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Part of the family: Popo (second left) and her family gathered on Jan. 5 at Pancaka Damai Lestari to cremate the family's beloved dog, Apple, who passed away on Jan. 4. (Courtesy of Popo)

Culture

Animal heaven: Pet cemetery, cremation sites ease pain of grieving owners

When their pets die, many owners seek cemeteries or cremation sites to keep their loved ones in their memory, and by their side.

2 years ago

Culture

South Korea hits record-low weddings as birth rate plunges

The number of South Koreans who tied the knot last year hit a record low, compounding looming demographic woes in a country with the world's lowest birth rate. ...

2 years ago

Culture premium

Brazil's first lady turns heads, champions causes with fashion

Whether sporting a red Workers' Party star on her wedding dress or rocking eco-friendly clothing, Brazil's new first lady is turning heads and making statements with her fashion choices. ...

2 years ago

The Latest

Partygoers at Nomadic Deadbeats, held at an undisclosed location in 2019.

Culture

Purity, discontent drive Indonesia’s illegal rave scene

The enigmatic Slow Death Mobile group holds unauthorized raves in big cities. The organizers and attendees believe these events have something deeper to communicate.

4 years ago

Fashion designer Victor Weinsanto poses during a photo session, on March 1, 2021 in Paris.

Culture

Students launch chaotic Paris fashion week

Paris fashion week opened in unique style on Monday, with students cutting the virtual ribbon for women's ready-to-wear collections at a time of unprecedented chaos in the fashion calendar.

4 years ago

Employee Matthew Coulson poses for a photograph with whisky casks in the bonded warehouse at The Glenturret Distillery in Crieff, central Scotland, on Feb. 26.

Culture

Scottish distillery looks to history to lift spirits

It has survived world wars, Prohibition and The Great Depression but this may very well be the toughest time yet for Scotland's oldest whisky maker.

4 years ago

A image from Toge Production's 'Coffee Talk' video game.

Culture premium

Indonesian game developers endure trolls, tough parents

Even as the local gaming industry has global successes, the country’s developers struggle to be taken seriously.

4 years ago

Many Indonesians create videos on OnlyFans without much commitment beyond having fun.

Culture

Indonesians find fun on OnlyFans amid draconian Pornography Law

Though it has proven to be a good platform to make money, many Indonesians choose to use OnlyFans solely for fun.

4 years ago

Customers can ask shopkeepers to help them roll a "tingwe" cigarette.

Culture premium

Paying the price of tobacco: Indonesian smokers continue their habit with 'tingwe'

The pandemic has turned many avid smokers to a cheaper alternative called tingwe.

4 years ago

With the music industry brought to a standstill during the pandemic, singer-songwriter Lala Karmela decided to try working in an office for the first time.

Culture premium

No fun: Popstars choose day jobs over a challenging career

Though it may look easy and endlessly fun from the outside, many musicians tire of the drama and uncertainty pop stardom brings

4 years ago

Films like 'Generasi 90an: Melankolia' have struggled to attract audiences during the pandemic

Culture

Indonesian film industry meets challenges and glory during pandemic

Films that have tried to screen during the pandemic have failed to live up to already-low expectations. But some filmmakers try to look on the bright side.

4 years ago

Plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Somenek examines the face of his patient Hudson Young, 52, who had a lower face and neck lift, an upper and lower eyelid surgery and laser resurfacing done in October 2020, in Dr. Somenek’s clinic in Washington, DC on February 22, 2021.

Culture

Demand for plastic surgeries surges in US as more turn to Zoom

Like a growing number of Americans, Young decided the right time to undergo plastic surgery was in the middle of a pandemic.

4 years ago

Dave Pearson is the founder of Bite Club, initially a small group for survivors of shark encounters that now includes victims of dog maulings, alligator bites and even a hippo attack

Culture

'Bite Club': Shark attack survivors find solace in unity

Bite Club, initially a small group for survivors of shark encounters, now includes victims of dog maulings, alligator bites and even a hippo attack.

4 years ago

Once, the sight of these two rock gods could bring an entire stadium to heel. Now, Candil (left) and Dinar (right) are coffee merchants.

Culture

When the music’s over: Pop stars take on day jobs

The Jakarta Post talks to pop and rock stars who have sidelined their music for traditional careers

4 years ago

Nenad Jovanov (right) and his son Nemanja pose for a picture with perfumes bottles in his 67 years old perfume shop in Belgrade on Feb. 23.

Culture

Scents of time: Belgrade's last craft perfumery

From a cobblestoned street in downtown Belgrade, the Sava perfumery has seen more than half a century sweep past without ceasing in its mission to keep the city's citizens smelling flowery and fresh.

4 years ago

Didit Deelon, a Maduranese YouTuber, has taken the internet by storm with his 2-hour-sitting-still video.

Culture

Indonesian YouTubers make it big by doing nothing

YouTubers doing passive activities such as sitting for hours and staring into space are somehow getting millions of views. We explore the phenomenon.

4 years ago

Kalya Gupita Darujati, 15, seen here with her mother Nina Ariyanti at their home in Yogyakarta, has had a lot of physical therapy to advance her motoric and sensory skills, but the pandemic has forced her to stay at home.

