Light at the end of the tunnel?

A not uncommon scene in my neighborhood on a Sunday morning - a Taoist procession slowly making its way along the narrow streets. This happens several times a year, and comes complete with firecrackers, drums and gongs (the firecrackers had all been set off by the time I had grabbed my camera). Someone in this area obviously pays for these affairs, because the processions almost always stop for a while at the entrance to our apartment building, with the noise getting amplified as a result (both daughter and cat are none too happy about this). This particular procession also featured a female "singer" standing in the back of one of the lead trucks. Though I wasn't able to get a glimpse of her from my window, most likely she was clad in "hot" clothing - "hot", that is, if your idea of "sexy" was formed during the Eisenhower administration. Though I didn't get to see her, I had no problem hearing her, as she "sang" for the benefit of the gods.

But I'm not complaining. I don't want to jinx anything, but it appears that my wife's pleas to the Taoist gods may have finally been answered. In fact, on Saturday afternoon she traveled back to her hometown of Siluo 西螺 in Yún​lín County 雲林縣 to pay gratitude to them. Details will be divulged later once things start to firm up.

For now, though, life in this part of the world goes on as usual, both at the local level and in the political arena, as this AFP article from Japan Today makes clear:

China and Taiwan on Saturday criticized Japan for giving Japanese names to disputed islands in the East China Sea claimed by all three parties in a long-running diplomatic row.

China and Japan have a lengthy dispute over an uninhabited but strategically coveted island chain known as Diào​yú​tái 釣魚臺 in Chinese and Senkaku 尖閣諸島 in Japanese.

China’s foreign ministry said moves by Japan to rename scores of islands in the chain was “illegal and invalid,” according to a statement posted on the ministry’s website.

“No matter what names Japan has given to the islands affiliated to Diào​yú island, it will not change the fact that these islands belong to China,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in the statement.

China’s State Oceanic Administration has released names in Chinese for the islands in the chain, which it put at 70, the official Xinhua news agency said Saturday.

Separately, Taiwan protested to Japan for renaming four islets in the contested chain and unveiling the names on Friday.

“We have lodged a stern protest and reaffirmed our stance that the Diào​yú islands are part of our territory,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said.

Japan has said it plans to finish naming 39 uninhabited islands by the end of March.

The islands, which are believed to be surrounded by oil and gas reserves, have long been a source of friction between China, Japan and Taiwan.

China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has long sought political reunification with the island. Japan officially recognizes China rather than Taiwan but maintains close trade ties with the island. 

Notice the sentence "which are believed to be surrounded by oil and gas reserves" in the next-to-last paragraph of the above article. Japan took over control of the islands in January 1895 as Terra nullius, or "no man's land", and administered them as part of Okinawa Prefecture 沖縄県 until the United States took over control of the Ryūkyū Islands 琉球諸島 at the end of the Second World War. The U.S. returned the Senkakus to Japanese control along with the rest of Okinawa in 1972. From the time of the Japanese annexation in 1895 until the late 1960's, neither the Republic of China 中華民國 nor the People's Republic of China governments contested the claim to ownership. Not, that is, until oceanic surveys in the mid-to-late Sixties suggested the potential for those above-mentioned oil and gas reserves. Naturally, of course, it turned out the Senkaku Islands have always been a part of China, and must someday be returned to the loving embrace of the motherland. Along with all that potential gas and oil, plus a lot of fish as well.

Other things that go on as usual here is the Taiwanese love of the Japanese language. I haven't bothered much lately with taking photos of signs, but they are still out there, and as abundant (and in some cases misused) as ever. Here are a couple of recent examples:

I'm not sure if the 名屋 on this sign is supposed to be read as the Chinese míngwū or the Japanese naya, but the intention behind ラーメン, rāmen noodles, is fairly obvious.

