Destination: Asia
The Mystery of the Kashiwa Mystery Cafe
by Michael Yessis | 10.16.09 | 12:43 PM ET
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)
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Yahoo! BuzzPhoto You Must See: Ice Restaurant in China
by World Hum | 10.15.09 | 11:24 AM ET
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
by Eva Holland | 10.15.09 | 10:36 AM ET
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.
Paranoid and Isolated in North Korea
by Eva Holland | 10.15.09 | 9:47 AM ET
Photojournalist Sean Gallagher looks back at a trip he and writer Mark MacKinnon took to North Korea, both posing as regular tourists. The details in the post—quizzes about science and history from government minders, fears about bugged hotel rooms—are fascinating, and the post ends on a thoughtful note:
As much as I would have liked to, getting close to the everyday person proved to be almost impossible. Hence, my photographs from this journey have a sense of isolation about them. It is an isolation probably born from my own feelings while being there. People are dwarfed against the mighty, imposing communist-era architecture, small and insignificant against the overbearing size of the buildings.
For me, my images from this trip have raised more questions than answers.
(Via @markmackinnon)
Afghanistan: The View From 30,000 Feet
by Eva Holland | 10.13.09 | 12:37 PM ET
The New York Times’ At War blog has a compelling slideshow of black-and-white shots from the window seat of a flight to Kabul. Photographer Moises Saman writes in the accompanying post: “From the air, the impenetrability of this region becomes evident.” (Via @elihansen)
Photo You Must See: A Forbidden View in Beijing
by World Hum | 10.13.09 | 11:25 AM ET
REUTERS/David Gray Tourists look south over the Forbidden City from Beijing’s Jingshan Park.
Photo You Must See: Stilt-Fishing in Sri Lanka
by World Hum | 10.09.09 | 12:31 PM ET
REUTERS/Carlos Barria Sri Lankan fishermen wait to catch fish as they sit atop stilts in Ahangama.
From Bhutan to France: Gross National Happiness
by Eric Weiner | 10.09.09 | 12:26 PM ET
On the intersection of place, politics and culture
Photo You Must See: Obeisance at the Golden Temple
by World Hum | 10.08.09 | 5:14 PM ET
A devotee prays at Amritsar’s Golden Temple, the holiest site in Sikhism
Photo You Must See: Flying Before the Shanghai Sun
by World Hum | 10.07.09 | 11:52 AM ET
REUTERS/Aly Song A passenger jet cruises past the setting sun in Shanghai yesterday.
Photo You Must See: A Girl and a Gun in Afghanistan
by World Hum | 10.06.09 | 5:15 PM ET
REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih An Afghan girl looks up at a U.S. Marine on patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Video You Must See: China’s 60th Anniversary
by Michael Yessis | 10.05.09 | 2:31 PM ET
Jan Wong: Looking Back at China’s Darker Days
by Eva Holland | 10.02.09 | 5:26 PM ET
In a powerful column, Jan Wong, the author of Red China Blues: My Long March From Mao to Now looks back on her complicated love affair with China—from studying abroad in Beijing during the Cultural Revolution to covering the Tiananmen Square massacre from a hotel room uncomfortably nearby. As the country celebrates its 60th anniversary this week, it’s good to see some thoughtful reflection on the dark times in China’s past, too. (Via @DougSaunders)
Photo You Must See: Five Little Gandhis
by World Hum | 10.02.09 | 1:56 PM ET
REUTERS/Raj Patidar School children in Bhopal dress as Mahatma Gandhi for a celebration marking the 140th anniversary of his birth.
The Worst Hotel in the World
by Frank Bures | 10.02.09 | 10:47 AM ET
Frank Bures reflects on the hotels we love to hate -- and the book celebrating one of them