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Jess Esa

Jess is the creator and editor of Books and Bao. They're passionate about the world, its literature, food, culture, and people. She enjoys sharing her travel tips with others and capturing those perfect moments.

Mui Poopoksakul is a lawyer turned translator with a special interest in contemporary Thai literature. She is the translator of Prabda Yoon’s The Sad Part Was and Moving Parts, both from Tilted Axis Press. She recently completed her translations of Duanwad Pimwana’s story collection Arid Dreams (Feminist Press) and novel Bright (Two Lines Press), both forthcoming …

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Tokyo is not only the largest and most exciting city in Japan to visit, but there are also a rich and exciting amount of varied and beautiful day trips from Tokyo that you can take. Just a short train ride from Tokyo, other exciting cities like Yokohama are conveniently accessible, and smaller Edo-syle towns are …

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From Korea to Jordan, read the perfect moments and memorable destinations each of these travel bloggers would like to share with you. If you’d like to know more about these journeys then you can visit all of the wonderful websites listed below their story. Jeju Island, South Korea Chosen by Willow Paule I lived on …

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Born in Madrid, Ainhoa moved as a child to Málaga, a Southern coastal city known for being mentioned in an Ed Sheeran’s song and for being the actual place where Picasso was born. (No, he’s not from Catalonia. You’re thinking of Dalí.) Fond of literature from an early age, she won a Korean literature essay contest …

Read More about Meet the Translator: Ainhoa Urquia (Korean to Spanish)

Jessica is a writer and translator born in Jakarta, Indonesia. She lives in London, graduated with a BA from Bristol University in English and is now studying a Publishing MA at UCL. She published and launched her poetry collection Moon Petals at the Ubud Writers and Readers festival in 2017. Part of the Meet the Translator …

Read More about Meet the Translator: Jessica Ginting (Indonesian to English)

On 11th March 2011, the Tohoku Earthquake (magnitude 9) hit the north-eastern coast of Japan, leading to 15,000 deaths and a subsequent eight-metre high tsunami This tsunami devastated several coastal towns and caused the overheating – and subsequent three meltdowns – of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since this dark day, Fukushima has been …

Read More about A Tour of the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Zone

Here’s our next installment of ‘Meet the Translator‘, where we aim to talk to translators from around the world. We’re catching up with Louise Heal Kawai, a Japanese to English literary translator. Louise comes from Manchester, UK and is based in Yokohama, Japan. Her most recently translated work is the gripping Seventeen by Hideo Yokoyama. Her other …

Read More about Meet the Translator: Louise Heal Kawai (Japanese to English)

One of the most important and celebrated works of literature to come out of Korea in 2018 was Kyung-sook Shin’s The Court Dancer, a powerful work of historical literature based on a true story. And without the deft translation skills of Anton Hur, it would never have reached the English-speaking world. Following the book’s success, …

Read More about Meet the Translator: Anton Hur (Korean to English)

When we picture Kyoto, the first thing that jumps to mind are the shrines, bamboo forests, and geisha. It’s hard to believe that a couple of hours outside of the city proper will take you to landscapes to so vastly different, where people live a traditional lifestyle far away from the modern aspects of Japan …

Read More about Explore the Funaya of Ine: A New Side to Kyoto, Japan

Vietnam has a world-class reputation when it comes to food. The renowned street food plus the unique spices and herbs mean that foodies have very much put Vietnam on their travel bucket list. Here’s a quote that many will be familiar with from Anthony Bourdain: “Going to Vietnam the first time was life-changing for sure. …

Read More about Best Food and Drink in Hanoi (and where to find it)