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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.
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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: Strange Medicine
Strange Medicine
This Has To Be The Worst Massage Of All Time
I found this lovely flyer in our swank Pondicherry hotel room... Couldn't help remembering this place I happened on in Bangkok:
Strange Medicine
Strange TCM #5: Sea horses, the oceanic aphrodisiac
Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... And a few months ago, I decided to find out. This is the final part in my "Strange TCM" series, following "eating snake for healthier skin," "eating ants to keep that lustrous hair," "deer penis will keep ...
Strange Medicine
Strange TCM #4: How to eat fried worms (and why it’s so popular in China)
Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... And a few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part four in the "Strange TCM" series, following "eating snake for healthier skin," "eating ants to keep that lustrous hair" and "deer penis will keep ...
Somewhat Perverted, Strange Medicine
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 someone eat this madness? A few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part three in the "Strange TCM" series, which I started with "eating snake for healthier skin" and "eating ...
Other Obscura, Strange Medicine
My doctor’s incredible office design…
I'm not sure what's more disturbing: this doctor's office interior decor sensibility, or the fact that I still let her dig around in my ear canal. (The camera is pretty exactly vertical.)
Strange Medicine
Strange TCM #2: Eating Ants to Keep That Sweet Hairline
Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop and wonder... why on earth would someone eat these crazy things? A few months ago, I decided to find out. This is part two in the "Strange TCM" series, which I started last week with "why people eat snake ...
Extraordinary Eats, Strange Medicine
Strange TCM #1: Eat Snake for a Smoother Skin
Every time I pass by one of those classic Chinese pharmacies, I can't help but stop. You've seen them -- the deer antlers and sea cucumbers sold in gift boxes; the dusty owls perched above the counter; the ants, sea horses, and snakes in cabinets. You can't help but wonder... at least, I can't... why ...
Extraordinary Eats, Strange Medicine
Medicinal Sea Horse Soup
I adore TCM. But I don't know what to say about this bowl of "Pigeon Soup with Chinese Medicine" we ordered last night at Gongti's Xuxian Lou (许仙楼的《川弓海马乳鸽汤》). Yep, that's a sea horse floating on top. I found myself eating around it, taking bites of dark red meats, chewing down foul beans, and sipping up the ...
Strange Medicine
TCM 101: Cupping
When she heard about my plan to get cupped, my old battleaxe of a language tutor was furious. "How can you make games of this? This is not a game! It's serious!" And serious, it is. But it's also pretty damn cool. Cupping draws bad blood to the surface, stimulating blood flow and qi. In ...
Offbeat Museums, Somewhat Perverted, Strange Medicine
Forensic Science Museum, Bangkok
Deep in the bowels of the King's Hospital, if you look hard enough, you'll eventually find the stomach-churning absolutely wonderful Forensic Science Museum. I've a weak stomach, but the permanent exhibit here is unmissable. (Photos aren't allowed, so I apologize for this scarce and clumsy record. You'll clearly have to go, yourself.) ...