Japan is the third largest donor to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, but among developed nations, has one of the lowest acceptance rates for refugees seeking asylum in their country.
Photo Essay: Spiritual Nomads, by Hai Thanh
Celebrated by Hindus on the tenth month of their calendar, it is believed that during the festival, the stars, Pusan and Brihaspati are united into one.
Photo Essay: Republic of Pulau Semakau, by Zinkie Aw
The things we throw away tell much about who we are. Dustbins are, essentially, a part of one’s personal space, almost akin to a type of ‘identity autopsy’.
Photo Essay: The Ex-Patients, by Quinn Ryan Mattingly
It’s about an hour ride from Saigon to Ben San, one of several leprosy centers in Vietnam. On the way, I chat with Dr. Hai, the current director of the center, and learn an interesting fact.
Photo Essay: Thaipusam in Malaysia, by Paul Swee
Thaipusam is one of the most important festival events in the Tamil Hindu calendar, particularly in the Southeast Asian region. The word Thaipusam is derived from the month name Thai (January/February) and Pusam
Photo Essay: A.A.Mangkling’s Ngaben, by Tahnia Roberts
The Ngaben (cremation rite) is a sacred right of passage in Bali, and a great time for celebration. The Hindu-Balinese believe the body is impure, a temporary shell, having no significance at all, except as a container of the soul and its anchor to the earth.
Photo Essay: Tender Age, by Irina Yulieva
You recognize yourself while changing. It’s easier to understand what you ceased to be – a child. But who are you now? Your body, such an unstable shell, takes on new contours too quickly.
Photo Essay: Black Nazarene, by Geloy Concepcion
A solid mass of humanity awaits the feast of the Black Nazarene every 9th of January, considered one of the most spectacular religious events that takes place in the Philippine Calendar.
Photo Essay: Tajen, by Paolo Patrizi
Cockfights are a regular feature of temple ceremonies – a combination of sacrifices, sport and gambling. Men keep fighting cock as prized pets, carefully grooming and preparing them for their brief moment of glory or defeat.
Photo Essay: Borderline: North Korea, by Tomas van Houtryve / VII
With the same ruthless skill that it keeps its population in check and its enemies at bay, North Korea also keeps journalists in the dark. But another sketch of the country can be made from the outside, by tracing the contours of its borders.
Photo Essay: Pokrovka, by Alexandra Demenkova
Pokrovka is a remote village in Novosibirsk, Russia. It is lost amidst the huge and mostly uninhabited territories of Siberia. I came to know of its existence many years ago because one of my friends grew up there, only to leave it forever at the age of seventeen.
Photo Essay: Airborne, A Struggle to Survive Tuberculosis, by Dan Iver Ray G. Aldas
Tuberculosis is one of the most life threatening diseases infecting millions of people globally. A disease that has been an issue since pre-war and up to the present time.
Most Influential Asian Photographers
Spurred by the recent ‘100 Most influential photographers of all time’ list, we were curious as to who our fans and audience thought were the most influential Asian photographers.
Growing up in Kashmir, by Karan Vaid
The Idea of Kashmir in an average Indian’s mind is that of a paradise laid waste by the ill intentions and actions of unscrupulous individuals backed by a foreign power and supported by a section of the local population.
Photo Essay: Punks in the Police Camp School, by Chaideer Mahyuddin
Indonesian sharia police are “morally rehabilitating” more than 60 young punk rock fans in Aceh province on Sumatra island, saying the youths are tarnishing the province’s image.