Strawberry Pickin'

A "sacred tree" close to the restaurant where we had lunch this afternoon

Much to Amber's delight, we went to a strawberry farm in T'antzu 潭子 in order to pick some of my daughter's favorite fruit. Fruit farmers are geniuses - come harvest time, they can sit back and collect money from city dwellers who are more than happy to do the picking for them.

(insert "yowza" comment here)

Computing

I've been using the same laptop for more than five years now, and it's now showing its age. Actually, it started showing its age from a long while back, but I've been putting up with slowing operating speeds, jammed keys and occasional small electric shocks because basically I'm too cheap to buy a new one. Today, however, my wife convinced me to go to a large computer show in T'aichung 台中 to see what's out there, both in terms of the latest models and current prices. I saw some reasonably priced laptops for less than NT19,000 ($590/¥52,520). Prices certainly have come down over the years since I bought my first computer, a Tōshiba 東芝, for around $3000 in the mid-90's, so I'm now officially in the market. While I mull over the many brochures we picked up this afternoon, here a few photographs to share with you...

The show was held at Taichung's now-disused Shuinan Airport. We parked our car on what was once the runway, and in the background can be seen a couple of old airplane hangars:

Being a red-blooded all-American male, in addition to computers, I was also keeping an eye out for what the Japanese like to call コンパニオン, women who present products at car or electronic shows. However, the computers were more interesting. With the exception of the stunning woman working at the Sony ソニー booths, most of the promotional models were dressed like race queens. While there's certainly nothing wrong with that (insert smiley face here), the dancing was atrocious and too many ridiculous games were played. Of course, I couldn't leave without a couple of pictures:

Some of the High-definition TV's on display were showing a Japanese music program featuring KONISHIKI:

Kaminoge's Ultimate Taiwan Itinerary (KUTI)

Michael Turton recently put up a post on The View from Taiwan about “distinctive towns in Taiwan”, and asked readers to submit their suggestions. A lot of interesting locales were mentioned, but what struck me about many of them was the fact that they would mainly be of interest to long-term foreign residents who have been there, done that when it comes to Taiwan’s sightseeing spots (let’s face it, only a serious architecture otaku would take the time to visit Siluo in Yunlin County just to see the small collection of old buildings there – everyone else would come away with a case of the BFD’s). Anyone who has traveled extensively in Northeast Asia would probably feel the only things distinctive about Taiwanese towns are the ugly architecture, polluted air, dangerous drivers and dogs (stray and otherwise) roaming the streets.

Despite all the silk purses being made from sows’ ears, Taiwan is arguably THE undiscovered tourist spot of Asia, so I’ve taken it upon myself to come up with an itinerary highlighting many of the places to visit in Taiwan. The criteria for this list are very simple: 1.) the sights must appeal to the first-time visitor to Taiwan (not to the lifers); and 2.) the locations have to be accessible by public transportation (though a few places do require vehicle rentals). This proposed schedule assumes our hypothetical traveler has both the free time (about a month) and the funds to undertake this journey.

If you actually take the time to plod through everything below, it won’t take long to realize that the itinerary is heavy on history, while light on hot springs, hiking and offshore islands. The list is naturally subjective, and because I’m interested in historical places, the itinerary reflects this. As for hot springs, while it’s true there are a great many places in Taiwan to enjoy a good soak, the true onsen 温泉 aficionado is arguably better off traveling around Japan. After all, most of Taiwan’s best hot springs were developed by the Japanese during the colonial era. When it comes to hiking, Taiwan is an undiscovered gem (when will Lonely Planet get around to putting out a hiking guide to this country?), but the best spots are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to reach via public transport, and so do not satisfy the above criteria. The ridiculous permit requirement for mountains over 3000 meters high would also just add a layer of unnecessary bureaucratic hassle for the short-term visitor to have to go through, so I’ve had to reluctantly leave out the best hikes, such as the ascent of Yushan. On the topic of offshore islands, the Penghu archipelago is probably the best of the lot, but visiting it would require several days, and so I’ve gone with one of the other islands that presumably could be seen in the course of a single night’s stay.

And so, without further ado, here is Kaminoge’s Ultimate Taiwan Itinerary (most of these things I’ve done, and the rest I would like to):

Day 1

We arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, take the bus to our hotel close to Taipei Main Station, and crash. It was probably a long flight, and we’re feeling the effects. Still, we might take a walk around the area.

Day 2

We get most of the Republic of China-related stuff out of the way, in order to focus on things that are more “Taiwanese” later on. This means we will visit the Grand Hotel, the Martyrs’ Shrine and the National Palace Museum, before making our first foray into Taiwan’s culture by ending the day at the Shilin Night Market.

Day 3

There are three options on the table for this day: 1.) take the train to Keelung, and visit Jungjeng Park and Keelung Miaokou; 2.) soak in the hot springs in Beitou (established by the Japanese, of course); or 3.) stretch our legs on some of the hiking trails on Yangmingshan.

Day 4

This itinerary doesn’t really require us to do so, but it would be a shame to visit Taiwan and not go for a ride on the High Speed Rail, so on this day we take it to Taichung (actually Wuri). However, instead of taking the bus into Taiwan’s third largest city, we take a regular train from the adjacent Xinwuri Station, and make the short trip to Changhua. I live in the Taichung area, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the city to someone looking to live and work in Taiwan, but for the short-term tourist, there’s really nothing to see here. Instead, after dropping our bag off at our hotel, we spend the afternoon exploring Changhua, especially the Confucius Temple and Baguashan. Changhua is also a good base for…

Day 5

…when we make a day trip to Lukang, going to and fro by bus.

Day 6

Leaving Changhua in the morning, we take the Jiji Line to Jiji, rent a bicycle and spend some time cycling in the countryside. Then it’s back on the train to Shuili, from where we catch a bus to Sun Moon Lake, and spend the first of two nights there.

Day 7

Sun Moon Lake is the most overrated tourist destination in Taiwan (don’t take my word for it – several of my adult students have said the same thing), but it’s one of the few places in Taiwan that is known in the rest of East Asia, so we might as well go there. This day could be spent visiting some of the lakeside temples, taking a boat tour of the lake itself, doing a short stretch of hiking and/or, if it’s a weekday and the weather is good, renting a bike and going for a ride.

Day 8

It’s back on the bus to Shuili, and on the Jiji Line to Changhua, with a possible stop in Ershui for some more exploration of the Taiwanese countryside via a rented bicycle. From Changhua, a regular express train will have us in Chiayi, our destination for the night. There isn’t much to see here, but there are plenty of eating options in the area around the train station.

Day 9

The Alishan area took a beating from Typhoon Morakot, but we’re assuming that at some point in the future, repairs will be carried out and things will be (somewhat) back to normal. Therefore, we will leave Chiayi in the morning on the Alishan Forest Railway. If there are two trains running that day, we will ride the morning one to Fenchihu, get off there and do some looking around, then catch the afternoon train for the final leg to Alishan. Otherwise, we’ll stay on the train all the way to the end, and spend the afternoon walking around some of the trails up there.

Day 10

It’s the done thing to do in Alishan, so we’ll get up before the crack of dawn, take the train up to Chushan to see the sunrise, and then walk back through the forest to Zhongzheng Village. After some more strolling around, we’ll take the bus back to Chiayi, and then get on a train to Tainan. Assuming we arrive in Tainan around dinner time, we’ll see what kind of nightlife Taiwan’s fourth-largest city offers after our evening repast. .

Day 11

Lonely Planet’s Taiwan guidebook lays out an excellent walking course through central Tainan, so we’ll make use of it.

Day 12

We’ll spend the morning and afternoon in the Anping area, then return to central Tainan, and take a regular express or local train to Kaohsiung. After checking into our hotel, it’s off to the Liuhe Night Market.

