East Asia Blog Round-Up : 7/10/2012

• A Man With Tea - Toranosuke shares his thoughts on the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands debate.
• Borrowed Culture - Fabrizio goes for a walk in the Beijing hutongs.
• Carl Gene - Carl lists 25 common Chinese abbreviations.
• ChineseQuest - The author updates his language learning goals for the next few months.
• Confused Laowai - Niel compiles a list of 9 essential digital tools for Chinese learners.
• Conquering Japan & Beyond - Justin talks about his Wakayama weekend adventure.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits the picturesque Gyeseungsa Temple in Goseong.
• FluentFlix - Ben interviews Chinese learner Phil Beckwith.
• Hermit Hideaways - Gregory goes for a hike in Naejangsan National Park.
• How to Japan - Dan puts together a definitive guide to reading and learning real Japanese using manga.
• Korean Modern Literature in Translation - Charles reviews the short story anthology, Early Spring, Mid-Summer.
• Laowai Chinese - Albert lists the top 10 Chinese characters and words you need to know for shopping in China.
• Life Behind the Wall - The author talks about her recent bout of food poisoning and experiences at her local Chinese hospital.
  
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona visits the Labrang Monastery in Xiahe.
• Lingualift - Greg explains the use of slippers in Japan.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara shares her first impressions of her autumn semester courses at Sun Yat-Sen University.
• Maggie Moo Does Korea - Maggie battles the crowds to see Psy live in Seoul.
• More Things Japanese - Benjamin joins in the fun at the 2012 Kitadaito Festival.
• Rurousha - The author writes about higanbana, a Japanese flower associated with loss and longing.
• Selly’s Little World - Selly celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with some KTV and a lush Chinese banquet.
• Seoul Sub-Urban - The authors explore the area around Seoul’s Yeonsinnae Station.
• Sophie’s Japan Blog - Sophie interviews Renae Lucas-Hall, author of the romance novel Tokyo Hearts.
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley writes a short guide explaining where you can see and enjoy Japan’s autumn foliage.
• The View From Over Here - The author takes part in some of the Chuseok events held at Namsangol Hanok Village.
• Tofugu - Hashi takes a look at Japan’s unusual themed cafés.
• Webs of Significance - YTSL visits Meiji Shrine in Tokyo.
• YoWangdu - Lobsang writes about sand mandalas and their significance in Tibetan Buddhism.

Namsangol Traditional Korean Village in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That’s all for this week’s edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-Up. The next edition will be posted on Sunday 14th October 2012.

♦ You can follow Eye on East Asia on Facebook or Twitter ♦ 

Thinking Chinese

If you’re looking for a way to improve your Mandarin skills and learn more about Chinese culture and society at the same time, Thinking Chinese may be the website for you. It’s updated regularly, comprehensive, relevant and, best of all, it’s free!

According to the site’s authors, Thinking Chinese is “a place where modern China is exposed to the foreign reader in an innovative and revealing manner”. Visitors to the website will find a wide range of language learning resources at their disposal, such as bilingual articles on a variety of topics, a thematic dictionary of Chinese idioms, a section devoted to modern Chinese slang, and some fun puzzles that will help you get to grips with Chinese radicals, characters and vocabulary. Furthermore, there are dozens of articles on popular culture, contemporary Chinese society,  online trends, and business culture which will give readers an insight into the Chinese mind.

There are no audio or video resources on this site and the thematic dictionary would be far more effective if the authors had included some example sentences to demonstrate how the idioms and slang are used, but, all in all, Thinking Chinese is an excellent resource for anyone who wishes to boost their reading skills and learn more about China and its people. Add it to your bookmarks today!

Thinking Chinese can also be found on Facebook, Google+ and Twitter.

