Japanese Internment: America’s Dark History
In Honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I thought I would cover a topic a little closer to home.
Shingo, Aomori: The Sacred Land You Never Knew Existed
Shingo is a small village in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, which would not be on the map for most tourists had it not been for the bold claims boasted by residents.
In Defense of Dark Tourism: Learning from Our Dark Past
You may have heard the term “dark tourism” before. Its popularity has been growing, at least in the eyes of the media, over the past few years. Dark tourism is the act of visiting sites associated with death or suffering. Auschwitz, Chernobyl, Gettysburg, and the Catacombs of Paris are all examples of dark tourist destinations. […]
How Starlux is Challenging the Status Quo
Starlux Airlines made their Debut on January 23, 2020 1, just days before WHO announced a Global Health Emergency. A Few days later, on February 2, travel restrictions began2. By all accounts, the impeccably bad timing of Starlux’s start had plane enthusiasts watching in anticipation, just waiting for the company’s collapse. By all accounts, this […]
Taiwan Needs to be On Your Bucket List
I grew up on Japanese pop culture and as I got older I developed a love for the culture and history surrounding the country. I have studied both Chinese and Japanese languages in school, but until I met my husband, Taiwan was not a place I thought about much. It was always a place I […]
Penghu: Shining Pearl of the Taiwan Strait
My husband’s grandfather was a Marine in the Taiwanese military, which means my mother-in-law spent her childhood in Penghu. This archipelago falls within the Taiwanese territory and serves as a unique island getaway for locals and tourists alike. Summers offer a relaxing summer getaway, but in winter months it has some of the highest winds […]
Travel to Japan: You May Want to Plan Ahead
Visa-free tourism has resumed in Japan since October of 2022, and all those hungry tourist looking forward to the many offerings of this beautiful country are eager to hop on the next flight to the land of the rising sun. As tempting as it may be to drop everything and go, two years has changed […]
Valentine’s Day and White Day: Celebrating Love in Japan
Love is in the air as February 14th quickly approaches. In the West, and especially in the United States, Valentine’s day is the holiday where you show your significant other just how much they mean to you through gifts of jewelry, flowers, chocolate, or whatever speaks to your partner. But over time, the holiday has […]
7-Eleven Sensation: True Convenience in East Asia
In the United States, 7-Eleven is known as a gas station and convenience store chain. And they may persist as a convenience store everywhere else as well, but they have a much more important role to play in countries like Japan and Taiwan. I know speaking about a convenience store doesn’t seem exciting but bear […]
Lunar New Year 2023: The Rabbit and Gifting
Lunar New Year is known as the largest human migration in the world. With numerous East and Southeast Asian countries observing the holiday, planes fill with families eager to gather at home for festivities and tradition. While Lunar New Year is celebrated across plenty of countries from China to Vietnam and everywhere in between, every […]
