Destination: Asia

Video You Must See: From Denver to Singapore in Five Minutes

(Via Kottke)


‘Ivory Coast = France = Japan’

That equation comes from a James Fallows post in the Atlantic, and he’s talking about language habits.

That is: in France and Japan, the deep-down assumption is that the language is pure and difficult, that foreigners can’t really learn it, and that one’s attitude toward their attempts is either French hauteur or the elaborately over-polite and therefore inevitably patronizing Japanese response to even a word or two in their language. “Nihongo jouzu! Your Japanese is so good!” 


World Travel Watch: Protests in Nepal, Tensions in Nicaragua and More

Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

Read More »


Photo You Must See: 32 Meters of Mao

Photo You Must See: 32 Meters of Mao REUTERS/China Daily
REUTERS/China Daily

A 32-meter (or 105-foot) statue of a youthful Chairman Mao is under construction in Hunan province, China.


Fall Foliage Around the World

Central Park, New York Photo of Central Park, New York City, by joiseyshowaa via Flickr (Creative Commons)

From Osaka to Chicago, seven photos of turning leaves around the shrinking planet

Read More »


Escape From Thamel

On hawkers, banana pancakes and tourist ghettos from Kathmandu to Bangkok

Read More »


Photo You Must See: Tokyo Punk Parasol

Photo You Must See: Tokyo Punk Parasol REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao
REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Japanese girls in punk fashion sit under a parasol in Harajuku, Tokyo’s fashion district.


‘This is Such, Like, an Authentic Experience’

Tom Gates eavesdrops on backpackers at a restaurant in Ko Chang, Thailand. My favorite overheard gem? “I can totally see eating this for thirty dollars in L.A.”


Interview With Nicholas Kristof: Traveling and Tweeting Under ‘Half the Sky’

Nicholas Kristof Photo by Fred R. Conrad

David Frey asks the author about his dream vacation, Twitter, travel to hellholes and the trip that changed his life

Read More »


Photo You Must See: Burqas and a Baby in Kabul

Photo You Must See: Burqas and a Baby in Kabul REUTERS/Ahmad Masood
REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Two Afghan women and a child walk down a set of mud stairs in Kabul.


Photo You Must See: Wedding on the Great Wall

Photo You Must See: Wedding on the Great Wall REUTERS/David Gray
REUTERS/David Gray

Actually, we’re not sure there was a wedding—but at the very least, a woman in a bridal gown poses for photos on a section of the Great Wall of China.


Fallows: ‘How I Survived China’

The Atlantic’s former China correspondent reflects on the health issues he faced as an expat amid the “ochre skies and suspect sanitation of China.” The air quality there can be so bad, one doctor told Fallows, “I encourage people with children not to consider extended tours in China. Those little lungs.”

What will future air quality be like in China? In Beijing, at least, it’s already improving.


The Mystery of the Kashiwa Mystery Cafe

Cabel Maxfield Sasser calls his visit to the Ogori Cafe in Kashiwa, Japan, an unforgettable travel moment. I agree. Read to the end for the payoff. (Thanks for the tip, @sophiadembling)


Photo You Must See: Ice Restaurant in China

Photo You Must See: Ice Restaurant in China REUTERS/China Daily
REUTERS/China Daily

Diners sit at a table in an ice restaurant in Harbin, in north east China. The temperature in the restaurant is about 25 degrees.


Kyoto Joins Tokyo Near the Top of the Michelin Heap

Kyoto Joins Tokyo Near the Top of the Michelin Heap Photo by rhosoi via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Photo by rhosoi via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Brace yourselves, foodies of the Western hemisphere: If you were disgruntled about Tokyo landing top Michelin honors last year—receiving more stars than Paris and New York combined in its debut guide—then you probably won’t be happy to hear that Kyoto is following close behind. The city received 110 stars in its first-ever Michelin treatment, including six three-star restaurants—one more than New York City.