(Rudy Maxa) I'm zipping my way around 4 great Asian cities, cities that have rocketed into the modern world in the past century, and show no signs of slowing down.

I'm sampling the modern world as interpreted by Tokyo, Delhi, Bangkok, and Seoul.

[rapidly strummed sitar and percussion play] ♪ ♪ (woman) Orbitz salutes the neverending spirit of adventure and as a proud sponsor of "Rudy Maxa's World" Orbitz offers comprehensive information on the world's great destinations.

From custom vacation packages to in-depth mobile tools your trip begins on Orbitz.

Take vacation back!

[Korean janggu drums play in bright rhythm] (man) Korea, be one with earth and sky.

(woman) And by Delta, serving hundreds of destinations worldwide.

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(Rudy) Asia is the new frontier for travel.

Forecasters predict Asia as a destination that will soon represent 1/3rd of global travel for good reason.

Asian cities have exploded into urban powerhouses.

The way globalization and economic growth have impacted these cities is as different as their far-flung cultures.

But in many cases, their response has been similar.

All these great nations have embraced the New World and pursued prosperity with relish.

At first glance, this modernization may be taken for Westernization.

Just scratch the glitzy surface, and you'll uncover centuries of culture, religion, and social structure.

From Tokyo to Delhi, Bangkok to Seoul, people have made modernity uniquely, delightfully their own.

I start in the largest city in the world, Tokyo, Japan.

Tokyo is an exuberant city.

It's the "mega-est", megacity in the world and one of the most expensive places to live.

Space is at a premium, shops and restaurants are piled like stacks of pancakes and throngs of people fill the streets.

But Tokyo is not chaos.

To the contrary; it's safe, clean, and orderly.

And while the architecture in the city layout may not be stunning, the beauty lies in the details, in perfectly displayed sweets, the elegance of a tea ceremony or the generous pour of sake.

Tokyo is many things.

By day, shopping madness, by night, a carnival.

On weekdays it's a mob of commuters, and on weekends, it's a fashion parade.

Tokyo is a frenzy of business and commerce.

The work ethic is legendary; hours are long and commute time consuming.

But when work is done, Tokyo goes electric.

Restaurants and drinking establishments overflow with salary men.

Pachinko parlors hum, vendors hawk electronics, and manga comic book shops teem with devotees.

The rigors of everyday life give way to celebrations.

After World War II, Tokyo lay in ruins.

In a couple of generations though, the city rose from the ashes and embraced modernity with zest.

But Tokyo did not become a Western city.

Tokyo's modern culture is very much its own.

The country has a long history of being insular.

It took a threat of force in the mid 1800s to open Japan to trade with the West.

Over the centuries, the Japanese have happily imported goods and ideas, but then adapted them, perfected them, and also exported.

Quest for perfection permeates everyday life.

In Isetan, one of Tokyo's mega buy anything department stores, food connoisseur Shinji Nohara, showed me perfection.

Here we have strawberries.

Here are 1, 2, 3, there are about 10 strawberries here, priced to sell at a little over $31.

Yeah, this is like, you know, 1 single strawberry costs $3.50.

3, well this is $31 for 10.

Yeah for 10, yes.

Now is it again, because they're the most perfect strawberries in existence at this moment, in Japan?

In Japan, right at this stage, yes.

They are gorgeous.

Um hm.

They are gorgeous.

And look at these mango.

One single mango costs 84 bucks.

Yeah, that's pretty breathtaking, but again, it's... Yeah, this is perfectly ripe, and they, you know, they're picked in the perfect mango farm in maybe 100 mangos, younow... That's, that $84 mango is flawless, no question about it.

Tokyo's department stores are an elegant microcosm of the city.

They're sophisticated, with enormous food and wine floors, the latest fashions, even art galleries.

This green and yellow ball of what looks like small caterpillars is so visually interesting, I have to try it.

What is it?

It, uh, it represents the seasons of Japan...

Yes.

Now, it's spring.

Yes.

And this green and yellow represents the color of mustard flowers.

Ah, so this, this is green and yellow because of, in honor of spring.

Exactly.

Feels a little like Play-Doh here, frankly.

Mm, note it's got the bean taste inside.

Yes, different bean flavor.

Mm, nice.

(Rudy) While Tokyo is papered over with neon, and the store is filled with the latest gadgets, tradition is just below the surface.

An age-old reverence for the seasons and all the rituals associated with the time of year prevail.

Explain this Japanese passion to taste the first of a season's food.

Yes, I think there is a perfect word in Japanese, it's cled hatsumono.

It's the first in season.

Hatsumono.

Hatsumono, yes.

For instance, the famous poisonous fish, a blowfish, fugu, becomes available at the very end of October.

And it ces from that Port of Shimonoseki, and there is a national coverage news that the first blowfish is caught and sold at the market and price per kilo this year is this and this much, and it's mainly sold to the most expensive Japanese kaiseki restaurants in Tokyo or Osaka.

So that becomes a national story.

Much like the first Beaujolais, at least for decades was a very big deal.

That's correct, yes, and in fact, the Japanese are known for its passion for getting Beaujolais.

That's right, they fly it in on 747s the first day you can legally sell Boujolais from France.

The 747 freight, they charter it.

And fugu too, the poisonous fish.

Correct, correct.

Koichi Kobari runs the Tokyo Silver Restaurant called Honmura-An.

Here, they hone the art of making soba noodles fresh every day.

When it comes to soba, even if you serve soba year around, Which you do.

Of course, a new harvest soba is a very, very big deal.

For instance, in the middle of September, it's when our first, we get first batch of new harvest of buckwheat, we put a sign, says new harvest has arrived, and will excite the customers very much.

(Rudy) Beauty is fleeting, life is short, and nothing remains the same.

This knowledge infuses the Japanese celebrations of the seasons.

As in the springtime ritual of Hanami, picnicking under the cherry blossoms, singing and drinking sake.

It's the reason buildings go up and come down without much nostalgia, and why fads come and go so quickly here.

I met a Japanese-American named Weston Konishi, who lives in one of Tokyo's neighborhoods.

How do you reconcile that simplicity and beauty with having teenage girls in shopping malls wearing shoes with glitter and little chains hanging from everything, and frills here and bangles and beads and all that?

Yeah, I think, well, I mean, Japan is a culture, I think, of contradictions.

And so you have the traditional aesthetics, which are simple and very understated, versus the modernity of Japan, which is very much, you know, glitzy and shiny and much more kind of in your face than the old sort of values of aesthetics here.

Big neon.

Exactly.

And so if you go to some of the neighborhoods in Tokyo, you'll see the big neon signs and the flash.

And music playing and Jumbotrons blaring out commercials and rock music and so on.

Yeah, Yeah, this is a city that hits all the senses.

Um-hm, absolutely, yeah.

(Rudy) Even the Japanese love of kitsch has its roots in tradition.

After Tokyo or Edo as it was called then, became the defacto capital around 1600, a very strict hierarchal society found release in the latest novelties.

The newest fabric for kimonos or pets, or the style of hair.

Each novelty could set someone apart.

The latest fad has always been prized.

What happens when a culture with a deep tradition of order and precision meets the modern world?

An edgy, exciting city that's also safe, clean, and efficient.

That's Tokyo.

From East Asia to South Asia, in a city a world apart from Tokyo, India's capital, Delhi.

Delhi is currently one of the top 10 megacities in the world.

People have inhabited Delhi for more than 2,000 years.

For a brief time in the 1600s, it was the world's largest city.

Many invaders have left their mark on Delhi, from the Moguls to the British, the latter only ceding power in 1947.

Since that time, the people of Delhi have grappled with rapid progress, accepting it as they do all the vicissitudes of life.

After nearly 50 years of a stagnant economy, in the 1990s, India opened up to world trade and foreign investment, and the results have been dramatic.

The city grew a staggering 46% in the last decade of the 20th century.

The standard of living has increased considerably in recent years, and the middle class is burgeoning.

Modern shopping malls and first-class hotels reflect this new wealth.

But traditional India exists side by side with modern India.

There are as many sights, smells, and sounds in Delhi as there are gods in the Hindu Pantheon.

