#9:Identity
In the first class, our teacher introduced the situation that Taiwanese feel uncomfortable when they are called Chinese. I know that Taiwan is different from China both culturally and poritically because my major is Chinese and I've learned Taiwanese history in other class. So, I would like to think about Taiwanese identity.
At first, let's talk about Taiwanese histry just breafly. In Taiwan there were originally the natives called "Ami" or "Paiwan". In the 16C, people from the Netherlands power based in Taiwan and started land development. At the same time, in China, the Ming dynasty was over. A Chinese man named Koxinga went to Taiwan in order to beat the Netherlands and revive the Ming dynasty there. After that, the Qing dynasty govern Taiwan. In 1894, the Sino(the Qing dynasty)-Japanese war boroke out. Then Japan won the Qing dynasty and get Taiwan. Japan started to govern Taiwan as its colony. At first, there were many Taiwanese who resisted Japanese government. However, Japanese government carrird out infrastructuredevelopment and gave higher education, then gradually the number of people who resisted Japanese government was decreased. After WWⅡ, Taiwan got to be out of the rule of Japan. Then 蒋介石 got Taiwan as a part of the Republic of China. The Republic of China(Taiwan) and the People's Republic of China(China) started a civil war. Then the People's Republic of China(China) won. China says Taiwan is a part of China, but it is hard to say that because of this completely diffirent background.
According to the investigation of 新台湾国策智庫, 85.5% of people in Taiwan recognize themselves as Taiwanese and 10.6% of them recognize themselves as Chinese. It is often said that the reason why Tiwanese identity is strong is because of a hatred towards the People's Republic of China(China) . However, others say that it is not nation scale, it is just province scale identity. Like you call the people from 広東省(Kantong province) "広東人(Kantonese)", you call the people from 台湾(Taiwan) "台湾人(Taiwanese)".
I dont't know what answer is correct. But we definitely have to take account of Taiwanese history and their identity especially when communicate with both Taiwanese and Chinese people as one of Japanese.
Questions
1 What do you think about Taiwanese identity?
2 Do you think that Japanese have also strong identity?
3 What do you think about the future of the rerationship between Taiwan and China.
List of references
#8:My first time CCDL
I experienced "CCDL (Cross-Cultural Distance Learning)" with Tamkang university students for the first time in this class. We did skype meeting.
In the skype conversation, there was no technical probrems, and we could talk a lot. As ice-breaking, we talked about the time difference. TST is 1 hour behind JST, so that time was lunch time for Tamkang university students. I talked with two female students named Nina and 黃鏡. Then Nina had her lunch and I saw it in the screen. I asked "what are you going to eat for lunch?". Then she explained what it was showing it (actually it was just salad though). Then, we talked about ourselves like hometown, club activities, hobbies and so on.
After that, we talked about my journal theme "education system in Taiwan and Japan" ,sharing my screen. There were so many differences. For example, in Taiwan high school students bacically have to go to school at 7:30AM, then school ends at 6PM. Then almost all the students go to clam school after shcool. It is often said that Japanese are so strict to study or work, but I thought Taiwanese are harder than Japanese.
I realized there were some important points in the skype conversation. First, you have to care about time zone because it could be inappropriate time for them in case of doing skype meeting with people in other country. Second, you need ice-breaking especially when you meet for the first time. But don't be so long because time is limited. Third, you have to use easy words to explain espetially when you use the second or third language for meeting. This time, I was Japanese and they were Tiwanese. For all of us, English was not mother tangue, so we didn't have to use difficult expression. Communication is the first.
That was good experience for me without any communication probrem. In the end of the meeting, we exchange facebook account, and we are still contacting each other:)
Questions
1 How was your CCDL experience?
2 What is the point of CCDL which you realized through skype meeting?
3 What is more imprtant in the case of buisiness?
4 How can you improve if you have the next chance of CCDL?
#7:Convinience Store
Do you like convinience store? I really love it because you can get anything within that small store. Someone says "コンビニ food" is halmful, but I actually don't have time to care about it because of the convinience.
When I travel overseas, I often see Japanese convinience stores like seven-eleven or Family-mart. However, things which are sold there are so different in country to country. It seems that convinience store is localized. So, it can be said that convinience store is one of the culture.
Today I want to show about Convinience Store in Taipei. In Taipei, there are a lot of seven-eleven and Familly-mart. In this picture, you can see seven-eleven next to Family-mart.
There is big space like cafe within a convinience store. Convinience store in Tokyo(Japan) also has a kind of "eat-in space", but this is far bigger than it.
Surprisingly, there is おでん（Japanese traditional food）in Taipei's convinience store. And おでん is not supposed to be limited food in Kanto area., but it is called "関東煮" which means simmered dishes in Kanto area. I don't know why at all.
This isTaiwanese local convinience store "Hi-Life". I have never seen it.
How was the intoroduction of convinience store in Taipei? There is more introduction about "コンビニ food" in Taipei. This is so interesting, so if you are interested in it, check it out.
