culture

Following its inclusion on UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, Japanese brewers hope to showcase the true identity of sake and the hundreds of years of tradition behind the popular drink.

“Maybe Happy Ending” is an intimate science fiction story that has been performed many times in Seoul, South Korea. Now, its adapted version is playing on Broadway. The story, about a pair of robots, sheds light on the human condition in this digital age.

Every year, in the Costa Rican village of Boruca, men dress in garish masks and costumes to reenact their ancestors’ battle against colonizers 500 years ago. In the ritual, Spaniards are depicted as bulls, while the Borucans depict themselves as devils, to reclaim a slur the Spanish once used against them.

National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek talks about his experience with South Korea’s so-called “love motels,” short-term rental hotels primarily used by couples for intimate encounters. In a country with a severe housing shortage, these motels provide privacy for young people who live by necessity with their parents. As Salopek discovered on his walk across the country, these budget rooms are also convenient for travelers.

Chile’s Indigenous Mapuche people have long fought the government over land claims. They’ve faced discrimination and assimilation in Chilean society. But some Mapuche communities are now turning the page. And they’re using an ancestral sport to help protect and revive their culture, customs and language.