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  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Urashima Taro is a Japanese legend about a young fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the palace of Ryujin the Dragon God under the sea. He stays there for a few days and on his return finds that he has aged 300 years. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-15.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-7.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Urashima Taro is a Japanese legend about a young fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the palace of Ryujin the Dragon God under the sea. He stays there for a few days and on his return finds that he has aged 300 years. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-14.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-13.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-11.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-1.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-17.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-16.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-8.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Urashima Taro is a Japanese legend about a young fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the palace of Ryujin the Dragon God under the sea. He stays there for a few days and on his return finds that he has aged 300 years. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-5.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-4.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-3.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Urashima Taro is a Japanese legend about a young fisherman who rescues a turtle and is rewarded with a visit to the palace of Ryujin the Dragon God under the sea. He stays there for a few days and on his return finds that he has aged 300 years. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-2.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-18.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-12.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-9.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-10.jpg
  • Takeshima Fantasy Museum displays a magical world created from over 50,000 shells from 110 different countries. Admire the creations of coral reefs, mermaids, tunnels, shipwrecks, puffing dragons, and even the story of Urashima Taro. Each sculpture is made completely out of shells.
    Takeshima-Fantasy-Museum-6.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-8.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-4.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-2.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-3.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-6.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-9.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-5.jpg
  • Bangkok Dreamworld Fairy Tale Land - Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into several zones with specific groups of rides such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of this park is filled with over 40 imported thrill rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land where you can enjoy an exotic atmosphere filled with bright colors and ambience.  Or how about Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden.  Too corny?  Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon.
    bangkok-dreamworld-10.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into several zones with specific groups of rides such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of this park is filled with over 40 imported thrill rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land where you can enjoy an exotic atmosphere filled with bright colors and ambience.  Or how about Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden.  Too corny?  Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon.
    bangkok-dreamworld-11.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-1.jpg
  • Dreamworld is an amusement park in  Pathum Thani just north of Bangkok. The park is divided into zones with specific themes such as Dream World Plaza, Dream Gardens, Fantasy Land, and Adventure Land.  The interior of the park is filled with over 40 imported rides and family attractions such as Fairy Tale Land, or Love Garden where you can fill your heart with love in the beautifully cultivated and romantically decorated garden complete with Cupid - among hundreds of floral heart creations scattered throughout the garden. Try the  Witch's Cave - the skull-shaped cave is the place where the wicked witch lives with her pet fire dragon
    bangkok-dreamworld-7.jpg
  • Every Easter Sunday, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, San Francisco's beloved sect of cross-dressing nuns, host The Hunky Jesus Competition in Dolores Park - celebrating people who take the look of "our lord and savior" and transform it into "our lord and sexy."  The sisters believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose bigotry and ignorance.  The Hunky Jesus Competition is the highlight of the Sisters' free Easter party that's been going on in the Mission's premiere public space for over three decades. These events bring all all the drag queens and even a few designers in the city because of features such as a bonnet contest and drag performances..  One of those only-in-San-Francisco events.
    hunky-jesus-contest-12.jpg
  • Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion flagship stores are located here, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton....  In recent years extraordinary architecture has gone up including the De Beers Building, Mikimoto Building among others.  Ginza is named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period..
    mikimoto-ginza-2.jpg
  • Statue of a locally prominent politician Datuk Wira Gan Boon Leong. He was once possessed the title of 'Mr. Universe', 'Mr. Asia' and 'Mr. Malaysia' in body building. This statue is located just in front of his body building academy in Malacca Chinatown.
    gan-boon-leong-1.jpg
  • The Christmas House is a one-of-a-kind institution designed by Dr. Rico Absin, an anesthesiologist in the city of Dumaguete.  All the young and the young-at-heart flock to the nutty Spanish mansion of  Dr. Absin, a practicing anesthesiologist  who has successfully created an institution out of a genuine passion for art and decoration and a flair for the dramatic. .
