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Portraits 22 images Created 9 Nov 2010

There are as many faces in Asia as there are personalities, moods and attitudes. Just a few of them are shown here....
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  • Apprentice geisha are called maiko literally "dance child". It is the maiko, with her white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle, that has become the stereotype of a geisha to Westerners. Geiko as they are called in Kyoto (Geisha elsewhere in Japan) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.
    maiko-3.jpg
  • Costume Play Diver with Accessories - A wide variety of "costume play" getups: goths, cartoon characters from Japanese manga, anime, the sweet & innocent frilly look of "maids" or combinations in between.  Every Sunday these cosplay characters converge on Harajuku, Tokyo's fashion district to strut their stuff. Most casual observers imagine that cosplay is a reaction to the rigid rules of Japanese society. But since so many cosplay girls congregate in Aoyama - Tokyo headquarters of high fashion designers, some consider this to be a some kind of reaction to orthodox fashion. Whatever the cause cosplay aficionados put a tremendous amount of effort into their costumes, making the phenomenon a hit all around the world.
    costume-play-1.jpg
  • Thai cook proudly displaying her beautifully carved vegetables.  As with most world-class cuisines, the presentation of the food is almost as important as its taste and preparation.  A beautiful Thai smile doesn't hurt in the presentation either.
    thai-smile.jpg
  • Thai man having a chat on his cellphone, showing his ornate dragon tattoo.  Though temporary tattoos are increasingly popular, the real thing e.g. permanent ones, can be works of art and a form of self-expression.
    thai-tatoo.jpg
  • Japanese service quality is light years ahead of the rest of the world. Almost everybody who visits Japan raves about it.  The Japanese style of service quality comes very much from their culture and upbringing. From young, kids in Japan were taught religiously - at home or in school - to observe being respectful to their elders and to think of others before themselves.  Delightful service encounters in Japan are fairly universal. You can get it not only in five star hotels, but also in the little family restaurants tucked away in the allies.
    japanese-server-02.jpg
  • Filipinos are a musical people, who love to sing.  Entertainers from the Philippines can be found in almost any hotel lobby or club from Tokyo to Shanghai.  Not only is there a long, musical history in the Philippines but the country is renowned for its hand-made accoustic guitars, especially those made on Mactan Island near Cebu.
    filipino-guitar-player-02.jpg
  • Flower Hmong girls with a bouquet of yellow roses.  Hmong groups began a gradual southward migration from China due to unrest and to find more arable land - as a result  Hmong now live in several countries in Southeast Asia including Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and Burma.  There are various types of Hmong throughout Southeast Asia, including the Flower Hmong shown here, named after the styles of their clothing and costumes.
    flower-hmong-2.jpg
  • In Hinduism, a sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or yogi who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (enjoyment), artha (practical objectives), and dharma (duty). The sadhu is dedicated to achieving the fourth and final Hindu goal of life - liberation through meditation. Sadhus usually wear ochre colored clothing, symbolizing renunciation.
    sadhu-kathmandu-1.jpg
  • Geisha, or geiko as they are called in Kyoto, are traditionally entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance. Apprentice geisha are called maiko literally "dance child". It is the maiko with her white make-up and elaborate kimono and hairstyle, that has become the stereotype of a geisha to Westerners.
    geisha-1.jpg
  • Friendly Buddhist monk playing with his dog on the grounds of Bayon, Angkor Thom.
    cambodian-monk-1.jpg
  • The  population of Bali of three million live mostly on the island making up 90% of Bali's total.  Balinese culture is perhaps most known for its dance, dramas and frequent ceremonies related to their religions and traditions. Balinese culture is a mix of Balinese Hindu  religious custom and native Balinese customs.
    balinese-woman-01.jpg
  • Nepalese Man in a Sherpa Hat  - The population of Nepal is made up of diverse ethnic groups lncluding the Newar, Sherpa, Thakali, Tamangs, Tibetans and the Gurung.  Nepal is meeting place of Indo-Aryan peoples from the Indian subcontinent as well as the Mongoloid people of the Himalaya regions.
