Lake Hakone

Photo by Robert George


Sunset over Lake Hakone.

Lake Hakone, located in the heart of a huge volcanic crater to southwest of Tokyo near Mt. Fuji, is one of Japan's most treasured geographic jewels. With its natural hot springs, historic landmarks, annual festivals and fine hotels, Hakone is a popular vacation spot that draws visitors from all over the world.


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Hinamatsuri


Hinamatsuri is the Doll Festival associated with Girls' Day in Japan. Celebrated on March 3, the custom had its origins in feudal Japan, when courtiers offered dolls to the princesses of the imperial family to bear illness and misfortune in their stead. The custom continued until Edo times, when it became more widespread among the common folk.

Today, Hinamatsuri dolls are usually dressed in imperial style and represent members of the court and the imperial family. On Girls' Day, in households with daughters, they are displayed on a red silk dais, while the daughters, dressed in formal kimono receive gifts from their families and go to the Shinto shrine to pray for health and longevity. Offerings of sake and sweet rice cakes are placed on the dais, where the dolls are displayed for approximately a month. The traditional meal for Hinamatsuri is chirashizushi, a bowl of white rice topped with sashimi.


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Coming of Age Day

Photo by Robert George


Three 21-year-old women in kimono, all dressed up to celebrate Coming of Age Day.

Each year, on the 15th of January, Japan celebrates Seijin no Hi, Coming of Age Day. On this occasion, dressed in their most elaborate finery, especially dazzling formal kimono for young women and designer suits for young men, those who turned 20 years old during the previous year attend ceremonies at community civic centers to hear dignitaries offer their wisdom on the privileges and responsibilities of adult life.

Afterwards, the party continues into the evening at pubs and restaurants where they celebrate this rite of passage. At age 20, Japanese youths are allowed to vote, and also may legally drink alcohol.


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The Durian

Photo by Albert Wen


Singapore's Esplanade.

Known to most Singaporeans as "The Durian", the Esplanade is an arts center located on six hectares of prime waterfront land by Marina Bay near the mouth of the Singapore River. Designed jointly by London-based Michael Wilford & Partners (MWP) and by DP Architects (DPA) of Singapore, the Esplanade opened in 2002.


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Hagoita

Photo by Robert George


Hagoita is a paddle used in Hanetsuki.

Hanetsuki is a kind of Japanese badminton game played with shuttlecocks called hane and decorative paddles called hagoita. During the Edo period, artisans created elaborate designs on the backs of the paddles with quilted silk, featuring Ukiyoe caricatures of popular Kabuki actors, and many merchants set up hagoita shops outside Sensoji Temple.

Since hagoita were especially popular among women collectors, it has since become a custom to give a hagoita as a gift to celebrate the birth of a girl. The game of hanetsuki is also a traditional celebration of spring.

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Zongzi

Zongzi, also known as sticky rice dumplings, are made of sticky rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. They are a popular treat at the annual Dragon Boat Festival.

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Tuen Ng Festival

Better known as the Dragon Boat Festival, Tuen Ng (in Cantonese) is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth moon (usually sometime in June).

Dragon Boat races are held throughout China and South East Asia, and has also become popular in other places in the world. In Hong Kong, Tuen Ng festival is a public holiday, with races held at many different places throughout the day.

Read more about it in Kathie Scrimgeour's Dragons Across the Water.

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Khoo Kongsi

The grandest clan house in South East Asia, the Khoo Kongsi in Penang actually consists of a clan-house called Leong San Tong, a grand Chinese temple, an opera stage and an administrative office complete with its own meeting rooms and shop houses. The history behind such clan houses, which are located all over Peninsula Malaysia, is rather interesting. These clan houses actually sprouted in the 19th century, when many male laborers from South China arrived in the Malay Archipelago in search of jobs. Feeling homesick and wanting to maintain a sort of link with fellow clansmen in Malaysia, they stayed in these large dwellings we now refer to as clan houses. It is built to resemble villages in China, and also became a place for ancestral and deity worship even for clansmen who have moved out of the Khoo Kongsi.

The Khoo Kongsi was built around 1900, after a mysterious fire razed it to the ground in 1902; it took another four years to complete. During World War II, the Japanese destroyed the Khoo Kongsi completely, bringing heartache to its clansmen. A massive restoration project immediately after the war and in 1999 has turned the Khoo Kongsi into a striking mansion, right in the middle of Penang.

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Nasi Goreng (Fried Rice)

A staple food for two-thirds of the world?s populations, rice is regarded as sacred in many third world countries. In Malaysia, harvest festivals are held to give thanks for bountiful harvest. So, it is not surprising that there are many styles of fried rice in Malaysia. While usually prepared from leftover rice from dinner the night before, fried rice is also served at main grand dinners in Malaysia. In fact, many cooks claim that rice cooked overnight makes the nasi goreng more delicious!