    christmas-house-dumaguete-01.jpg
  • Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco. The name reflects the fact that the race starts a few blocks from San Francisco Bay and runs west through the city to finish at the Pacific coast, where breakers crash onto Ocean Beach. The race is 12 kilometers long and takes place on the third Sunday in May and more of a costume party than a real marathon.
    bay-to-breakers-2.jpg
  • 52.6 Okunoin 奥の院 is the place where Kobo Daishi - the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the history of Japan, rests in eternal meditation.  Okunoin is considered one of the most sacred places in Japan and is surrounded by Japan's largest graveyard. People from all over Japan lie buried here, including former feudal lords, politicians and other prominent personalities.
    52.6.KII-KOYASAN-09.jpg
  • Dotombori Signs - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-13.jpg
  • Faces at Dotonbori Hotel -The Dotonbori Hotel in Osaka welcomes guests with an amazing entrance featuring four huge columns with faces depicting the special qualities in human beings. The face columns act as a landmark and define the hotel's unique architecture.
    dotombori-hotel-2.jpg
  • Reversible Destiny at Yoro Park is an “experiential” place where you are supposed to encounter the unexpected. The park’s creation was a collaboration of two artists: Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa.  Everything feels a bit off at Reversible Destiny because of all the angles so as to adjust your senses if not your destiny. The park is a combination of domes, steep hills, trails and holes with trees in them. Critical Resemblance House is part maze, part house - the roof is in the shape of a map of Gifu Prefecture.  Inside are desks, ovens, refrigerators, toilets, beds sticking out of walls and the ceiling.   Insect Mountain Range is a group of rocks - meaning humans don’t have to be confined to the natural world and can choose alternatives.  Exactitude Ridge is a bridge sticking out of the ground that stops and goes nowhere.
    reversible-destiny-11.jpg
  • Reversible Destiny at Yoro Park is an “experiential” place where you are supposed to encounter the unexpected. The park’s creation was a collaboration of two artists: Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa.  Everything feels a bit off at Reversible Destiny because of all the angles so as to adjust your senses if not your destiny. The park is a combination of domes, steep hills, trails and holes with trees in them. Critical Resemblance House is part maze, part house - the roof is in the shape of a map of Gifu Prefecture.  Inside are desks, ovens, refrigerators, toilets, beds sticking out of walls and the ceiling.   Insect Mountain Range is a group of rocks - meaning humans don’t have to be confined to the natural world and can choose alternatives.  Exactitude Ridge is a bridge sticking out of the ground that stops and goes nowhere.
    reversible-destiny-5.jpg
  • Legendary Sage, Jiang Zi Ya at Haw Par Villa - a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-legendary-sage-2.jpg
  • Haw Par Villas -  Ten Courts of Hell - Haw Par Villa is a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-ten-courts-hell-4.jpg
  • Haw Par Villa is a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-villa-3.jpg
  • Haw Par Villa is a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-villa-6.jpg
  • Phuket Fantasea is cultural and entertainment theme park at Kamala Beach Phuket.  The park features various attractions with a focus on Thai culture and myths. Classical dances from Thailand’s regions play a prominent part in the theme park's signature show.  Some have described Phuket Fantasea as a Las-Vegas-style spectacle blending Thai culture with 4-D effects, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, special effects, elephant performances all in one unique theatrical show.  Fantasea adds a whole new spin on theme park entertainment, with attractions not found elsewhere in the world
    phuket-fantasea-2.jpg
  • The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a protest and street performance organization that uses drag and religious imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality.  At their inception in 1979, a small group of gay men in San Francisco began wearing nun attire in visible situations using high camp to draw attention to social conflicts and problems in the Castro District.The Sisters have grown throughout the U.S. and are currently organized as an international network of orders, which are mostly non-profit charity organizations that raise money for AIDS, LGBT-related causes, and mainstream community service organizations, while promoting safer sex and educating others about the harmful effects of drug use and other risky behaviors. In San Francisco alone where they continue to be the most active, between 1979 and 2007 the Sisters are credited with raising over $1 million for various causes.
    sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-1.jpg
  • The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence is a protest and street performance organization that uses drag and religious imagery to call attention to sexual intolerance and satirize issues of gender and morality.  At their inception in 1979, a small group of gay men in San Francisco began wearing nun attire in visible situations using high camp to draw attention to social conflicts and problems in the Castro District.The Sisters have grown throughout the U.S. and are currently organized as an international network of orders, which are mostly non-profit charity organizations that raise money for AIDS, LGBT-related causes, and mainstream community service organizations, while promoting safer sex and educating others about the harmful effects of drug use and other risky behaviors. In San Francisco alone where they continue to be the most active, between 1979 and 2007 the Sisters are credited with raising over $1 million for various causes.
    sisters-of-perpetual-indulgence-4.jpg
  • Savan Vegas Hotel and Casino has 499 hotel rooms and 5000 square meters of gaming and entertainment space. Savan Vegas regularly hosts gaming tournaments and other events. The facility attracts an average of 4000 visitors per day.  The resort facility employs a staff of nearly 2000 people, 90% of which are Lao citizens.  Savan Vegas provides housing, meals, clothing, medical care, and language instruction to many of its employees at no cost.  Savan Vegas provides complementary shuttle service for all guests arriving at Savannakhet Airport and the nearby Thai border.
    savan-vegas-casino-4.jpg
  • Savan Vegas Hotel and Casino has 499 hotel rooms and 5000 square meters of gaming and entertainment space. Savan Vegas regularly hosts gaming tournaments and other events. The facility attracts an average of 4000 visitors per day.  The resort facility employs a staff of nearly 2000 people, 90% of which are Lao citizens.  Savan Vegas provides housing, meals, clothing, medical care, and language instruction to many of its employees at no cost.  Savan Vegas provides complementary shuttle service for all guests arriving at Savannakhet Airport and the nearby Thai border.
    savan-vegas-casino-6.jpg
  • Taking a trishaw ride through Melaka seems to be the thing to do for every visitor.  There are dozens of them offering this service and the price is fixed these days at 40 Malaysian Ringgit per hour. Unlike other towns where rickshaws still ply the streets, the fixed rate ensures a reasonable fare for passengers and an equitable income for the driver. The trishaws in Melaka are colorful with lots of decorations, each with their own individual design and add flambouyant colors to the streets of Melaka..
    malacca-rickshaw-1.jpg
  • The approach to Wat Rong Khun has a pond filled with samsara to show the failures of enlightenment with grasping outstretched hands, grotesque, selfish looking "gargolyles" to symbolize how people in hell will suffer from their bad karma.
    samsara-3.jpg
  • Tengu are a class of supernatural creatures found in Japanese folklore, art, theater, and literature. They are one of the best known monster-spirits and are sometimes worshipped as Shinto gods. Tengu were originally thought to take the forms of birds of prey, so they are traditionally depicted with both human and avian characteristics.
    tengu-masks-1.jpg
  • Sake Bath at Kowakien Yunessun - a hot springs spa resort and water amusement park located in the scenic surroundings of Hakone.  With a unique blend of traditional Japanese onsen hot springs and specialty baths such as this sake bath.
    yunessun-sake-bath.jpg
  • Goa Gajah is commonly known as the Elephant Cave, is located in a steep valley just outside of Ubud near the village of Bedulu.  Built at least 700 years ago the cave was rediscovered in the 1920s.
    goa-gajah-04.jpg
  • Teruhisa Kitahara's collection of 3,000 tin toys produced from the 1890's to the 1960's is displayed here. Christmas goods can be purchased at any time of the year at 'Christmas Toys'.
    kitahara-toy-museum-2.jpg
  • Mori Tower "Maman" Spider Sculpture - Constructed by building tycoon Minoru Mori, Roppongi Hills incorporates office space, apartments, shops, restaurants, cafés, movie theaters, a museum, a hotel, a TV studio, an outdoor amphitheater, and a park. The centerpiece is the 54-story Mori Tower with its famous spider sculpture "Maman" by Louise Bourgeois.
