The city of Surakarta in Central Java, once the capital of the Mataram Kingdom, has maintained the island's traditional culture more than perhaps anywhere else on the island. The sound of the gamelan, a Javanese traditional instrument, echoes through the streets, and time seems to pass more slowly than in big cities like Jakarta or Bandung.
Batik patterns are drawn with melted wax using an instrument called a canting. (Photo by Akiyoshi Inoue)
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