Umm, barbecue バーベキュー

Monkey see

2012 is going to be an "unnerving year for Northeast Asia", according to the editorial writers at the Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ. Elections are going to be held in Russia, South Korea, the United States and, of course, here, the results of which could bring about substantial changes in regional politics and relations:

"The first ballots will take place in Taiwan, where both presidential and parliamentary elections will be held together for the first time on Jan. 14. President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, who took office four years ago, is battling Democratic Progressive Party 民主進步黨 nominee Tsai Ing-wen 蔡英文, and at this point the race is too close to call.

The most notable feature of the Ma presidency has been the calming of cross-strait relations and there is a fear that a Tsai victory will roil the relationship as did the last DPP president, Mr. Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁, who was forthright in his support for Taiwan independence. Ms. Tsai has tried to dampen concern but the Beijing government worries that lightning will strike twice.

Nonetheless, a Tsai win could prove destabilizing. Not only because Beijing fears a DPP victory, but because China is undergoing a leadership transition of its own as President Hu Jintao and Prime Minister Wen Jiabao turn over their offices to the fifth generation. Authoritarian societies are inflexible at the best of times, and changes at the top, even if planned, exacerbate hardline tendencies as followers jockey for position.

There is little inclination on the mainland to tolerate Taiwan's democratic foibles, but China has learned to be low key with its complaints, recognizing that overt intervention is only likely to antagonize Taiwanese voters. No one wants cross-strait relations to deteriorate — and they do not have to, regardless of the election outcome — but the congruence of two leadership changes is likely to generate friction regardless of intent."

The best outcome for Taiwan would be a Tsai victory over the corrupt, blood-stained Chinese Nationalists, aka the Kuomintang  中國國民黨. However, what Taiwan needs is often not what the major players in Northeast Asia desire. "Stability" is the operative word here, and stability means having a Taiwanese leader who would do his best to keep the Chinese placated. Tsai may be the right choice, for both moral and historical reasons (she would be the island's first female president if elected), but there is no guarantee the Taiwanese electorate will make the right call. Just as large segments of the working poor in the United States continually cast their ballots for Republicans in congressional and presidential elections, so too do many Taiwanese voters vote against their own best interests. These people might strongly identify with Taiwan and not with China, yet they continue to elect (and reelect) KMT candidates. The lure of pork barrel politics often triumphs over concerns for the dangerous erosion of national identity. 

Fortunately for Taiwan, we'll be out of the country on election day. Due to complex Freudian family relationships, my wife is a strong supporter of the KMT, but thanks to the lack of absentee voting here, she won't be able to cast a ballot before we leave for the U.S. That's one less vote for the blue side. I'm not allowed to participate in the electoral process here (nor would I want to), but I've done what I can to help ;-)

Politics is a noisy business in Taiwan, but at least I was able to escape some of that this afternoon by fleeing to the mountains of Dakeng 大坑. I took an easy walk along Trail No. 5 - easy in the sense that I usually approach this trail by first climbing the No. 1 (or No. 2) Trail, then finish the hike by descending the No. 2 (or No. 1), which makes for over 2½ hours of steady progression. Today, however, I cut out the steep ascent/descent by approaching the start of the No. 5 Trail from the rear, by way of Zhongxing Mt. 中興嶺. This effectively lopped off around 90 minutes from my usual trek, but as I prefer the longer sojourns, I'll revert to the traditional approaches the next I do the No. 5. As it was, much as changed on the trail since my last visit. New wooden staircases have been constructed, and in some places the path has been widened. There were more people than usual on this trail today, perhaps because of the easier accessibility. Shorter walking times, easier trails and the lack of good views - though it was sunny and warm in Dakeng this afternoon, haze obscured both the city of Taichung 台中  to the west, and the Central Mountain Range 中央山脈 to the east - could have made for a disappointing day out.

