Nakajujo hits back

The agency that we are renting our rooms in the Nakajujo Guesthouse from seems to feel the global recession too. They started to encourage us to save energy a in April. Well encourage means threatening us with additional charges if consumption would not decrease. Strange, because April was warm enough already not to use heating anymore which is consuming lots of energy and cool enough not to switch the aircon on which is equally consuming.
Knowing the Japanese tendency to accept rules however absurd they are and not to voice opinions too openly, I expected my housemates to comply and say nothing. Haha, I was wrong. A vivid discussion started in the house. Especially the three "oldest" tenants (in terms of length of stay) started pointing out to the agency`s failures (such as to provide a second decent-sized fridge or a bigger than baby-size rice cooker) and said they had no grounds for complaints as long as they did not meet their end of the deal. There was some discussion as to if the newest housemates who had moved in in March had caused the excess consumption, not really conflict avoiding either. Another suspicion was that agency simply pretended that consumption had increased and that we should check whether it applies to our house at all.
Well, last time I was at the agency`s office for signing the new contract they made me fill out a questionnaire on utility consumption. The tone was pretty much "please turn your housemates in and report their excessiveness in using energy". Methods used by certain doubtful state organisations... I did just put a few crossed that we always switch light off and so on and suggested that THEY put in energy saving lamps and such.
Now the cleaning lady put posters all over our house - that is next to any potentially engergy consuming item like stove, fridge, shower, light switch, etc. that says "Please turn X off after use". I didn`t even get upset anymore, I`ve gotten used to being reminded of rules everywhere I go here. But obviously one of my housemates got mad - justifiedly so. She wrote nasty comments in Japanese on the posters with permanent marker and little English comments like "Yes, Sir", "Yes, Commander" under the reminders. It`s very funny. There are two housemates who know that kind of English and I suspect it is Tomoko who is a pretty straightforward person in general. You go girl!

Kaohsiung, Southern belle

Kaohsiung is Taiwan`s second biggest city and about 2 hours from Taipei by fast train (Japanese Shinkansen technology). Economically it`s somewhat less relevant, though a major port in Taiwan. The city is rather large, but easy to navigate and has a more laid-back vibe than Taipei, despite (or because?) of the oppressing heat. I was staying in Kaohsiung most of the time as I was invited to stay with someone and ventured out from Kaohsiung as a base. So I got to know this city quite well.
Kaohsiung bustles with life at night. There are so many food stalls and a couple of night market areas where you can grab cheap and delicious food. There are also night markets with cheap clothes and accessories and other gimmicks which make a nice stroll after dinner. During the day there are fancier shopping options in the department stores and boutiques around town. Kaohsiung also features some of the famous Japanese department store chains like Mitsukoshi and trendy Japanese boutiques selling the latest fad from Harajuku and Co. So a large commercial city that is not that noticeable at first sight, but turns out to be charming with time. Lots of small coffee shops to relax, avenues with a lot of green and parks make it a leisurely spot too.
Really nice is the area in the North of the city where Kaohsiung University is located. I was quite blown away by the University`s location at the far end of the bay, overlooking the sea and with a nice beach right in front. My host who had studied there before found it less interesting, but coming from a country with no access to the sea that is a dream-come-true of a study location... Further up the road there is one of Kaohsiung`s major tourist attractions, the former British consulate (actually not a former consulate, but seat of a trading company). A red brick building with a temple next to it, steep steps leading up to its entrance.
Cijin island is a nice retreat from Kaohsiung`s bustle. It`s located right in front of the city, a long stretch of island that is connected to the harbour area by ferry and on the South end with a tunnel. We went for dinner on Cijin and the ride on the small, old, very cute ferry with flower paintings is really lovely. Dozens of fish and seafood restaurants line the main street. The available seafood is on display at the entrance of each place and all you need to do is point out the desired pieces and indicate how you would like to have them done. Very fresh and yummi! During the day Cijin has a long, palm tree lined stretch of beach and some temples and a lighthouse to visit.
There are two lakes in the vicinity of the city that make a quiet retreat as well. Lotus Pond and Chengching Lake. Lotus Pond`s Dragon and Tiger pagodas are a popular motive for postcards. There are two pagodas on stilts in the water, one of them has a dragon, one a tiger an oversize entrance figure (classical Chinese symbols). Shops next to the pond sell Taiwanese sweets (had to buy some "omiyage" for my housemates) and traditional Chinese theatre puppets and masks. Beautiful. Chengching Lake is a bit bigger, but does not feature and specific attractions around. The park announced the aquarium as one, but it was about the most old-fashioned, and sadly run-down aquarium we had ever seen. Fishing in the lake is forbidden, but you still see people sneaking around for fish.
Once I had learned how to ride motorbike, I really cruised around in Kaohsiung a lot. As this was my base for most of the trip and I had such a good time there I got really fond of it. Is it a must-see for other tourists? Well, at least Lonely Planet says too that it has developed into one in the recent years. And I`d say it`s worth a visit for sure.

