Tencent, NetEase rethink Japan investments after yielding few blockbuster video games

Tencent, NetEase rethink Japan investments after yielding few blockbuster video games

The previously unreported moves to cut back staff and spending in Japan follow years of investment in the world’s No 3 gaming market, with not much to show for it. China’s two dominant game publishers sought to escape a stagnating home market by making a series of bets in Japan since 2020, looking to incubate … Read more

Park Seo Joon shares captivating BTS glimpses from Tokyo fan meeting

Park Seo Joon shares captivating BTS glimpses from Tokyo fan meeting

Park Seo Joon is currently engaging with fans on his ‘Seojoon’s Time’ fan meeting tour, which began with a successful event in Seoul on August 10. Following this, Park Seo Joon made his way to Tokyo on August 23, delighting fans with an engaging and memorable meet-and-greet. The tour is set to continue with a … Read more

How Mr Cheesecake chef created exclusive milk tea flavour for its Hong Kong pop-up store

How Mr Cheesecake chef created exclusive milk tea flavour for its Hong Kong pop-up store

Tamura, who grew up in Tokyo, can still recall the cheesecakes his mother gave him on his birthdays as a child, including one with freshly made strawberry sauce. In March 2024, Koji Tamura opened a Mr Cheesecake pop-up store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, and has recently introduced a special milk tea cheesecake. Photo: … Read more

Can China’s ‘city of the future’ Xiongan really convince people to swap Beijing life?

Can China’s ‘city of the future’ Xiongan really convince people to swap Beijing life?

The site, which was an open plain dotted by rivers and wetlands and home to a small rural community a decade ago, is now fully connected physically and digitally to the rest of China. According to official records, about 200 state-owned enterprises have set up subsidiaries in the city, and a number of universities in … Read more

Photographer Greg Girard on a Hong Kong x Taipei street photography workshop he’s hosting

Photographer Greg Girard on a Hong Kong x Taipei street photography workshop he’s hosting

Girard was to spend the next few decades in the region, photographing the evolving landscapes of some of Asia’s largest cities – Tokyo, Shanghai, Bangkok – during the latter part of the 20th century. Golden Lion Bar, Wan Chai, Hong Kong 1974. Photo: Greg Girard/Blue Lotus Gallery Hong Kong was home for almost two decades … Read more

Opinion | The best Japanese egg salad sandwich recipes use Kewpie mayo. US 7-Elevens, don’t alter it

Opinion | The best Japanese egg salad sandwich recipes use Kewpie mayo. US 7-Elevens, don’t alter it

The excitement is palpable. Tamago sando love runs deep among foreign travellers to Japan, though that may befuddle locals. It is often the first thing I grab when I get off the plane in Tokyo to stave off hanger while I head to my hotel, and sometimes I hoard one the night before an early … Read more

More than 120 people die in Tokyo from heatstroke in July

More than 120 people die in Tokyo from heatstroke in July

TOKYO —  More than 120 people died of heatstroke in the Tokyo metropolitan area in July, when the nation’s average temperature hit record highs and heat warnings were in effect much of the month, Japanese authorities said Tuesday. According to the Tokyo Medical Examiner’s Office, many of the 123 people who died were elderly. All … Read more

Canada has ‘serious concerns’ about Venezuelan election results, Freeland says

Canada has ‘serious concerns’ about Venezuelan election results, Freeland says

Canada’s deputy prime minister is echoing comments made by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, saying Canada has “serious concerns” about the official results of the election in Venezuela. Speaking in Toronto, Chrystia Freeland said the government is in conversation with its allies over the results amid claims from Venezuelans that the vote was rigged. “Canada has … Read more

Singapore is named the safest destination in the world for travelers

Singapore is named the safest destination in the world for travelers

Singapore is the world’s safest city for tourists, according to new research by Forbes Advisor. The study, which analyzed factors such as crime, healthcare quality and risks of natural disasters, ascribed safety scores from 0 to 100 — with the safest cities receiving the lowest scores. Based on the study’s assessment, Singapore scored 0 points. … Read more