Amber does Japan...sort of

Fengyuan 豐原 is my daughter's hometown. She was born here, and except for the yearly visits to the States to see her grandparents and aunt, it's the only place she knows. For one afternoon, however, Amber could have been walking the streets of any provincial Japanese city, as virtually everything the two of us did today in downtown Fengyuan seemed to have a Japanese theme.

First off, we had lunch at a Japanese restaurant called Yanagikawa 柳川, run by our next-door neighbors, where Amber proclaimed that tonkatsu 豚カツ (along with steak) was her favorite food in the whole world:

Then we walked up the road to a tea stand called Kurokawa 黒川, where many of the teas are named after Japanese regions (静岡, 宇治 etc.) Amber was quite happy with the complimentary strawberry she was given there:

Still feeling a little hungry after lunch (we did split one set meal, after all), we crossed over to a shop called Sanco that specializes in onigiri おにぎり. Amber did her best Peko-chan ペコちゃん impersonation while we waited for our fried chicken rice ball:

Our final stop was at the local department store, and in particular, a small shop located on the first basement floor that stocks nothing but imported Japanese snack foods. Amber was satisfied with her purchase of a box of Hello Kitty Biscuits ハローキティビスケット (Dad picked up a can of UCC Milk Coffee 缶コーヒー):

Our father-daughter afternoon finished off at a field of cosmos flowers not far from our apartment complex. Amber had a lot of fun making her way among the flowers and butterflies, and she borrowed the camera to take a number of pictures, including the shot below:

More of my 4 year-old budding-Ansel Adams' works can be seen on her photo blog.

On a completely unrelated note is the following Kyōdō News 共同通信社 article from today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ ("Law to allow exhibition of Taiwan art"):

"The Diet 国会 will enact a law to smooth the way for an exhibition of ancient Chinese artworks from Taiwan's National Palace Museum 國立故宮博物院, the speaker of Taiwan's Parliament 立法院 said Thursday, according to local media. Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng 王金平 made the remarks after holding discussions earlier in the day with Tadashi Imai 今井正, Japan's new representative to T'aipei 台北, the Central News Agency reported. 'Imai told me that the Japanese Diet is likely to approve the legislation in the first half of the year,' Wang was quoted as saying. He added that several Japanese parliamentarians promised during a recent visit to Taiwan to help push for passage of the act. 'Given the geographic proximity, cultural links and long-term friendship between our two countries, I believe a public exhibition of Palace Museum art treasures in Japan will definitely attract a large audience and turn out to be a resounding success,' Wang said. The National Palace Museum in Taipei is home to the world's largest collection of Chinese art, which was amassed by Chinese emperors over a millennium. The works have only been exhibited in three foreign countries — the United States, Germany and France — all of which enacted laws to guarantee their return to Taiwan after the exhibitions. Without a legal guarantee, Taiwan is concerned China might pressure countries to impound the art collection. After its defeat by communist forces in 1949, the Nationalist 中國國民黨 government fled the mainland to Taiwan, taking with them some 650,000 valuable works of art. Beijing claims sovereignty over the self-governing island and the artworks housed in National Palace Museum as its own."

It's somewhat ironic that Taiwan's most notable non-natural sight has very little to do with Taiwan itself. Calling it the "Chinese Louvre", as one Belgian writer recently did, is overstating the case, but the museum is a must-see for anyone interested in Chinese art. In the (sadly) increasingly unlikely event that this island can one day free itself from its Republic of China 中華民國 shackles and become an independent state in its own right, the question would have to be answered as to what to do with the National Palace Museum's huge collection of mainland artifacts. Perhaps that same Belgian writer could describe them as "Taiwan's Elgin Marbles".

To arms, to arms!

"It's better to help arm Taiwan than to defend it" is the headline for a somewhat odd opinion piece by one Doug Bandow of the Cato Institute, by way of today's Japan Times ジャパンタイムズ:

"The Obama administration is preparing a new arms package for Taiwan. Ironically, selling weapons to T'aipei 台北 may be the best way for Washington to get out from the middle of one of the world's potentially most volatile relationships, between China and Taiwan. Relations between China and Taiwan are improving. Yet the former continues to point more than 1,300 missiles at the latter. The threat of military force remains a backdrop to expanding economic and tourist contacts across the Taiwan Strait 台灣海峽. The U.S. is positioned uneasily in between. Formally committed to the principle of one China and providing weapons to Taiwan for its defense, Washington cannot easily square the circle. As China grows in economic strength and international influence, pressure will grow on America's relationship with Taipei."