    nepalese-man.jpg
  • Japanese boy at Shichi-Go-San, literally seven-five-three, a traditional rite of passage in Japan held annually on November 15.  The event is not a national holiday, so it is often observed on the nearest weekend and these days througout November.  Boys who are aged three or five and girls who are aged three or seven are dressed in kimono, usually for the first time, for visits to shrines.
    shichi-go-san-3.jpg
  • Debating Monks at Sera Monastery - One of the striking features of Tibetan monk debates is that they are quite physical. They are marked by emphatic gestures such as the loud clapping of hands used by the questioner to punctuate each question.  These gestures have great symbolic value though debaters are rarely aware of such symbolic meanings, at the time. For them, the clapping and gestures  bring them a clarity that can help mobilize the intellectual capacities of the debaters and capture the attention of the audience.
    debating-tibetan-monks-3.jpg
  • Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs.  Matsuri is the Japanese word for a festival. In Japan, festivals are usually sponsored by a local shrine or temple, though they can be secular. There is no specific matsuri days for all of Japan; dates vary from area to area, and even within a specific area, but festival days do tend to cluster around traditional holidays such as Setsubun or Obon. Almost every locale has at least one matsuri in late summer or autumn, usually related to the harvests. Matsuri almost always feature processions which include elaborate floats and "mikoshi" or portable shrines which are paraded around the neighborhood.
    kamakura-matsuri-7.jpg
  • Smiling Henro on the Shikoku Pilgrimage - the Pilgrimage is a trail of 88 temples on Shikoku and is believed that all 88 temples were visited by the famous Buddhist monk Kukai, founder of the Shingon school, who was born at Zentsuji Temple in 774.  To complete the pilgrimage, it is not necessary to visit the temples in order.  The pilgrimage is traditionally completed on foot, but modern pilgrims use cars, taxis, buses, bicycles or motorcycles. The walking course is approximately 1200km long and can take anywhere from 30 to 60 days to complete. "Henro" is the Japanese word for pilgrim - they are recognizable by their white clothing,  special walking sticks with bells and sedge hats.
    henro-7.jpg
  • Man with his Iguana and body painting of Santo Nino the local patron saint of Cebu. Santo Nino is typically clothed in expensive textile robes mostly donations from fervent devotees in the Philippines and abroad. Santo Nino is "big" in Cebu City, though with no known connections to iguanas.
    iguana-man-01.jpg
  • Sri Lankan Buddhist Monk - Buddhism in Sri Lanka is primarily of the Theravada school, and constitutes the religious faith of about 70% of the population.  According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 2nd century BCE by Venerable Mahinda, the son of the Emperor Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King Devanampiyatissa. During this time, a sapling of the Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries were established under the sponsorship of the Sri Lankan king.
    sri-lankan-monk.jpg
  • Sinulog is an annual festival held on the third Sunday of January in Cebu, the  Philippines. The festival honors the vision of the child Jesus, known as Santo Niño who used to be the patron Saint of the City of Cebu. The festival takes several days with beauty pageants, contests, and street dances that commemorates the Cebuano peoples' Islamic and pagan origin and their acceptance of Roman Catholicism after the arrival of Magellan.
    sinulog-15.jpg
  • Costume Play Bloody Brunette Nurse - A wide variety of "costume play" getups from nurses, bloddy nurses,  goths, cartoon characters from Japanese manga and anime...Every Sunday cosplayers meet up in Harajuku, Tokyo's fashion quarter and show their latest creations. Casual observers think that cos-play is a reaction to the rigid rules of Japanese society. But since so many cosplay girls Tokyo's high fashion district HQ for Hanae Mori, Fendi and Issey Miyake, some pundits observe that it is rather a reaction to high fashion.  You can't help but imagine what they could possibly wear on Monday mornings though.
    costume-play-3.jpg
  • Food in the Philippines usually means fresh seafood.  Here a Filipino chef shows off his catch of the day - a giant yellowfin tuna caught by one of the local fishermen and delivered fresh to the door of the restaurant.
    yellowfin-tuna-1.jpg
  • Drinking Tea - Japanese green tea, or ocha is the most common drink in Japan.  Not only is it loaded with vitamin C and caffeine but its antioxidant and healthy properties are making this drink a hit all around the world.
    japanese-tea-drinkers.jpg