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Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of east asian short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

410+ East asian Short Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Discover the best new stories by East Asian authors.

East asian Short Stories – Page 2 of 28

Meng Po's Tea for Forgotten Memories

Submitted to Contest #287

Meng Po's Tea of Forgotten Memories Deity involved:​​ Meng Po (Grandma Meng), the Goddess who helps deceased souls to forget their past lives before reincarnation from Chinese mythology“You’re back again?” She stands on the banks of the river. Poppy flowers waver in the crispy wind. The souls of the deceased line up, their faces twisted into three-hundred-and-six types of emotions.  The woman standing in front of me is in her sixties. Her curly hair is dyed an auburn red, trendy for women her age. Well, she won’t look like this for...

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The Farewell

Submitted to Contest #287

       Konishi Sahei closed his ancient, grey eyes and inhaled deeply. The small room was suffused with the smell of chrysanthemum. He liked that; it reminded him of his younger days.        Opening his eyes once again, he became aware of the charcoal pit beside him. The water in the chagama – the traditional metal kettle used in the Japanese tea ceremony – had begun to simmer and sigh, and he listened to its gentle music. For a moment, he stu...

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Tea with Pema

Submitted to Contest #287

Fingers numb with the chill, Tsering lifted the bowl of bödja to his lips and let the silky broth wash through.The next moments were lost in warm ecstasy.It was his first cup of the day. Not every first cup was this satisfying, but when it was, it was an inebriation.He filled the cup once more from the dented metal thermos with its flaked green enamel and battered plastic stopper, then stood from his seat on the flat wooden sofa with one worn cushion and stepped to the open window.The house was set high on a cliffside, far from the village i...

8 likes 2 comments 2
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BFF , best pal

Submitted to Contest #287

One of my best pal , he is fuming with anger , frustration and jealousy , quite a selfish guy to be exact and by the way , most of my friends are childish people .One of the few to always leave the group when we are in trouble , he basically just ran away ...quite a braggart most times , they are very timid guys .many just look nice but most of them are usually timid people .expecting tons of bullshit from them is usual , everyday occurrence . most of them are money hungry and not much of them possess EQ .the way they handle stuffs are very ...

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The Stories in My Tea

Submitted to Contest #287

Tea has always been more than just a drink for me; it's a ritual, a comfort, and a keeper of stories. Each cup I brew holds fragments of the past, reflections the present, and a glimpse into a person I've become.My relationship with tea began long before I could articulate what it truly meant to me. When I was a child, mornings in our household always began with the familiar clinking of tall glasses and the gentle hum of the kettle. My Mom would prepare hot, sweet tea for each of us, to accompany breakfast. The meal was simple yet satisfying...

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Calling From Myanmar

Submitted to Contest #286

When he got pulled into the scam, young Junyu was a college grad living in Shanghai. At 22, he still lived with his parents and spent most of his time in his bedroom covered with pop star posters, the windowsill lined with collectible toy figurines.Junyu’s mom walked in. “You need to find a job,” she said, for what felt like the hundredth time. He had modeled for a few e-commerce shoots, but he hadn’t landed a spot for months. The Chinese economy was cratering, everyone said.“I’m a model,” Junyu groaned. “I need to focus on auditions. Rememb...

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PUSAKA

Submitted to Contest #286

I am Pusaka -- a finely wrought spearhead that was forged centuries ago on the Island of Java by the hands of an Empu, a kingdom priest whose name has long been forgotten. From the moment I was created, my destiny has been tied to the hearts of men. My sharp edge was not merely for battle but for reverence. They said I carried power, that I granted victory and dominion. I began as a weapon of war, held by a great chieftain who believed I was a gift from the gods. His enemies feared me as much as they feared him. With me in his grasp, he ...