    mori-tower-02.jpg
  • The bright yellow pumpkin covered with a pattern of black dots stands about two meters high. Created by Kusama Yayoi in 1994 it has  served as a symbol of the entire Naoshima art project and over time it has been joined by other pieces integrated with Naoshima's landscape. EDITORIAL USAGE ONLY - LICENSING OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY
    naoshima-public-art-6.jpg
  • Manila Street Fashion - Hat Contest - Waiters at this al fresco restaurant in Green Belt Makati hold a hat contest every year during the Chrismtas holidays.  This year's theme is "recycling".  Nothing explains the Filipino character better than the word exhuberance.  A passion for costumes, dressing up, funny hats and beauty pageants makes the Philippines a natural when it comes to street fashion.  Although the country's hot, humid climate usually requires casual, comfortable clothing, there is usually a bit of flair added for extra value and fun.
    manila-street-fashion-07.jpg
  • Okunoin is Japan's largest graveyard. People from all over Japan lie buried here including former lords, politicians and other prominent folks.
    okunoin-6.jpg
  • Nishi Rokugo Koen in Tokyo is affectionately known as Tire Park or "Taiya Koen" made of up used recycled tires of every size in the shape of robots, dragons, swings, bridges, tunnels and mountains. Approximately 3,000 old tires were used to make  the playground, popular with local neighbors and visitors from other parks of Tokyo for its sheer novelty.
    tire-park-1.jpg
  • The Snake Temple in Penang was build in the memory of Chor Soo Kong by a Buddhist monk who had immigrated to Penang. Chor Soo Kong had healing powers and had given shelter to snakes when he lived in the jungle. As the story goes, snakes entered the temple after completing and have never left to pay respect to Chor Soo Kong. The Snake Temple original name was the "Temple of the Azure Cloud" in honor of the beauty of Penang's sky. The temple is dedicated to a deity called Cheng Swee Chor Soo.
    snake-temple-04.jpg
  • Oni are creatures from Japanese folklore, variously called demons, devils, ogres or trolls. They are popular characters in Japanese art, literature and theatre. Depictions of oni vary widely but usually portray them as hideous, gigantic, creatures with sharp claws, wild hair, and two long horns growing from their heads. They are humanoid for the most part, but occasionally, they are shown with unnatural features such as odd numbers of eyes or extra fingers and toes. Their skin may be any number of colors, but red and blue are particularly common.
    oni-1.jpg
  • Mengake Mask Procession - Mengake or Masked Parade at Goryo Jinja shrine.  At this festival a group of ten people take part in this annual ritual: 8 men and 2 women. Wearing grotesque or comical masks  leave the shrine and parade through the nearby streets accompanied by portable shrine and festival music.
    mengake-3.jpg
  • Long Nosed Mengake Mask at  Mengake Parade Procession at Goryo Jinja shrine.  At this festival a group of ten people take part in this annual ritual: 8 men and 2 women. Wearing grotesque or comical masks  leave the shrine and parade through the nearby streets accompanied by portable shrine and festival music.
    mengake-6.jpg
  • Tokyo Street Fashion - A wide variety of costume play getups can be seen every Sunday in Harajuku - Tokyo's fashion quarter.  Since so many cos-plaers congregate near Tokyo headquarters of Fendi, Hanae Mori and Issey Miyake, some consider this phenomenon to be a reaction to high fashion. Others, such as these girls, appear to be making a statement on fashion itself.
    costume-play-2.jpg
  • Beach Toy, Izu Islands
    inflatable-beach-toy-image.jpg
  • Bay to Breakers is an annual footrace which takes place in San Francisco. The name reflects the fact that the race starts a few blocks from San Francisco Bay and runs west through the city to finish at the Pacific coast, where breakers crash onto Ocean Beach. The race is 12 kilometers long and takes place on the third Sunday in May and more of a costume party than a real marathon.