Little Japan

Taiwan was occupied by Japan for an extended period of time, for around 50 years until 1945. Still some older people speak Japanese. Despite the occupation period, Japan seems to enjoy a rather good reputation in Taiwan, as opposed to other countries that have seen Japan as an invader. The fact that the Japanese lay the foundation for the country`s economical success that followed later by remodelling its infrastructure, namely transportation may have contributed to this.
There is a heavy presence of Japanese companies and brands and their popularity is soaring among young people especially. Japan seems to be considered cool and hip and technologically cutting-edge from what I have heard. Tokyo is an extremely popular destination for short trips, especially shopping trips. Japanese pop music is very popular. Japanese fashion is sold in hip boutiques and is considered super trendy among the young. Luckily though they show a bit more restraint in expressing their fashion sense... The large Japanese department stores and clothes brands have jumped on that train and opened branches in Taiwan`s cities. Mitsukoshi and Co. can be seen all over Taipei and other cities.
Japanese food is equally en vogue. Sushi now also features the menu on the night market where you can grab some dirt cheap nigiri. Some Japanese chain restaurants like Yoshinoya or the Japanese competitor to McDo, Mo`s Burger are very present and popular too.
The title of the article is provocative to a Taiwanese for sure. And it certainly isn`t "Little Japan" that much. But the influence of Japanese culture is visible and does not seem to be rejected. Is it a genuine love for all things Japanese? Or is it rather a second worst alternative for a country that tries to distinguish itself from the threatening "homeland" China from where most of its culture comes from? Obviously, the leaning towards America is strong as well. Besides all Taiwanese having an English name as well they also are quite keen English learners and way more successful than the Japanese. The Japanese language seems to have lost almost all significance, young people focus on English study and skip Japanese. However, Japanese words such as "sugoi", "kawaii" etc. are very trendy and you hear exclamations of those by the young generation very often, so again Japan provides the fashionable element.

