Return to the beating heart of Tokyo, three years after
A long overdue post on my fall trip to Tokyo and Kyoto, last fall, before the coronavirus virtually grounded all of us. Visiting Kyoto in Autumn is the occasion of navigating between “zen” and trend, as the Japanese city shines in the fall colors. Traveling … Continue readingKyoto in Autumn: encountering japan’s soul
We took the habit since a few months now, to wake up every morning and check our social media to know who was arrested this time. This week, we woke up to a big lockup of opposition activists in one fell swoop: 53 members of … Continue readingHong Kong: the big lockup
Prior to the pandemic, the Hong Kong International Airport was one of the busiest in the world, mainly catering to crowds moving to and from China. It was one of those regional hubs, handling 71.9 million passengers in 2019. Today, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the … Continue readingAn airport in minimalist mode
Grandma Wong is a well-known figure of the Hong Kong protests. With her full name Alexandra Wong, she has often been seen in 2019 at the forefront of protests with a British flag.Born in 1956, and aged 64, the lady (who does not have children … Continue readingGrandma wong : from the pan into the fire?
After passing the National Security Law, on July 1st, China set out to radically transform the political landscape of Hong Kong. Although many hailed the law as the death knell for Hong Kong, it appears today that it was only the prelude and the mechanism … Continue readingDeath by a thousand cuts for hong kong
On 24 May 2020, the day started with a failed attempt to mobilize protesters against the national anthem bill. This attempt was foiled by a huge police deployment in Causeway Bay and Admiralty and mass arrests. Despite this, protesters managed nevertheless to create a fiery … Continue readingFiery night in Mongkok
The enactment of a national security law directly by China has placed Hong Kong in the eye of the tiger. Namely, Beijing has now direct control over freedom of expression and activities in what was once an autonomous city. As a direct consequence of this … Continue readingHong Kong: in the eye of the tiger
Hong Kong had a tradition of commemorating the Tienanmen massacre every year on 4th June. This year, the Hong Kong government refused a letter of no objection to hold the protest in Victoria Park. Despite this, hundreds of protesters flooded the park, entering to hold … Continue readingA flickering light
When China announced its intention of bypassing the Legislative Council of Hong Kong (its mini-parliament) to impose a national security law, everybody understood HK was being in the line of fire. It so happened, that it was not only the city that was in the … Continue readingIn the line of fire
After a long lull for cause of coronavirus fears, last week-end the Hong Kong protests resumed, albeit in a very subdued form. Triggered by a coup de force in the Legco on Friday, protesters responded somewhat timidly to the call to action. While protesters played … Continue readingHong Kong protests resume… and freedom of speech suffers further