In the news ニュース

From Friday's Daily Yomiuri, "Efforts afoot to save Taiwan betel nut culture":

"Originally from an indigenous culture, the once-widespread custom of chewing betel nuts 檳榔子 has become less popular in Taiwan. To save the custom and the plant, experts are seeking new uses for it."

Though it may seem hard to believe considering the increase in the number of betel nut-selling stands here in Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原:

"...the number of people continuing the custom of chewing betel nuts has been decreasing in urban areas and among younger generations."

This has to be considered good news. Though I admittedly don't have a problem with the scantily-clad young women selling the nuts from glass-enclosed roadside stands :) betel-nut chewing is a disgusting habit, and a dangerous one to boot, both in terms of health and the environment:

"...several years ago, (Taiwanese authorities) began pointing out a possible causal connection between betel nut consumption and mouth cancer, while also claiming that production of betel palm trees, which have short roots, could cause mudslides in heavy rains, moves seemingly aimed at promoting a ban on betel nut consumption. Meanwhile, more and more people have been expressing disgust over the gobbets of red saliva on streets that are the product of those chewing betel nuts."

It can lead to oral cancer among its users, and its cultivation is a major cause of soil erosion in the mountains, thus leading to damaging landslides. Plus it just plain looks bad, whether you're talking about stained pavements or stained teeth. This is one aspect of traditional Taiwanese culture I would be happy to see die out. Others, however, have a different view:

"...some academics have started calling for the plant to be protected as it is an integral aspect of (Taiwanese aboriginal) tribal culture. With industrial usages in mind, National Pingtung 屏東 University of Science and Technology and offices in the county have been exploring new applications for the plant. The university and local offices produced clothes and handkerchiefs dyed with the plant as well as dishes such as stir fry, soups and salads using the plant, which has a similar texture to bamboo shoots. With production decreasing, farming families that grow the plant have been hard hit. As support measures for them, the university and local offices promoted on a trial basis a method of growing coffee trees at the foot of betel trees because coffee grows better out of direct sunlight."

I would certainly stop to buy a cup of coffee from a scantily-clad young woman working out of a glass-enclosed roadside java stand!

In the news ニュース

A business article in today's Japan Times, entitled "Fujitsu to set up WiMAX joint venture with Taiwan institution" caught my eye. To quote:

"Fujitsu Ltd. 富士通株式会社 said Tuesday it will join hands with an institution backed by the Taiwanese government to develop application platforms for next-generation WiMAX wireless networks. Fujitsu and the Institute for Information Industry signed a basic deal in Tokyo to set up a joint venture in Taiwan, one of the world's major manufacturing bases for personal computers and mobile phones. The joint venture, to be set up in March, will develop WiMAX application platforms for Taiwanese makers of information technology devices...WiMAX, or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, will allow wireless connections to the Internet at data rates of about 70 megabits per second over distances of up to 50 km."

I don't pretend to understand what all of this really means from a technical point of view, but it's a good example of cooperation between Japan and Taiwan in the economic sphere.

In the news ニュース

Two weeks of American food has left me satisfied but full, at least judging from the way I was a huffin' and a puffin' this morning when I went for a short hike/walk in Hsintian (Sintian) 新田. I haven't put on any pounds after the trip, at least not according to our scale, but I do feel bigger around the waist. It's too bad Taiwanese cuisine will never be approved by weight watchers. It's also too bad the hazy weather prevented me from taking any decent photos today.

Both the Japan Times and the Daily Yomiuri had articles on the victory by Japan over Taiwan last night, 10-2, in the final of the Asian Qualifying baseball tournament for next year's Beijing Olympics, held right here in T'aichung (Taijhong) 台中. It was interesting to note that neither story used the disgusting moniker "Chinese Taipei" to refer to Taiwan.

We're back 台湾に戻っていた

After two weeks in the United States, Amber, Pamela and I are now back "home" in Fengyuan (Fongyuan) 豊原. It seems each time I leave Taiwan to go on a trip, be it to Japan or back home to the States, it gets harder and harder to bring myself to return here. There are the obvious reasons, of course - only getting to see my family two weeks out of the year is compounded by the realization that Amber is missing out on a lot of time she could be spending with her Nanny and Granddad, not to mention her Aunt Karen and Cousin James. Perhaps it's the nostalgia that comes with getting older, but I also find I miss a lot of the little things of daily American life that are non-existent in Taiwan. It appears alienation isn't reserved for youth. What follows are some pictorial highlights of the past two weeks. 見てください！

A lot of time was spent at the Kitsap Mall. "Black Friday", the day following Thanksgiving and the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season, wasn't the nightmare I was expecting it to be. That was probably because we got there in the early afternoon. Considering that some stores opened before dawn to accommodate the expected hordes, apparently many people had already come, charged (VISA and MasterCard) and gone.