Questions
1 Do you know any other differences between Japanese convinience store and Taiwanese one?
2 Do you know unique convinience store in other countries?
3 What is your favorite convinience store/ function of convinience store?
List of references
#6:Train
Tokyo has excellent trafic network (train,subway). At least, it's so much better than my hometown Saga. You don't need a car in Tokyo.
The trafic network in Tokyo is excellent but so complicated. Therefore it is difficult even for the people who live in Tokyo to buy train ticket. So, a lot of people even tourists use IC card like "Suica" or "Pasmo".
You can charge money in this card, and just by touching you can go through the ticket barrier.
Actually, Taiwan also has excellent trafic network called MRT.
You can get a ticket calld "token" by this bending machine.
The ticket (token) is not paper! It is like a coin.
The ticket barrier is a littele bit different from Japanese one.
Taiwan also has IC card called "EASY CARD" like Suica or Pasmo. So nice.
I thought both Tokyo and Taipei have good traffic network and system. I have never been to Taiwan, so I would like to take MRT when I have chance to go there in the future.
Questions
1 Do you have good traffic network in your hometown?
2 Have you taken MRT in Taipei?
3 Do you know unique train system in other countries?
List of references
#5:Gender
Taipei ー Taiwanese laws that prohibit same-sex couples from marrying violate their personal freedom and equal protection, the island's Constitutional Court ruled on May 24th, 2017.
There is an annual event called "台灣同志遊行" which is a parade for LGBT in Taipei.
On the other hand, of course in Japan same-sex marriage is not permitted.
Taiwan ranks 38th worldwide in gender equarity in 2016. Accually, Japan ranks 111th.
In terms of gender equarity, why so different between Taiwan and Japan?
I think that Taiwanese have "Taiwan identity" which shows we are not same as Chinese. So, they have stronger identity than Japanese. Therefore, Taiwanese are easier to claim who I am.
On the other hand, Japan put importance on traditional family style (father, mother, and children). And someone could worry about declining birth rate.
There may be a lot of causes, but Taiwan is ahead of Japan in terms of sexual minority.
Questions
1 Why Taiwan achieved same-sex marriage?
2 Does Japan also need the right of same-sex marriage?
3 What is the probrem about gender equarity in Japan?
a list of references
http://blueandgoldonline.org/wp/2014/02/14/identity-chiwanese-debate/
#4: My favorite place
I came to Tokyo when I entered the university, and I have lived in Tokyo for 3 years. Actually, my home-town is Saga. Do you know where is Saga?
Saga is a part of Kyushu（九州）. Because Saga is a very small prefecture, even Japanese don't know what it has.So, I would like to introduce my home-town Saga.
At first, there are so many hot-spring.
▲You can see the ocean from hot-spring
▲Roses are floating.
Next, this place is called "Nanatsugama（七ツ釜）". This is so dynamic cave.
Next is Takeo city library. This library is very huge and there is a starbacks in it. You can stay here all the day without getting bored.
Lastly, these picture are about Saga international balloon festival. Saga International Balloon Fiesta is an annual hot-air balloon festival held in autumn at Kasegawa Kasenshiki, Saga City. With over 100 hot-air balloons gathered here from all over the world and over 80,000 visitors, the festival boasts of being one of Asia’s largest events.
How was my introduction about Saga? It is a good place to visit, and is also near from Taiwan.
it takes about 2hours by plain from taipei so come to visit
#3: Education System
When I was 16 years old, I studied abroad in Hereford, the UK. I had been to Korea and Shingapore, but it was the first time for me to go to Europe and stay there. The life in the UK was completelly different from the life in Japan.
The most different thing was education system. For example, in a music class everyone freely plays different instroments. Then end of the class, they plays one song together. That is interesting, isn't it? In Japan, basically everyone do the same thing in the class. If you do different thing from everyone, that is bad and teachers get mad at you. I feel that Japanese education system doesn't admit free. It requires kind of cooperativity.
By the way, how about the differences of education system between Tokyo and Taipei?
At first, in both Tokyo and Taipei, there are 6 years elementary school, 3 years middle school, 3 years high school and 4 years university. This is the same point.
On the internet, I found one surprising report.（ビックリ仰天！台湾事情）
It says that in Taiwan 99.52% of middle school students go to high school after graduation. In Japan, the rate is 97%. That is not so different, but in Taiwan it's almost 100%. In addition, in Taiwan over 95% of high school students go to university after graduation. In Japan, the rate is under 60%. This is a really big difference!
Of course Japanese society also attaches importance to education. Like in job hunting, the name of university you go is SO important. But I guess that Taiwanise society take education more seriously than Japanese society because of these percentage of entering school of high grade.
Questions
1. In Taiwanese elementary and secondary education, do students study almost the same things or different things depends on each other?
2.Why education is so imprtant in Taiwan?
3.Do you know some differences of education between Taiwan and Japan?
