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DIARY
your guide to what’s on
january
3
Watch testosterone levels rise during the Tamaseseri Festival at Hakozaki Shrine in Fukuoka, when two loincloth-clad, all-male teams compete to raise a solid wooden ball above their heads and pass it to a Shinto priest – all the while being doused with cold water. The reward? The promise of a rich harvest or a good catch that year. www.jnto.go.jp
Photo courtesy of Fukuoka Prefectural Government Tokyo Office
18-20
Colour reigns (or rains, perhaps) on the main street of Bo Sang village near Chiang Mai during the annual Umbrella Festival. Stalls line the road selling beautiful hand-painted paper umbrellas in all shapes and sizes, alongside other local handicraft s – a unique souvenir-shopping opportunity. www.thailandgrandfestival.com
Until 20 Jan
Following her recent debut collection for the House of Balmain at Paris Fashion Week, Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana of Thailand is exhibiting her clothing designs, sketches and paintings at Bangkok’s Thailand Creative & Design Centre. Presence of the Past – Love, Contradiction and Fashion even includes the royal fashionista’s favourite films and books. www.tcdc.or.th
31st onward
The annual Angkor Nights festival is sure to dazzle audiences as it has for the past eight years – both by its backdrop of Angkor Wat and the standard of the contemporary and classical dance on show. Expect performances from the Royal Ballet of Cambodia as well as France’s Carolyn Carlson Company. Until 2 February. www.ccf-cambodge.org
Ongoing
Enjoy classic movies under the stars at the Ra[fb04] es Hotel Le Royal Phnom Penh’s Cinema Paradiso, where Hollywood favourites will be screened every Saturday night poolside. Films like Singing in the Rain and the Graduate will be accompanied by free-flow popcorn and soft drinks. Tickets US$12. www.phnompenh.raffles.com
All month
Brush up on your Chinese art with a visit to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum’s latest exhibition by acclaimed painter Lam Wu Fui. The Animated Spirit collection includes landscapes, animals and the artist’s signature – elegant cranes against snow-topped trees. http://hk.heritage.museum
february
2–10
Watch the world’s top female tennis players smash it out against each other to receive a share of the US$170,000 prize at this year’s Pattaya Women’s Open. Running since 1991, the tournament is part of the prestigious WTA Sony Ericsson World Tennis Tour. www.sonyericssonwtatour.com
7
Today is Lunar New Year – the 7beginning of spring, the start of the year according to the lunar calendar, and a special time for Chinese families around the world to get together and celebrate. Expect to see symbols of prosperity like mandarin oranges and Chinese calligraphy of
lucky characters such as fu (left), which 
means fortune.
14 onward
Spoil your senses at the 36th Hong Kong Arts Festival. From the New York and London Philharmonic orchestras to the Stuttgart Ballet and Beijing Opera, the month-long event is packed with over a hundred music, theatre, dance and opera performances by some of the world’s best talent. www.hk.artsfestival.org
9–10
Calling all seafood lovers! The 24th Miyajima Oyster Festival is here and Hiroshima’s specialty oysters are back on offer at low prices. Even better, it’s an opportunity to try the indulgent aphrodisiac served in a myriad of Japanese styles – be it grilled in its shell, in soup, with ramen or simply fried. A perfect prelude to Valentine’s Day. www.yjw2008.jp
22–23
Get down, get down at this year’s Phuket International Blues Rock Festival at the Hilton Phuket Arcadia Resort and Spa. The impressive line-up showcases South-East Asia’s finest musicians along with acts from farther afield, including the Rich Harper Band (above) from Los Angeles playing hit tunes like As She Moved In (My Guitar Moved Out). www.phuketbluesfestival.com
Ongoing
Find an excuse to extend your holiday in Laos at the Stay Another Day display at Luang Prabang’s Kopnoi Export Promotion Centre. The multimedia exhibits help tourists plan interesting cultural, community and environmental activities in the town and beyond. www.stay-another-day.org
All month
Visit Singapore’s Asian Civilisations Museum and trace the history of one of the world’s oldest religions at On the Nalanda Trail – Buddhism in India, China and South-East Asia.
Running until 23 March, the exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view this impressive collection of rare Buddhist art and artefacts all under one roof, with many on temporary loan from a host of major Asian museums. www.acm.org.sg
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