Asia

Signspotting: Compatitive in Bed, Chiang Mai

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Photo of the Moment: Rush Hour, Siberia

Signspotting: Not In, Shanghai

Photo of the Moment: Live Music All the Way, Indonesia

Striking PSA Video for Burma Calls for Action

A new 90-second PSA made by a creative production company called Shilo, in collaboration with Ogilvy and Mather, MTV and others recently debuted. It aims to drive support to the oppressed people of Burma who have been suffering in the aftermath of devastating cyclone Nargis. The opening shot of the hauntingly beautiful clip features a […]

Rumble in the Jungle: Surviving Macaques and Danish Tourists in Thailand

Phil Goldman barely survives a macaque attack and wily Danish tourists in the jungles of Thailand.

How You Can Lend a Hand in the Wake of Cyclone Nargis

Nora Dunn and Kelly Bedford are on the front lines to help bring aid to the victims of Cyclone Nargis. And they’ve made sure you can help too.

Photo of the Moment: Lonely Boy, India

Photo of the Moment: Sunrise Near Rangpur, Bangladesh

Annual ‘Crying Sumo’ Baby Contest Held in Tokyo

The annual baby crying contest was held at the Sensoji Temple in Tokyo last Sunday. At least 80 babies participated in the traditional contest that determines which baby cries first as a pair is held aloft by two sumo wrestlers who persuade them to cry. If both babies begin bawling at the same time, the […]

French Retailer Faces Chinese Anger Over Olympic Torch Incidents

French retailer Carrefour is feeling the full force of Chinese anger. A string of its stores in China is facing protests and boycotts after the Olympic Torch was waylaid by a bunch of protesters, in what was one of the worst legs of the Torch’s tour. French pro-Tibet supporters tried to grab the Torch in […]

Photo of the Moment: Tarsier Primate, Philippines

Japan Celebrates Annual ‘Festival of the Steel Phallus’

Festival of the Steel Phallus, Japan © Saya M. Every year, hundreds of camera wielding tourists gather around the Kanamara Shrine in Kawasaki, Japan to see something they’ll never get to see in their home towns – a large, twelve foot pink representation of a penis being held aloft by chanting men, and paraded down the […]

Russian Inventor Rolls Out Sauna on Wheels

A Russian inventor has crafted a mobile sauna – an old military truck fitted with a fully functioning sauna. The truck is fitted with an 88 gallon overhead tank, fired by a wood burning stove to provide steam. It makes sense that the idea comes from Russia. Russians are known for their love of banyas, […]

Japan’s Annual Naked Man Festival

A bizarre ancient festival in the city of Okayama brings together lucky amulets, wooden sticks and men in white diapers, like the ones worn by Sumo wrestlers. In ancient Japan, the festival marked the culmination of the 14-day New Year festivities, during which monks presented paper amulets to the elders of the community. The demand […]

Moto Culture: How to Be an Easy Rider in Southeast Asia

Stepping onto the tarmac after a grueling 24-hour journey from Chicago, my new acquaintance John and I were to meet our colleagues for lunch at one of the numerous open-air cafes on Phnom Penh’s breezy riverside. Barely able to spit out a coherent a sentence, I still felt exhilarated by my first few moments in […]

Let There (Not) Be Rain: Beijing to Control Weather During Olympics

This isn’t really shocking coming from a country that tries its utmost to control everything within its borders. Even the weather, apparently. In its ongoing attempts to make the Beijing games a spectacular showcase for its Olympic sized sprint from poor to powerhouse, China has set plans to control rainfall at the Games, especially during […]

Photo of the Moment: Tripping the Nighttime Skyline, Singapore

Photo of the Moment: Morning Commute, Japan

Chastity Padlocks to Curb Hanky Panky in Indonesia

© HaPe_Gera An attempt by the local government of an Indonesian province to curb prostitution - by making it mandatory for masseuses to padlock their pants - has come under fire by a women’s empowerment minister who termed the move as “highly insulting” to women. Batu in Indonesia’s east Java province sees a steady influx of tourists […]

Japan’s Male Geisha Emerges

With Japanese women paying to enter clubs where beautiful young boys dress and act as bashful schoolboys to please them, it was just a matter of time before the male geisha emerged. A new trend in Japan has gender roles reversed as successful women pay suave young men to spend an evening with […]

Off the Deep End: The First Steps in Leaving Home

Understanding the fears, the anxiety and the excitement of leaving home for a life abroad.

Beijing to Promote Condom Use at Hotels, Clubs and Construction Sites

The Chinese government is making further efforts to contain the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Health officials have proposed that condoms be made easily available at night clubs, hotels and … construction sites (huh?). According to the proposed regulation, hotels and resorts would be required to have condoms available in toilets, while “night clubs, bathing […]

Singapore Government Offers Course in Loveology

Alarmed by waning birth rates, Singapore’s government is offering its youth courses in seduction. Yes, you read that right. Students at two of the country’s polytechnics can now earn two credits if they choose a ‘love elective’. The seduction course covers love song analysis, sexuality, family relations, and involves activities like hand holding and watching mushy […]

Photo of the Moment: Borobudur Sunrise, Indonesia

Thailand Clamps Down on Cosmetic Castrations

© batega Thailand’s famed lady boys or “katoeys” are an inescapable part of the capital Bangkok’s racy night life. Unlike in many other parts of the world, these katoeys who span the range from transvestites, to men who have undergone sex change surgery, are widely accepted in society. The numbers of young boys opting for […]

Photo of the Moment: Entering the Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Kuala Lumpur International Airport © Stuck in Customs

The Art of Getting Sloshed: The Finer Points of Korea’s Drinking Culture

There is no bar time in Seoul. Evenings tumble forth endlessly in the city while citizens enjoy copious amounts of beer and soju — or, more recently, wine and cocktails. From the late-night alleyway restaurants to the posh clubs of the Apgu district, drunken nights are part of the culture: they seal business deals, solidify […]

Photo of the Moment: Monks, Luang Prabang

Japanese Grave Maker Develops High Tech Gravestone

It was just a matter of time before the dead got high tech, and Japan is unsurprisingly showing the way. A Japanese grave stone maker has developed grave stones with embedded bar codes in them. When visitors visit the gravesites of their dead relatives, they can take a picture of the tag with their cell […]

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