Destination: Asia
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Passage to Bangkok’ by Rush
by Jim Benning | 07.16.09 | 1:53 PM ET
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Yahoo! BuzzMoving Sushi: The Internet’s Best Kaiten Sushi Video
by World Hum | 07.16.09 | 12:58 PM ET
Conveyor belt sushi videos abound online. Here's our favorite.
The Art of Kaiten Sushi
by World Hum | 07.16.09 | 11:32 AM ET
Conveyor-best sushi. Sushi-go-round. Sushi train. Whatever you call it, it's a beautiful thing.
See the full photo slideshow »
Photo We Love: On the Rocks in Shanghai
by World Hum | 07.14.09 | 3:00 PM ET
REUTERS/Stringer A worker walks on the bank of Huangpu River. Shanghai is getting a citywide facelift in advance of the 2010 World Expo.
Coming Soon: Neverland China
by Eva Holland | 07.10.09 | 1:19 PM ET
If you can’t make it to Neverland Ranch to pay your respects to Michael Jackson, don’t fret: There’s a Chinese replica in the works near Shanghai. (Via @KelseyTimmerman)
Beer Lao Goes Global
by Eva Holland | 07.09.09 | 4:19 PM ET
After years as a staple on the Southeast Asia backpacker trail, cult favorite Beer Lao is finally making a serious push for leverage in more far-flung markets. From the New York Times: “Like a film festival winner without a distribution deal, the rice-based lager has struggled to turn cult status into anything other than good press ... The company, Lao Brewery, hopes to change that. It would like to see 10 percent sold abroad, and it is counting on Vang Vieng’s beer-loving backpackers to help them make the sale.”
For now, Beer Lao’s well-traveled devotees seem happy to help—the article has the details on the mostly grassroots import effort. But any bets on how long it’ll be before someone mournfully declares that Beer Lao tasted oh, so much better before the passport-less crowds got their hands on it? (Via Frommer’s Behind the Guides)
Japan’s Love Hotels: Recession-Proof?
by Michael Yessis | 07.09.09 | 1:43 PM ET
Looks that way. Apparently Japan’s love hotels have been rocking, even in what CNN calls the country’s deepest economic recession since World War II. “Even these days, on the weekend, every love hotel is full of people—it’s hard to get in,” one woman told CNN. “You can never stop sexual desire.” Or perhaps the drawing power of the Hello Kitty-themed rooms.
Travel Song of the Day: ‘Beijing’ by Patrick Watson
by Jim Benning | 07.09.09 | 1:00 PM ET
Japanese Railway to Workers: Do You Pass the Smile Test?
by Jim Benning | 07.08.09 | 11:16 AM ET
I can’t count the number of times European friends and visitors to the U.S. have remarked on American workers’ penchant for wishing them a “nice day” after they make a purchase or eat a meal—wishes almost always delivered with a big smile. To Europeans I’ve met, that American custom was always regarded as either quaint or kooky or both.
I wonder what they would make of this bit of news about a Japanese railway company trying to improve customers’ experiences: Keihin Electric Express Railway Co. has begun using a scanner to assess the smiles of its employees.
From the story:
The device analyzes the facial characteristics of a person, including eye movements, lip curves and wrinkles, and rates a smile on a scale between 0 and 100 percent using a camera and computer.
Employees will be required to scan their smiles before work each day and carry around a photo of their brightest smile so they can try to repeat it. (Via FP Blog)
The Rise of Silk Road Tourism in Uzbekistan
by Eva Holland | 07.07.09 | 11:52 AM ET
In the Wall Street Journal, Patrick Barta takes a look at the emerging tourism scene in Uzbekistan’s three great Silk Road cities, Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva, and what the long-ignored country is doing to adapt to the new visitors. The accompanying slideshow has me sold—Uzbekistan is officially on my list.
Backpackers in Thailand Just Won’t Quit
by Alicia Imbody | 07.01.09 | 4:24 PM ET
Photo by René Ehrhardt via Flickr (Creative Commons) Tourism in Thailand has been suffering significant declines lately, and desperate vendors are offering discounts like free domestic flights, extra nights and other perks to lure money-conscious visitors.
But in spite of the setbacks to leisure and luxury travel, the AP reports “budget travel hasn’t suffered as badly, with beer stalls and hostels along Bangkok’s Khao San Road and other havens for backpackers still bustling.”
Keep on, keepin’ on, backpackers!
Photo We Love: Serious Stretching in Beijing
by World Hum | 06.29.09 | 1:45 PM ET
REUTERS/Grace Liang A man stretches during a morning exercise session at a Beijing park.
Michael Jackson: A Global Force in Life and Death
by World Hum | 06.26.09 | 11:07 AM ET
REUTERS/Patrick De Noirmont See the full photo slideshow »
R.I.P. Michael Jackson
by Jim Benning | 06.25.09 | 8:20 PM ET
He was a truly global pop star. Exhibit A: Our slideshow of Michael Jackson around the world.
Exhibit B: Jeffrey Tayler’s brand new World Hum essay, Michael and Me: Strangers in Moscow.
Exhibit C:
R.I.P. Ali Akbar Khan, Indian Musician
by Jim Benning | 06.25.09 | 1:31 PM ET
REUTERS/Adam Tanner The Bengali-born musician, who died last week at the age of 87, was regarded by many as a genius who helped popularize Indian classical music around the globe. He played the 25-string sarod.
When he arrived in the U.S. half a century ago, many he encountered were confounded by his origins.
He told Asia Week:
“When I came in ’55, because I was in Indian dress, people on the street in New York came out of the bars and shops and followed us. They asked me, ‘Who are you? Where are you from?’ When I said, ‘India,’ some of them didn’t even know where it was. Or others who knew I was a musician asked funny questions like, ‘How can you play music in India with all the tigers and snakes and monkeys you have to fight off?’”
Here he performs via YouTube: