Ryu Sugai - Blog

    Street Art Burana Tower (Cynthia, 2017) Located about 15km from Tokmok, the Burana Tower rises unexpectedly out of the flat Chuy Valley, almost as if it does not quite belong there. It is officially an 11th century minaret (tower from where the crier calls), making the tower feel like ancient street art left behind, marking what used to be the Silk Road city of Balasagun (Mambetalieva, 2019). The tower was once around 40m tall, but an earthquake in the 15th century reduced it to about 25m, leaving it uneven and weathered (Cynthia, 2017). Yet that damage form is part of what makes it so visually striking against the open landscape. Tourists can climb the Burana Tower from the spiral stairs that expose them closer to the history behind this art. The site reflects the height of Karakhanid power, when this area was considered an important centre of the region. Up close, the geometric brick patterns are surprisingly intricate. They are not just decorative details but invite you...

  Culture Shock and Confusion Kyrgyz teahouse (Chaykhana, 2010) While Japan and Kyrgyzstan both draw on collectivist traditions, the way social order is organized can feel very different, even confronting. In Japan, interaction is structured through clear hierarchy, formality, and language forms such as keigo, which help maintain harmony and predictability (Shen et al., 2024, p. 63). Social life relies heavily on subtle cues, shared expectations, and stable institutions, making public behavior feel ordered and controlled. Rather than relying strictly on formal rules, relationships, personal networks, and reputation play a larger role in maintaining order. A Japanese person, including me might be shocked to find that community peace is not maintained by formal rules, but by bribing police to avoid interference or using gossip to solve disputes likes business transactions and even arranged marriages (Schweitzer, 2022, p. 236). This dual nature of the chaikhana, a public space that us...

  Culinary Cosmopolitanism Image of Lagman (RestoMenu, 2025) Lagman is a Central Asian staple, made of hand-pulled noodles served in a rich, spiced broth with meat and vegetables (RestoMenu, 2025). Its history reflects long-term cultural exchange, whereby the technique of pulling noodles originates from Chinese lamian, yet the dish developed across the Silk Road, where Uyghur, Dungan, Uzbek, and Kyrgyz communities each adapted it ("Lagman, Kyrgyzstan Cuisine", 2024; RestoMenu, 2025). As a result, Lagman is not tied to a single origin, but shaped through movement, contact, and local reinterpretation.  Lagman reflects culinary cosmopolitanism as a vernacular foodway, that is, a cultural practice distinctive to an ethnocultural group that has been hybridised over time through geographic movement (Jonas, 2013, p. 119). This further aligns with Beck's idea of "cosmopolitanisation", where global influences become embedded within local life (Jonas, 2013, p. 118). The d...