According to the 1972 Shanghai Communique, the U.S. recognizes the One China principle  一個中國原則, but in language that implies that Washington merely acknowledges that China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, without actually endorsing China's position. The Taiwan Relations Act 台灣關係法 of 1979 requires the U.S. "to provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character", and "to maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or the social or economic system, of the people on Taiwan", but does not formally bind American military forces to come to the defense of Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

"(President) Ma (Ying-jeou) 馬英九 has downplayed Taiwan's quest for a separate international identity and promoted ties with China. Yet the underlying substantive issues remain unchanged. China sees only one outcome, whether the result of negotiation or ultimatum: Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan. In contrast, President Ma, no less than his predecessor, opposes submitting Taiwan to rule by China."

That last sentence is debatable considering the Kuomintang's 中國國民黨 rush to sign an ECFA with China in order to more closely bind the two economies together, and thus act to contain the influence of pro-independence forces. It seems many Western commentators accept Ma's proclamations on the defense of Taiwan's sovereignty at face value, without examining what has actually been taking place on the ground (and behind closed doors).

"At some point China's patience is likely to fade. Continuing arms sales may be the best hope of forestalling conflict. During the Cold War no one doubted Washington's will and ability to prevent China from attempting to conquer or intimidate Taiwan. Neither is certain any longer. Go to war with China and the 21st century looks a lot uglier, even if the U.S. handily wins round one. And round one no longer would be a slam dunk. While China cannot for the foreseeable future match American military power, it can create a substantial deterrent capability, sharply raising the potential cost of U.S. intervention. Beijing's increasing ability to sink U.S. carriers with submarines and missiles alone would force any president to hesitate sending the 7th Fleet into the Taiwan Strait for battle. As protecting Taiwan goes from being a guaranteed freebie to a potential catastrophe, Taipei will no longer be able to rely upon America. Taiwan has been a good friend for many years, but few U.S. presidents would decide to protect Taipei if doing so put Los Angeles and maybe New York at risk."

Bandow adapts an age-old concern regarding the American nuclear umbrella - namely, would the U.S. sacrifice New York for the sake of London, Tōkyō 東京 etc.? He thinks that arms sales are an easy out, that somehow providing weapons for Taiwan will mean the U.S. won't have to face the possibility of having its deterrence "bluff" (if it is, in fact, a poker move) called. Of course, one could easily argue the opposite position - selling weapons could serve to ratchet up tensions and make the likelihood of conflict all the more greater (though this writer personally doesn't take that point of view).

"...the Bush administration showed its pique with former President Chen Shui-bian 陳水扁 by freezing arms sales to Taipei. The result was to accelerate the already disturbing erosion of Taiwan's defensive capabilities. Taiwanese weakness could be dangerous. Should China grow impatient — and believe that victory would be swift and bloodless — the temptation to act could prove overwhelming. Of course, even fulfilling Taiwan's 'wish list' would not enable the island state to defeat China in a full-scale war. But Taipei needs sufficiency rather than equality — a military capable of making any attempt at coercion more costly than the likely benefits of victory...there should be no American retreat from the principle of selling Taipei the weapons that it needs for its defense. The Taiwanese have built a free and democratic society. They deserve access to the tools that will enable them to defend that society."

Here, Bandow seems unaware that there was a long-standing American arms package on offer from the Bush administration that was held hostage in the legislature by the then-opposition KMT - the very same folks who are now running the show, and claiming to put Taiwan's defensive needs first!

"...the best strategy for ensuring a peaceful resolution of Taipei's status is a robust Taiwanese defensive capability. Selling arms is a far better option than intervening militarily in any conflict. To presume that China, with far more at stake than America, will forever back down would be a wild gamble. Whether Chinese concerns are driven more by nationalist passions or geostrategic concerns, the more direct Washington's involvement, the more dangerous Beijing's likely response. And there would be no greater calamity than a war between the U.S. and China. The U.S. should not be expected to risk major war with nuclear powers to protect other states, however friendly or democratic. But Washington can help other nations defend themselves. Selling weapons to Taiwan would empower the island state without inserting the U.S. into any cross-strait crossfire."

Actually, Washington was expected to risk a major war with a nuclear power during the Cold War (NATO vs. the Warsaw Pact), and it still is when it comes to the mutual security treaties with Japan 安保条約, and to a lesser extent, South Korea. Arms sales or not, it's difficult to imagine the U.S. managing to stay out of the way should fighting break out between China and Taiwan. Bandow also completely overlooks the other major player in the region, Japan.

It's hard to disagree with Bandow's conclusion that Taiwan needs to have the means to defend itself, and that it's up the American government to help. Still, he should have done some research into the motives behind the policies currently being pursued by the Ma administration. A weapons package may look attractive, but all that sexy hardware could be just for show if the Taiwanese government doesn't really intend to put up much, if any, of a fight.

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.