♦ You can follow Eye on East Asia on Facebook or Twitter ♦ 

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 29/1/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shows you how to eat bulgogi (불고기).
• Appetite for China - Diana shares her recipe for delicious shrimp and chive dumplings (韭菜虾饺).
• Bathhouse Ballads - Nick walks among the totem poles (장승) of Cheollanamdo.
• ChineseQuest - The author tackles the Chinese-language edition of Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits the Mitaam Hermitage (미타암) in Yangsan.
• East Asia Student - Hugh lists ten popular misconceptions about the Chinese language.
• Fili’s World - Fili explores Seoul’s charming Insadong (인사동) neighbourhood.
• Finlando Nadeshiko in Kyoto - The author writes about celebrating the New Year in Nara.
• Fuchsia Dunlop - Fuchsia talks about the joys of green garlic (蒜苗).
• Haikugirl’s Japan - Ali gives her blog a radical makeover.
• Hoops & Homonyms - Ian survives his first Lunar New Year in Nanjing and lives to tell the tale.
• Hiroyuki’s Blog on Japanese Cooking - Hiroyuki explains how to make onigiri (おにぎり).
• Interactive Expat - PJSheeps talks about the costs of raising a child in Beijing.
• Japanese Rule of 7 - Ken explains why kanji must be learnt.
• Just Hungry - Maki explains some of the superstitions and traditions associated with Japan’s setsubun (節分) festival.
• Life Behind the Wall - Jo talks about her New Year’s dinner with her in-laws in the Chinese countryside.
• Life in Kawagoe - The author talks about bingata (紅型), Okinawan traditional dyed cloths.
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona lists seven good reasons to visit Nanjing’s Lantern Fair.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara sets her Chinese listening goal for 2012.
• Mandarin Segments - Greg shares his thoughts on language exchange partners.
• Notes from Xi’an – Richard samples some of the local delicacies in Xi’an’s Muslim Quarter.
• Olle Linge - Olle assess his progress in learning Chinese and reviews his goals for the coming year.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn serves up some sweet stuffed Asian pears (八寶黎罐).
• Sinoglot - Kellen writes about number taboos in Sino-Korean.
• Sinosplice - John talks about his personal experience with the particle 嘛.
• Shu Flies - Catherine visits the fortune tellers of the Longshan Temple metro station mall (龍山寺捷運站地下街).
• Taiwan Duck - The author shows readers how to cook Taiwanese-style seafood noodles (台式海鮮炒麵).
• Tales from Hebei - Kelly’s guide to roasting a turkey in China in 15 easy steps.
• The China Beat - Daisy reviews Li Miao Lovett’s novel In the Lap of the Gods.
• The Daily Bubble Tea - Todd shares photos of a family day out at the Nantou Sand Sculpture Festival (南投市貓羅溪畔沙雕藝術節).
• The Eye of Tengri - Andrew posts a 4-part series on how a Mongolian ger is erected.
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris cooks up a scrumptious udon-chicken-clam hot pot.
• The View From Over Here - The author partakes in the Seollal (설날) activities at Namsangol Hanok Village (남산골한옥마을).
• This Isn’t HuHot? - The author celebrates the New Year (Шинэ жил) Mongolian style.
• TsukuBlog - Avi writes about the role of dragons in Japanese culture and history.
• Where Mt. Fuji Meets Matterhorn - Sibylle celebrates her 10-year anniversary of living in Japan.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve’s guide to recreating Chinese New Year from the comfort of your computer.

That’s all for this week. The next blog round-up will be posted on Sunday 5th February 2012.