Day 13

Kaohsiung has really cleaned up much of its act in recent years (though there’s still much left to be done), so we’ll reward the city for all its hard work by visiting Lotus Pond (where the temples are tacky but fun) and Cijin Island, before seeing the sunset at the old British Consulate at Takao, followed by a tour of the Love River at night.

Day 14

Along with Sun Moon Lake, Kenting is the most overrated place to visit in Taiwan. However, a month-long visit without any time spent at the beach would be disappointing, and seeing as we won’t be going to Penghu on this trip, we might as well take the bus from Kaohsiung to see what all the fuss is about. Let’s avoid Spring Scream time, however, unless your idea of fun is hanging out with drunken 20- and 30-something Western males, all the while listening to music from bands you’ve never heard of (and never will from again).

Days 15 and 16

One day will be spent at the beach and in the water, while the other will take place on a rented scooter, riding out to Eluanbi and Jialeshui, before looping back to Kenting via the old town of Henghcun. Don’t be shy, either – get out and soak up some of the nightlife.

Day 17

It’s a bus to Fangliao, then a train ride to Taitung, and our accommodation for the night.

Day 18

We take the bus and make a day trip to Chihpen Hot Springs (another legacy from the time the Japanese were here).

Day 19

Hopefully the weather will be good, because on this day we are planning on taking the ferry to Green Island. We’ll rent a scooter in order to get around (I probably should have mentioned an International Driver’s Permit is a necessity for this itinerary), and spend the night in a homestay.

Day 20

After some more fun on Taiwan’s former place of political exile, we’ll catch a late ferry back to Taitung, and spend one more night in the city.

Day 21

It’s a long but scenic bus ride along Highway 11 to Hualien. We’ll make one or two stops along the way (one being at the Platform of the Three Immortals), but we’ll need to take careful note of bus timetables in order not to get stranded out in the middle of nowhere.

Day 22

More money will have to laid for scooter rental (or even a car), because we are going to spend the entire day in Taroko Gorge, Taiwan’s premier sightseeing destination. The serious hiker might consider spending the night here, but we’ll be content with seeing the Eternal Springs Shrine, and walking the Tunnel of Nine Turns and the Baiyang Trail, before making the drive or ride back to our hotel in Hualien.

Day 23

This time it’s back on the train, and on to Ruifang, where we will catch a bus up to Jiufen. When in Rome, you should do as the Romans, so we will walk along Jishan Street and gorge ourselves on street stall snacks. Things should be more atmospheric in the evening once the day trippers have gone home.

Day 24

It’s up early for the climb up to Jilongshan, and afterward we’ll take the bus for the short ride over to Jinguashi, and its Gold Ecological Park. Once we’ve had our fill of the mining-related attractions there, we’ll return to Ruifang and take the train back to Taipei, thus completing the circle.

Day 25

Having seen much of the island of Taiwan, we should have a better perspective on things, so now it’s safe to explore some of Taipei’s remaining sights, like Longshan Temple and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Even though it’s no longer the world’s tallest building, we might as well check out Taipei 101, maybe staying long enough to see the night lights come on in the city far down below.

Day 26

Our last full day in Taiwan will be spent in Danshui, easily accessed by Taipei’s excellent MRT system. We’ll walk along Gongming Street and on to Fort San Domingo and Huwei Fort, detouring to see some of the George Mackay-related sights, before taking the bus out to Fisherman’s Wharf (don’t confuse it for the one in San Francisco!). What better way to enjoy our last evening in Taiwan than by watching the sunset while drinking a cold beer (just make sure it isn’t Taiwan Beer), before taking the ferry back to Danshui, and the subway back into Taipei?

Day 27

It’s time to say 再見 to Taiwan. With a trip like this one, we probably won’t be back, but hopefully we’ve enjoyed ourselves. In the end, that’s all that really matters.

