Culture Dec 15, 2020
A crying shame: Coronavirus crisis puts Namahage folk ritual at risk
Areas of Akita Prefecture are split over whether to continue with tradition, or hold off for a year to keep the virus at bay.
National | Regional Voices: Okinawa Nov 22, 2019
Shuri Castle fire threatens Okinawa's tourism and traditional crafts industries
A predawn fire that destroyed much of Shuri Castle in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, has shocked the local tourism industry and associations of traditional Ryukyu Kingdom crafts, raising alarm about the loss of the historic attraction and potential harm to the prefecture's ability to promote ...
Asia Pacific Nov 17, 2019
After protests, India drops plan to let officials use force to evict tribes from forests
India has dropped plans to give forest officials the right to use force against indigenous people and open up more land for commercial plantations after nationwide protests. Proposed amendments to a century-old Indian Forest Act aimed to give officials the power to arrest and shoot ...
National Nov 13, 2019
Clandestine Japanese enthronement rite embodies tradition but is marked by controversy
by Reiji Yoshida
The Daijosai, the most secretive and controversial part of the ceremonies, is a Shinto rite that begins on Thursday and involves the new emperor praying for peace and a rich harvest.
National | Regional voices: Chubu Sep 27, 2019
Aichi illustrator shines light on local moon-viewing tradition called 'Japan's Halloween'
There is a tradition in Japan of holding moon-viewing parties to celebrate the harvest on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, believed to be the best time of the year to watch the full moon, and this year it ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Sep 20, 2019
Young Chinese women give tradition a nod by wearing Hanfu costumes
by Huizhong Wu
Li Doudou's gray kitten squeezes in next to her as she sits painstakingly applying makeup and putting up her hair in a bun adorned with elaborate ornaments. Looking like she has just stepped off the set of a Chinese historical drama, the 26-year-old property appraiser ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Aug 16, 2019
Samoan diaspora ink bonds with ancestors and motherland
by Jill Gralow
Oliver Fagalilo takes a labored breath and tenses his body before a sharp steel comb, dipped in ink, is driven into his skin. Six hands keep him still and his skin taut as a Samoan artist works on the traditional tattoo that will cover more ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Aug 16, 2019
Young Maori women on frontline of New Zealand's fight for indigenous rights
by Charlotte Greenfield and Praveen Menon
Five years ago, law graduate Pania Newton and her cousins got together around a kitchen table and agreed to do everything in their power to prevent a housing development on a south Auckland site that is considered sacred by local Maori. Newton, now 29, is ...
Asia Pacific / Social Issues Aug 11, 2019
Via language, song and nature, young Taiwanese reconnecting with indigenous roots
by Beh Lih Yi and Shanshan Chen
The Truku elders of Taiwan still dream about their mountain home four decades after bulldozers tore it down — a classic symptom of trauma as community members struggle to accept their loss. At one evening gathering, Miya Yudaw described his recurring dream, where the mountain ...
World Jun 22, 2019
People around the world can now view the movement of the sun and stars over the ancient stone circle at Britain's Stonehenge through a livestream launched on Friday, the summer solstice. The solstice marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and ...
Music May 14, 2019
Embracing the Japan of the past through music with Meitei
by Russell Thomas
As the Reiwa Era begins, Japanese music producer Daisuke Fujita, aka Meitei, is looking forward while sticking to the traditions of the past. Fresh from last year's spook-summoning album "Kwaidan," which featured in "Best Albums of 2018" accolades curated by the likes of Pitchfork ...
Asia Pacific May 4, 2019
Background on the royal instruments for Thai king's coronation
During Thailand's main coronation event for King Maha Vajiralongkorn on Saturday, the monarch was presented with five royal regalia marking the legitimacy of his reign. Historical evidence suggests the tradition dates back to the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767) of Siam, as Thailand was known. The items were ...