A little refreshing randomness from around the globe
It is the world`s only parasite museum.
Its centerpiece is a 8.8 meter tapeworm. Selected from a collection of thousands, three hundred or so specimens dot the two stories of Meguro`s Parasite Museum - in Tokyo, next to the Otori-Jinga shrine. The second story includes an interactive world map: press a button for a specific disease, and it […]
In Japan, square footage is worth its weight in gold. They are the province of travelers, and Japanese businessmen who miss their last train. These hotels are available all over major Japanese cities - especially Tokyo, where even cemeteries are housed in skyscrapers. These hotels closely resemble youth hostels - the sleeping berths are two meters […]
There is a house in South Korea shaped like a toilet.
It is the work of no mere waste-obsessed eccentric. This house was built by none other than Sim Jae-duck, the chairman of the organizing committee of the Inaugural General Assembly of the World Toilet Association. Jae-Duck’s organization exists to draw attention to one thing: the […]
“To be asleep, but present.”
This is the Japanese art - or gift - of ‘inemuri.’ In the most sleep-deprived nation on Earth, the Japanese talent for falling asleep anywhere - on trains, in elevators, during meetings - is both necessary, and admired. In Japan’s workaholic culture, falling asleep out of exhaustion is a testament to […]
They are wooden robots. They are, obviously, from Japan.
They are called ‘Karakuri Ningyo:’ ‘karakuri,’ to mean a mechanical object which takes a person by surprise, and ‘ningyo,’ to mean a puppet, doll, or even effigy. Their mechanisms are a brilliant interplay of gears, sand, and even mercury - a combination that allowed some of the […]
It might be the best Indian food you’ll ever have.
The langar is a staple of Sikh worship - and is absolutely free, to everyone. No creed, color, nationality, or even religion is turned away. You sit on the floor, in rows that may stretch as long as a football field, as volunteers dish out ample […]
It’s been called ‘the worst building in the history of mankind.’
And Kim Jong-il would have been so proud. The Ryugyong (”Capitol of Willows”) Hotel stands 105-stories tall in the dead-center of Pyongyang, the capitol of North Korea. At its inception, it was hoped to have 3.9 million square feet of floor space (and seven revolving […]
Once upon a time, off the coast of Turkey, a gigantic rock sat in the middle of the ocean. Unable to budge it, the local villagers summoned a man who was known to possess the ‘evil eye.’ ‘My,’ he said. ‘What a big rock that is.’ And with a deafening crack, the rock split in […]
Loi Krathong makes 4th of July look tame.
Fire lanterns are released en masse. They symbolize the grief and misfortune of the previous year, and they float off into the distance. Fireworks erupt. And people watch bits of flame float off, providing a wistful sort of closure for the year.
Revelers also make krathongs - little floats […]
Tanuki - or ‘raccoon dogs,’ which are related to dogs but not raccoons - are beloved creatures of Japanese folklore. Statues of these animals sit outside Japanese temples, with large bellies (denoting luck) and holding a cup of sake, for which they’ll never pay.
Tanukis are notorious shapeshifters: they have fooled monks by transforming into tea-kettles. […]
