Linguistic Richness and Idioms of Lunar New Year: Vietnam Edition

If you find yourself in Vietnam for the first time around February 10th this year, you’ll be absolutely astounded by the festivities taking place. This is when the country begins…

Lost in “Localization”: Anime Edition

Anime is stylized Japanese animation that has taken the world by storm. With numerous titles being translated and localized for Western audiences, anime localization has become quite controversial. That’s partly…

The Year of the Tiger: an insider’s view on the semantics

Legend has it that a Chinese emperor, hundreds or thousands of years ago, gathered all the animals together and told them that if they were to complete his challenge, they…

5 Asian Cinema Classics to Enjoy During the Holidays

Asian cinema has been in the spotlight for some time now. After the success of Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, the talented Chinese director Chloé Zhao won an Oscar for her Nomadland.…

How has tea changed the world as it was adopted everywhere?

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that we’ve all enjoyed a cup of tea at some point in our lives, no matter where in the world we’re located. No…

West and East proverbs – They show Cultural Similarities and Differences

There’s a school of thought which believes that there are fundamental differences between eastern and western philosophy arguing that while the east talks about and promotes a more holistic view…

What lies behind the names of Asian countries: Japan

What lies behind the names of Asian countries – Japan The land of the rising sun, Japan is home to a population of 126.3 million people. The country is known…

Why wearing a facemask is common in Korea and Japan

In the days of the coronavirus pandemic, people going about their day wearing a mask has become a usual sight. In some countries wearing a facemask has become obligatory and…

WeChat meets Red Envelopes: Lunar New Year in China

When it comes to China there are so many controversies about it that one can hardly find a middle ground and the Lunar New Year in the midst of a…

Kokeshi Dolls – the story behind these small beauties

While known for its anime, sushi vending machines, punctual public transport system, as well as other cultural aspects, Japan is an interesting country and other less known aspects about its…

Kaiju – the monster from Japan and China that took over Hollywood

Halloween took place just about a month ago, but we`re here with some spooky stories about monsters from another land. You might be surprised to find out that Japanese culture…

Kawaii: the Japanese art of being “cute”

If you are a fan of manga, anime or Japanese culture as a whole, then you know pretty well that kawaii is not just another Japanese loanword. Kawaii is an…

Ikigai – the Japanese “reason for being”

Every person has their own pace of life and each of us decides for themselves just how much work is enough work. There are some that prefer leisure to hard…

Japan and Korea – the different aspects of Children’s day

Almost every country has a holiday that celebrates children. Youngsters are a very important part of society and there are a lot of traditions all around the world linked to…

Cultural differences: saying “no” in India – how to read between the lines

In this blog, we’re often writing about cultural differences and peculiarities – habits some cultures have adopted that some of us cannot even imagine. Today we are going to go…

The marathon craze in Asia – combining healthy with fun

With spring going full force and summer waiting just around the corner people have already fully woken up and are searching for new challenges and adventures. As we can conclude…

The evolution of the Songkran Festival in Thailand

The Songkran festival is one of the most important celebrations in Thailand and is officially celebrated annually between the 13th and 15th of April. It is a guaranteed mixture of…

A linguistic journey through Japanese restaurant culture

Naturally, wherever we travel, we want to get to know the local cuisine. But each country has its own rules and subtleties, even in such simple matters as going to…

Mulan – a true Chinese legend hitting the box offices in March 2020

A Synopsis of Mulan Hua Mulan was a Chinese warrior woman who lived during the Northern and Southern dynasties (a period of time that took place between 420 and 589…

The differences between Western and Eastern storytelling

This might come across as a topic that people rarely think about, but if you happen to be a fan of books and novels and have a background that involves…