Don’t forget that you can follow Eye on East Asia on Twitter and Facebook.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 22/1/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for sweet red bean bbang (단팥빵).
• Appetite for China - Diana compiles a list of her favourite Chinese New Year dishes.
• Bamboo Butterfly - Rhonda talks about her experiences of dating Taiwanese men.
• Beyond Kimchee - Holly shows you how to make Yangzhou-style fried rice (扬州炒饭).
• Confused Laowai - Niel shares his thoughts on a polyglot’s mission to become a fluent Mandarin speaker in just three months.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventure - Dale visits the Sujeongsa Temple (수정사) in Ulsan.
• Easy Korean Food - Luna shares her recipe for Korean rice cake soup (떡국).
• Frog in a Well : China – The author writes about the differences between the Chinese long (龙) and the Western dragons.
• Gyeongju Blog - Sherwin discovers a Youtube channel with dozens of videos on Korean cultural heritage sites.
• Haikugirl’s Japan - Alison’s top five things that she loves about winter in Japan.
• Hermitage Hideaways - Gregory posts a slideshow of photos taken at the Geumcheon Market (금천시장) in Seoul.
• Japan : Life & Religion - Doug talks about his recent visit to the Meiji Shrine (明治神宮) in Tokyo.
• Jay Dee in Japan - Jay Dee wonders if bloggers can also be authors.
• Jottings From the Granite Studio - Jeremiah gets ready to celebrate the Spring Festival (春节).
• Lingomi - Steven interviews Hugh Grigg, author of the blog East Asia Student.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara tries to determine how immersed she is in Chinese culture and language.
• My Kafkaesque Life - The author teaches readers some Chinese New Year sayings (in Mandarin and Taiwanese).
• Notes From Xi’an - Richard travels to his wife’s village for a pre-Spring Festival visit.
• Osaka Insider - Patrick announces to release of his new guidebook Osaka Insider : A Travel Guide for Osaka Prefecture.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for vegetarian dumplings.
• Roboseyo - Rob shares his thoughts on ddeok (떡), Korean rice cakes.
• ROK Drop - GI Korea reviews the Korean film Castaway on the Moon (김씨 표류기).
• Shards of China - Nicholas talks about one of his least favourite foods: the infamous stinky tofu (臭豆腐).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - The author shares a simple recipe for tasty tonkatsu (豚カツ) sauce.
• Shu Flies - Catherine visits the New Year market in Taipei’s Dihua Street (迪化街).
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley interviews Sam Baldwin, author of the book For Fukui’s Sake : Two Years in Rural Japan.
• Taiwan Duck – The author shares a recipe for a popular Chinese New Year treat : sweet rice cakes (年糕).
• Tigers & Magpies - Eddie writes about his visit to the Noseo-ri (너서리) and Nodong-ri ((노동리) tombs in Gyeongju last September.
• Tofugu - Hashi talks about umami (うま味), the savoury taste that gives many Japanese dishes their distinct flavour.
• TravelWireAsia - Chris gives some tips on how to survive the Korean noraebang (노래방), or karaoke hall.
• TsukuBlog - The author talks about the various lucky charms used by Japan’s entry exam takers.
• Webs of Significance - YTSL lists her top ten Hong Kong films of 2011.
• What Can I Do With a BA in Japanese Studies? - Rachel visits the Ghibli Museum in Mitaka (三鷹), Tokyo.
• Xinjiang : Far West China - Josh bemoans the destruction of Kashgar’s Old City.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve writes about his recent trip to Lijiang ( 丽江).

That’s all for this week. The next Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will be posted on Sunday 29th January 2012.

PS. Details of my new project will be posted on the blog tomorrow (23rd) so keep an eye out for that!

