There is absolutely no doubt that the most impressive Taiwan-related book to appear this year was John Ross’s Taiwan in 100 Books (Camphor Press, reviewed July 23). This stupendous production is extraordinarily wide-ranging and, whereas it doesn’t actually constitute a history of the nation, it covers very many of its aspects. Ross goes into the background detail of his selected topics as well as of their authors, making this book something to read in its own right and to refer to. Incomparable.
The Flock of Ba-Hui And Other Stories, also from Camphor and reviewed on Feb. 20, was the most sensational — and lurid. It contains four long stories by a Chinese follower of H.P. Lovecraft, “Oobmab.” Translated by Arthur Meursault and “Akira,” the stories are awash with glutinous black substances found in unexpectedly familiar circumstances. All but one of the stories are set in China.
Simon Pridmore’s Dive into Taiwan, Sandsmedia, reviewed Jan. 16, is a treasure to read and to hold. It covers scuba diving in every conceivable location, and is beautifully illustrated by photographer Kyo Liu (劉守全). Pridmore is a diving specialist, but thinks Taiwan has been insufficiently appreciated as a diving location.
Camphor returns with Inaka: Portraits of Life in Rural Japan, reviewed on Sept. 17. A majority of Japanese now reside in cities, but if anything this makes the extremely varied Japanese countryside all the more attractive to anyone looking for lifestyles that were once more common than they are today.
Lastly, Taiwan Through Foreign Eyes, Deep World Publishing, reviewed on Aug. 13, is surprisingly memorable — surprisingly because most of its 18 short stories were penned over 10 years ago. I was warned about this, but nonetheless in the event found the collection well worth reading.
Nov. 11 to Nov. 17 People may call Taipei a “living hell for pedestrians,” but back in the 1960s and 1970s, citizens were even discouraged from crossing major roads on foot. And there weren’t crosswalks or pedestrian signals at busy intersections. A 1978 editorial in the China Times (中國時報) reflected the government’s car-centric attitude: “Pedestrians too often risk their lives to compete with vehicles over road use instead of using an overpass. If they get hit by a car, who can they blame?” Taipei’s car traffic was growing exponentially during the 1960s, and along with it the frequency of accidents. The policy
Hourglass-shaped sex toys casually glide along a conveyor belt through an airy new store in Tokyo, the latest attempt by Japanese manufacturer Tenga to sell adult products without the shame that is often attached. At first glance it’s not even obvious that the sleek, colorful products on display are Japan’s favorite sex toys for men, but the store has drawn a stream of couples and tourists since opening this year. “Its openness surprised me,” said customer Masafumi Kawasaki, 45, “and made me a bit embarrassed that I’d had a ‘naughty’ image” of the company. I might have thought this was some kind
What first caught my eye when I entered the 921 Earthquake Museum was a yellow band running at an angle across the floor toward a pile of exposed soil. This marks the line where, in the early morning hours of Sept. 21, 1999, a massive magnitude 7.3 earthquake raised the earth over two meters along one side of the Chelungpu Fault (車籠埔斷層). The museum’s first gallery, named after this fault, takes visitors on a journey along its length, from the spot right in front of them, where the uplift is visible in the exposed soil, all the way to the farthest
The room glows vibrant pink, the floor flooded with hundreds of tiny pink marbles. As I approach the two chairs and a plush baroque sofa of matching fuchsia, what at first appears to be a scene of domestic bliss reveals itself to be anything but as gnarled metal nails and sharp spikes protrude from the cushions. An eerie cutout of a woman recoils into the armrest. This mixed-media installation captures generations of female anguish in Yun Suknam’s native South Korea, reflecting her observations and lived experience of the subjugated and serviceable housewife. The marbles are the mother’s sweat and tears,
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