It's such a chaotic collection of contradictions that the only rational response is just to plunge right in.

The modern world takes a backseat in Old Delhi, a maze of streets and alleyways, so jammed that most vehicles are useless.

This chaotic center of commerce carries on much as it did centuries ago.

Street after street and alley after alley jammed with bangles, spices, saris, street food, and wedding invitations.

There's so many similar stores, small stores in the spice market here; how do they all stay in business?

Basically, it's a huge market and everybody, the price is almost the same.

You go start from one end to other end, but the quality difference is there.

These are the almonds.

Almonds, from?

That's from Kabul.

Can I try the California almonds and compare them to the Afghan almonds?

Yeah, go ahead.

Okay, so this is the California.

Alright, it tastes like an almond.

Now the Kabul ones are more expensive.

Yeah, it's got more oil in it.

Now this is from Kabul.

Yes.

Mm, it does.

It's got some flavor in it, doesn't have a flavor.

They're naturally prepared.

In the midst of all this human enterprise, little temples offer spiritual respite.

This temple, the Hanuman, the monkey god, also keeps the neighborhood monkeys very well fed.

Indian's response to modernization, to life itself, can in part be explained by their pluralistic religion.

Hinduism contains innumerable deities, rituals, and beliefs.

It's a dynamic, intolerant religion.

This is not a culture of conformity.

The vast array of gods offers everyone a unique way to worship.

India is the birthplace of 4 major religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Ch'anism.

Modernity has struck at the deeply-rooted caste system in India.

City life now offers opportunities unheard of in the past, a liberation driven by economics.

Still, while the middle class grows, desperate poverty remains.

Tradition fuels one of Delhi's most important industries: weddings.

People come from all over town to buy saris and garlands and jewels.

The vast majority of weddings in India are still arranged between families.

Fortunes are spent on the wedding jewelry alone.

Does a woman buy gold for her own wedding?

Yes.

As, for herself or as gifts or both?

They come with the parents, most of the young girls, they come with the parents to buy jewelry.

For themselves, to wear at their wedding.

For the wedding.

And will they wear that jewelry again, or is it just for the wedding?

Uh, well you see, the heavier pieces are worn only on the wedding day, and then when there's another wedding in the family.

It's passed down to someone else, I see.

I notice that your customers, when they come in the store and they look at jewelry, they're here a long time.

What's the average stay for a customer?

How much time do they spend talking to you?

Uh, it depends; some people they buy fast, maybe 45 minutes, one hour.

That's fast?

Yeah, and then will want a couple of items that they buy, 7 hours even.

So they'll spend a whole day here looking at jewelry?

That's okay with you?

It's okay with me.

(Rudy) In some ways, modernization has come barreling into India, and in other ways, attitudes remain slow to change.

Surely the coming decades will see vast transformation, but for now, Delhi remains a chaotic, colorful, industrious, spiritual bazaar for body and soul.

Delhi offers the promise of every experience you could imagine, and many you never dreamed of.

From the capital of India to the capital of Thailand, Bangkok, a city of traffic, flowers, and smiles.

The official name of Bangkok, while lengthy, evokes Thai pride.

City of Angels, Great City of Immortals, Magnificent City of the Nine Gems, Seat of the King, City of Royal Palaces, Home of the Gods Incarnate, erected by Vishnukam at Indra's behest.

We just call it Bangkok.

The culture is a fusion of Indian and Chinese, with influences from Malaysia.

Like it's food, Bangkok is a mouthful of innumerable flavors, at once spicy and delicate, with contributions from all its neighbors.

A touch of Hinduism, a splash of Confucianism, a healthy dose of Buddhism, and a long history of animism, Bangkok is an urban city with deep rural traditions.

A relatively young city, Bangkok was founded in 1782 by King Rama I, on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.

Unlike Tokyo, which had modernized before World War II and was rebuilt, Bangkok came into being as a modern city after the war.

In the last 60 years, Bangkok's transformed itself from a place of wooden houses, canals and rice fields, into one of the most modern, industrialized cities in Asia.

Modernity is one more way that Bangkok gets decked out.

Glitz has long been popular, the Thai have many words that mean "gold."