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 15/1/2012

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for red bean porridge, or patjuk (팥죽).
• Beyond Kimchee - Holly shows readers how to make their own savoury mung bean pancakes, or bindaetteok (빈대떡).
• ChinaB - The author responds to Jonathan Levine’s article “Go East, Young Man“.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale visits the serene Geumgangam Hermitage (금강암) in Busan.
• Finding Fukuoka - Patrick lists his top ten Japanese character mascots (and his three least favourite).
• Fluent Flix - Alan posts a list of useful Chinese food vocabulary with a focus on Shanghai cuisine.
• Gyeongju Blog - Sherwin talks about the odd-looking wooden fish knocker at Bunhwangsa Temple (분황사).
• Haikugirl - Alison visits the “Manga at the British Museum” exhibition and shares her thoughts on the manga Professor Munakata’s British Museum Adventure.
• How to Japonese - Daniel gives a few examples of how one can use the phrase okagesama de (お陰様で) in everyday conversation.
• Kamigata Rakugo & Me - Matt has a fun day out at the Osaka Shitennôji Doya-doya (大阪四天王寺どやどや) festival.
• Ken Lee Writes - Ken tries some chicken sashimi (鳥わさ) and lives to tell the tale.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara sets her language learning goals for 2012.
• Mandarin Segments - Greg explains what he looks for when choosing a Chinese teacher.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for laba zhou (腊八粥), a thick, sweet porridge eaten in the twelve lunar month.
• Red Cook - Kian cooks up a Yunnanese -style abalone mushroom stir fry (九層塔炒杏鮑菇).
• Roboseyo - Rob talks about some of the challenges facing cyclists in Seoul.
• Seeing Red in China - Casey reviews Travis Lee’s book The Journey Through Nanking.
• Shards of China - Nicholas talks about his first encounter with chicken feet.
• Shu Flies - Catherine gives advice to those who may be suffering from depression and living abroad.
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn interviews Carolyn Phillips and learns how she charmed her Chinese family through food.
• Taiwan Xifu - Serina visits Chungtai Chan Monastery (中台禅寺) in central Taiwan.
• The Lobster Dance - Leah talks about her recent trip to snowy Shirakawa-go (白川郷).
• The Taiwan Adventure Blog - Chris posts some photos taken in colourful Kenting (墾丁).
• Tsuku Blog - Avi explains what happens at a dondoyaki (どんど焼き) bonfire ceremony.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen explore the Guanghe Temple (廣和宮) in Xinpu (新埔).
• Webs of Significance - YTSL lists her ten highlights of 2011.
• You’re Not From Around Here, Are You? - Steve goes on a walking tour of Chongqing (重庆).

That’s all for this week. The next blog round-up will be posted on Sunday 22nd January 2012.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 18/12/2011

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for making salted shrimp (새우젓) for use in homemade kimchi.
• Dale’s Korean Temple Adventures - Dale writes about the popular Korean deity San Shin (산신), the Mountain God.
• Fili’s World - Fili visits the Kimchi Field Museum (김치박물관) in Seoul’s Gangnam district.
• Fluent Flix - Get in the festive spirit with this list of Christmas vocabulary.
• Fuchsia Dunlop - Fuchsia shares her thoughts on her meal at the Manchurian Legends restaurant in London’s Chinatown.
• I’ll Make it Myself - Leah shares her recipe for spiced persimmon cake.
• Just Another Day in Japan - Blue Shoe talks about Japanese New Year greetings cards (年賀状).
• Korean Graduate Studies Prep - Matthew reviews Barbara Demick’s book “Nothing to Envy : Ordinary Lives in North Korea“.
• Life on Nanchang Lu – Fiona writes about the twelve steps of making traditional fermented soy sauce.
• Lingomi - An interview with Steven (aka SYZ), author of the Sinoglot and Beijing Sounds blogs.
• Out to Lunch - Carolyn shares her recipe for Tianjin-style garlicky fish (蒜瓣兒魚).
• Patrick Cowsill - Patrick visits the newly-opened National Museum of Taiwanese History (國立台灣歷史博物館) in Tainan.
• Sinoglot - Kellen and SYZ discuss the issue of “Second Round Simplification” as seen across Asia today.
• Taiwan Duck - The author posts a recipe video for making Taiwanese-style stuffed pork rolls (黑胡椒豬肉卷).
• The Blacksmith Books Blog - Pete reviews Cindy Miller Stephens’ new guidebook “Hong Kong for Kids : A Parent’s Guide“.
• Tofugu - John writes about the dying art of Japanese sword-making.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen learn how to pick spring onions and make spring onion pancakes (蔥油餅) in Yilan’s Sanxing Township.

That’s all for this week and this year. I’ll be taking a short break from blogging over the Christmas and New Year holidays so have a great Christmas (if you celebrate it) and I wish you all the very best for 2012!

The Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will return on Sunday 8th January 2012.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 11/12/2011

Here is this week’s Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up :

• Borrowed Culture - Fabrizio explores the Cangshan (苍山) mountain range in China’s Yunnan Province.
• Finding Fukuoka - Patrick gives a brief introduction to some of Fukuoka’s famous dishes.
• Fluent Flix – Alan talks about the benefits of using “sentence mining” as a language learning technique.
• Korean Graduate Studies Prep - Matthew reviews Donald Southerton’s book Intrepid Americans : Bold Koreans.
• Out to Lunch – Carolyn shares her recipe for Sichuanese fried sesame rolls (麻饼).
• Pinyin News - Mark lists some great Christmas gift ideas for Mandarin learners.
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Dragonlife posts a step-by-step guide for making dango (団子) at home.
• Sinoglot - Kellen talks about the Gan language (赣语) of China’s Jiangxi Province.
• Surviving in Japan - Ashley interviews Laura Pepper Wu, author of the e-book The Stress-Free Guide to Leaving Japan.
• Taiwan Duck - The author shares a recipe for Taiwanese-style braised tofu (台灣紅燒豆腐).
• Xweing away… in Korea – Xweing visits the Eulsukdo (을숙도) Migratory Bird Park.

That’s all for this week. The last Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up of 2011 will be posted on Sunday 18th December 2011 as I will be taking a break from blogging during the Christmas holidays.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 5/12/2011

Here is this week’s edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-Up :

• Acquiring Korean - The author lists 10 great ideas that can be used when writing a foreign language diary.
• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares her recipe for tofu jeon (두부 전).
• Carl Gene - Carl posts a list of 221 diseases, disabilities and disorders in Chinese and English.
• Chris in South Korea - Chris debunks some of the myths of life in South Korea.
• Fluent Flix - Alan gives readers 5 good reasons for using videos in your language learning.
• Fuchsia Dunlop - Fuchsia enjoys a Sino-Moroccan feast in London.
• Japan Navigator - Ad reviews Ozu Yasujiro’s 1929 film “Days of Youth”.
• Japan Pulse – Sandra posts a list of Japan’s top 10 buzzwords of 2011.
• Korean Graduate Studies Prep - Matthew reviews Kyung-sook Shin’s novel “Please Look After Mom” (엄마를 부탁해).
• Life on Nanchang Lu - Fiona learns how home-made soy milk (豆浆) is prepared.
• Lingomi - The author interviews Albert Wolfe of Laowai Chinese.
• Living a Dream in China - Sara shares her thoughts on the HSK Level 5 exam.
• Maangchi - Maangchi posts a tasty recipe for spicy whelks with noodles (골뱅이무침).
• Mountain Phoenix Over Tibet - The author takes a journey through modern-day Konkaling in Muli County.
• Rory in Beijing - Rory visits the charming city of Tianjin (I used to live there!).
• Shizuoka Gourmet - Learn how to make traditional Japanese sakura mochi (桜餅) sweets at home.
• Shu Flies - Catherine visits the Story of Dolls (娃娃的故事) exhibition at the Taipei Story House (台北故事館).
• Speaking of China - Jocelyn answers a reader’s question about asking out a Chinese guy via text message.
• Surviving Japan - Ashley posts some tips on how to find Christmas illumination displays in Japan.
• Tsukublog - Avi talks about Japan’s annual end-of-year tradition, the company bonenkai (忘年会) party.
• Wandering Taiwan - Micki and Kristen stay at the Lao Wu Bed & Breakfast (老五民宿) in Nantou County.
• Webs of Significance - YTSL reviews the new Hong Kong drama film “A Simple Life” (桃姐).

That’s all for this week! The next Eye on East Asia Blog Round-up will be posted on Sunday 11th December 2011.

East Asian Language Resources on Twitter

I’ve compiled a list of language learning resources on Twitter for those of you who are studying or thinking of learning an East Asian language. The majority of the accounts listed below offer “words of the day”, grammar tips and/or links to videos and podcasts and were all active at the time of writing this post.

