Links We Love: Strange Trees & Global Botanical Wonders (June 11, 2016)

What we're clicking on this week at Fathom HQ.

Half botany lesson, half fairytale, Strange Trees and the Stories Behind Them takes readers on an illustrated jaunt around the globe to celebrate the oldest living things on Earth and unearth such beauties as Brazil's Walking Tree and the Philippines' Rainbow Tree. – Jeralyn, editorial director

This isn't breaking news, but Mercator's projection of Earth, the map of our planet painted on globes, is wrong — countries of the Western world were made larger to signify their importance. The True Size project, an interactive map that lets users drag countries ontop of one another to see how they really compare in size, puts this in perspective. – Daniel, editorial assistant

Loving T Magazine's One-Thing Shops column, a collection of indie stores around the world that sell one type of item. Highlights include a Los Angeles soda market, a black licorice store in Berlin, and an entire street in Paris where shopkeepers specialize in only one thing. – Berit, editor

It's officially summer beach read season. Add Chris Pavone's The Travelers to your list. It's a thriller about a travel publication that's secretly a spy network. I swear there's none of that going on at FathomHQ. – Pavia, CEO 

I feel like everyone (except Pavia) wants to experience Japan like this New York Times writer did — hiking solo through deep forests, past old wooden villages and ancient shrines, on a pilgrimage through the largest peninsula in the country. – Daniel

THIS WEEK ON FATHOM: Exploring Asia

A snapshot from Taipei. Photo by Laura Turner.

Tokyo: The city's newest celebration of design, art, and architecture is a hotel.

Taipei: Ten stops in one perfect day.

Shanghai: Young, hungry, and ready to dance.

Hong Kong: These streets were made for walking.

The Philippines: Tiny islands, big adventures.

At home: 8 Tokyo souvenirs (hint: no chopsticks or sake sets).