Thank god for the monkeys. While walking along the ridge past the point where the No. 1 Trail joins the top, I had to answer the call of nature. Venturing off into the forest to take care of business, I heard the familiar grunts and sounds of heavy movements through the trees. In the distance, behind an orchard, were several monkeys cavorting in the foliage. They were too far way for me to get any decent photos, but I was close enough that they noticed my presence, and were shaking the branches at me in an effort to scare me off. After watching them from afar for a while, I returned to the trail, and in just a matter of moments, came across a small group of four macaques 台灣獼猴. These ones were much closer, and while leery, nevertheless made no attempt to run off. As I result, I was able to take these shots and videos:

No matter how many times I encounter macaques while hiking in Dakeng, I never get tired of stopping to watch them. I'm fortunate that I have time on a weekday afternoon to hit the hills, for on weekends, when the noisy hordes swamp the trails, I'm pretty certain the monkeys retreat into the depths of the forest. I'm not particularly happy about having to live where I am, but I do appreciate the chances to interact with nature that I have in my area. It helps to keep me sane, and I'll need all the sanity I can preserve if Ma gets another four years to try and bring this island closer to China.

Trailblazing

Same planet, different worlds:

A female expat blogger posts on how wonderful (Western) women have it in Taiwan compared to some other places, while the BBC ascribes Taiwan's unbelievably low birth rate to the problems local women face in a traditional society. You make the call.

Compass Magazine. Sometimes the brown-nosing editors, who are so adept at making silk purses out of sows' ears, will include a truly useful article on things to do in the T'aichung 台中 area, such as this one, which led me to check out the Nanliao Chuk'eng Old Path 南寮竹坑古道 this afternoon. OK, so the "vast oceans of grass" didn't really "seem to reach out to the heavens", and the directions for getting there weren't very helpful (my wife actually showed me the way a couple of weeks ago). Still, I wouldn't have known about this trail if it hadn't been for the magazine, so I thank the good folks at Compass for the informative article, and I hope to read more of the same in future issues. Less sycophancy, more information please!

The Nanliao Zhukeng Old Path consists of four short trails (a main trail, plus an A, B and C - I walked them all today with the exception of the short B spur) which form a loop that takes a couple of hours to complete at an easy gait. The path here is hardly a "hike", but it does make for a nice stroll, and if the weather is good (like it was this afternoon), the views out to sea aren't bad. I started at the Nanliao Village end, where the route first makes its way past a cemetery:

Though it's right in the middle of Ghost Month 中元節, things were pretty dead here (rim shot), so I kept moving along on the main path. Down in the ravine to my left was Trail C, which I used on the return leg of my walk. This picture was taken looking down on a rest area by an old well (dating from 1746), which can't be seen in the upper-left corner:

Continuing down (and past a mountain that supposedly resembled a carp, though I missed the association at the time, and thus didn't take a good picture of it. Next time, I promise), the views out to sea were pretty good. If you don't mind the occasional power station, that is:

Trail A branches off from the main route, and leads to a lookout point. Here's another view of the power station, this time with the No. 3 Freeway 國道三號 in the foreground:

This is about as pretty as it gets on the heavily built-up, industrialized west coast of Taiwan, folks.

The main trail ends at a parking lot in Chuk'eng, right under the freeway:

It had taken me almost an hour to reach the end, though I did take my time, took a lot of pictures, and stopped to use my binoculars. From the parking lot, it was a short walk over to the start of Trail C, located at the bottom of the above-mentioned ravine. The grassland scenery brought to mind images of the American Midwest. For some reason, I also kept thinking of Roy Rogers and Apple Valley:

According to the sign in front, this is a Sacred Fig, the same kind of tree the Buddha was sitting under when he had his "A ha!" moment:

Trail C ends in front of a wealthy family's ancestral temple, closed to the public...:

...but just a short walk back to my faithful scooter. A bus was also parked nearby. The very devout (or extremely superstitious) driver had enlisted the divine help of the deities Doraemon ドラえもん and Nobita-kun 野比のび太 in order to keep himself, and his passengers, safe from malevolent demons, such as the one visible in the reflection on the windshield:

The Nanliao Zhukeng Old Path turned out to be an enjoyable couple of hours of walking. Hardly demanding, yes, but it would probably make for a good outing with the family. If you go on a sunny day such as today, be sure to apply the sunscreen, as there is very little shade along the route. I don't mind being brown, but you know how our Taiwanese relations and associates feel about these things.

