Words and Photos by Kobayashi Kida

I was born in Kushiro City of Hokkaido in Japan. I have found a Japanese restaurant serving that has served various Japanese various hot pot style cuisines in Taichung for 8 years. Fortunately, they are very popular among with the consumers.

I love Taichung City very much. In Taichung City, the rainy days and typhoons are fewerare fewer than other place in Taiwan., Tthe climate is very comfortable., and People ispeople are very friendly. It’s a great place to live. I think it’s a very plentiful and joyful city. My only complaint is that there isare too many motorcycles in Taichung. The motorcycle exhaust makes worsens the air quality worse. I cannot clearly see the stars in the skynight. That’s a pity. I hope that the Mass Transit System is established as soon as possible and to reduce the exhaust air to make the sky clear. Then, I will see the stars in the night to make myselfand will be happier.

I love the night life in Taichung. I like the food stands in the night markets. I am so surprised that the night markets are always crowded. There are a lot of choices of food and house hold goods in the night market. This makes me happy, even if I am just looking at the stalls of in the market.

In Taiwan, there are so many fruits which we Japanese are familiar with. I bought buy fruits in Taiwan often. For example, the banana is cheaper and more delicious in Japan. I often buy watermelons, and mangos in summer often. They are even sweeter than in Japan. In autumn, I buy persimmons and cantaloupe, Hami melons. In winter, I eat strawberries, and guavas. Taiwan is such a fruit paradise which and makes me want to eat fruit everyday.

In On holidays, I like to go golfing with my Japanese and Taiwanese friends. The golf courses are very beautiful. I feel so easy at ease, no matter whether my score is good or bad. I feel powerful after I am go back to work. In my restaurant, named “Fuji”, we have many gatherings for our golf club every month.

Taichung City is such a wonderful place. But However, since this year, due to the economic recession, some of my Japanese friends who used to work in Taichung moved back to Japan. This has made me feel lonely some times.

I hope the economy will recover sooner and so my Japanese friends will move back to Taichung City. However, I wish hopeI can to live in Taichung as long as I can. The most important thing for me is to make friends here and enjoy my life in Taichung.

I want to take the this chance to say “Thank you, Taichung City--for such wonderful life!”