Sweden Hills – An Idyllic Piece of Sweden in Japan
Walking through the streets of Sweden Hills, with its traditional read-and-white Swedish houses, Swedish flags and traditional Swedish outfits, you’d never guess you were on the island of Hokkaido, in Japan. Located in Tōbetsu, about 30 kilometers from Sapporo, the largest city on Hokkaido, Sweden Hills (スウェーデンヒルズ) was inspired by the visit of a Swedish […]
Japan’s Unique Hole-in-One Golf Insurance Policy
Hitting a hole-in-one is one of the greatest things that can happen to a golf player, but in Japan, such a lucky shot can lead to such an expensive celebration that insurers actually sell hole-in-one insurance policies to mitigate the ‘risk’. The average golfer has 1 in 12,500 chances of hitting a hole-in-one, while professional […]
Naughty Child Puts Bicycle Lock Around Mother’s Neck, Forgets Lock Combination
A Chinese mother recently walked into a police station asking for help to remove a bicycle from around her neck after her 4-year-old boy put it on her and forgot the unlock code. On October 7th, a young mother walked into a police station in Huai’an, China’s Jiangsu Province, with a bizarre “choker” around her […]
Milk Fish Intestines – A Taiwanese Delicacy That’s Hard to Swallow
Taiwanese food is very popular all over the world, but some of the dishes it proposes are hard to swallow even for natives. Take for example milkfish intestines, a delicacy that’s difficult to look at, let alone swallow. Milkfish is farmed on a large scale in Taiwan, not only for its meat but also its […]
Buffalo Horn Cupping Makes Users Look Like a Super Mario Character
The benefits of cupping as a way to relieve stress, improve athletic performance and overall health have been debated at nauseam, but did you know cupping could help you cosplay as popular Nintendo villain Bowser, aka King Koopa? Although modern cupping is usually associated with the use of glass cups, the practice can be traced […]
Competitive Pillow Fighting – How a Children’s Game Became a Popular Sport in Japan
Every year, dozens of teams from all over Japan travel to the Japanese town of Ito to compete in one of the world’s most unique sporting events – All-Japan Pillow Fighting Championships. Pillow fighting is an age-old pastime practiced by children of all ages all over the world. Japan is no different, only here the […]
China’s Anti-Desertification Poster Family Has Been Fighting the Gobi Desert for 22 Years
Wang Tianchang and his family moved into the Gobi Desert 22 years ago, at a time when most people were running away from the encroaching wasteland. The Wangs have been fighting the desert ever since, becoming a symbol of China’s anti-desertification campaign. Desertification is one of China’s most serious environmental problems. The great Gobi Desert […]
The Wall of Hives – Box-Covered Cliffside In China Is a Unique Wild Bee Sanctuary
A near-vertical cliff wall in the mountains of Shennongjia Nature Reserve, China’s Hubei Province, is home to over 700 wooden boxes which make up one of the country’s last sanctuaries for native wild bees. Beekeeping has been carried out in China since at least the 2nd century AD, and roughly half of the world’s supply […]
The Koi Fish Cafes of Ho Chi Minh City
Imagine enjoying a hot cup of java or your favorite soft drink in the middle of a pond filled with beautiful koi fish that you can actually hand-feed and you get an idea of what Vietnam’s koi fish cafes are like. When it comes to fish-themed cafes, Ho Chi Minh City has a leg up […]
Woman Crashes Ex-Boyfriend’s Wedding, ends Up Becoming His Co-Wife
Indonesian media recently reported the bizarre story of a young man who ended up marrying both his fiancée and his ex-girlfriend at the same time, after the latter crashed his wedding ceremony. Late last month, 20-year-old Korik Akbar, from the regency of Central Lombok in the Indonesian state of West Nusa Tenggara, was in the […]
Sleepy Man Accidentally Swallows Toothbrush While Brushing
A Chinese man had to undergo a complicated gastroscopic operation to have a 15-cm toothbrush removed from his stomach, after accidentally swallowing it during his morning routine. The unnamed man from Taizhou, in China’s Jiangsu Province told doctors that he got up one morning, about 10 days ago and decided to follow his usual routine, […]
Villagers Hand-Carve 1.2Km Mountain Tunnel to Connect Their Home to the Outside World
The Guoliang Tunnel connecting the clifftop village of Guoliang, in China’s Henan province, to the outside world was carved by hand using basic tools like chisels and hammers, and is now referred to as the eight wonder of the world. For centuries, the people of Guoliang, a small Chinese village perched atop a cliff in […]
Controversial Class Has Middle School Students Raising and Naming Fish Before Eating Them
The “Class of Life” is a controversial program introduced in various Japanese middle-schools where students spend months raising and getting attached to fish, before having to decide whether to eat them or not. A part of the Sea and Japan Project sponsored by Nippon Foundation, the Class of Life was introduced in a number of […]
14-Year-Old Forced to Do House Chores Reports His Father to Police for “Illegal Child Labor”
Chinese media recently reported the case of a 14-year-old boy who shocked police when he accused his father of “illegal child labor”, because he had been forced to do chores around the house. The bizarre incident allegedly took place this week in Ma’anshan, China’s Anhui province. Sick of seeing his son with his hands and […]
Man Spends 10 Years Hoarding Tons of Garbage as Dowry for His Son
South Korean media recently reported the bizarre and sad story of an elderly couple who spent the last decade of their lives hoarding tons of trash for their 40-something son who refused to leave the house and find a job. SBS, a South Korean national television network presented the shocking story of Choi, a 75-year-old […]