Hands down, Monocle. densely packed with interesting nuggets of diverse cultures. I love it so much that I review some impactful issues (on me) on my IG.

If you ask me about my writing goals, I will say that I hope to bring more visibility and vitality to Japan, the land where I once spent 2 glorious years (and snagged a wife). Which is why I’m reviewing the July/August 2022 issue of Monocle: it features 2 things, strawberries and Fukuoka. . My boy is besotted with strawberries - to the extent that he gobbles the fruit without tucking into the cake. So I thought acquiring strawberry trivia would help me score brownie points with him in future. The feature article on Oishii, a Japanese strawberry start-up in New Jersey certainly did not disappoint. Not only did I learn that it’s best to eat from the side for a more balanced taste (the sugar in strawberries is concentrated at the bottom), but this ingenious company has managed to trick bees into pollinating in an indoor vertical farming environment. Fun fact: According to the United Nations Environment Programme, of the 100 crop varieties that provide 90% of the world's food, 71 are pollinated by bees. Cool, right? It exemplifies the smarts and iron-clad will of the Japanese. When they are hell bent on achieving something, they will invent the technology (and even ‘deceive’ insects) to get the job done. . There are numerous kinds of strawberries in Japan. I don’t know much about the varieties but I can tell you that Fukuoka’s homegrown brand is called the Amaou. That’s because I lived in Kumamoto City, which was a 2-hour bus ride for me if I wanted to jazz up my weekend in Fukuoka City. Indeed, Fukuoka was vibrant and dynamic and appealing enough for me to brave this long bus ride on a Friday evening. It’s ranked 22nd on Monocle’s Quality of Life survey this year. . If you look at my Monocle clippings, it seems that Fukuoka has been slipping down the chart. Still, it remains top-notch in my heart. I fondly remember taking a leisurely stroll from Hakata Station to Tenjin Station and stopping by the characterful Canal City shopping mall along the way. Or the afternoons I spent at the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum (yea, weird choice for a traveller’s destination but me Asian). Or eating ramen at a yatai. You should visit it (& Kumamoto)!