ASP News

Imagine you just created a new product, and you want to get this product out on the market as fast as you can. Your target audience – the fashion-hungering young people. Now, imagine the entertainment world in that country to be huge and popular. You especially want to hit the East Asian countries. The product [...]

For everyone moving and living in a foreign country can be quite the ordeal. One of the biggest fears is getting sick while you’re overseas. Where do you go? Does it cost money? And what about the language barrier? Here are a few things you might want to know and consider before you go to [...]

Valentine’s day. The celebration of love, intimacy, and romance, and the most depressing day of the year for a single, bitter gay. It’s not just the message of the day and the assumption that you will spend it with a hot date that’s depressing, it’s the fact that it’s world wide. So in a desperate [...]

Gender inequality can easily be spotted within Japanese society. With a Gender Empowerment Rank of 54 out of 93 countries (HDR, 2009) – ranking Japan as one of the most unequal (if not the most unequal) of the rich countries – it is no secret that Japan is far behind on empowering its women and [...]

Although only around 1 percent of the Japanese population is Christian, that does not stop them from celebrating Christmas. They might not have the same celebration style as we are used to here in Europe, though… In Japan, New Years Eve is the most important holiday. For Christmas Eve, normally couples will go out and [...]

Save me! After sitting anxiously in your seat, scooching closer to the big, broad-shouldered, sturdy-looking, strong, stout, I-can-hide-behind-you-lad next to you, it enters…..and thank God you’re not sitting closest to the door! A guy wearing a mask may not be so scary in itself, but when young adults with a very vivid imaginations hears screams [...]

Japan is a collection of islands created by volcanic activity over thousands and thousands of years. Thanks to this fact, the entire country is dotted with hot springs, many of which have been used through time by humans, as well as animals, as an opportunity to get a relaxing bath. Today, many of these hot [...]

Chinese new year in Shanghai. From the window in the taxi I see young Chinese men and women throwing firecrackers onto the street, hitting the asphalt right in front of the passing cars. I reacted to the loud bangs as if they were gunshots at first, but I’m now just as accustomed to it as [...]

strictly business (….and pleasure)  -  Why the Chinese have a tendency to mix those two together When talking about a formal business meeting, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Dim sum, fish braised in red sauce, meet with fat on, spicy Sichuan food, deep fried ice cream, Mala Tofu, Shanghainese Xiao Long [...]

Shanghai, China. You wake up to the sound of cars, bikes, and people hurrying down the street to get to work on time: it’s rush-hour. You sleep for another half an hour knowing the subway will be almost empty ten minutes past nine. Coming twenty minutes late for class is almost worth not having to [...]