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The December I Used to Know

Submitted to Contest #285

It’s December again. I hate December. The twinkling and the flashing Christmas lights. They make you dizzy when you stare too long or try to follow the lighting pattern. And the caroling. Don’t get me started on those people. Half of them are just doing it as a December gig. You feel obligated to fork over cash just to shut them up. I don’t feel it anymore—the December spirit. That’s all.It makes me feel lonely. Don’t get me wrong—I used to love December. I remember the whole month feeling exciting when I was young: New Year, Christmas, and ...

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someone who turn over a new leaf

Submitted to Contest #284

it was in secondary school when all this occurred : being a top achiever . he has always gotten good grades since schooling but everything change when he went up to secondary schools : he disrupted classes , made teachers helpless and never gotten good grades , it all seem like a broken teen . it was not all that devastating , he only realized after some time it was burn out in a student's life. he actually got burned while in higher streams during primary school , there was no reward being in a higher stream even though getting good grades ...

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A Christmas in Japan

Submitted to Contest #283

Maybe I was just trying to escape from my problems–'doing a geographical’ as the self help people say these days. Or maybe I just wanted to have some fun. Regardless, in my early 20s, I decided that immersing myself into a foreign language and culture would be a therapeutic escape. After digging through a mountain of application paperwork, I landed a scholarship to study geology at Hiroshima University. After my first busy year of study, and facing the butt end of my savings and my student visa, seemingly out of nowhere, I was offered a...

18 likes 17 comments 17
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The Devil You Know

Submitted to Contest #279

I made it to Lamma Island the day the ferry stopped. I’m an American who has lived in Hong Kong since high school, I know the territory, and I choose my escape route carefully, though I admit I barely speak a word of Cantonese. I made the right choice. It turned out that Lamma Island, green, sparsely populated and just two kilometers off the coast, might be the best place on earth to survive a zombie apocalypse. Let me explain more. Banana and papaya trees pepper the jungle here, and the South China Sea teems with sea life. In an apocal...

21 likes 16 comments 16
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Quiet Shadow

Submitted to Contest #274

Michael Hughes set his teacup down with practiced grace, eyeing across the veranda. Behind him, a red pagoda cast long shadows over his otherworldly garden, where solemn statues stood sentinel among unfamiliar plants. His blue-grey eyes, piercing and astute, seemed to look through Margaret. "Drawn by the occult, are you, Miss Hodgkins?" His voice coarse and unfeeling. “I understand Gothic fiction is quite popular these days among the youth.” Margaret nodded weakly, relaxing a bit as the familiar subject took hold. "It’s for my writing assign...

11 likes 11 comments 11
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The Secret Diary of an Autism Mom

Submitted to Contest #273

October 24, 20242:05 a.m.Dear Diary,Today, as much as I want to appreciate the beautiful sunrise in front of me and the cold and pleasant weather that marks the beginning of the winter season. I do not have the energy to do so. I am physically and mentally drained. It is hard for me because this is the time of year when we lack the money and monthly bills pile up. I am considering selling my phone and gold jewelry set this month, as the money left will only be for our food and groceries. My husband had already borrowed money from his colleag...

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Yurika's Tale

Submitted to Contest #272

“Did you hear that?” “What?” “I heard Yurika was spotted going to a hotel with Teacher Masuda.” “Wow, seriously?!” “Isn't Teacher Masuda…” “Yes! He's already married. Doesn't that make her a third wheel? I can't believe she did that.” Yurika could only stand in front of the door, listening to her classmates' chatter and the harsh words from the people she thought were her friends. She almost couldn't hold her tears anymore. But no—they might think she's playing the victim if she cried. While rubbing her eyes, the announcement rang.  ‘St...

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A Long Day's Rain

Submitted to Contest #271

And so, the longest day in Mogali's life would end up being the shortest. Every now and again, she heard the metallic tinkle of her little trigger-ring play against the explosive payload of her suicide vest. It sounded almost musical, like the childhood dominoes she remembered from long ago. Just across the main intersection of Zaibunnisa Street, three women were drinking chai, chatting something about school, something about a boy, something about the monsoon rain being very late. It was a busy day in Karachi, but to her, it was the very l...

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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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