Chinese – Mandarin:

http://twitter.com/#!/chineselanguage

http://twitter.com/#!/CSLPod

http://twitter.com/#!/chinesesentence

http://twitter.com/#!/ChinesePod

http://twitter.com/#!/chineseclass101

http://twitter.com/#!/ejmix_cn

http://twitter.com/#!/nciku

http://twitter.com/#!/IUChinese

http://twitter.com/#!/MandarinPoster

http://twitter.com/#!/carlfordham

http://twitter.com/#!/LL_Chinese

http://twitter.com/#!/Gurulu_Chinese

http://twitter.com/#!/ProofReadChina

http://twitter.com/#!/ECLSchool

http://twitter.com/#!/chineseaday

http://twitter.com/#!/niuword

http://twitter.com/#!/mandarinpinyin

http://twitter.com/#!/dailyzhongwen

http://twitter.com/#!/HackingChinese

Chinese – Cantonese & Other Dialects :

http://twitter.com/#!/ejmix_cantonese

http://twitter.com/#!/cantoneseclass

http://twitter.com/#!/ShanghaineseDay

Japanese :

http://twitter.com/#!/japanlanguage

http://twitter.com/#!/JVocab

http://twitter.com/#!/japanesepod101

http://twitter.com/#!/learnkanji

http://twitter.com/#!/tjlpodcast

http://twitter.com/#!/wa_k

http://twitter.com/#!/NihongoRyo

http://twitter.com/#!/HiraganaTimes

http://twitter.com/#!/japxlate

http://twitter.com/#!/ispeakjapanese

http://twitter.com/#!/MaggieSensei

http://twitter.com/#!/mlcjapanese

http://twitter.com/#!/akane_sensei

http://twitter.com/#!/nihongoichiban

http://twitter.com/#!/In_Japanese

http://twitter.com/#!/Random_Nihongo

http://twitter.com/#!/funfunconv

http://twitter.com/#!/funfunreibun

http://twitter.com/#!/funfuntango

Korean :

http://twitter.com/#!/KoreanClass101

http://twitter.com/#!/koreanlanguage

http://twitter.com/#!/zKorean

http://twitter.com/#!/koreanwords

http://twitter.com/#!/ttmik

http://twitter.com/#!/KoreanEveryDay

http://twitter.com/#!/EasyKorean

http://twitter.com/#!/ejmix_kr

http://twitter.com/#!/weeklykorean

If you spot any dead links or have any accounts that you would like to see added to this list, feel free to let me know.

East Asia Blog Round-Up : 27/11/2011

It’s been a year since my last blog round-up! How time flies when you’re not blogging regularly..

Here is this week’s edition of the Eye on East Asia Blog Round-Up :

• Aeri’s Kitchen - Aeri shares a delicious recipe for soybean sprout rice, or kongnamul bap (콩나물밥).
• China Hope Live - Joel talks about the issue of China’s “leftover women”(剩女).
• Contemporary Japanese Literature - Kathryn reviews the novel Schoolgirl (女生徒) by Dazai Osamu.
• Hiroyuki’s Blog - Hiroyuki creates two daikon dishes : daikon gyoza and daikon hasami yaki (大根餃子と大根のはさみ焼き).
• Japan Navigator - Ad reviews Ozu’s classic movie Tokyo Story (東京物語).
• Japan Newbie - Harvey joins his family on a road trip from Osaka to Shirakawagou and Takayama.
• Laowai Chinese - Albert explains the meaning and usage of the internet slang term mù yǒu (木有).
• Mandarin Segments - Greg talks about some of the little discoveries he’s made while reading Chinese.
• Notes from Xi’an - Richard shares some Chinese proverbs and words of wisdom for Chinese learners.
• Sake, Kimono & Tabi - Ichibay indulges in some warmed sake at Okutama Lake.
• Sinoglot - Kellen writes a short post about Tibetan braille.
• Speaking of China – Jocelyn compiles a handy guide for buying gifts for Chinese friends and family.
• The Japanese Food Report - Harris shows you how to make a classic Japanese winter miso soup, tonjiru (豚汁).
• Tsukublog - Avi starts reading through his copy of Useful Trees of Japan : A Colour Guide (カラー版日本有用樹木誌).
• Webs of Significance - YTSL goes birdwatching in Hong Kong.

That’s all for this week. The next blog round-up will be posted on Sunday 4th December 2011.

PS. I will seeking out new blogs to add to the Eye on East Asia blogroll. If you know any blogs that you feel should be added to the blogroll, please let me know.