Happy trails to you:

Take me out to the dance

I've got some catching up to do since I finished posting all the pictures from my recent (and much needed) vacation break in Okinawa 沖縄. While I had a great time there, it was most unfortunate that I had to miss a performance by my daughter's kindergarten class as part of her school's graduation ceremonies (Amber still has another year to go before enrolling in elementary school, which is what happens when your birthday falls in January). The show was scheduled long after I had made the flight reservations and booked my accommodation, so I was unable to change my itinerary. As it was, I only missed her dance by a few hours as it took place on the morning of July 3, and I returned to T'áiwān 台灣 from Japan 日本 later that afternoon. Fortunately, my wife recorded the performance, and thanks to the miracle that is YouTube, I can "share" it with the rest of the world. Sharing is good...

Those of you of a certain age might remember the tune :-) BTW, neither I nor Amber take any responsibility for the "Will you marry me?" "Yes, I do" exchange that takes place at the beginning of the performance. I was out of the country at the time, remember?

Last Saturday the Kaminoge family took in a ballgame. Amber had a great time enthusiastically blowing her horn, as you can see (and hear) for yourself:

For those of you interested in the outcome of the game, here's the Taipei Times writeup on the contest, from Sunday's edition:

"Peng 'Chia Chia' Cheng-min’s 彭政閔 two-run blast in the top of the seventh broke a 5-5 tie to lift the Brother Elephants 兄弟象 past the Sinon Bulls 興農牛 in a 7-5 final at the T'áichūng Intercontinental Baseball Stadium 臺中市洲際棒球場 last night.

In a contest that featured four lead changes, it was the Bulls who drew first blood with a pair of runs on a first-inning homer by Cheng Da-hong 鄭達鴻 off Elephant starter Orlando Roman.

However, the men in the golden uniforms rallied by plating a run in the second, before skidding ahead 3-2 with two runs in the third, courtesy of an RBI triple by Chang Chih-hao 張志豪 and Chou Si-chi’s 周思齊 groundout to short that drove in Chang on the ensuing play.

The Elephants added to their lead by two in the fifth on RBI doubles by Chia Chia and Chou to make it 5-2, only to see the lead squandered away in the bottom of the same inning when Cheng pounded out a two-run single with the bases loaded, before Chang Jien-ming 張建銘 knocked in the tying run on a fielder’s choice to second that made it 5-5.

Roman was credited with his eighth win of the year, while the loss went to Sinon reliever Chen Huan-yang 陳煥揚."

Okinawa Getaway: Days 8 and 9 ７月２日と３日

After a week of enjoying the sun (when it wasn't cloudy or rainy), sand and reefs of Okinawa Prefecture 沖縄県, my last full day there was a more somber one. Okinawa, of course, was the scene of one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War, and visitors to the main island 沖縄本島 owe it to themselves to take a little bit of time away from the beaches and shops, and pay a visit to one of the war-related memorials. Which is why, following breakfast on the morning of my final day in Naha 那覇, I walked over to the Naha Bus Terminal 那覇バスターミナル and caught the No. 89 bus going to Itoman 糸満.

