In Thailand, hold the drinks and pass the cannabis

Spanning ready-rolled joints, food, beverages and beauty products, manifestations of cannabis have generated a marketing frenzy in Thailand, where in early June, the country became the first in Asia to decriminalize cannabis nationwide.

"In my local Japanese restaurant, recent specials included 'ganja tempura' -- enormous leaves deep-fried in batter -- and ganja sushi rolls," writes Gwen Robinson, editor-at-large of Nikkei Asia.

While many Thais have been quick to embrace the new "glamour drug" of choice, the lack of detailed regulation has already caused problems.

"One of the most striking aspects of Thailand's new cannabis 'love affair' is the stark contrast with the increasingly censorious attitude toward alcohol and cigarettes," Robinson adds.

Sri Lanka's Shehan Karunatilaka wins 2022 Booker Prize

This month, Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the prestigious Booker Prize for fiction for his satirical novel "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida."

For those of you thinking about heading to the bookstore in search of the award-winning work, take a look at a lovely piece by our contributing writer Mythily Ramachandran, who spoke to Karunatilaka about the book's background as he was awaiting the results of the prize competition.

"I was trying to imagine a disembodied voice of a ghost and tried out many cliches before I settled on the second person," Karunatilaka says of the narrator in "Seven Moons," whose character is based on a journalist/actor/poet who was killed in 1990.

Keep reading for more.

Elsewhere on the Life & Arts desk, Nikkei Asia has a lot to offer in terms of Japan-related travel stories, especially following the country's full-scale reopening earlier this month after over two years of strict COVID-19-related border restrictions.

A beautifully compiled list of restaurants by Nikkei Asia's James Hand-Cukierman makes sure that you will find excellent food from all of Japan's regions in the island nation's capital of Tokyo. Also take a look at Peter MacMillan's story about his three-night journey in Kyushu, the most southerly of Japan's four main islands.

You can always read all of our Life & Arts pieces here.