Out of Office

In Balinese mythology, Barong is the lion-like guardian spirit of good, locked in an eternal dance with Rangda, the witch who embodies evil. The Balinese believe this battle is never won, only kept in balance: Rwa Bhineda, the balance of two opposing forces. At home, the mask stands as a silent sentinel guarding the entrance.

The Áo Dài, a long silk tunic slit at the sides and worn over loose trousers, is Vietnam's national dress. The tailors of lantern-lit Hoi An can make one to measure in a single day. These figurines are a small reminder of that elegance, sitting on the shelf.

The thuya tree grows only in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, and its most prized part is the root burl beneath the soil. In workshops inside Essaouira's ramparts, craftsmen carve the burl by hand and inlay it with lemonwood and mother-of-pearl. The resinous scent that rises when you lift the lid recalls the Atlantic wind.

Thai license plates are written in the Thai script, with the name of the province where the vehicle is registered underneath. The yellow "ส-2025" plate on the shelf is the Bangkok–Phuket–Pattaya route, parked for good.

Batu Caves, near Kuala Lumpur, is a Hindu temple set in limestone caves reached by 272 colourful steps. At the entrance, the world's tallest statue of Murugan rises in gold. The miniature on the shelf is a souvenir of those steps.

They stand side by side on the shelf: Buddha figurines representing serenity, and Ganesha, remover of obstacles and known as the god of wisdom. Quiet souvenirs of going from temple to temple along the Asian routes.

Hand-knitted dolls wearing the nón lá, Vietnam's conical straw hat. Vietnam's most familiar silhouette, from the rice paddies to the streets of Hoi An, keeps watch from the top shelf.

The "beckoning cat" with its raised paw is a Japanese charm believed to bring prosperity and good luck. One legend says that in the Edo period a cat beckoned a lord into Gōtoku-ji temple in Tokyo, saving him from a storm. Depending on which paw is raised, it is said to invite either guests or fortune. There are two on the shelf: the big red one and its little sibling that never stops waving inside its box.

The shelf's busiest crew: Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper, two Mandalorians, Darth Maul and Grogu in his pod. The most distant souvenir in the collection: a galaxy you can never visit but always return to. The Jedi philosophy says much the same as Barong: everything depends on the balance of the Force. And one more thing: the Death Star falling to a single vulnerability is history's most expensive example of a single point of failure.

Its spot on the shelf is ready, but it hasn't been bought yet: the first thing to get once the Japan route opens. The petty is the small but indispensable utility knife of the Japanese kitchen, used for fruit, herbs and delicate cutting. Japanese knife-making draws on centuries of tradition from the smiths who forged swords.