My first day in Hong Kong was a whiplash of taxis, neon, and lizard wine. I’d spent the afternoon settling in, watching the world go by outside my walk-up apartment. A parade of crimson taxis, motorbikes, and utility vans drove bumper to bumper with luxury import cars. Open rooftop tour buses passed by, elevated enough…

Surrounded by lush green mountains on the island of Kyushu lies the famous porcelain town of Arita. I arrived the day before a typhoon was expected to roll through the island. Inexperienced with natural disasters in foreign lands, I considered if I should change my itinerary and just bunker down somewhere until it was all…

This year for Women’s History Month I am interviewing inspirational women, each with tremendous depth and a unique story to tell. Today we have Rina Alfonso Osawa, the first Filipino woman ever to earn a dan rank (black belt) in the martial art of kendō. She owns and operates Studio Aorta within the Washington, D.C….

The middle of September had me navigating through the streets of Tokyo’s downtown Sumida Ward, the sticky heat not quite ready to surrender to the much-awaited Autumn chill. My destination was Bunko-ya OOZEKI, a workshop that specializes in bunkogawa, pure Himeji white tanned leather goods, that are embossed and painted to showcase exquisite patterns. I…

Woman in bloom. Last but certainly not least in a series of interviews with inspirational badass babes as a project in honor of Women’s History Month this year, we have Meg Bush (@iammegbush). She’s an advocate for body acceptance and healthy living who writes about everything from promoting mental health awareness, hard truths, and life…