In this issue of Asian Geographic Junior, we have prepared two special feature stories for you. The first is “25 Astonishing Asians”, where we look at the achievements of 25 amazing people from around Asia. You may recognise, and feel inspired by, several of them! The second story is “Drawing Attention”. This feature has been carefully planned to show you how ar tists create their art. Many, of course, do their painting in their studio, using a paintbrush and colours. Some ar tists enjoy going outdoors to sketch. Yet others draw using their mobile tablet or a digital pen. Perhaps you will feel encouraged to take up a pencil or a watercolour brush too!

Themed spiritual pilgrimages, this issue of Passport takes you on various journeys that are at the heart of different faiths held by people around Asia. With stories that uncover spiritual practices and places across the continent and a six-page 2019 festival calendar to inspire your travels next year, this is an issue not to be missed!

This issue, we take a peek on the softer side of Asia with some of the region’s traditional cultural practices. Carried on through generations of ancestors – parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents – these ways to dance, heal, and hunt that are even today done using the same methods as when they were invented hundreds of years ago! Others involve experimental, dangerous or plain crazy ideas that didn’t make it to modern times – for obvious reasons. How do nomads live? How was cheese made? How do you catch an eagle? We explore all these questions… and more!

This year, the quadrennial Asian Games – a massive sports event that often gets mixed up with some of its regional variants – will be hosted here in Southeast Asia. We appraise several local sports that set the Asiad’s lineup apart from its Olympic counterpart, and drop in on three unique sportspeople gearing up for August. But the 18th Games’ most interesting aspect could just be its return to Indonesia, a place where, over a half-century ago, Jakarta’s controversial hosting decisions shocked the 1960s’ worlds of sports and politics. Indonesian politics also kicks off another fascinating tale: how five Southeast Asian men managed to create the first Asian miracle of the 20th century: the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Helped by a few rounds of golf and drinks, these powerful diplomats succeeded in getting their respective countries – many with histories of bitter grudges and border invasions – to team up into a bloc that today still merits international admiration. Their surviving family and friends share memories of these master negotiators.

Draw inspiration from influential leadership icons, philanthropic champions, business magnates, science icons, cultural figures and sports heroes in our list of 100 astonishing Asians. Read about how plein-air drawing is gaining a strong following in urban societies worldwide in an age when instant photo feeds prevail. In 'Microscopic Plastic Litter and Rivers of Filth', we spotlight the issue of plastic pollution and how this environmental nemesis can find its way to your dinner. Find out how a Dutch man had a hand in writing history when he copied the Portugese’s closely-guarded sailing routes to the East Indies in 'The Map That Opened Up Southeast Asia'. What's your impression of Kama Sutra? Find out how it compares to the true identity of what could be the most celebrated yet misunderstood treatise on sex. See Singapore from new perspectives in Sony ambassador Michael Yamashita’s shots of the garden city, and view a snapshot of the highest and longest natural and man-made structures in the East and West.

In this issue, we unpack several health controversies and crises, from MSG to processed foods to the insect food revolution and diabetes. But it’s not all doom and gloom: The region’s varied cuisine is an intangible part of its heritage. We pay homage to the enduring art of the longevity noodle – handmade and visually evocative. Asia’s food culture is perhaps best summed up through the humble hawker, peddling the sheer diversity of this region’s culinary innovation through their roadside food carts. But even the ubiquitous street food vendor faces an uncertain future, as regulators of hygiene standards and urban planning brandish eviction – or “relocation” – notices. It’s time to eat smarter: to be more conscious of what we buy, how we waste, and what we ignore on that little label on the side of a can. Perhaps never before has this phrase been more weighty: "You are what you eat". Bon appétit!

Think you know Asian diving? Think again. Asian Diver blows the lid on the dive destinations you (think you) know and love. Get ready to discover the blue water and drop offs in muck Mecca, the world-class reefs that neighbour the most famous wrecks, and the critters that inhabit pelagic paradise. Prepare to have your underwater world turned upside down.

In this issue, we dive into the world of sports and adventure! We find out the interesting stories behind ancient asian sports like jujitsu, kabaddi and pencak silat, then look at how the modern pastime of gaming became an Olympic event! We also have lots of fun facts about foods that would help you become an athletic superstar! After all the sporting excitement, we take an adventure to learn about the mysteries of mountains, caves and the ocean. Our final stop is the Komodo island, which is home to pink beaches, amazing marine life and the fearsome Komodo dragon. For some hands-on fun, we show you how to make a shark toy and some yummy basketball-themed cookies!

Asian Diver's ADEX Collector's Edition is back with an inspiring and fact-packed bumper issue to celebrate the International Year of the Reef, alongside an in-depth look at the ocean's apex predator. Get the low-down on what's happening in the shark fin trade, brush up on your knowledge of sharks and corals, and find out how individuals and organisations around the world are working to save our sharks and reefs.