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Top Obscura
The 38th Reich: Korean Nazi CosplayA couple of days ago, I posted my favorite pictures of cute Korean cosplay girls -- but that's the light-hearted side of 
India’s Incredibly Cool Hand-Drawn Movie PostersVisit the Bollywood poster store now
Ramachandraiah prints movie posters for a living. He's done it ever since 1 
Outrageously Cute Korean Cosplay: The 21 FavoritesWhile sex workers were planning to set themselves on fire across town (thanks, Comrade Joe), M and I were deep in Comic 
The Creepiest Amusement Park of All Time?Singapore is bland. It's a high-priced row of shopping malls and fine eateries, with a few hawker markets thrown in. " 
Classic Chinese Torture Methods (and their cute names)From the strange reign of Empress Wu Zetian (690-705):
"Inviting the Gentleman into the Jug" - Place the victim in a 
Beijing’s incredible (and completely fake) DisneylandI was always sad Beijing didn't have a Disneyland for weekend fun, but it turns out we do. Well, a fake one. Not far f 
Castration Classes at the Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition HallThe first time I ever met The Professor, he told me about the eunuch museum. He didn't say much. Just that there was o 
The Cockiest Shrine in BangkokAt Bangkok's Goddess Tuptim Shrine, there's something prickly going down.
At this veritable penis park, there a 
Prosthetic Noses, Red Wigs, and Whiteface… American Characters in Chinese FilmsHollywood's never been too subtle when it comes to Asia.
Mickey Rooney, yellow-skinned, buck-toothed and slanty-eyed 
Philadelphia CheeseSteak Ice Cream"That's possibly the worst idea I've ever heard."
Michelle didn't use these words lightly. She didn't say this when 
China’s all-time favorite (and all-time darkest?) comic book: SanmaoNot many foreigners know about Sanmao. Here in China, though, he’s bigger than Disney.
He's as prone to mischief 
Nazi Fashion in ChinaThat's twice I've seen guys on my street wearing the Nazi iron cross.
The first was an office worker on lunch break. 
Hello Kitty & Cuppuccino!Shoved in a back alley of Seoul's hip Hongdae neighborhood, sandwiched somewhere between "Luxury Ho" Bar and the "F**kFa 
Another Abandoned Beijing Amusement ParkWhat is it with these half-built, then abandoned, Beijing amusement parks? We're old fans of The Romance Park of the He 
Beyond the Valley of the Dwarfs: The Strangest Theme Park Ever?"Before coming here, I was tending cattle, and feeding pigs," Xiao Cao told me. "I never even knew how to dance."
"A 
One Ghostly Cambodian Ruin
It used to be a retreat. 90 years ago, the French spent 9 months building Bokor Hill Station up as the ultimate get 
What the Fortune Teller Told Me (Hong Kong)Temple Street night market is amazing. Past the hawkers of clothes, bootleg DVDs, sex toys and octopus porn, there lies 
Porn, Rats, and Antique Projectors at Sri Lanka’s Classic CinemasWe heard there were rats in The Liberty. That it smelled like urine. That the sound was awful. But it's the most famo 
Beijing’s Dongyue Temple and Their 19 Incredible Taoist GodsSo the rapture left you behind, eh? Feeling cheated? Looking for a new deity?
Try Taoism. These gods will kick 
Disgusting, Deranged, and Totally BrilliantI’m not a great filmmaker. Or a famous one. If I was, I wouldn’t have ended up drenched in a 3AM rainstorm of the roof o 
The Sick Collector and His 1000 Pairs of ShoesYang Shaorong lives in a small Shanghai apartment. He collects women's shoes. Tiny shoes. Shoes for bound feet.
" 
Mr. Chiizu: Great New Photobooth AppI stumbled into an old karaoke pal on twitter this weekend. He's now developing iPhone apps. His latest? A stickerbooth 
Only Looking (ミテルだけ) 33> 
Medicinal Sea Horse SoupI adore TCM. But I don't know what to say about this bowl of "Pigeon Soup with Chinese Medicine" we ordered last night 
Chisney & Koreansney: Local Disney KnockoffsWe already have a Beijing ChineDisneyland, and the abandoned WonderDisneyLand. But what about these Disney knockoffs... 
Learn How to Speak North KoreanOn our recent trip to Pyongyang, we picked up this incredible guide to speaking Korean -- clearly with a northern bent. 
AsiaObscura is Moving to IndiaIn a bit of a fit of madness, Michelle and I have decided to move to India. Instead of doing things in a long, planned o 
Incredible Chinese Stamp Museum (first of two)I'm not a stamp geek. My dad is, my nephew is... but to be perfectly honest, I had some low expectations for the Beijin 
18 Terrible Moments from a Taoist HellA few weeks ago, I posted about the Incredible Taoist Gods -- cool court officers tasked with enforcing rules of life an 
Sweet gruesome statue asking for donations(Also known as "The most bad-ass 'donations please' advertisement ever conceived" - io9)
Halfway between the hippie-m 
A Postcard from ErenhotTwo small dogs are attacking a homeless man, while I'm nursing my lingering fever with sidewalk kebabs and a bottle of Y - North Korean StampsTwo different directions.
