Revisiting old haunts

I went into T'aichung was to see what my new camera could do when it comes to photographing temples. The area I chose was the Nant'un 南屯 district, home to Taichung's oldest house of Taoist worship, Wanhe Temple 萬和宮 (dating from 1726). Parking my scooter in front a 7-Eleven, I took a walk along Nantun Old Street 南屯老街, a short stretch of road lined with old stores:

It isn't really worth going out of the way to visit. However, unlike Taiwan's ever-growing collection of "old streets", this one doesn't cater to the tourist trade - the shops and stores sell mostly items for daily use to local residents, and not snacks and souvenirs for day-trippers.

Tourism does seem to be in the cards for Wanhe Temple. Those brown signs that one sees all over Taiwan denoting tourist spots could be seen in the neighborhood, pointing the way to the temple, and the courtyard that used to be used for festivals and markets is now a parking lot. The temple was busy this afternoon, but save for a young Western couple (and myself), the visitors were there to worship:

Behind Wanhe Temple is another temple, albeit a more modern one. According to my Rough Guide, the enshrined deity at Wench'ang Temple 文昌公廟, Wench'ang Tichun 文昌帝君, is the "Emperor of Passing Exams", so it stands to reason that it's a popular place for students. And there were several there (along with their parents), no doubt praying for success on those all-important entrance exams that East Asian societies love to inflict on their young citizens. The two boxes in front of the main altar were filled with photocopies of test application forms and ID cards:

I don't know if it was the cloudy skies, the incense smoke, my ignorance when it comes to cameras or a combination of all three, but the pictures didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Oh well, Taiwan certainly doesn't lack for temple photo ops, so I'll try again another time.

On a final note, this afternoon was a bit of a stroll down memory lane. This area was the first place I stayed when I came to Taiwan, when I spent time with a friend who was living in a large apartment building nearby. The temples could be clearly seen from my friend's balcony, and the festivals and firecrackers could be clearly heard, much to my annoyance. Even on my first visit to Taiwan, I was already a curmudgeon! The neighborhood has changed somewhat since then, but I suppose I haven't!

This is the Taichung I remember all too well. 懐かしい...

Go Speed Racer

Impatience is the bane of Taiwanese drivers. I saw this first-hand this afternoon as I was driving to the home of my friend Michael. I was in the right lane, and a delivery truck was next to me in the left lane. Behind us was the kind of blue pickup truck so ubiquitous in Taiwan. The delivery van and I were both going at roughly the same speed, no doubt to the frustration of the driver of the pickup, who obviously wanted to get around one of us so he could get to his destination more quickly. Unfortunately, the traffic light just in front of the Tz'u Chi hospital in T'antzu 潭子 changed to red. I stopped, the delivery van stopped, but the pickup was going too fast too closely, and though he applied the brakes, it wasn't in time as he crashed into the back of the delivery van, almost hitting me as the truck recoiled from the impact. The result was a broken windshield and a damaged front grill, but it could have been much worse - the driver was able to get out, and with the help of the van's driver, push the pickup to the side of the road:

Returning to the scene of the crime about a half-hour later, I saw that the pickup had been placed onto a flatbed truck and was being driven away. The driver may have been lucky this time, but how much physical suffering and property damage have occurred because many people in Taiwan can't be bothered to slow things down a little?

Fengyuan's first Indian restaurant has thrown open its doors. Are the city's notoriously conservative denizens (at least when it comes to dining) starting to embrace the big wide world of international eats? If my wife is any indication, the answer is probably "not yet". Despite the fact the sum total of her experience with Indian cuisine boils down to one night at a chain restaurant in Kyōto 京都 nearly a decade ago, she has made up her mind that all Indian food "isn't delicious". This from someone who complains a lot about the fare offered at many local diners, and yet still eats Chinese/Taiwanese food. At least my daughter says she's willing to give it a try!

Has it really been four years already?

My daughter turned four years old today, a fact which she is very proud of (though she has her sights set on becoming six). It's hard to believe she's already four, and while I wish she could stay my little princess forever, I'm thankful that she's made it this far without any serious problems (knock on wood). In case you're wondering, she received a Hello Kitty nurse's kit (かわいいかんごふさんバッグ, according to the box), and a toy stroller to go with the doll that she got last month for Christmas (and which she has named "Little Amber"). The Hello Kitty birthday cake also went over well:

A home away from home

The Daily Yomiuri ザ・デイリー読売 has this interesting Yomiuri Shimbun 読売新聞 article posted on its website ("Novelist honored with opening of Japanese house in Taiwan"):

