Asia : East Asia

East Asia

Table of Contents:
Countries and regions / Cities / Culture and History / Talk / Travel to East Asia, visa requirements Flights to East Asia, airtickets By train / Get around By plane 2 By train 2 Buses to East Asia / East Asia attractions and sightseeing / Itineraries / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / East Asia nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Stay safe

More from Asia:
Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia

East Asia is a cultural and geographic region of Asia.

Countries and regions

China - the quickly awakening giant of East Asia, with huge cultural treasures among the rising skyline.
- Hong Kong - China's former British colony - a shopper's paradise, famous for its harbor view.
- Macau - a former Portuguese colony with liberal gambling laws

Japan - the home of ninjas, Hello Kitty, Pokémon, and Nintendo, electronics multinationals and Zen gardens.

Mongolia - a nomadic land of vast spaces.

North Korea - Orwell's worst nightmares come true.

South Korea - the dynamic but undiscovered destination of East Asia.

Taiwan (Republic of China) - an island of sharp contrasts: lush mountains, skyscrapers and gentle tai-chi.

Cities

Beijing — Smoggy, noisy, and fascinating metropolis capital of China.
Hong Kong — Island city crowned by Victoria Peak.
Kyoto — Historic capital of Japan.
Lhasa — Mysterious capital of Tibet.
Pyongyang — North Korean capital with much communist architecture.
Seoul — Bustling South Korean capital.
Shanghai — Skyscraper and art deco strewn port city.
Taipei — Capital city of Taiwan.
Tokyo — World's largest megalopolis.
Ulaanbaatar — Capital of Mongolia.

Culture and History

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 hyper-modern 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, for example. The languages tend to break down into two (or three) groups: Sino-Tibetan (including the dialects of China and Taiwan), Inner-Altaic (including Korean and Mongol) and Japanese although linguists still debate whether or not to include Japanese in the Inner-Altaic language group. 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. When looking for English speakers, tourist areas tend to be a good bet and in general younger people or those around universities are most likely to speak at least some English. That being said, there are many areas where no English is spoken, so patience and a good phrasebook are always a safe bet.

Travel to East Asia, visa requirements

Flights to East Asia, airtickets

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 or Singapore in South-East Asia may prove cheaper than a direct flight.

By train

The Trans-Siberian Railway has connections down into Northern China.

Get around

Flights to East Asia, airtickets

Plane travel is the fastest way to travel between countries in East Asia, as well as within them. Plane travel within China tends to be cheap by Western standards, although there is some governmental price regulation to keep the prices from being too low. Most flights include meals, which can range from boxes with assorted snacks to steaming hot meals. Vegetarian meals are rare (depending on the airline and part of East Asia), but occasionally available. Delays are common in some places (like China), sometimes by several hours.

By train

The Trans-Siberian Railway connects Russia to Mongolia and China, and it's possible to continue onward into Vietnam — but no further — as well. Japan, South Korea and Taiwan all have extensive train networks, but for reasons or geography and politics none connect to the mainland.

Buses to East Asia

Many long distance bus routes connect different cities within countries.

East Asia attractions and sightseeing

Itineraries

City tours

Stroll through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City in Beijing
Walk along the Great Wall
Take a Yangtze cruise
Stroll the Bund with a fabulous view of the Pudong skyscraper district in Shanghai
Ascend the hill to Potala Palace in Lhasa
Take the long bus ride across Tibet to Mt. Everest base camp
Ride the tram up Victoria Peak in Hong Kong
Cross Hong Kong harbor in the famous green Star Line ferries
Ascend Taipei 101, the world's tallest building, in Taipei
Ride the Bullet Train in Japan
Stay in a capsule hotel or traditional ryokan in Japan
Play Pachinko, vertical pinball, in Japan
Stroll through the manic neon world of districts like Shinjuku in Tokyo
See the Peace Park in Hiroshima and the Peace Museum in Nagasaki
Observe the probably-spewing-ash volcano in the bay of Kagoshima

Good restaurants and cheap meals

Chopsticks are the eating utensil of East Asia. Outside of restaurants specializing in Western cuisine, forks are rarely available and knives are not to be used at the table.

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

Fried rice is another popular dish, prepared in a variety of ways in different regions. Fried rice usually has some combination of eggs, vegetables, meat, and/or seafood fried with the rice. Occasionally, some places have other varieties, such as a fruit fried rice.

East Asia nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.

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.