Lanyu island

Before going to Taiwan I bought the Lonely Planet guidebook to get an idea of what I could do there. As I have always had a thing for small islands, I specifically looked at the various islands off the coast. I would have been interested in Kinmen, a Taiwanese island that is very close to the Chinese mainland and therefore heavily militarised. Yes, admit, I was less interested because of the beaches or other scenery and more for the atmosphere that must be pretty peculiar.
And then I came across the chapter on Lanyu. It`s a small island in the South East of Taiwan and quite off the beaten track still (well all of Taiwan is off the beaten track in terms of European visitors pretty much). It has an aboriginal population and is very different from the mainland plus it seemed to be naturally beautiful too. So a good destination for a hop off the main island.
I did the trip from my "home base" in Kaohsiung and my friends helped me organise the plane ticket and accomodation and a rental scooter. I took the train early in the morning to Taitung and then ventured to the small airport that had a very easy-tropical-breeze vibe. Except for being called back for a hairspray in my luggage the check-in was as quick as it gets. A tiny 19-seat plane is flying to Lanyu 6 times daily. Somewhat bumpy of course, but fun for anyone who is not afraid of flying. Upon my arrival my host mother waited for me with the scooter and I then rode it, following her car to the accomodation. Luckily I managed to do it well enough not to wake suspicions that I had barely sat on one before in my life...
I did a first tour of the island right away. The tour around the island by scooter takes around 1.5 hours if you don`t stop. There are many impressive rock formations around the island which itself is mountaineous as well. Little beaches that are virtually deserted show up once in a while. On some you can see the traditional long boats with beautiful paintings that are typical for the local Yami tribe. The locals like to hang out in small huts that are on stilts and right next to the road. Looked a bit like the "fale" in Samoa that my sister showed me. They were friendly for sure and always greeting and winking at me, the benefit of a rural place. There is little traffic on the island, most people ride motor scooters and there is just one bus that tours the island 4 times a day. The major traffic obstacle are actually the ubiquitous goats.
In the evening, after sampling some of the host mum`s fish soup (hm, very bony - soup, not the host) I went for a night tour of the island to watch animals. We were around 20 people to unite at the guide`s home. Robert, a Spanish guy and me were the only non-Chinese speakers and the whole introduction as well as the tour were in Chinese. We had some friendly translators though. We ventured out on our motorbikes to a small forrest on the hills to watch night animals like owls and various insects and endemic plants of Lanyu. The Yami, the local aboriginal tribe is still quite connected to nature and know how to use the various plants and have a lot of mythological stories associated with them as well. I got translated enough to make it interesting. The only annoyance were the long breaks because everybody wanted to take bad pictures in the dark. Not just a Japanese thing, this constant clicking obviously... We ended up in the harbour to see some fish that glow in the dark. I was glad to make it back home since I was running very low on gas. But I even made it back to the airport the day after, but then the tank was probably more than empty.
In the morning I had breakfast at the LP recommended cafe "Breakfast" and enjoyed delicious pancakes, coffee and fresh homemade soymilk. We could also delve into politics a little. It seems that the relationship with mainland Taiwan has not always been the best. The island was cut off for a long while and very underdeveloped. It was then chosen as a dumpsite for toxic waste which still lies off its South coast and of which the locals were not informed. The Yami also feel treated as a bit of a tourist curiosity for the Chinese descendant Taiwanese. Taiwan has a population with around 98% Chinese descendants who immigrated from Southern China mostly, a long time ago. The aboriginal tribes make up for few people only and have been somewhat instrumentalised, even though publicly nurtured by Taiwan`s government as they make a good argument for Taiwan`s cultural difference to the mainland.
In any case Lanyu was a very worthwhile trip and is probably naturally one of the most beautiful spots in Taiwan. It takes a while to get there, but the rewards are rich.

Taiwanese cuisine

Eating in Taiwan was rather interesting, maybe a bit more interesting than in Japan, despite my love for Japanese food. Very varied - things I have not seen elsewhere is eaten, tasty and sometimes spicy and especially the night markets provide a cheap and fun opporunity to sample many all types of food.
A classic in Taiwan is the hot pot. In a heavy large pot over a fire various ingredients simmer until done and everyone fishes for the pieces that seem yummy. It`s kind of a Fondu, the base being soup and various types of meat, seafood and vegetables and noodles swimming in it. Really delicious and it`s easy to overeat, which we did when having it at one of Kaohsiung`s night markets. It`s something that is obviously popular all over China. I remember being invited for a hot pot back home already by my friend Viet.
Being an island, Taiwan is an obvious destination for seafood. Although just like Japan, quite a bit of the seafood is imported and not caught locally. The still heavy polution of the sea water due to Taiwan`s rapid economic development in the recent past is a reason for this. Still, there is seafood sold everywhere. During the day you can buy grilled squid that is deliciously seasoned before grilling and cut into snack pieces. In the evening there are many restaurants that have a display of the seafood on offer in front and you can point to what you would like to eat and how you would like it prepared (fried, steamed, etc.). I was a bit shocked about the frogs with their bellies slit open among the seafood, but well... Really nice was eating seafood on Cijin island, right in front of Kaohsiung city. A cute old-fashioned ferry leads there and there is a whole street lined with seafood restaurants in the evening, lovely.
One thing that I did not appreciate much was the soup made of stinky tofu (impossible to describe that taste) and duck blood (see picture right). The duck blood is obviously frozen and then cut into pieces. I also ate little birds that are fried entirely (head and feet off only). I was made trying without knowing what it was and it actually tasted quite good. It`s not only Italians killing their singing birds... I missed out on the dog meat that is still eaten in certain places in the South. My companion wanted to take me there, but was unable to find the restaurant - uuuuffff! It`s obviously street dogs that are shot and it is now a bit of a taboo, so it`s not greatly advertised. I also didn`t get to taste snakes (which I wanted to) or swans (less keen). I found my favourite vegetable again that I had tasted in Indonesia, still don`t know what the English name is, but it`s very green and leavy and tastes good when it`s a bit "al dente". The Chinese dumplings are very good of course, there is good ramen and those meat balls that are sold in all convenience stores. And oyster omelettes from the night market, mmmh (see picture top left).
The desert menu is quite nice too. It sounds a bit strange, but a popular desert is green bean soup, green beans in a watery cold soup. Very refreshing on a hot day. There are some other soups like these like taro. They don`t have the typical sweet desert taste, but are nice. Jellies are popular, just as in Japan. Slashed ice with fruit or beans and jelly is very good too.
My favourite drinks were the fresh fruit juices for one. Passion fruit, pineapple, guava, water melon, and and and... Nothing better than a freshly squeezed fruit juice. And does not cost a fortune like elsewhere. Reminded me of old times in Brazil where I lived on fruit juice only almost. And then there was my no1 favourite drink in Kaohsiung. It`s a speciality invented by a local guy, iced green tea with a special white froth on top. Very, very delicious. Just have to be careful, that tea is stronger than coffee and can keep you up all night. The froth is a secret recipe. We figured that it consists of milk, butter and some salt as it tastes somewhat salty. But how to do it exactly? No clue. Although the guy I stayed with would have been close to the source as the inventor wanted to date his sister. She didn`t, dammmmmn... There are some copies in town, but none as good as the original.
By the way, Taiwan is inventive in terms of take-away drinks. Instead of the usual plastic cup lid, they have machines to put stick simply a layer of thin plastic over the top of the cup. Totally vacuum, so if the cup falls over in a car or so nothing leaks out. And it`s less garbage and cheaper as well for store owners. Generally Taiwan is less wasting on packaging (despite the fact that Japan likes to see itself as the no1 green nation). They skip packing every little thing separately and you have to ask specifically for plastic bags and pay a small amount for them.