Culture

Indonesia's special needs children struggle for proper online education

Online learning has been hard for students, parents, and children, but especially so for children with special needs.

4 years ago

An increasing number of tarot card readers are popping up on Twitter and garnering a large fan base.

Culture premium

All cards on the table: Twitter's tarot card masters

Tarot card readers are the newest Twitter influencers. The Jakarta Post tries to understand the phenomenon, and gets our cards read in the process.

4 years ago

Protesters march with a picture of Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel reading

Culture

Rapper's arrest the last straw for Spain's young protesters

Fans of Spanish rapper Pablo Hasel - known for lyrics that voice discontent - say that his arrests illustrates the lack of free speech in Spain.

4 years ago

A rally of the Corruption Eradication People’s Committee at the State Palace on Jan. 8, 2019 demands the government to abolish articles in the Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law that they deem a threat to freedom of expression.

Culture premium

Overcoming trauma of 'criminalization': Is Indonesia muting critical voices?

Government critics and activists allegedly criminalized by the use of the controversial ITE Law has left them traumatized, with personal and professional setbacks, and often without legal recourse under the current system to clear their names.

4 years ago

Footage live-streamed by Posko Induk Balerante's YouTube channel.

Culture premium

Live-streaming Merapi: Villagers build communities through their own YouTube channels

With little faith in government institutions to warn them about volcanic hazards, villagers living around Mount Merapi created their own YouTube live streams to provide updates on the volcano's activity.

4 years ago

Volunteers from Pawon'e Arek-Arek, an independent collective that grows most of its own foodstuff to give people in need.

Culture premium

In volunteering, recognition is not the goal itself

It is essential that volunteerism is understood not as an “import” but rather as something very much part of the local fabric.

4 years ago

Central Java, Indonesia is part of a growing trend of meme celebrities - people who create humorous images that get shared around the Internet, often creating a comedic persona around themselves.

Culture premium

Internet famous: Meme creator Khoirul Anam's moment in the spotlight

With visual humor that is both absurdist and purposefully kitsch, Indonesian meme creators are finding fame online.

4 years ago

A vendor wearing a mask against COVID-19 coronavirus disease stands before video game titles on a wall, at a games and consoles shop in the central market of Iran's capital Tehran.

Culture

'We just want to play': Iran gamers battle reality of US sanctions

Iran's millions-strong legion of gamers revel in online worlds, but they have to fight daily real-life obstacles imposed by US sanctions in their quest to level up and keep playing.

4 years ago

A screenshot from TerapiKonversi.co, a so-called ‘conversion therapy’ website, advertises services for LGBT people.

Culture

‘Conversion therapy’ website haunts Indonesian LGBT activists

A website promoting conversion therapy has put Indonesia's LGBT community on edge. The Jakarta Post digs into the matter to find out whether it's real, and whether it's dangerous.

4 years ago

A Polish court on February 16, 2021 fined the frontman of heavy metal band Behemoth for posting a picture of a foot stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary.

Culture

Polish heavy metal frontman fined for disrespecting Virgin Mary

A Polish court on Tuesday ordered the frontman of heavy metal band Behemoth to pay a fine for posting a picture of a foot stepping on an image of the Virgin Mary.

4 years ago

Volunteers of Pawon'e Arek-Arek pose for a photograph while shopping for groceries at a market in Surabaya, East Java. The food charity is an independent, self-funded collective that distributes food each week to people in need.

Culture premium

Pawon'e Arek-Arek collective frees people from fear of hunger

Started by a group of 30-somethings, a charity movement is growing and distributing food as an independent collective to help people in need.

4 years ago

As the sun rises over Arbil's historic bazaar, shopkeepers sweep their stoops and eagerly await the

Culture

In Iraq, generous Mideast tradition of 'istiftah' lives on

The first customer of the day, or "istiftah", gets to name his or her price for the goods or service being purchased, without the usual process of haggling and compromise that is quintessential to street markets.

4 years ago

The icon for the dating app Tinder appears on the screen of an iPhone. Some survivors have been blamed for the abuse they experience after meeting abusers through such apps.

Culture

The survivors of dating app violence

As dating apps become increasingly popular in Indonesia, cases of sexual assault and deception have risen. We spoke with some survivors about their stories.

4 years ago

David Soerdjana's smile and shrug always ends his videos. The signature move is a big part in his TikTok account's success.

Culture

Meet TikTok’s plot twist king from Indonesia

With over 2 million followers, David Soerdjana's awkward, moral teaching videos have become a gold mine for memes. But its good-hearted nature has also amassed its creators the respect of adoring fans.

4 years ago

A Korean-style floral arrangement by Kiko Florist

Culture premium

Who (really) loves Valentine’s Day?

Whatever opinion one might have of Valentine’s Day, it is a keenly anticipated day of the year for one particular business.

4 years ago

A view of the atmosphere at the Sun and Sea Collective Valentine's Day Pop Up Market on February 13, 2021 in El Segundo, California.

Culture

Valentine's Day: Flowers, chocolates or a good whipping?

While in Europe it's all about couples cozying up, in the US it's more about schoolchildren celebrating friendship while in Japan women give chocolates to their bosses.

4 years ago