It was an uninteresting ride through Naha's seemingly endless suburbs to the Itoman Bus Terminal 糸満バスターミナル, where I transferred to the No. 82 bus. It wasn't long before I was being dropped off at the Memorial Peace Park 平和祈念公園, located on Mabuni Hill 摩文仁の丘, where the final battle of the Okinawa campaign took place. Upon entering the park, the first building of note to be seen is the Peace Memorial Hall 平和記念堂:

Despite its striking white tower, there apparently isn't much to see inside according to my guidebooks, so I skipped going in, and instead saved my money for the Okinawa Prefecture Peace Memorial Museum 沖縄県立平和記念資料館:

The museum covers what happened during the Battle of Okinawa 沖縄戦, but its main focus is on the suffering the people of the island endured during the fighting. Up to a third of the civilian population perished in the invasion, and the museum's displays place much of the blame for that on the Japanese government and military. Okinawa was sacrificed in order to forestall an American attack on the home islands, and men, women and children were forced to shelter in caves with the Japanese troops in appalling conditions. Babies were smothered to keep them quiet, people were shot for speaking the local dialect 沖縄方言 and not Japanese and, of course, many were killed or severely injured by bullets, shells and grenades. Most tragic of all, however, were the stories of civilians committing mass suicide under the urging or coercion of Japanese soldiers, who told the Okinawans of the terrible things that would happen to them if they surrendered to the Americans:

Other displays in the museum cover the postwar period, when Okinawa was under American administration, and paints a less-than-rosy picture of how the U.S. did little to live up to its democratic ideals while governing the people of the Ryūkyū Islands 琉球諸島. It makes it very easy to understand the resentment Okinawans feel toward the Japanese and American governments over the continuing U.S. military presence on the islands:

The view overlooking the park from the roof of the peace museum:

After taking in all the displays in the museum, I went outside and walked over to the Cornerstone of Peace 平和の礎. Here there are granite monuments inscribed with the names of the over 240,000 people who were killed during the fighting on Okinawa Island. To the park's great credit, the names of all the dead - Japanese and American military and Okinawan civilians - are listed. Here and there, people could be seen laying bouquets of flowers in front of some of the monuments, a very touching scene on this still and humid morning:

This monument lists the names of Taiwanese who died in the battle:

Ernie Pyle was a Pulitzer Prize-winning American war correspondent. He was killed by Japanese machine-gun fire on April 18, 1945:

The Memorial Peace Park, with its peace museum and Cornerstone of Peace, is most definitely worth a visit. After nearly three hours there, I boarded a No. 82 bus heading back toward Itoman. Before reaching the bus terminal, however, I made one more stop, where, after a tendon 天丼 lunch, I visited the Himeyuri-no-tō ひめゆりの塔. Whereas the Peace Museum describes the suffering of the people in a broad sense, the Himeyuri-no-tō brings it down to a more personal level, telling the tragic tale of the Himeyuri students, high school girls who were mobilized as nurses at the start of the American invasion. The students dealt with the wounded in gruesome circumstances, as they moved from cave to cave, and many were killed by bullets and shells. The worst came after the nursing units were dissolved on June 18, 1945. Even more girls died after being left to fend for themselves in the caves, with some getting caught in the crossfire, and others committing suicide after believing the propaganda that was fed to them about how they would be raped and killed by American troops. In all, 227 students in the Himeyuri corps did not survive the war. Their story is told in a well-laid out museum, complete with photographs and excellent English language captions.

The cenotaph in the front of the museum, where visitors can lay flowers:

The entrance to the museum is just after the cenotaph:

Of all the photographs of the girls who died, this one touched me the most. Most of the pictures were taken from formal school portraits, with the girls looking serious or shyly grinning. This one, however, showed an image of a much younger girl with a sweet smile, who shouldn't have suffered and died the way she did (and of course none of them should have - they were just students, and as the museum points out, mobilizing them for military service was against all codes of international law). May you rest in peace, Ranko Kokuba 国場蘭子:

What a senseless waste of life it all was - soldier and civilian, Japanese and non-Japanese.