Whether it's the latest shopping mall or a Buddhist temple, everything is gilded and festned with flowers.

Food presentation is a high art.

Even the taxi drivers adorn their cabs with flowers, brightly-colored lights and charms.

It's understandable why the drivers make their taxis home, they spend a lot of time in their cars.

Bangkok traffic is legendary.

Bangkok's grown so fast, the traffic chokes the city.

Today the fastest way to get around, and by far the most thrilling way, is by motorcycle taxi.

Even with improvements in mass transit, the roads remain clogged.

There are more taxis in Bangkok than in London, New York, and Tokyo combined.

Traffic's so bad here, dozens of babies are born in cars each year.

There's a special police unit, they're trained as midwives.

I was lucky 'cause I was asked to photograph this, I thought, I'm going to be there a week, I'm not going to get it.

I was with this unit for 2 hours, there's a call come through, we rush off on the bikes, and the lady gives birth in the back of the taxi, and I got the photograph.

One of my favorite photographs is of this lady giving birth.

In the back of a taxi.

For every new skyscraper, every megamall, there are markets and alleys that seem straight from the past.

Floating markets, flower markets, and endless food stalls line the city.

Everywhere there's the sizzle of a wok, the intoxicating aroma of spices, and the cries of vendors.

Chinatown is one of the oldest and most atmospheric districts in Bangkok.

Even though Bangkok's modernized really quickly, there's still pockets like this, Chinatown, that's got the same vibrancy its had for years and it remains unchanged.

That's why I like to come here.

I'm often coming here with my students or taking pictures myself.

Well I've noticed here in Chinatown, uh, people taking the little shrimp out of the shells and making shrimp paste and putting them in leaves, uh, cats wandering around, ducks, roasted ducks hanging there, live chickens for sale, I mean this is really authentic Thailand from the old days.

Everywhere you look there's life going on or at least commerce going on, isn't there?

(Rudy) Spiritual Bangkok thrives in the midst of modern life.

Theravada Buddhism, one of the oldest and most traditional Buddhist sects, is practiced here.

There are hundreds of temples or wats, in the city.

Every morning, locals give alms to Buddhist monks and hang garlands as offerings at wats.

People often pay traditional Thai dancers to perform as an offering of thanks for good fortune.

And people all over town wear amulets, good-luck charms, that date back centuries to the worship of tribal spirits.

Today, they combine animism with Buddhism.

Technically, amulets can never be owned, only rented or borrowed.

Does he, does he change the ones he wears?

Some days does he wear a different one?

All the time, especially when he travels a long way.

He might have different Buddah images come along with him.

I see, for good luck.

For good luck, yes.

(Rudy) If Tokyo is perfection and order, and Delhi is chaos and pandemonium, Bangkok is at once sensual and spiritual.

There is no contradiction between giving alms in the morning and hitting clubs at night.

Thai people are pragmatists with a deep inner life.

Discovering Bangkok is like lling the petals from a flower.

Every layer reveals a little more beauty.

Across Asia again, to a city torn apart by war, and rebuilt into an enterprising megacity, welcome to Seoul, South Korea.

A mere 60 years ago, Seoul lay in ruins, it's people poor, uneducated, and ravaged by civil war.

That's when the South Koreans rolled up their sleeves and went to work, transforming this city into a modern marvel.

Consider that the literacy rate in South Korea was 22% in 1945; now it's virtually 100%.

Koreans are some of the most educated, hardest-working people in the world.

Their national unity and determination lie deep at the heart of their success.

Seoul is one of the great cities of the world.

Koreans attack life; they work hard, they play hard, and their enthusiasm's infectious.

One of the best places to get a taste of the Korean gusto is at one of the many shopping districts or sprawling markets that sell everything under the sun.

The people's two passions for shopping and eating are on display in full force.

Korea is an extremely homogenous nation.

It experienced a remarkable 1300 years as a unified and independent country.

The result is pride and unity.

But the Japanese occupied Korea in 1910, and after World War II, Korea was divided by the allies, and the resulting Korean War ripped the country asunder.

But the people of South Korea didn't stay down for long.

After the Korean War, and it was all destroyed, and the Korean people, doesn't like that.

