Binge Watch These Documentaries On Netflix And Educate Yourself About Asia Along The Way

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1. Street Food: Asia

Netflix

Food says a lot about a culture, a place, and its people. So if you don't mind salivating on delicious-looking food, watch Street Food: Asia. The first season of the Street Food series features places like Bangkok (Thailand), Osaka (Japan), Yogyakarta (Indonesia), and Cebu (Philippines).

2. Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan

Netflix

You've probably heard of samurais from your history classes, anime (hello, Samurai X), and even Hollywood films (and hello to you, too, The Last Samurai). The Netflix docuseries Age of Samurai: Battle for Japan explores feudal Japan, especially the time of the warring states as the daimyo (warlords) try to unify the country.

3. Daughters of Destiny

Netflix

For many around the world, education is a right. For others, it's a privilege some will never get to have. Daughters of Destiny is a series that follows five girls from the poorest families in India as they attend a boarding school in the hopes of having a brighter future. While there's no denying that it's a story of poverty, it's mostly a tale of resilience and whole lot of hard work.

4. Joanna Lumley's Silk Road Adventure

Netflix

The Silk Road is a network of trading routes that connect parts of Asia to Europe and even to Africa. While this docuseries starts off in Italy, Albania, and Turkey, it eventually explores Asian countries such as Uzbekistan, Iran, and Kyrgyzstan.

5. Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower

Netflix

Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, meaning it has a separate government and economy... supposedly. That seemed to change when China issued reforms to Hong Kong's electoral system, which sparked the Hong Kong Occupy Movement. Joshua: Teenager vs Superpower follows Joshua Wong, a teenager at that time who rallied the youth in dissent. He is currently serving a prison sentence for charges filed against him in latter years.

6. Born in Gaza

Netflix

It goes without saying that in times of war and conflict, it's the innocent civilians who suffer that most, particularly the vulnerable ones like children. Born in Gaza gives an inside look on how the still ongoing Israeli-Palestinian Conflict is affecting the lives of children in the disputed territory.

7. Jason's Market Trails

Netflix

There's no such thing as too much food talk when you're talking about Asia. This docuseries is all about the street stalls and food markets in Malaysia, where you can find dumplings, crispy peanut pancakes, pig intestine porridge, and everything in between.

8. Islands of Faith

Netflix

Climate change is real, ladies and gents, and this documentary on Indonesia tackles this often debated subject. Taking on climate change from the perspective of culture and religion, Islands of Faith follows individuals from Indonesia's seven provinces who hope to make a difference for their environment.

9. Born in Syria

Netflix

Much like Born in Gaza, Born in Syria talks about the effects of the Syrian Civil War (another still ongoing conflict) on children who narrowly manages to escape their home country to become refugees in foreign land.

10. Festive Foods

Netflix

Cultural celebrations and food always good hand-in-hand wherever you are in the world and it's even more true in Asia. Festive Foods features festivals and celebrations such as the Hungry Ghost Festival, Deepavali, and the Mid-Autumn Festival along, of course, with the food that locals serve to celebrate.