· January, 2010

Stories about East Asia from January, 2010

Japan: Micro-gardens

  29 January 2010

Palmsundae from Tokyo Green Space blogs about the micro-gardening practice in old Tokyo neighborhood.

MENA: Breaking the veils

  28 January 2010

AltMuslimah reviews the exhibition Breaking the veils: Women artists from the Islamic World, which contains art and literature from women in over 20 countries, including Palestine, Yemen and Morocco. The exhibition, which stated in Jordan, is now touring the US. The review can be read here.

Japan: In Choosing a Job (or Company)

  28 January 2010

With limited work experience, how does one make the decision on which company to work for, straight out of university? The question carries weight when you take in the fact that there's a good chance that some of these students might work for that company until they retirement.

Korea: Translating The Tweets Of Novelist Lee Oisoo

  28 January 2010

Lee Oisoo is a Korean novelist and artist who has been described as "an eccentric, a genius and a lunatic". When he set up a Twitter account last year he quickly amassed thousands of followers. Now his tweets are being translated into English in order to reach a wider audience. But how did a Bahraini blogger get involved?

What the Tibetan Language Needs is Space

  27 January 2010

A young Tibetan blogger based in the US, who goes by the name of “Jhutok” (one of those untranslatable Tibetan words that describes someone who is nosy and likes to interfere, gossip and busybody all in one), has written a blogpost about written Tibetan, arguing for language reform to written...

Japan: Itami Airport

  27 January 2010

In response to the news that the Osaka Governor is talking about closing down Itami Airport, Joe Jones at the Mutant Frog Travelogue contemplates obsolete airports and suggests alternate uses.

China: Animal cruelty law

  27 January 2010

Joel Martinsen translates the mainstream media's discussion on drafting of animal cruelty law. The new law may ban the selling and eating of dog and cat's meat.

Japan: Peace walkers

  27 January 2010

TenThousandThings from Kurashi reports on a 4-month peace walk from Okinawa to Tokyo calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Japan: Website Localization

  27 January 2010

Motoko discusses the need for foreign websites to be localized into Japanese: If your website is not in Japanese, it would have little to no chances of being found in the search results in Japan.

South Korea: Mediact to be dismantled

  26 January 2010

Mediact, South Korea's first public media center, will be dismantled in 1st of February under the Lee Myung Bak's government (more from interlocals). A petition has been launched to save the center.

College Students Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO

  26 January 2010

Spurred by a protest late last year by a small number of college students in Hokkaido Prefecture, a number of students in Tokyo organized for a demonstration protesting against Japan's employment system. Coming together under the name “College Graduates Protest on Japanese Employment @ TOKYO” (就活くたばれデモ@TOKYO [ja]) , the organization...

Philippines: “Renewable Marriage Bill”

  26 January 2010

A partylist group in the Philippines wants to introduce a law that would put a ten-year expiration date on marriage contracts. As expected this unique proposal generated an intense reaction in the blogosphere.

China: Sexism in Han Han’s Film Review?

  26 January 2010

C. Custer posts the question on whether Han Han, a famous Chinese writer, is using sexist language in his comment on the woman director of the recent movie Confucius.

Philippines: Blogger charged with libel

  26 January 2010

A Filipino blogger was charged with a libel suit by the secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development after writing about the ‘rotting’ relief goods in a government warehouse. This is the first time a public official has sued a blogger in the Philippines.

About our East Asia coverage

Oiwan Lam
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.

Mong Palatino
Mong Palatino is the South East Asia editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.