We had to go, like all the nation peoples go was want to leave much more better than now, not like stay in that low grade.

Right.

So all the people really do hard work and the big effort for the country, not only by themselves.

(Rudy) So it was a group thing, a group goal, the entire nation had that one goal, so that's why companies like Samsung, LG, Kia, Hyundai are now such powerhouses and putting out products that the rest of the world really respects.

That's right, exactly.

And is the country still working that hard?

(Ji Sung Kim) 'Cause they don't want to stay there, not satisfied, and make another goal, another goal, another goal.

Everything just kept getting better.

(Ji Sung) That's right.

The older generation sacrifices mightily for the younger one, working virtually nonstop and sending their children to the best schools, often in America.

Their mothers go with them, while their fathers stay home and work.

They're called "Wild Goose Fathers," because like the birds, they only see their families once a year.

Buddhism and Confucianism dominated society here for centuries.

Confucian belief still runs strong here in the reverence for education, respect for elders, and a male-dominated culture.

Yet now, women are increasingly educated and accepted as members of the workforce.

Suji Park is one of the new generation of Korean women, an entrepreneur and restaurateur in a country long dominated by men.

In the early 1980s there was no women allowed actually to, to any of those corporations, right?

Only secretaries.

It just changed in 80s.

That's not that long, that long ago, the 80s.

No, no, but Korea is like, it's so dynamic country that, you know...

It seems for as much tradition and heritage as you have, that you're able to change more quickly than others.

Did you feel that?

Like the vibes in Korea?

Yeah, oh yeah, it's like okay, here's the new reality, this works, let's embrace it.

It doesn't mean you have to give up Confucianism, it just means you move on in a different way, which is why I'm movinhere soon.

Oh is that right?

Yeah.

[laughs] I'll be here Rudy, so is soju... That and the monkfish and soju, right.

Again, then I did two hands and you do one hand, because I'm younger than you; it's a respect, it's Korea's-- it's everything about respect for older people.

I'm liking that part, I'm liking that part, because where I live, I don't get a whole lot of respect.

Right.

[laughs] That's not true.

No matter what my age, so I'm liking the respect part.

Well here's cheers to that, you get all the respect in Korea.

Gun Bae.

Gun Bae.

Gun Bae.

(Rudy) That ability to accept change has served the country well.

The dynamism and optimism of the people of Seoul are in full evidence everywhere, including in the woods within the city limits.

Hiking is the national pastime in Korea.

In 2004, the government shortened the work week to 5 days, so now, more than ever, people are heading for the hills.

The fervent vigor with which Koreans embrace life, is evident on the trail.

Everyone is decked out in the latest gear and trailheads are even equipped with blowers to dust off your boots before you head home.

As with everything else, when the Koreans take on hiking, they go all out.

This proud determined people can indeed move mountains.

More than half the world's population lives in Asia, and Asian countries control nearly 1/4th of the world's economy.

Now is the time to visit and witness how each of these 4 cities has ushered in the New World in unique and exciting ways.

As a new generation takes the helm, these global cities will continue to dazzle visitors with the new and entice with the old.

Perhaps because so many Americans trace their roots to Europe, Asia isn't always their first choice for travel.

Some worry about the language.

In fact, most of Asia is very accessible, many cities have sleek mass transit systems with English signage.

And Asians are among the friendliest people in the world.

English is widely spoken in most urban centers and hotels.

(woman) For links and photos of the places featured in "Rudy Maxa's World," and other savvy traveling tips, visit maxa.tv.

To order DVDs of "Rudy Maxa's World," visit maxa.tv.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ CC--Armour Captioning & TPT (woman) Orbitz salutes the neverending spirit of adventure and as a proud sponsor of "Rudy Maxa's World" Orbitz offers comprehensive information on the world's great destinations.

From custom vacation packages to in-depth mobile tools your trip begins on Orbitz.

Take vacation back!

[Korean janggu drums play in bright rhythm] (man) Korea, be one with earth and sky.

(woman) And by Delta, serving hundreds of destinations worldwide.

Information to plan your next trip available at delta.com.

[orchestral fanfare]