Chinese characters at a king's former palace, Seoul, South Korea

East Asia is a cultural and geographic region of Asia.

Countries and regions

• China — the slowly awakening giant of East Asia. Huge cultural treasures among the rising skyline.
  • Hong Kong — China's former British colony - a shoppers paradise. Famous for its harbor view.
  • Macau — a former Portuguese colony with liberal gambling laws.
  • Taiwan — A.K.A. Republic of China, an island of lush mountains, skyscrapers and gentle tai-chi.
• Japan — the home of ninjas, Hello Kitty, electronics multinationals and Zen gardens.
• Mongolia — a nomadic land of vast spaces
• North Korea — Orwell's worst nightmares come true.
• South Korea — the undiscovered destination of East Asia

Understand

Tibetan Buddhism transmitted from China to Mount Koya, Japan

East Asia is what used to be known in the West as The Orient, a mysterious land inhabited by a race of inscrutable tea-sipping Orientals. Behind the caricature, though, is a uniting factor in the form of Chinese influence: China, as by far the largest and, historically, the most technologically and societally advanced culture in the region, has given its writing system (Chinese characters), religion (Mahayana Buddhism) and philosophy (Confucianism) to all the countries in East Asia.

However, underneath these superficial similarities lie a vast range of differences. The geography alone covers the gamut, from the arid steppes of Mongolia to the vast deserts of northwestern China, the lush rice paddies of south central China and the beaches of the subtropical islands of Okinawa. The upheaval of the past centuries has also led the countries of the region along strikingly different paths, with the hypermodern skyscrapers and consumerist culture of Japan having little if anything in common with the Stalinist austerity of North Korea.

Talk

East Asia's major languages are not mutually intelligible. Written Chinese characters can be puzzled out by Japanese and Koreans as well, although even these have wide differences from country to country — the characters 手紙, "letter" to the Japanese, would mean "toilet paper" in China! In all, English remains a traveller's most useful language overall, although for longer stays in any East Asian country picking up at least some of the local language is essential.

Get in

By plane

The main international gateways to East Asia are Tokyo (Japan), Hong Kong (China) and Seoul (South Korea). Transferring through mainland China, though increasingly an option in terms of flights, is painful and time-consuming (you may also require visas) and best avoided. If arriving from Europe, transiting via Bangkok and Singapore in South-East Asia may prove cheaper than a direct flight.

Get around

See

Itineraries

Do

Eat

Rice is an East Asian staple, although in much of northern China and Mongolia wheat predominates.

Drink

Tea is the quintessential East Asian drink. Generally, green (unfermented) varieties are preferred over Western-style black tea, but the varieties available cover the entire color and taste spectrum.

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