In the news

Taiwan's leaders say they want more respect on the international stage, but the actions of some of this country's companies aren't doing the island any favors. The Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 has the report ("Taiwan firms scupper probe by FTC of intl LCD cartel", Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売):

"The Fair Trade Commission 公正取引委員会 has decided not to issue cease-and-desist orders to about 20 domestic and foreign firms suspected of forming an international cartel involving the sale of liquid crystal display panels for such products as TVs and cell phones, it has been learned. Ultimately, the FTC could not discover the whole truth behind its suspicions as Taiwan companies believed to be at the center of the cartel refused to cooperate with the FTC's investigation. It will officially end its probe when the statute of limitations expires in the middle of this month...The FTC launched its probe in December 2006 in tandem with U.S. and European authorities. It ordered about 20 companies suspected of forming a cartel in the Japanese market--including, in addition to Japanese manufacturers, two South Korean firms and three Taiwan firms--to submit information about such things as their customers and fluctuations in wholesale prices. Because the FTC cannot conduct searches of the overseas offices of foreign companies, it gave equal treatment to the domestic firms and did not conduct such inspections of them. The FTC furthered its investigation primarily through documents received as a result of the orders to provide information and questioning of company employees. However, the three Taiwan firms did not cooperate with the investigation. They did not, for example, assign lawyers to speak on their behalf. According to sources, the Taiwan firms took a leading role in the cartel in the Japanese market and even held meetings in T'aipei 台北."

Obviously, some laws need to modified in Japan, especially in light of the actions being undertaken by authorities in the United States and Europe:

"...the U.S. Justice Department had identified Ōsaka 大阪-based Sharp Corp. シャープ; Hitachi 日立 Displays Ltd., based in Chiyoda Ward 千代田区, Tōkyō 東京; and South Korea's LG Display Co. as members of this international price cartel and levied fines totaling 640 million dollars (¥56.5 billion/NT20.7 billion). The European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, also identified this as a cartel of firms from South Korea, Taiwan and other countries in July and is planning to impose huge monetary sanctions soon."

In the news

The Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ has a good article today concerning Taiwan and it's rather "unique" situation ("Taiwan out in cold on climate issue"):

"A sightseeing train stands abandoned on a mountainside in southern Taiwan. The railway in Alishan 阿里山, a popular destination for Japanese tourists, should be taking thousands of visitors every day past red cypresses for panoramic views. But no tourists can get there because the road leading up to the alpine resort was swept away by mudslides when Typhoon Morakot 颱風莫拉克 devastated the area in August. It is generally believed that the typhoon, which killed more than 700 people, grew into an unusually powerful storm because of global warming. But Taiwan, because it is not a member of the United Nations, is only being represented by NGOs at the Climate Change Conference that kicked off Monday in Copenhagen. Many Taiwanese feel that while participating at any level is a step in the right direction, there is still a long way to go."

This, in a nutshell, is the situation Taiwan all too often finds itself in: despite having all the trappings of a sovereign state (an elected representative government, the issuance of passports and visas, even a handful of diplomatic allies), it's often frozen out of major international conferences and conventions because it lacks a UN seat. Data from Taiwan is also often not included in international compilations, but as the article points out, this island is too big to be ignored:

"Not only is Taiwan victim to the severe effects of climate change, it is also one of the worst greenhouse gas emitters. Home to a mere 23 million people, it nevertheless accounts for 1 percent of the world's carbon dioxide emissions..."

Taiwan's size should matter for other important issues as well, such as communicable diseases that ignore national boundaries. Of course, it's no surprise who is behind Taiwan's exclusion from global get-togethers:

"Taiwan cannot participate in the Copenhagen conference as a national delegation because the U.N. does not recognize its sovereignty, mainly due to pressure from the People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国. So it is being represented by four NGOs who are attending as observers, with the Environmental Protection Administration's 行政院環境保護署 deputy minister acting as adviser."

