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Top Obscura
21 Amazing Bangalore Breakfast Dishes 
The Creepiest Amusement Park of All Time? 
China’s all-time favorite (and all-time darkest?) comic book: Sanmao 
Classic Chinese Torture Methods (and their cute names) 
Amazing Old Bollywood Poster Shops 
Beijing’s incredible (and completely fake) Disneyland 
Why Chinese People Eat Sea Horse 
The 38th Reich: Korean Nazi Cosplay 
India’s Incredibly Cool Hand-Drawn Movie Posters 
Prosthetic Noses, Red Wigs, and Whiteface… American Characters in Chinese Films 
Why Chinese People Eat Ants 
This Hindu God has 1,000 Vaginas! 
Castration Classes at the Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall 
Nazi Fashion in China 
What the Fortune Teller Told Me (Hong Kong) 
Why Chinese People Eat Deer Penis 
One Ghostly Cambodian Ruin 
About Andy Deemer & AsiaObscura 
The Insane Monkey Bar in Tokyo 
Beijing’s Single Most Horrific Meal 
The Sick Collector and His 1000 Pairs of Shoes 
A Huge Pile of Gorgeous Old Thai Movie Posters 
Whoring in Chiang Mai 
Learn How to Speak North Korean 
Why Chinese People Eat Snake as Medicine 
Those Creepy Japanese Videos, Finally Explained 
Philadelphia CheeseSteak Ice Cream 
The Best Place to Eat and Poop, Together! - Awesomely Steampunk Portable Corn Roaster
A Huge New Horde of Hand-drawn Indian Movie Posters 
Pyongyang Too: A Tribute to Guy Delisle 
The New iOS Game From the Creators of AsiaObscura 
18 Terrible Moments from a Taoist Hell 
Red Onion-Flavored Red Wine 
Gorgeously Gory Paintings in a Burmese Temple 
Beijing’s Dongyue Temple and Their 19 Incredible Taoist Gods 
American Imperialist Bastards in a North Korean Comic Book 
Sweet gruesome statue asking for donations 
A Postcard from Erenhot 
On Horse Meat Sashimi 
The Taj Mahal… Murder, Incest, and Fratricide 
Small Children Feeding Live Animals to Tigers in a Chinese Zoo 
Outrageously Cute Korean Cosplay: The 21 Favorites - Why Chinese People Eat Fried Worms
A Sweet New Batch of Indian Movie Posters 
Antilia: The Most Gratuitous House in Mumbai 
Another Diana Pose at the Taj Mahal 
The Eko Nugroho Flower Suit Lives On 
Porn, Rats, and Antique Projectors at Sri Lanka’s Classic Cinemas 
Plants vs Zombies, The Chinese Knockoff Toys
Tag Archives: weird
Extraordinary Eats
Ice Cream Flavored Soda, the Perfect Summer Treat
Headline says it all, if you ask me. Michelle's first words after a pull were more like shrieks. "Oh my god," she cried. "It's like an ice cream float in a bottle!" Softly vanilla-scented and creamy, barely carbonated, sweet but not too sweet, it was just lovely. I added a strong pour of Mongolian vodka, and a ...
Offbeat Museums
Castration Classes at the Beijing Eunuch Culture Exhibition Hall
The first time I ever met The Professor, he told me about the eunuch museum. He didn't say much. Just that there was one. In West Beijing. "You really should go," he said. "It's... well, it's interesting." He adjusted his glasses the way a professor should, but he wouldn't say more. ...
Fashionista
Nazi Fashion in China
That's twice I've seen guys on my street wearing the Nazi iron cross. The first was an office worker on lunch break. He was dressed in a handsome suit, but in place of a tie wore a heavy Nazi cross. He saw me staring, and he smiled. I think he thought it looked dapper. ...
Extraordinary Eats, Sweet Movies and Wild Books
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 I'd suggested we fly across the country to a park staffed by 108 dwarfs, or we hand-feed live animals to hungry tigers, or we train to become professional taxidermists. But evidently Michelle has her limits, too. ...
