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Asian Travel Tips

Japanese Overseas Travel Insurance by: Steve Cogger If you are an expatriate planning on long-term residence in Japan you can, after a one-year stay, become a part of Japan's national health program. Until that time, however, you're going to need Japanese overseas travel insurance. Read More... A Complete India Travel Guide Launched by: Arjun Roy Your wait is finally over. A complete Travel Guide, www.travelgoindia.com that focuses completely on India has been launched. The days of scratching about for information on India before you embark on a tour of this beautiful country is passé. Learn more about the beauty of this enchanting land from this exhaustively informative website www.travelgoindia.com. This travel guide has quite a few useful tools that enable it to become a traveler’s best friend. Read More... Survival China Travel Tips and Tricks by: Colin Jin These China Travel Tips, Survival Techniques, will help you get around and make your trip to China easier, so you will be able to experience the real China with a little less stress. China is an odd beast that needs to be respected; the major cities, Beijing, Shanghai, and Xian, all have their own personalities. Read More... The lowdown on china travel by: Mansi gupta The fragrance of fish, lobsters…, the sturdy Great Wall, the broken hush of winds by the Martial Arts, the grand museums and unpretentious down to earth people…welcome you to the third largest country on the globe-China. China is universally known not just for any single reason. The country has earned remarkable name not just in electronics and technology but it also surpasses many countries in its receiving tourists' attention. The charisma of China is such that people from all over the world endeavor to bask at least once in the Chinese glory. Read More...

Bagua

Bagua is again a famous Chinese jargon, used by experts and in books. ‘Ba’ means eight and ‘gua’ means sectors or sections. Thus ba gua means the eight directions. A ‘pakua’ is depicted as an octagon with a mirror inside and lines denoting the eight different directions. A bagua in a compass indicates the eight main directions that make up our surroundings. The ba gua is derived from I-ching-the book of changes. A bagua is like a map that we superimpose on a house or cemetery to find which section of the place occupies which direction. For eg: by superimposing the model of a ba gua, we can determine if the bedroom is in the North or northeast.

From the bagua, we can also say that there are four directions are supposed to be good for the house and four that are bad. There are four good directions used for a person and four not so good ones used personally. Directions for the house and for a person may or may not match. Thus, a practitioner will be able to gauge whether a hill outside is to the south or the southwest! Also, while placing cures like a water fountain etc, with the help of the ba gua, a practitioner will tell you where exactly it has to be placed. If he says, place your fish tank in the south, you will not know exactly which 45 degrees is occupied by south, as you will only know vaguely where South of your house is. But, with the help of a ba gua, you will be able to point a finger at exact South! Besides, the ba gua can also tell which sector in the house is missing, thus giving a clue to the shape of the house.

Each section represents a relation like northwest is the father. It also represents an organ in the human body like the head. It can mean a person born in a year dominated by the northwest qi, it can mean the main bread winner, head of state, etc. Thus, the ba gua is an imperative tool in the study of feng shui.

A bagua (8 directions) depicted in eight directions forms an octagon. A ba gua (8 directions) depicted in a box, forms a square, with the centre also forming a square!

Making your Puzzle Box Last with Proper Care

The price of a puzzle box will vary dramatically depending on its origin, creator, materials used, degree of difficulty in opening and closing, attention to detail, and much more. Although some puzzle boxes cost less than $30 and others more than $500, you can keep your beautiful work of art looking brand new with proper care. In addition to making your puzzle box look better, proper care will also ensure the mechanics of the box continue working. Puzzle boxes are made from wood, which differs from one country to another. Regardless if walnut, persimmon, wax, cherry, or some other type of wood is used, the box will expand and contract with humidity changes. Typically, the wood will move the most going across the grain with the least amount of movement going with the grain. Just as with furniture, you will find that some puzzle boxes can withstand much more than others all because of the type of wood used. Commonly, cedar is used in the making of puzzle boxes, which is easy to work with. However, cedar has one major flaw – it is not very stable. Because of this, we suggest you avoid a puzzle box made from cedar, choosing a harder wood instead such as walnut, cherry, or teak. No matter the type of wood your box is made with, you need to understand that changes occurring in the winter and summer months will have some affect. Another consideration when buying a puzzle box is how it is stored prior to shipment. In this case, boxes maintained in a warehouse that is humidity controlled will fare much better than those that are not. Other tips for caring for your new puzzle box include: Keep displayed puzzle boxes behind glass To maintain proper humidity levels, a glass of water can be placed in the display cabinet, hidden from sight Make sure the puzzle box does not sit in direct sunlight or where it would be subjected to heat from appliances or furnaces To keep humidity levels where they should be, a humidifier could be used in the winter months If the mechanisms for opening and closing the puzzle box have become stuck, simply place the box in a place with proper humidity and it will resolve itself Never get the puzzle box wet, which could damage the wood with rot, warping, bubbling, and so on Handle the puzzle box with a soft cloth, rubber fingertips, or soft grips to avoid scratching the wood Never use furniture polish on your puzzle box, even if it has a lacquer finish. Instead, high quality wood wax would restore shine. When storing your puzzle box, make sure the doors and other openings are in the closed position

The Value of Japanese Puzzle Boxes as a Collectible

In the world of antiques and collectibles, the Japanese Puzzle Box is an item that instantly catches attention. Their staggering price tags are a testament to the fact that compared to many other historical cultural items from around the world; the Japanese Puzzle Box has steadily maintained its allure for well over a century. Many wonder how it is an item could possible warrant such pointed interest. In truth, anything that stands the test of time usually consists of not only good, solid construction but precise, one of a kind craftsmanship and artistry. These two main ingredients make up the Japanese Puzzle Box. Read More...

Japanese Puzzle Box Marquetry

Along with the intriguing sliding parts of a Japanese Puzzle Box, the beautiful designs covering the outside can be just as captivating. These designs can consist of mountain and lake scenes or geometric patterns. This enchanting artistry is referred to as marquetry and requires as much craftsmanship and skill as the box making itself. Marquetry artisans use woods with no artificial tints or dyes to create vibrant multicolored designs. Himitsu Bako craftsmen typically create the design of their boxes and have the outside design applied at a later date. Yosegi-zaiku and Zougan are the two chief styles of marquetry found on the Japanese Puzzle Box. Read More ...