ショッピングセンターでの写真：

One thing that caught my eye was the popularity of Anime アニメ and Manga 漫画 among American youth:

A suggestion, if I may, to the Suncoast Motion Picture Company: 寿 means "longevity", and not "otaku" (which is お宅).

In addition to spending quality time with her grandparents, Amber also gave a lot of attention to my parents' two cats, Digby and Cleo. Though her intentions were good, I'm sure those two weren't sad to see Amber go.

アンバーと猫：

We didn't have to go far to enjoy scenery. There are some nice homes in the neighborhood, and great views of the Olympic Mountains オリンピック山脈 from the street.

近所からの眺め：

A visit to the local Safeway enabled Amber to try out the latest model in shopping cart transport for kids, while I seized the opportunity to get a box of Cap'N Crunch.

スーパーで：

Despite the chilly temperatures at this time of year (close to freezing much of the time), Amber liked to explore my parents' backyard. On one occasion, the three of us drove down to the waterfront in Silverdale.

On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went with my parents to the county fairgrounds to see an annual display of Christmas tree decorations. People can bid on the displays, with the proceeds going to charity.

The following day, the three of us traveled by ferry to Seattle for the day.
フェリーでシアトルに行った：

First stop was the Seattle Aquarium.
水族館で：

Then it was a long walk over to the International District, and Uwajiyama, a great Asian supermarket. Pamela stocked up on instant noodles, while I came away with bottles of Orion Beer オリオンビール (from Okinawa 沖縄) and Koshihikari Echigo Beer コシヒカリ越後麦酒 (from Niigata 新潟), plus a can of Calpis Water カルピスウォーター (called "Calpico" in the US market for obvious reasons, if you dwell on the name "Calpis"). There's also a branch of Books Kinokuniya 紀伊國屋書店 in the same building (with a fantastic selection of books on Asian subjects), plus a small Asian food court. Should we end up living in Seattle one day, this is one place where I think we would be spending a lot of time.

On another occasion, my Dad and I went for a drive to Olympia オリンピア, the capital of Washington state, crossing over the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge タコマナローズ橋 en route.

On our last full day in Washington, we drove with my parents to Port Townsend, where we met my sister and nephew for lunch. Port Townsend holds a special place for us, as it was here in the garden of a bed-and-breakfast on the bluff overlooking Puget Sound ピュージェット湾, that Pamela and I were married in the summer of 2002. With its many Victorian buildings, Port Townsend is an interesting place to walk around.

However, all good things must come to an end sooner or later.
最後の日の日の入り

　

On this trip to the States, we flew EVA Air エバー航空. To be honest, I wasn't that impressed with the airline. The service was fine, but the food was particularly bad, and the aircraft lacked any personal entertainment systems (meaning the in-flight movies could only be watched on small screens hanging from the cabin ceilings, as in the days of yore). The flight times were brutal (a 12:30 am departure from Taiwan, a 1:30 am departure from Seattle, meaning we arrived here before 6 in the morning on Sunday). Unlike China Airlines チャイナエアライン, however, the planes stayed in the sky!

After arriving back at the airport in Taoyuan 桃園 this morning, we went to the parking garage where we had entrusted our car two weeks ago. On the street in front of the lot was a car that had parked itself at an angle in the middle of the road. It seems that the driver had had too much to drink, and was passed out in his vehicle. A couple of police officers tried banging on the windows to wake him up, but to no avail. In the end, the car was lifted up by a crane onto a flatbed truck, with the driver presumably still sleeping things off inside, and taken away. Welcome back to Taiwan!

A year is a long time to wait...

In the news ニュース

Last day today. Sigh...

In the Japan Times today is this story about a life sentence being upheld for the Japanese killer of a Taiwanese tourist in Japan. In an unusual departure, the presiding judge actually made sense in his ruling. To quote:

"It is an atrocious crime. The (experience) of the blameless woman whose life was taken away in a foreign land is beyond imagination."