    bay-to-breakers-1.jpg
  • Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo offer a wide variety of items to help in practicing spiritual and religious ceremony. Tribal masks and statues from around the world symbolizing our ancestors connection with the spirit and earth. Talismans and charms directed towards many different supplications, including voodoo dolls, are available here.
    voodoo-shop-1.jpg
  • Rakan at Eirinji - Rakan and Arhat statues represent the 500 disciples of Buddha. Although many Buddhist sculptures are carved to represent exquisite beauty or terrifying ferociousness, rakan often seem to be carved in the spirit of humour and good fun, or at least they usually appear to have comical faces, even though their message or what they represent may be dead serioues.
    eirinji-rakan.jpg
  • Rakan at Eirinji - Rakan and Arhat statues represent the 500 disciples of Buddha. Although many Buddhist sculptures are carved to represent exquisite beauty or terrifying ferociousness, rakan often seem to be carved in the spirit of humour and good fun, or at least they usually appear to have comical faces, even though their message or what they represent may be dead serioues.
    eirinji-rakan-2.jpg
  • Glico Man - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-22.jpg
  • Dotombori Signs - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-19.jpg
  • Dotombori Dragon - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-15.jpg
  • Dotombori Sushi Restaurant - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-9.jpg
  • Dotombori River - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-6.jpg
  • Don Quijote Dotombori Branch - Dotombori is a district of Osaka famous for its neon and mechanized signs, most famously for the sign of the candy manufacturer Glico.  The Glico Man sign shows a giant electronic display of a runner crossing a finish line.  Along the streets, to advertise their products and menus visitors are amazed at the moving giant crabs, puffed out blowfish, smoking dragons and other dramatic kitsch.  Dotombori is a district has always been known for its historic theaters, night life, shops and restaurants and in modern times its many neon and mechanized signs,
    dotombori-signs-5.jpg
  • Ginza Mikimoto Building - Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion flagship stores are located here, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton....  In recent years extraordinary architecture has gone up including the De Beers Building, Mikimoto Building among others.  Ginza is named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period..
    ginza-mikimoto-1.jpg
  • Ginza De Beers Building - Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion flagship stores are located here, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton....  In recent years extraordinary architecture has gone up including the De Beers Building, Mikimoto Building among others.  Ginza is named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period..
    ginza-de-beers-2.jpg
  • Ginza De Beers Building - Ginza is known as an upscale area of Tokyo with numerous department stores, boutiques, restaurants and is recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping districts in the world. Many upscale fashion flagship stores are located here, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton....  In recent years extraordinary architecture has gone up including the De Beers Building, Mikimoto Building among others.  Ginza is named after the silver-coin mint established there in 1612 during the Edo period..
    ginza-de-beers-1.jpg
  • Reversible Destiny at Yoro Park is an “experiential” place where you are supposed to encounter the unexpected. The park’s creation was a collaboration of two artists: Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa.  Everything feels a bit off at Reversible Destiny because of all the angles so as to adjust your senses if not your destiny. The park is a combination of domes, steep hills, trails and holes with trees in them. Critical Resemblance House is part maze, part house - the roof is in the shape of a map of Gifu Prefecture.  Inside are desks, ovens, refrigerators, toilets, beds sticking out of walls and the ceiling.   Insect Mountain Range is a group of rocks - meaning humans don’t have to be confined to the natural world and can choose alternatives.  Exactitude Ridge is a bridge sticking out of the ground that stops and goes nowhere.
    reversible-destiny-15.jpg
  • Reversible Destiny at Yoro Park is an “experiential” place where you are supposed to encounter the unexpected. The park’s creation was a collaboration of two artists: Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa.  Everything feels a bit off at Reversible Destiny because of all the angles so as to adjust your senses if not your destiny. The park is a combination of domes, steep hills, trails and holes with trees in them. Critical Resemblance House is part maze, part house - the roof is in the shape of a map of Gifu Prefecture.  Inside are desks, ovens, refrigerators, toilets, beds sticking out of walls and the ceiling.   Insect Mountain Range is a group of rocks - meaning humans don’t have to be confined to the natural world and can choose alternatives.  Exactitude Ridge is a bridge sticking out of the ground that stops and goes nowhere.