It was a quiet bus ride from the Himeyuri-no-tō back to the Itoman Bus Terminal. It wasn't long, however, before I found myself back in the present world, i.e. Naha. Before returning to my hotel for a rest, I visited the F.C. Ryūkyū ＦＣ琉球 soccer team store, and picked up a T-shirt and a key holder. I'm a sucker for stuff like that:

On my last evening in Naha, I explored once more Kokusai-dōri 国際通り. Starting out on foot from the Tōyoko Inn 東横イン, I walked the other side of the road from the night before, heading east this time:

Bottles of Habushu ハブ酒, containing the bodies of deadly Habu snakes 波布 being soaked in the local awamori 泡盛 firewater:

The view I had of Kokusai-dōri from my restaurant table. My final dinner in Okinawa consisted of rib steak and Orion Beer オリオンビール. Not a bad life, eh?:

I pulled up a bar stool at a brewpub called Helios ヘリオス, and sampled four of their craft beers for ¥900 ($11.15/NT320). From left to right, I tried the Wiezen バイツェン; Lager 酵母入りラガー; Pale Ale ペールエール; and Porter ポーター. As none of them were anything at all like T'ái​wān Beer 台灣啤酒 (for one thing, they all had flavor), it was hard choosing which one was best:

At the end of Kokusai-dōri, I came across a neighborhood festival taking place on the grounds of a local Shintō shrine 神社. It's images like these that I always treasure from the times when I was living in Japan:

Instead of hopping on the monorail and returning to my hotel, I decided to walk around some of the adjoining streets. It was while doing so that I came across the Sōgen-ji Ishimon Stonegate 崇元時石門, the only survivor of the mausoleum for former kings of the Ryūkyū Kingdom 琉球王国. Another reminder of the senseless destruction the Second World War brought down on Okinawa:

Because it was my last night in Naha, I kept on walking, all the way back to my hotel via Kokusai-dōri again. One final look back at the beginning of the thoroughfare...:

...and then it was time to pack my bags, and turn in for the night. The next morning I had breakfast, checked out, rode the monorail to the airport, then flew from Naha 那覇空港 for all of one hour and ten minutes back to T'ái​wān 台灣. I was reunited with my wife and daughter by the early afternoon.

A few mementos from the trip: some brown cane sugar 黒糖 candy, a miniature bottle of awamori and some packets of Okinawa Soba 沖縄そば:

It had been 18 years since my last visit to Okinawa, so you could say this trip was long overdue. Of all my recent vacations in Japan, this has probably been the best one so far. From swimming in the reefs at Yonehara Beach 米原ビーチ to meeting some really friendly people on Ishigaki Island 石垣島, I came back from Okinawa with a lot of great memories that I will treasure until the day I'm gone. Hopefully, one day I can make it back - there are still more islands left to explore!

沖縄んかいめんそーれー! Until the time I can hear those words again...

Bye-bye Okinawa バイバイ沖縄 - Sadao China 知名定男

Okinawa Getaway: Day 7 ７月１日

This was the day I bade farewell to the island of Ishigaki 石垣島 after having stayed there five days. As my flight to Naha 那覇 wasn’t due to depart until 11 am, and with Ishigaki Airport 石垣空港 being just a twenty-minute bus ride from the downtown area, I had some time for a final walk around.

This sign on the wall of the covered shopping arcade expresses the residents’ thanks to the Taiwanese people for the support they gave to the Japanese in their time of recent crises:

The public market:

Proof that T’áiwān 台灣 isn’t very far away. I was headed in the opposite direction, however:

A last look at the city of Ishigaki 石垣市 from the window of my Japan Transocean Air (JTA) 日本トランスオーシャン航空 flight to Naha Airport 那覇空港:

It was a short flight from Ishigaki to Naha (just 55 minutes), and as it was lunchtime when we landed, I sought out a restaurant in the domestic terminal building, and sat down to yet another soba 蕎麦 meal. This time I had Sōki Soba ソーキそば, thick white noodles with pork spare ribs:

After lunch, I rode the Yui Rail ゆいレール monorail line to Asahibashi Station 旭橋駅, the closest station to my hotel, the Tōyoko Inn 東横イン那覇旭橋駅前, where I had stayed my first night in Okinawa 沖縄. It was too early to go up to my room, but I was able to register and leave my bag with the front desk, and then set out to see Naha’s most well-known area (at least for domestic tourists), Kokusai-dōri 国際通り.

