You may have been to Tokyo, Osaka and Hokkaido, and may even proclaim yourself to be a true lover of Japanese culture, people or history — a Japanophile, or the Japanese equivalent, ‘shinnichi’ (親日). However, you wouldn’t call yourself a true fan unless you’ve been to Kyushu.Earlier this year, AirAsia launched a new route to Kyushu.

Quick question: what comes to mind when you think about Chinatown in KL? Or, what would you picture when someone says they would like to take a visit to Chinatown?Let’s be honest, apart from the street food and markets (filled with plenty haggling opportunities), not many Malaysians would take a trip towards that part of the city and the newer generation would prefer to skip it altogether.

Featured image: 123RFReady for deployment to the world’s largest water fight? Let’s swing into action in Thailand!One of the most iconic attractions from the ‘Land of Smiles’, Songkran is an important event in the Thai calendar, marking the New Year and fresh beginnings. It is easy to look at it as water war on steroids, but the festivities actually have a lot of cultural symbolisms.

 Did you know how many New Year celebrations we have in Southeast Asia? Not one, not two, but at least three! That means you get three chances of pursuing your New Year resolutions before failing at them. Again!Yes, we’re talking about Songkran! This holiday is mainly associated with Thailand, but similar festivities can also be found in other Southeast Asian countries like Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.Songkran is just right around the corner.

What does ‘coming of age’ mean to you? For many communities across the world, it’s not as drab as throwing a birthday party or getting a driver’s license. Some young men and women have to go through extreme hardships to be deemed worthy of adulthood. As if going through puberty is not enough hassle!1.

You know that one seemingly perfect friend who looks as if he/she is on a perpetual Instagram filter, even when he/she is doing the most boring thing like buying groceries or stirring a cup of tea? If countries were people, Japan would be him/her.For most people, the word ‘manhole’ conjures up an unpleasant image (or for certain individuals like our immature editor, something to giggle about).  But in Japan, manhole covers are fun, colourful and artistic.