Shunske Hagiwara from Japan’s Gunma Prefecture has spent 86 days in Taiwan filming a video to help promote tourism out of gratitude for the nation’s help in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan
In the video, the 27-year-old tries various local foods, including rice noodle soup, meatballs, bawan — meat-filled sweet potato starch dough — and stinky tofu at traditional markets.
Hagiwara cycled around Hsinchu, nicknamed the “City of Wind,” to feel the city’s winds, danced with Aborigines in Hualien and was deeply impressed by the scenery of the Gaomei Wetland Preservation Area (高美野生動物保護區) in Taichung, he said.
Photo: CNA
“The most beautiful scenery in Taiwan is its hospitality,” said Hagiwara, who quit his job in April to make the video.
Thanks to people’s hospitality, he spent only about NT$30,000 on his three-month stay, he said.
It was the second time that he came to Taiwan.
Four years ago, Hagiwara, wearing a “Thank you, Taiwan” T-shirt and holding a poster, posed for photographs in 10 Taiwanese cities to show his gratitude.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said on Facebook that Taiwan donated more than ¥20 billion (US$177.02 million) to Japan in the aftermath of the quake and tsunami.
Hagiwara’s video Exploring the Beauty of Taiwan is available in Japanese and traditional Chinese on Youtube at https://youtu.be/MyjnNwDG6fg.
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