And what is the KMT 中國國民黨-led government doing about this?:

"Since Taiwan was ousted from the U.N. in 1971 in favor of Beijing, the breakaway island has been applying in vain to rejoin. But the Nationalist government that came to power last year adopted a new strategy and is requesting official participation in the U.N.'s specialized agencies such as the U.N. Framework Convention to Fight Climate Change, the organizer of the Copenhagen conference...without participation, Taiwan has to approach individual countries to ask about global standards and strategies...At Copenhagen, Taiwan's NGOs are listed as hailing from 'China,' which prompted complaints from their representatives last week."

When you denigrate your own country's sovereignty by accepting humiliating monikers such as "Chinese Taipei" 中華台北 in international arenas, it shouldn't come as a surprise when others start referring to Taiwan as a "province 省 of China". As the article points out, Taiwan needs to be more aggressive in staking out a place for the country on the global stage because the stakes are too high:

"Minimizing the effects of climate change is an urgent task for Taiwan, which has a high bill to pay after Typhoon Morakot ravaged its southern areas in August. The rainfall reached an unprecedented 3 meters (9.8 feet) over three days, and to undo the damage done by subsequent landslides and floods the government has set a four-year budget of 116.4 billion New Taiwan dollars (¥319 billion/$3.6 billion). The storm was particularly damaging to the island's tourism, with the cost estimated at NT$10.4 billion (¥28.5 billion/$323 million). Much of the devastation was around Alishan, a famous mountain resort in Chia'i County 嘉義縣, where the reconstructed road leading up to it is not yet open to tour buses. Despite attracting 1 million tourists this year prior to the typhoon, nearly 10 percent of whom were Japanese, the Alishan National Scenic Area Administration estimates there will be a drop of 750,000 visitors in total this year compared with last year."

Despite what the current administration may think, 3000 Chinese visitors a day aren't going to solve the challenges facing Taiwan/the Republic of China 中華民國/Chinese Taipei/the separate customs union of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, or whatever other name might be used to refer to Ilha Formosa.

花見 the Taiwanese way!

Another Sunday, another up close-and-personal encounter with mass tourism, Taiwanese-style. Despite it being the beginning of December, the weather is still pleasant, and not knowing how many more such Sundays we will have before the chill of winter sets in (though the truth is it doesn't get all that cold in Taiwan), we drove out this afternoon to the town of T'ienwei 田尾, in Changhua County 彰化縣. Tienwei is noted for flowers, and in more recent times, for bicycle rentals. But cast aside any images you may have of leisurely cycle rides past bucolic flower fields. This is Taiwan, and in Tienwei, this means you and hundreds of other weekend cyclists must do battle on roads chock full of cars, buses, scooters and pedestrians. And instead of flower farms, the draw there is plant nurseries selling all manner of flora, and augmented as always by food vendors and carnies. You won't be humming "Talking Loud and Clear" by OMD while walking the crowded streets and lanes of Tienwei, that's for sure!

For your enjoyment, 写真を見てください:

My daughter Amber was quite the little horticulturalist, asking me to stop the bike at several places along the way so she could visit some nurseries and inspect the flowers there (check out the picture she took here). Today was also an opportunity for her to try out her new Hello Kitty ハローキティ purse, handmade by one of her aunts.

The photo on top shows the view of the road from the bike, while the picture below provides a street-level view after we had parked our wheels and took a walk along the main drag.

Spouse and child relax in the back of our rented pedicab ("sanlunch'e" 三輪車 in Chinese) towards the end of the afternoon.

Christmas decorations on one side of the street, the Earth God on the other.

