Category — Culture

In its 28th year, the 2012 Harbin Ice and Snow Festival will begin on January 5th!

Find out more…

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That’s Mario “Car” not “Cart”! Happy New Year guys!

Via

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Photographer Anton Kusters recently completed several years of studying the Japanese Yakuza, for which he gained access to a traditional crime family in the heart of Tokyo. The work culminated in a gorgeous looking book that sold out in the first edition, but which now is out as a second edition.

893-Yakuza – See more on Anton’s website

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Technorati Tags: Anton Kusters, culture, Japan, photography, Japanese Yakuza, subculture, Tokyo, Yakuza

Tokyo Times takes a look at a pet cemetery in Japan. Cemetery’s are obviously a sensitive place for people, and the photos show a sense of care that pet owners put into remembering their departed companions. Perhaps the lack of space dictates the compartmentalisation of the space but we can’t help but be reminded of Hong Kong‘s smaller retail outlets that rent out box spaces in a similar way.

More on TokyoTimes

Technorati Tags: culture, Japan, Japanese cemetery, pet cemetery

Blog Cars Move Us posted a couple of charming shots of a dekotora – a highly decorated truck in Japan. Fantastic.

Via

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CNNGo talks to an “agejo” (hostess) model who works for the Shibuya fashion bible Koakuma-Ageha magazine. With days full of photo shoots and self-styling, life sounds hard though a little more independent for these girls. They get to dress up for a living, but the article does touch on the “clubs” aspect of the culture – apparently, not every girl works at a club.

Read more on CNNGo about A Day in the Life of a Japanese ‘hostess’ Model

Technorati Tags: agejo, Japanese hostess, Koakuma-Ageha magazine, Koakuma-Ageha magazine, Shibuya

Gamers can celebrate this year’s Mid-Autumn Festival (September 12th) in style with these Angry Bird mooncakes. The proof is in the pudding.

More on CNNGo

Technorati Tags: Angry Bird mooncakes, culture, entertainment, Mid-Autumn Chinese Festival, mooncakes, snacks

All those nights spent reading manga and your parents thought it would lead to nowhere. Well, scratch that – you can now elevate your education to the coveted doctorate level with manga studies – with Japan’s first doctoral program in the subject.

Japan’s private Kyoto Seika University apparently already offer a master’s degree course in manga and will launch the doctoral program next year. Better add a few more hours to your reading in that case.

Via Neatorama

Technorati Tags: culture, education, Japan, Kyoto Seika University, manga, manga studies, PhD Manga Studies

So the new Shanghai – Beijing bullet train should have just launched their service by now and understandably, China would want to keep standards high. So much so that they’ve created rules for would-be bullet train attendants…

We’re all for smiling, but according to CNN Go, two of the rules are specific. Attendants must smile with ONLY eight front teeth showing, and they must smile through their eyes – a skill trained for by covering all other facial features and smiling to each other.

As for the teeth, it seems having a perfect set is a compulsory requirement. If that sounds too strict for the job required, then consider also that the new team of 313 attendants, fondly named the “high-speed sisters“, are all female, aged between 19 and 22 and are taller than five feet five inches.

Read more on CNN Go

Technorati Tags: bullet train, China, culture, high-speed sisters, Shanghai – Beijing bullet train, Shanghai to Beijing

If you’re in Hong Kong before the 17th July (2011), it might be worth dropping into CityPlaza which is hosting a charming miniature exhibition of old style Hong Kong. “In retrospect: Hong Kong zoomed in miniature exhibition” hosts around 42 models that depict stores and streets in the inimitable style of the city.

See more photos of Old Hong Kong in Miniature on CNNGo

Technorati Tags: CityPlaza, culture, Hong Kong, miniature exhibition, In retrospect: Hong Kong zoomed in miniature exhibition