    reversible-destiny-10.jpg
  • Reversible Destiny at Yoro Park is an “experiential” place where you are supposed to encounter the unexpected. The park’s creation was a collaboration of two artists: Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa.  Everything feels a bit off at Reversible Destiny because of all the angles so as to adjust your senses if not your destiny. The park is a combination of domes, steep hills, trails and holes with trees in them. Critical Resemblance House is part maze, part house - the roof is in the shape of a map of Gifu Prefecture.  Inside are desks, ovens, refrigerators, toilets, beds sticking out of walls and the ceiling.   Insect Mountain Range is a group of rocks - meaning humans don’t have to be confined to the natural world and can choose alternatives.  Exactitude Ridge is a bridge sticking out of the ground that stops and goes nowhere.
    reversible-destiny-9.jpg
  • Tiger car at Haw Par Villa - a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-tiger-car-1.jpg
  • Tiger car at Haw Par Villa - a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-tiger-car-2.jpg
  • Haw Par Villa is a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-villa-5.jpg
  • Haw Par Villa is a one-of-a-kind theme park in Singapore with over a thousand statues and a hundred dioramas depicting scenes from Chinese mythology,  Confucian stories, folklore and legends.  Originally called Tiger Balm Gardens, the park was built by the Burmese-Chinese brothers Aw Boon Haw and Aw Boon Par  who were the developers of Tiger Balm ointment. They created the park in 1937 for teaching the public traditional Chinese values. The most renowned attraction at Haw Par Villa is the Ten Courts of Hell featuring gruesome depictions of hell in  Buddhism and Chinese mythology.
    haw-par-villa-9.jpg
  • Phuket Fantasea is cultural and entertainment theme park at Kamala Beach Phuket.  The park features various attractions with a focus on Thai culture and myths. Classical dances from Thailand’s regions play a prominent part in the theme park's signature show.  Some have described Phuket Fantasea as a Las-Vegas-style spectacle blending Thai culture with 4-D effects, acrobatics, pyrotechnics, special effects, elephant performances all in one unique theatrical show.  Fantasea adds a whole new spin on theme park entertainment, with attractions not found elsewhere in the world
    phuket-fantasea-3.jpg
  • Every Easter Sunday, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, San Francisco's beloved sect of cross-dressing nuns, host The Hunky Jesus Competition in Dolores Park - celebrating people who take the look of "our lord and savior" and transform it into "our lord and sexy."  The sisters believe all people have a right to express their unique joy and beauty and we use humor and irreverent wit to expose bigotry and ignorance.  The Hunky Jesus Competition is the highlight of the Sisters' free Easter party that's been going on in the Mission's premiere public space for over three decades. These events bring all all the drag queens and even a few designers in the city because of features such as a bonnet contest and drag performances..  One of those only-in-San-Francisco events.
    hunky-jesus-contest-1.jpg
  • One of the quirkiest, yet most interesting attractions in Vientiane would have to be Xieng Khuan, commonly called "Buddha Park". Xieng Khuan or "Spirit City" is just as much a monument to one man's eccentric and bizarre ambition as it is an impressive collection of massive ferro-concrete sculptures dotted around a riverside meadow. Although the brontosaurian reclining Buddha and strange edifice resembling a pumpkin - there are statues of every conceivable deity in the Buddhist/Hindu pantheon. Even if you are not up on your Buddhist/Hindu deities you will enjoy strolling around some of the more fantastic shapes.  Xieng Khuan was designed and built in 1958 by Louang Pou Bunleua Sulilat a self style holy man who took Hinduism and Buddhism and merged them into his own iconography. After the revolution in 1975, he fled from Laos to Thailand where he built another sculpture park, Sala Keoku in Nong Khai.. He fled because his anti-Communist beliefs conflicted with the views of the Pathet Lao.