さようなら Saitō-san

It took a while to come about, but the news is far from unexpected:

"Japan's top envoy to Taiwan, Masaki Saitō 斉藤正樹, resigned as director of the Interchange Association 財団法人交流会, Tōkyō's 東京 de facto embassy in T'aipei 台北, association officials said Tuesday. Saitō quit for 'personal reasons,' the officials said on condition of anonymity. They did not elaborate. Saitō's resignation comes amid a tiff with Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou 馬英九, who has been reluctant to meet with Saitō or allow him to meet with senior administration officials for some eight months over a comment the envoy made earlier this year. On May 1, Saitō angered the Ma administration by referring to Taiwan's status in the international community as 'unresolved' in remarks at a Taiwanese academic symposium. The administration insists that the Republic of China 中華民國, as Taiwan is officially called, is a sovereign entity. Heavyweights in Ma's ruling Nationalist Party 中國國民黨 have been calling for Saitō's recall since the remark, for which Saitō and the Foreign Ministry 外務省 in Tōkyō have apologized. Besides virtually freezing out Saitō from high-level contacts, Taiwan has been tough with Japan under Ma's leadership. Shortly after Ma took office last year, Taiwan's then prime minister even threatened war with Japan over a collision between a Taiwanese fishing boat and a Japan Coast Guard 海上保安庁 vessel in disputed waters claimed by the two sides but controlled by Japan."

("Envoy to Taipei resigns amid tiff")

It was bad enough that Saitō had to endure a lot of unjustified and just plain vile abuse from KMT hotheads, but the Ma administration's petulant refusal to meet with him was hardly becoming of a government of a supposedly sovereign state. Virtually all neutral observers would agree with Saitō's interpretation of Taiwan's status in regards to the 1952 Treaty of San Francisco, and as the above article states, the envoy apologized, claiming the remarks were only his personal opinion. The proper thing to have done would have been to accept the apology, and then move to put bilateral relations back on an even keel. But when it comes to Japan, the Ma administration has been anything but steady in its approach (kudos to the Kyōdō News 共同通信社 for putting the lie to Ma's claims that the relationship is doing fine).

The answer as to why the Ma administration over-reacted to Saitō's observation of the obvious perhaps lies in the English translation of the KMT's name - the Chinese Nationalist Party. The KMT took over a Taiwan that, after 50 years of Japanese rule, was far more prosperous than any province in China, with a population that had adopted a lot of Japanese customs. It must have been an affront to the Nationalists, who had suffered greatly at the hands of the Japanese military in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The KMT's solution was to strip Taiwan of much of its industrial capacity (before having to change tack with its defeat in the Chinese Civil War 國共內戰), and to eliminate a good portion of Taiwan's Japanese-educated professional class during the 228 Incident 二二八事件, followed by intensive efforts to inculcate the local population into believing that they were not only Chinese, but were burdened with the responsibilities of preserving the glories of Chinese culture and tradition from the dangerous, radical Communists on the mainland. But despite the decades of relentless propaganda, the party has never been able to eradicate the influences that Japan's period of rule had on the development of Taiwanese (as opposed to Chinese) culture. Many of the older generation harbored positive memories of that era, perceiving the Japanese to have been much more efficient and less corrupt than the KMT, while the younger generation has enthusiastically embraced Japan's modern-day popular culture in the form of animation, fashion, music and so on. Japanese products are widespread and highly regarded (unlike goods made in China!), Japanese is second only to English in the study of foreign languages, and Japan is the most popular overseas destination for Taiwanese tourists (not counting Hong Kong). All this presents a formidable obstacle to a government that is trying to lay the groundwork for an eventual "reunification" with the Chinese "motherland".

The solution, therefore, has been to let the relationship deteriorate, while denying that such a thing has been happening, of course. Celebrating the achievements of long-dead hydraulic engineers is not a substitute for cordial relations based on mutual respect. Policymakers in Tōkyō were far more leery of Ma's election victory last year than their counterparts in the United States. With his administration's shabby treatment of Saitō, among other things, it appears their fears are far from being allayed, no matter how many soothing words are spoken by Yoichi Hatta's 八田與一 greatest admirer.

For the Taipei Times' take on why the Ma and the KMT have allowed all this to happen, follow this link: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2009/12/02/2003459976