Holy Curiosities, Theme Parks
15 More Pictures from weirdoid Tiger Balm Park
AsiaObscura friend Dawn Xiana Moon (dawnxianamoon.com) sent over a pile more pix from the absolutely incredible statues and terrifying dioramas at Tiger Balm Park aka Har Paw Villa. See our original story here, or click on her pix below for full-sized versions....
Holy Curiosities, Theme Parks
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. "It's soooooo boring," warned my hairdresser Miss P. But then you stumble on something like this. The Tiger Balm Gardens: The most disturbing theme park of all time. There's sex, violence, bear-maulings and scabies. ...
Historical Wonders, Sweet Movies and Wild Books
Inspector Black Cat: China’s Gore-Soaked Answer to Tom & Jerry
Cute baby bunnies, frolicking in a field. Identical twin monkeys, playing hide and seek. A sweet baby panda, serving soup to his sickly mother. This is how the 1986 mainland cartoon for kids, Inspector Black Cat (黑猫警长), always starts. But then... well, let's just say it's Tarantino time. Plenty of cartoons are violent, but in Inspector ...
Copyright Carelessness, Fashionista
Best Skirt in the Worst Spot Possible
You may have seen my post about the Red Restaurant, where dancers, singers and audiences recreate and celebrate the years of famine and starvation of the Great Leap Forward, and the torture and slaughter of the Cultural Revolution. Something I left out was this lady. While many were dressed in the red guard dress of ...
Lost in Translation
Non-beach Things from Beijing’s Fake Beach
They're strict about this.... They were out of this.... We didn't understand this.... This was the only way out.... All this, and more, at Crab Island.
AO Events
Sat July 30: Join us at Copyright Infringement Park (aka Disneyland Beijing!)
Update: it's gorgeous out, so get your suntan lotion, your sunglasses, and camera, and prepare for an amazing day! There's no reason to travel all the way to Hong Kong, when Beijing has it's own Disneyland right here! Sure, it's fake, and weird, and... crumbling, but it couldn't be more fun! Discover the unlicensed ...
Shameless Promotion, The Occult
Phnom Penh Insider Investigates AsiaObscura
A few months ago, we ran a rather scandalous report on the insane ting mong scarecrows we'd spotted in the jungles of Cambodia. They were terrifying, but we knew almost nothing about them. Our driver was vague, the hotel receptionist insisted she'd never seen them before. So we slapped up the photos, ...
Historical Wonders, Sweet Movies and Wild Books
China’s all-time favorite (and all-time darkest?) comic book: Sanmao
Not many foreigners know about Sanmao. Here in China, though, he’s bigger than Disney. He's as prone to mischief as Bart Simpson. As endlessly honest as Richie Rich. And as dark as Charlie Brown. Darker. Even though Sanmao comics are as much for kids as they are adults, they're filled with death, ...
Life in Miniature, Theme Parks
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." "And now, she's our leading dancer!" laughed Zhang Furong. Xiao Cao is a dancer. Zhang Furong is a singer. They're both under 4'3" tall. They live in, and perform at, The ...
Somewhat Perverted
Those Creepy Japanese Videos, Finally Explained
If you've been wondering about the creepy Japanese videos I've been posting -- videos of girls staring blankly at the camera for a minute, then uttering a single short phrase -- I'm finally ready to offer an explanation. They're called "ミテルだけ" (pronounced "miteru dake") which means "Just Looking" or "Only Looking." I first heard about ...
Extraordinary Eats, Historical Wonders, Strange Tourism
Video of the Cultural Revolution Restaurant
I gave all the juicy details of this restaurant where you can make merry, while celebrating the best of the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap Forward, earlier this week. But here, for your pleasure, is some video of the mad show and the flag-waving audience. For China: For elsewhere:
Holy Curiosities
Giving Babies The Right Way
Okay, okay, I've been dwelling on the dark side of Taoism for too long. Sure, 19 Incredible Taoist Gods was an awesome series of sweet court officer pix, and Terrible Moments from a Taoist Temple was a collection of terrifying dioramas, but what about the lighter, cuter side of the religion? Is there one? ...