Here is a simple fried rice recipe to try: Yong Chow Chinese Fried Rice.

Ingredients:
Two bowls of rice
2 fresh eggs
2 cloves of garlic
2 cloves of shallot
200 grams chicken minced meat
200 grams frozen mixed vegetables
1 tablespoon cooking oil.

Ingredients B:
1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock
2 tablespoon soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
Heat cooking oil in frying pan. Fry shallots and garlic until fragrant. Add chicken and mixed vegetables. Keep stirring the ingredients until the chicken and vegetables are cooked. Push the ingredients to the side of the frying pan and put the rice in the middle. Stir well, and then add the eggs. When the eggs are cooked, add ingredients B and mix everything well.

Optional: If desired, add a sprig of spring onion and parsley leaves as garnishing.


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Chicken Rice
In Malaysia, there are several versions of this humble dish. In a Malay restaurant, special herbs are used to marinate the Nasi Ayam. The chicken is barbequed over the fire before being served with soup. In a typical Chinese stall, there are two types of chicken available: steamed or roasted. A popular dish that is available in almost every Chinese coffee shop or food court, this is a must-try for travelers. If you happen to be in Malacca, there is yet another version known among the locals simply as Chicken Rice Ball. Here, the rice is rolled into rounded balls before being served with chicken. A typical "serving" consists of five rounded ball of rice. Now, even McDonald's in Malaysia is jumping into the chicken rice bandwagon?with its very own "Westernized" Chicken Rice. For around RM 5, you get a plate of rice cooked with mixed vegetables and served with a piece of fried chicken!
08:23 AM PDT Permalink |

Engkala

A relative of the more common avocado, the engkala (Litsea garciea) is one of the few savory tropical fruits. The tree only grows in Sarawak and along the South-west coast of Sabah along riverbanks and scattered near villages. In Sabah, it is sometimes known as pong labon. The foliage resembles that of an avocado. However the leaves are longer and droop more gracefully. It has a slightly flattened top and bottom, have thin, edible bright pink skins. Medium to thick flesh surrounds the single, avocado-like seed. It is creamy-white and similar to avocado, but softer with a more delicate flavor. Eaten fresh or used to prepare foods. The fruit can be used in the same way as the avocado. Litsea seeds are a source of fat and are used to manufacture candles and soap.

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Malacca

Also known among the locals as Melaka, this historical city in Malaysia is actually named after a tree. Geographically, Malacca is protected from the monsoon winds by Peninsula Malaysia and Sumatra. Soon after Parameswara, a Javanese prince became its first official ruler; Malacca transformed from a fishing village to an important port visited by Chinese, Indian and European traders. Once considered the crown jewel of the Malay Archipelago, Malacca was ruled in turn by the local Malays, the Portuguese and the Dutch before the British took over. Today, some forty years after Malaysia achieved independence, the colonial identity remained stamped in and around Malacca town. A windmill sits right in the center of town, proclaiming its Dutch heritage. Visitors to the Portuguese Settlement can enjoy a wide array of Portuguese food and experience the local Portuguese culture, which is an interesting mix of original traditions brought by Portuguese rulers years ago and the local Malaysian tradition. Over in another part of Malacca town, the Baba and Nyonya heritage is the highlight. Here, travelers can still see how the traditional Straits Chinese live. If you are lucky, you will even see an elderly Nyonya (lady in her sixties or seventies) dressed in traditional Nyonya attire wondering around the area!

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Atsukan

Atsukan sake is the term for Japanese rice wine served hot. Sake should never be heated above 140 degrees (60C).

For more on Sake, see David P. Jones' Sake to Me.

07:29 AM PST Permalink |

Aung San Suu Kyi
Aung San Suu Kyi is the daughter of Burma’s independence hero, U Aung San, who was assassinated in 1947 when Suu Kyi was two years old. She has become an international symbol of peaceful resistance to the country’s military repression. For much of her sixteen years in Burma, she has been under house arrest in Rangoon. While detained, in 1991, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma. “I could not, as my father’s daughter, remain indifferent to all that is going on,” Suu Kyi is quoted as saying. For the Burmese people, Suu Kyi represents their hopes for freedom from oppression.
07:27 AM PST Permalink |

Agra
The Taj Mahal has made Agra famous all over the world. But the royal Mughal city has a lot else to offer by way of tourism. The scores of monuments and relics that are scattered all over the city epitomize the high point of Mughal architecture. The tomb of Itmad-ul-Daulah, or the Baby Taj, for example, which exhibits the same pietra dura style of inlay work on marble that has made the Taj Mahal so special. Then there is the Agra Fort, built in 1565 AD and representing the first major building project of Emperor Akbar. The deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's 12-year capital which boasts of some amazing pieces of architecture, is also located nearby.
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