Kokusai-dōri (“International Street”) is a 2-kilometer (1.2 miles)-long road lined with souvenir shops and restaurants. It’s busy most of the day, but especially comes alive in the early evening, when the sidewalks are teeming with Japanese families, young friends traveling together, foreign visitors and American Marines on leave from one of their many bases on the island. The entrance to Kokusai-dōri was just a short walk from my hotel, but I elected to begin my exploration at the opposite end, so I rode the monorail three stops to Makishi Station 牧志駅, and started from there.

It wasn’t long before I came to the entrance to the Heiwa-dōri 平和通りcovered shopping arcade. This street, and the adjoining Ichibahon-dōri 市場本通り, both evoke images of a Japan that is in danger of dying out in the modern era, as the country grows more and more suburbanized. There was a time not long ago when most people would take the train or bus to their local downtown areas, and do their shopping from small mom-and-pop stores in the covered arcades. Now, however, large shopping centers built on the outskirts of urban areas are drawing the customers away, and all over Japan you can the sight of shuttered stores in these once-shriving districts. All seemed well in Naha, however, no doubt as a result of the thriving tourist trade:

Halfway down Ichibahon-dōri is the Dai-ichi Kōsetsu Makishi Ichiba 第一公設牧志市場, a two-story market with seafood, fruit and vegetable and household goods stalls on the first floor, and a number of small restaurants upstairs specializing in fresh seafood. The foods on sale here would not seem out of place in Taiwan, but here in Japan it all seems very exotic. I decided to come here later for dinner:

Leaving the arcade, I returned to Heiwa-dōri, and then followed the arcade to its end, going away from Kokusai-dōri. Where it ended, the Tsuboya 壺屋 pottery district began. My Rough Guide book states that this area has been the center of local ceramics production since 1682, though none of the current buildings there date from anywhere close to that time. Though I don’t have a particular interest in ceramics, I was still surprised (and disappointed) to discover the Tsuboya Pottery Museum 壺屋焼物博物館 to be closed in the middle of a Friday afternoon at the beginning of the summer vacation season. However, there is a traditional climbing kiln on an embankment next to the museum that can be seen at any time. My guidebook says this kiln dates from the 1880’s, but according to a sign in front, it was actually erected in the 1680’s:

These days, many of the shops in the Tsuboya area specialize in the production and sale of Shīsā シーサー guardian lions:

At the end of Tsuboya-yachimun- dōri 壺屋やちむん通り, I turned left and made my back to Makishi Station, and returned by monorail to my hotel, where my room was now ready.

The view from my hotel room. That’s Asahibashi Station in the upper-left part of the photo:

After resting for a bit, I was getting hungry, so once again I rode the monorail to Makishi Station, and returned to Kokusai-dōri, and, eventually, the Dai-ichi Kōsetsu Makishi Ichiba market. At one of the restaurants on the second floor, I sat down to a plate of fresh sashimi 刺身, which along with the accompanying bowls of soup and rice, was pretty good value at ¥1200 ($14.75/NT425):

After dinner, I spent the remainder of the evening walking west along Kokusai-dōri, in the direction of the Tōyoko Inn. I spent some time browsing in some of the stores, and picked up some souvenirs for myself (namely a very cool Okinawan-style shirt-sleeved shirt) and my daughter. Most of all, I enjoyed watching all the people going back and forth. Despite all the activity, the vibe was, well, fairly mellow, at least in comparison to similar scenes in Taiwan:

Relaxing with my buddy, Joe Yabuki 矢吹丈, star of the boxing manga 漫画 and anime series アニメ “Ashita no Joe” あしたのジョー, while drinking a cup of shīkwāsā juice シーくぁーサージュース:

Haisai ojisan ハイサイおじさん - Shoukichi Kina 喜納昌吉