Historical Wonders, Holy Curiosities
Beijing’s Dongyue Temple and Their 19 Incredible Taoist Gods
So the rapture left you behind, eh? Feeling cheated? Looking for a new deity? Try Taoism. These gods will kick your ass! Okay, maybe not all of them. Some, like this swarthy fellow, will just make sure when you're reborn, you'll get your deserved rank. Fail to accomplish enough good in this ...
Extraordinary Eats
The Best Place to Eat and Poop, Together!
Shenzhen is China's legendary modern city, so what better place for the modern craze that's already swept Taiwan: Toilet Restaurants! Yes, that's right... eateries dedicated to the modern sit-down crapper! Can you imagine selling any other restaurant with a promotional poster like this one? At "Modern Toilet" restaurant, you sit on a gleaming clean pooper while ...
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 ...
Somewhat Perverted
The 38th Reich: Korean Nazi Cosplay
A couple of days ago, I posted my favorite pictures of cute Korean cosplay girls -- but that's the light-hearted side of Korean cosplay. Flip the switch -- today it's time for the dark half. That's right: Korean Nazis! Now many of you are probably horrified. It's still too recent. But the Koreans love ...
Strange Tourism, Theme Parks
Fiendishly Fun Photo Ops at World Park
While we were busy on our own adventures, Chinese tourists flocked to Beijing's glorious World Park of their own accord. Some of them with entire camera crews in tow. Wedding photos, engagement photos, bff shots, they were costumed, posed, and so immaculately arranged. Here's a couple of our favorites! Even those who didn't ...
The Occult
Insanely Creepy Cambodian Scarecrows
It's so easy to be seduced by the beauty and simple peace of Cambodia... Oh, the temples, the jungles, the country roads. Although behind such breathtaking beauty sometimes there hides a wretched darkness. "Wha? What was that?" The first one we passed, we thought it was a man hiding in a bush. Waving a ...
Holy Curiosities, The Occult
The Modern Afterlife
With Melaka being a culture mix of Indian, Malay, Chinese, Dutch and Portuguese, amongst others, local customs are very much honored and preserved. Buddhists, keeping up with modern times, offer their ancestors the very best in the afterlife. Apart from the expected cash to spend and incense to purify and keep them from ...
Uncategorized
Happy Easter!
Here's another lamb-alicious clip from the 1975 cultural revolution ballet, "Sons & Daughters of the Grassland." Remember, while watching, that that lamb is a metaphor for something or other. Oh, I'm probably imagining that. Happy Easter, and enjoy!
Uncategorized
AquaWeird in Qingdao
Yesterday I posted about the strange fish you'll find in Qingdao's Huilan Pavilion (as seen on every Qingdao and Tsingtao bottle of beer) -- but that's not all you'll find inside. For your four kuai (about $0.60) admission, you'll enter a strange world of aquatic wonders. Like this bizarre lizard-fish...Actually, as a couple friends ...
Sweet Movies and Wild Books
Film 101, with Guest Professor Kim Jong Il
(Happy Kim Il Sung's eternal birthday!)Sergei Eisenstein wrote extensively on film theory. As did Lloyd Kaufman. So, knowing what a film buff Kim Jong Il is, I was proud to see he'd already hopped on that bandwagon. I recently picked up his fascinating 1987 treatise on filmmaking techniques, "The Cinema and Directing." It's short at ...
Modern Ruins, The Occult
Fake Graveyards outside Beijing
The Beijing suburbs are expanding like mad.We spent the last ten days living in a small Tongzhou village, an hour east of Beijing, and construction was non-stop. Every day we were there, a ramshackle house was torn down and replaced by a building site. New walls would go up in hours. Bricks and dust were ...
Extraordinary Eats
Fish Heads in the Hutongs
Walking through Beijing, I'm never sure whether things are to be thrown away, or if they're the meal being prepared.
Cute & Kawaii, Extraordinary Eats
Soy Sauce Kit Kats (and other awesome flavors)
I was a little confused about the Tokyo airport when I flew through there a few weeks ago. It seemed so... rundown. Ceiling tiles missing, chairs blocking entrances, stores closed. And then I saw this sign. Uh-oh. What had I missed during my media blockout? Turns out the third reactor was ...