(I think these were sent to me by the awesome David & Michelle F, who we met in a t
The Chinese Taxidermy Diaries: The First Day"Was he killed?" asked Xiao Li, as he was carefully slicing around the ear, trying to get at the tendon inside.
"No," s 
Strange TCM #3: Eating a deer’s penis… some people swear by it!Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... why on earth would som 
Plants vs Zombies, The Chinese Knockoff ToysZombies -- along with time-travel -- are banned in China. (So don't watch my Beijing zombie music video, Zombie Girl.
Category Archives: Consumerism
Consumerism
Quick Aside on Smoking in China
China just looooooves its smokes. Convenience stores sell them, grocery stores, supermarkets -- and yet STILL you'll still find dedicated tobacco stores on just about every corner. Notice how Little Miss Flowers & Fruits squeezes into a tiny nook, while Mr Brand Name Cigarettes sprawls out double-wide. Yep, there's money in smokes! Need bridal makeup? Forget ...
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii, Somewhat Perverted
Sweet Sexy Dolls (and How to Make Your Own)
You've seen those sexy collectable figurines around Asia, right? You know the ones... in Singapore malls, Beijing shopping centers, all over Japan? Nervous kids and creepy adults browsing the aisles... subtly saucy... Creepily paedo... GABOOMBAH with sweet pink hair and sword. Who buys these things? Who actually sets one of these ladies on their shelf, ...
Consumerism, Lost in Translation
Black Friday Special: Four Products You Shouldn’t Live Without
Trauma Relieving Spray Krack Clit A Free Shart
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii, Offbeat Museums
The Owl Lady and Her Gazillion Owls
I love obsessions, and Myong-Hee Bae is obsessed. She's a freak for owls. Her home is crammed full of 3,000 owl-y items. Clocks, quilts, paintings, stamps, cut-outs hanging from the ceiling, mugs filled with steaming hot tea, candles, toys, and rugs. It was weird. And absolutely wonderful. "Her love of owl started when ...
Consumerism
Why India is Set to Succeed
They even name their fast food restaurants after doctoral degrees. Now that's awesome.
Consumerism
Lighters in Inner Mongolia
Lighters are everywhere in China. The city of Wenzhou, south of Shanghai, is filled with hundreds of lighter factories, but it was on the northern end of the Yellow River in Inner Mongolia that I found this beauty of a lighter. On one side was good old George W Bush with an added mustache. A local ...
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii
Mr. Chiizu: Great New Photobooth App
I stumbled into an old karaoke pal on twitter this weekend. He's now developing iPhone apps. His latest? A stickerbooth app for the iPhone, called Mr. Chiizu. A thing of wonder. Okay, okay, there are no stickers. But also no wading through incomprehensible directions while a Gangnam shopkeeper mocks you in sprawling Korean. No frantically ...
Consumerism
Fantastic Hot Dog Advertising
I can't imagine a stranger way to advertise a hot dog, really. As seen in Ulan Bator, the Mongolian capital.
Consumerism, Copyright Carelessness
Plants vs Zombies, The Chinese Knockoff Toys
Zombies -- along with time-travel -- are banned in China. (So don't watch my Beijing zombie music video, Zombie Girl. Or buy a bootleg copy of my movie, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead.) But that doesn't stop Plants vs Zombies from becoming China's favorite videogame. You hear the theme song ...
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii
Hello Kitty & Cuppuccino!
Shoved in a back alley of Seoul's hip Hongdae neighborhood, sandwiched somewhere between "Luxury Ho" Bar and the "F**kFake" Designer Boutique for Men (asterisks not included in actual name), Hello Kitty lives on. Or her cappuccinos do, at least. That's right, even though Hong Kong's legendary Hello Kitty Cafe lost the fight against gentrification, the ...
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii, Extraordinary Eats
Heavy Petting in Seoul
A little canine with your coffee? Feline with your free time? Find it here at the Dog and Cat Cafes of South Korea’s capital! If you’re feeling that mid-afternoon slump, there are several branches of pet cafes scattered throughout the city where you can un-dull those 4pm doldrums and set your dander allergies on fire. Buy ...
Consumerism, Cute & Kawaii
Super Mario Street Art Attacks Seoul
Wandering the streets of Seoul's hipster haven, Hongdae, you'll find a treasure trove of awesomeness. But one of the first things to strike you on emerging from the Sangsu subway is this Super-collection of feisty videogame plumbers. They're all here: Mario, Luigi, power-ups and bosses, too, painted on every telephone pole for blocks. ...