The accused:

"...pleaded guilty to murdering Hsiao (Jen-chiao) and dumping her body but maintained his innocence on the other charges, including abduction with the intent of molestation, rape and confinement, claiming he neither forced her into the car nor tied her. The judge called this argument irrational and incredible."

This is the first I've read of this case in either the Japanese or Taiwanese English-language media.

In the news ニュース

One more day in Washington, and then it's back to Taiwan. It's always hard facing up to the prospect of having to return to Isla Formosa, but this time I feel especially reluctant. However, I have little choice in the matter (namely, work commitments and personal possessions), and so tomorrow we must leave.

Meanwhile, the Daily Yomiuri has this article, "Japan-Taiwan relationship gets new guide", on Chen Horng-chi, the new chairman of Taiwan's Association of East Asian Relations, the organization responsible for Taiwan's relations with Japan. The story points out that:

"Chen served as deputy representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan for three years until Oct. 31. He has worked hard to strengthen Taiwan's ties with Japan, including in the fields of national politics, business and local government. Taiwanese tourists have been able to visit Japan without visas for the past two years. From this autumn, Japan and Taiwan agreed to recognize each other's driving licenses. Such measures are prompting a steady rise in tourist traffic."

Relations between Japan and Taiwan have grown closer in recent years, and will probably continue to do so. The article goes on to say:

"Taiwan is generally seen as pro-Japan, due to the influence of a generation who speak Japanese, such as former president Lee Teng-hui 李登輝. Japanese TV dramas also are now popular among the young generation. However, the country's top students have increasingly been choosing to study in the United States, not Japan. Chen worries that this will lead to a decline in the number of Taiwanese who can act as bridges between Japan and Taiwan. 'Fewer and fewer people in Taiwan know Japanese politics and society well, or understand the true beauty of Japan,' he said. Chen teaches at a university in Taiwan, and is planning to establish a course on contemporary Japan next spring. The goal of the course is to nurture Taiwanese who understand Japan well."

I generally agree with Chen's assessment of things. From my own observations, I've realized that while many Taiwanese are interested in things related to Japan, there isn't a high level of awareness of the reality of modern-day Japanese society.

Not that I know a whole lot about Taiwan...

In the news ニュース

Snow! Not much, but there is a dusting of the white stuff on the ground this morning. And the Olympics look really close today. It's days like this I really don't want to go back to Taiwan. Sigh...

Speaking of the so-called Beautiful Island, according to an article in today's Daily Yomiuri, a Taiwanese firm is accused of selling precision equipment to North Korea 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国:

"Taiwanese investigators have sent papers to prosecutors on a company suspected of violating the trade law by illegally exporting precision equipment capable of producing nuclear weapons-related materials to North Korea...With Japan tightening its controls on exports to North Korea following the revelation of Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs, North Korea is believed to have turned to Taiwan, which is not a member of the United Nations, to import Taiwanese machinery. The machinery are said to have contained high-tech parts from Japan...Taipei-based Yicheng Co. is suspected of this year exporting precision machinery capable of extracting plutonium and producing biological and chemical weapons to a company connected to the North Korean military, through Dalian, China. Exports of the machinery to North Korea are banned."

Apparently, it's not the first time this has happened:

"In March, investigators took action against a company in Taichung, Taiwan, for illegally exporting precision machinery capable of producing bullets to North Korea. In August, another company in Taipei was found to have exported Japanese computers and other products containing parts that could be used in missiles to North Korea. The North's importation of machinery capable of producing nuclear-related materials indicates that it is making a concerted effort to procure machinery capable of being used in the manufacturing of a wide range of weapons. The three cases revealed that North Korea was able to make contact with the Taiwanese firms through Taiwanese businessmen who traveled between Taiwan and China and also Chinese companies. They are said to have traveled to Taiwan via Macau and Hong Kong...North Korea targeted Taiwan because it manufactures high-tech precision machinery. (A) senior investigator said North Koreans had gone to Taiwan to receive training on how to operate and maintain the machinery...Taiwanese investigators are said to have been working with their U.S. counterparts, and plan to strengthen ties with Japan and South Korea to prevent illegal exports and shed more light on the North Korea-Taiwan connections."

To paraphrase an old cliche, international isolation makes for strange bedfellows.

It's off to the local mall today to do some early Christmas shopping.