Taipei -a glimpse

My 3-month Japan visa was about to run out. I made a phone call to the Japanese Immigration Ministry and when asking for a visa extension they recommended simply to leave the country and come back again. Considering that this was not much appreciated last year, I was a little surprised. I told them that our countries have an agreement that we can stay up to 6 months, but in the end I decided that I kind of need a break from Tokyo life and booked a flight to Taiwan for a 2 week holiday.
Taiwan so far has been in my mind solely through the ongoing claims of mainland China of the country and for the ubiquitous "Made in Taiwan" label on products. But it seemed like an interesting place to see, especially since it is quite off the usual travel itineraries in Asia.
So after landing in Taipei I explored the city a little. It is a large bustling commercial city and features the tallest building in the world, the Taipei 101. The first few floors are occupied by an exclusive designer shopping mall. From it`s 5th floor we took the fastest elevator in the world to the top of the building, so another superlative. Not a cheap ride, but the view from up there is really nice. You get a very good idea of what Taipei looks like and how it`s beautifully situated in between lush green mountains.
Taipei of course features the usual international food, cheap fast food chains and upscale restaurants. But it`s major culinary attractions are the night markets. A very laid-back way of sampling Taiwanese (Chinese) food of all sorts. It`s a bit of a greasy spoon, very casual and would maybe not make the cut in terms of hygiene requirements back home. But lovely, lovely food - some a bit adventurous too. Next to the food market there is the shopping corner, outdoor stands with cheap clothes and accessories mostly.
As mentionned, Taipei is surrounded by mountains and there are some easy day trips from the capital. I went to Beitou. a hotspring town nearby and had a nice soak. Amazingly the MRT (subway/city train) system directly connects Beitou to Taipei`s main station. so it`s very convenient to go there.Taiwan`s transport system overall seems to be one of the most best-developed and efficient in the world. They use the Japanese Shinkansen (high speed train) system which links all major cities in the West coast. It`s just as good as Japan`s trains, the stations are futuristic looking and it`s considerably cheaper than a ride in Japan (depending on the time of the day a third to a forth of a Shinkansen ride of the same duration).

So Taipei was a positive surprise, much smaller and closer to nature than Tokyo and still big city buzz, good and cheap food, abundant shopping opportunities. It just seems that the way streets are labelled confusingly, even taxi drivers get lost here (had to change taxi twice to get a driver who was able to find the destination). So be careful not to get lost in Taiwan`s capital...