20 years ago, I married my wife, a Taiwanese woman, and moved from Osaka, Japan to Taichung City. It seemed to me that Taichung City was just a small town. The most bustling and flourishing district of Taichung was the neighborhood near the Taichung Railway Station and the “Green River” bank along Zhong-Zheng Road. During rush hour, the streets were crowded. During the holidays, people went to the neighborhood department stores (some of them have since moved or closed) to go shopping. But back then in the suburbs there were still many farms.
I still remember how 20 years ago when we filed our marriage registration at the Taichung District Court on Zihyou Road, the road was not even paved yet. Whenever cars passed by, dust was blown everywhere and pedestrians had to cover their noses and mouths.
Now, 20 years later, Taichung City has changed a lot. Many modern buildings have been built along the Taichung Port Road and there are many parks with trees and green grass in the city. Also, there are many Japanese department stores and shops, such as Sogo, Daiso, Inageya, etc… Now it is convenient to get Japanese commodities and with cheaper prices, too. As a Japanese person living in Taichung City, my opinion is that it is a comfortable and economic place to live.
Due to my age, I have retired and handed over my Japanese restaurant to my children. On the weekend, I love to ride my motorcycle around, and eat roasted fish at the Chunghwa Night Market. The Japanese government gives me $60,000 NTD per month for my pension, and with it I can live comfortably in Taichung City. The only thing which annoys me are drivers who do not obey the law. Sometimes, I am surprised by drivers running red lights or suddenly beeping their horns. I hope that drivers will learn to be more courteous on the road and make driving in Taichung City safer.