"A traditional Japanese house that was shipped from Ōichō おおい町, Fukui Prefecture 福井県, to northern Taiwan and rebuilt there as part of exchanges between quake-stricken areas in the two countries will open in April as a memorial to Japanese novelist Tsutomu Mizukami 水上勉. The house called Ittekisui Kinenkan 一滴水記念館 has been erected in the northern city of Tanshui 淡水. It features a library with a collection that includes books by Shunshin Chin 陳舜臣, 85, a Taiwanese-Japanese novelist who lives in Kōbe 神戸, as well as books written by Mizukami (1919-2004). The house will be used to foster greater cooperation between volunteers from the two countries and help with cultural exchanges. The relocation project was started by Machi-Communication まち・コミュニケーション, a residents group in Kōbe's Nagata Ward 長田区 that was set up to support postearthquake reconstruction efforts in the city and which provided assistance to areas of Taiwan that were hit by a massive earthquake in September 1999. The house, which is located in an area being developed as a park, is a one-story, 160-square-meter house with a gable roof and white walls. It was named after a museum of literature called Jakushu Itteki Bunko 若洲一滴文庫, which was set up by Mizukami in Ōichō, the novelist's hometown. The residents group holds meetings at a different traditional house, which they transported and built in Nagata Ward in 2004. A group visiting from Taiwan were impressed by the quaint, historic feel of the house. Consequently, the Kōbe-based group came up with a plan to relocate an old Japanese house to Taiwan. The group found a 90-year-old private house in Ōichō, which was later discovered to have been built by Mizukami's father, a chief carpenter."

The original Japanese-language article can be found here, and includes a photograph of the house:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/zoom/20100119-OYT9I00824.htm

Here's an older Taipei Times article on the house.

Just another day in Toyohara

I was standing in line at a 7-Eleven this morning when an old man turned to me and said "背が高いですね". I wasn't expecting to be addressed in Japanese, and certainly not at a corner convenience store in a small, provincial city like Fengyuan 豐原, but I quickly pulled myself together to agree with a "そうですね". He then asked "どこの国ですか", to which I replied "アメリカから来ました", before apologizing for having to leave. At no point in our brief conversation was the old gentleman at all surprised that I was using Japanese to speak to him. Had I not already been running late to get to work, I would've liked to have chatted with him some more - opportunities to use 日本語 don't happen often in these here parts. What I really wanted to know was why he chose to speak to me in Japanese in the first place. Could it be my looks? :)

Following work this morning, I rode over to the Tak'eng 大坑 area to do some hiking. The mountains looked great in the warm weather and clear skies, but my plans to try out the new camera's ability to take scenic shots had to be put on hold due to the layer of smog covering T'aichung 台中 down below. As I was returning to my parked scooter at the end of my walk, a large Formosan Rock Macaque 台灣獼猴 crossed the trail in front of me before climbing up into the trees. I tried to get a good shot of the monkey, but this was the best I could do, with the camera's zoom on maximum:

Coming home from a private lesson this evening, I noticed that the moon looked especially beautiful this evening. My old camera took terrible night shots, but tonight seemed like a good opportunity to see what the Casio カシオ could do. One of the extras that had been thrown in when I bought the camera was a small tripod. Setting everything up on the ledge of our apartment building's rooftop, this was the result:

That's life in central Taiwan.

Stepping back in time (a little)

Writing on a restaurant billboard (photo now missing, for unknown reasons) led to a walk around the neighborhood, which in turn led to this well-preserved (if uniquely maintained) old home...

I wish there were more like these around.

Take a walk on the mild side

My new Casio カシオ comes with what it calls a "YouTube" function, so after finishing work on Friday night, I decided to give it a go. Like many provincial Taiwanese cities, Fengyuan 豐原 has a small downtown area that can get surprisingly active, though this night it was comparatively quiet. The result of my brief walkabout can be seen below:

Starting off at the city's main Matsu 媽祖 Temple, I proceeded to walk down a section of Miaotung 廟東, a narrow street lined with food stalls that is Fengyuan's sole claim to fame within Taiwan. About halfway down, I turned onto a narrower lane crammed with clothing stores, several of which carry "risque" clothing that would seem pretty tame to anyone who has spent time in urban Japan. The lane ends near the entrance to the Pacific Department Store, where I then turned back toward Chung-cheng 中正 Road, the main artery of the city. From there, it was a short walk back to the Matsu Temple. Gripping stuff it ain't, but the video does show a slice of nightlife in a typical Taiwanese burg, and the images are a lot clearer than the vids recorded with the old Pentax ペンタックス.

As for the shakiness, that's what happens when a single giant 外人 hand tries to hold a small 日本製 camera. Next time, I'll try to use both mitts.