    xieng-khuan-2.jpg
  • Public art in the context of natural surroundings of Naoshima island has become famous around Japan, as a part of the Benesse House Art Project.  Today you can find many examples of works unique to Naoshima scattered around the island. EDITORIAL USAGE ONLY - LICENSING OUTSIDE JAPAN ONLY
    naoshima-public-art-3.jpg
  • Glico Sign at Dotombori a district, famous for its neon and mechanized signs, including candy manufacturer Glico's giant electronic display of a runner crossing the finish line, moving giant crabs and other dramatic kitsch.
    dotombori-1.jpg
  • Faces at Dotonbori Hotel in Osaka with an amazing entrance featuring four huge columns with faces depicting the special qualities in human beings. The face columns act as a landmark and define the hotel's traditional architecture.
    Dotombori-Hotel-1.jpg
  • Costume Play Maids are a classic stand-by of cosplayers.  Every Sunday, cosplay characters of various types meet up in Harajuku, Tokyo's fashion quarter. Cosplay aficionados put a tremendous amount of effort into their costumes. Cosplay maids were once de rigeur, with semi-sexual connotations but have fallen out of favor with the cosplayers for this very reason.
    costume-play-maid-1.jpg
  • Nishi Rokugo Koen in Tokyo is affectionately known as Tire Park or "Taiya Koen" made of up used recycled tires of every size in the shape of robots, dragons, swings, bridges, tunnels and mountains. Approximately 3,000 old tires were used to make  the playground, popular with local neighbors and visitors from other parks of Tokyo for its sheer novelty.
    tire-park-3.jpg
  • Taj Mahal Replica at Tobu World Square - a theme park near Nikko and Kinugawa Onsen. The theme park boasts 42 exquisitely crafted scale models of famous UNESCO  Heritage Sites, complete  with 140,000 miniature people.  Along with the World Heritage Sites, more mundane buildings are Tokyo Station, Narita Airport and Tokyo Dome, along with show pavilions for various hokey performances.
    tobu-world-square-7.jpg
  • The SM Mall of Asia, also known as MOA, is a shopping mall owned by the SM Group, the largest mall developer in the Philippines. Mall of Asia is the 2nd largest shopping mall in the Philippines and occupies more than 410,000 square meters. The mall is located on Manila Bay and attracts daily foot traffic of 200,000 people and even more  on weekends.
    mall-of-asia-4.jpg
  • Puerto Galera is well known by diving enthusiasts for its coral reefs and professionally run diving operations.; Asia Divers is one of the originals that not only set up dives but offer PADI instruction; and certification.
    diving-equipment.jpg
  • Street Artist, French Quarter, Jackson Square
    jackson-square-street-performer.jpg
  • Colorful Pants Display at Chatuchak Market - sometimes called the Weekend Market is the largest market in Thailand, and one of the largest of the world.  It covers over 35 acres and contains more than 5,000 stalls not counting wandering vendors and street entertainers. On a good day the market receives between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors. The market offers a wide variety of products including household items, clothing, Thai handicrafts, religious artifacts, collectibles, foods and even live animals.
    chatuchak-12.jpg
  • Mengake Mask Procession - Mengake or Masked Parade at Goryo Jinja shrine.  At this festival a group of ten people take part in this annual ritual: 8 men and 2 women. Wearing grotesque or comical masks  leave the shrine and parade through the nearby streets accompanied by portable shrine and festival music.
    mengake-5.jpg
  • At various festivals around the Japanese Islands, shishimai dances are performed to consecrate the festival ground and open the festival. A wooden lion mask and wooly-looking costume of woven and dyed banana/choma strips is worn, and the dance is performed to loud music featuring gongs, drums, bells, flutes, sanshin, and various other instruments. Some lion dances feature two or more dancers.
    shishimai-6.jpg
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