical diversity kindles unique Australian R&B culture

Emerging artists reflect social changes better than any other music genre

6 January 2024
A local train passes by a field of sunflowers -- and admiring photographers -- in Hyogo prefecture in western Japan. Author John Dougill opted for smaller trains along rural routes for his new travel book.  
Books

Japan travel book offers inspired insights via slow trains

John Dougill's honest observations and deeply personal style leave a lasting impression

4 January 2024
Wim Wenders, left, and Koji Yakusho during an interview in New York in December. (Photo by Daniel Eagan)
Arts

How Yasujiro Ozu's influence sneaks into Wim Wenders' latest film

In 'Perfect Days,' director and Koji Yakusho find beauty in Tokyo's public toilets

3 January 2024
Author Fuchsia Dunlop's latest book, "Invitation to a Banquet," is a feast filled with intriguing dishes and plotlines. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by Norton/Sun Kai)
Books

Chinese cookbook provides food for thought

Fuchsia Dunlop's 'Invitation to a Banquet' serves up a multicourse history

2 January 2024
Children play in the courtyard of Ban Rom Sai in the suburbs of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, after coming back from school on Nov. 13. "Everyone here is like a family member," one employee says. (Photo by Hiroki Endo)
Life

Japanese-run Thai orphanage bets on resort for its survival

Ban Rom Sai beckons tourists with spa and organic vegetables grown by orphans

31 December 2023