Only in Japan: Burning a Mountain as a Celebration
On the fourth Saturday of each January, the dead grass of Mount Wakakusa is set ablaze as part of a unique and impressive festival called Wakakusa Yamayaki (‘Wakakusa Burning Mountain’). No one known exactly how the tradition of burning an entire 342-metre-high hill in Japan’s Nara Prefecture actually started, but one thing is for certain […]
Struggling Railway Operator Sells Canned Stones to Weather Pandemic
With tourism at an all-time low, a struggling Japanese railway operator is trying to avoid going under by selling canned stones from its railway tracks. Founded in 1923, the Choshi Electric Railway company, in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture, had to overcome adversity several times during its 97-year history, but the situation has never been more dire […]
Massive Road Bridge Built Around Tiny House of Very Stubborn Owner
A newly opened highway in China’s Guangdong province has been making news headlines for a very peculiar reason: it’s built around the tiny home who refused to move. China is well-known for its “nail houses”, properties of homeowners who reject compensation from a developer for their demolition, but while most such examples are encountered within […]
Burmese Woman Shocks Internet With Her Tiny 13.7-Inch Waist
Su ‘Moh Moh’ Naing, a 23-year-old girl from Myanmar shot to online fame earlier this week after being featured by a popular English tabloid for having an incredibly thin waist. The Burmese student claims to have a waist circumference of only 13.7 inches, which would make it one of the tiniest waists in the world, […]
This Japanese Building Has a Highway Passing Right Through It
The Gate Tower Building is one of the many several tall office buildings that make up Osaka’s impressive skyline, but there is something about it that makes it unique in the world – it has a functional highway going right through it. Photos of this architectural anomaly have been doing the rounds on social media […]
83-Year-Old Vietnamese Woman Hasn’t Cut Her Snake-Shaped Hair in 64 Years
Nguyen Thi Dinh, an 83-year-old woman from Vietnam’s Ben Tre Province, allegedly stopped cutting her hair when she was 19, which explains why it measures 6 meters in length and is shaped like a python. Just a week after Indian man Doddapalliah made international news headlines with his 7.3-meter-long-hair, which he claimed he had never […]
Bangkok’s “David Beckham Temple” Is One of the World’s Weirdest Religious Buildings
Wat Pariwat, in Bangkok, Thailand, gets its famous nickname – “David Beckham Temple” – from a gold-plated statue of the English former football player holding up a statue of Buddha. But that’s just one of the unexpected characters you’re bound to notice visiting this unusual holy place. David Beckham’s statue was installed at Pariwat Temple […]
Loyal Camel Walks 100 Km Through Desert to Return to Previous Owners After Being Sold
A homesick camel recently managed to melt the hearts of millions of Chinese people after it was reported that it traveled 100 kilometres through the desert to return to its former owners, eight months after being sold. Chinese media recently featured the heartwarming story of a loyal camel who allegedly spent days crossing the barren […]
Chinese Tourist Attraction Lets You Experience Kung Fu Movie Flying First Hand
A unique tourist attraction in southeastern China’s Fujian province lets wuxia fans fulfill their dream of experiencing the flying techniques of the kung-fu masters they used to watch on TV growing up. If you’re a fan of popular wuxia films like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” or “House of Flying Daggers”, you’ve probably fantasized or even […]
Purple Island – South Korea’s Newest Instagram-Worthy Tourist Attraction
There are plenty of interesting places to visit in South Korea, but if you’re all about adding new and exciting content to your Instagram feed, the you simply must add the Purple Island on your itinerary. With the Covid-19 wreaking havoc around the world, South Korea included, international travel isn’t what it used to be […]
Man Credits Exercising Like a Monkey for 30 Years For Keeping Him in Perfect Health
A 50-year-old man from China has been exercising by moving around on all fours and climbing trees like a monkey every day for the past three decades. Chen Haigang, a fitness enthusiast from China’s Shanxi province, attracts attention whenever he exercises in public, due to the bizarre routine he has been practicing for about 30 […]
Indonesian Ministry Claims Eucalyptus Necklace Can Prevent Coronavirus Infections
While the rest of the world struggles to find a cure or even a treatment for Covid-19, Indonesia’s Agriculture Ministry claims to have found a solution – wearing a eucalyptus necklace developed by one of its agencies. The so-called “antivirus necklace” was developed by Balitbangtan, the Agriculture Ministry’s Health Research and Development Agency, and will […]
Taiwanese Airport Debuts “Fake Flight” Service for Grounded Travelers
Taipei’s Songshan Airport recently launched a unique “fake flight” service that gives melancholic travelers the chance to go through the check-in and plane boarding procedures without actually taking off. Ever since Taiwan closed off its borders in mid-March, travelers have been forced to dream and reminisce about their past adventures in foreign lands, but on July […]
The Silver Men – Indonesia’s Silver-Painted Beggars
Manusia Silver, or “Silver Men” is a special type of beggar that has become a common sight on the streets of several Indonesian cities. Beggars have been around for as long as anyone can remember, and Indonesia is no exception, but the South-East Asian country has recently seen the rise of a new type of […]
Board Shoe Racing – China’s Bizarre Traditional Sport
Board shoe racing is the traditional sport of the Zhuang people of China’s Gunaxi province, a unique discipline that has three people sharing the same “shoes”, which requires perfect coordination and concentration. Board shoe racing can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, when legend has it that a famous heroine of the Xhuang people […]