TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A civil servant working for the Japanese government and stationed in Taiwan, Abe Masayuki (阿部真行), has written a travel book to introduce aspects of Tainan and Taiwanese culture to Japanese readers.
The book is entitled “Taiwan, Tainan and Anping” (台湾・台南そして安平). Abe decided to write the book in order to foster cultural exchange between Tainan and Japan, especially among residents of Minakami (水上町) in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture (群馬縣), where Abe is now stationed.
The official book launch is set for July 5 with a celebratory gathering scheduled to take place at the “Taiwan Café” in Minakami. However, a preliminary celebration was recently held in Tainan on Tuesday (June 25) and hosted by the Tainan Municipal government, where Abe worked for six years.
Abe was originally stationed in Tainan by the Japanese government to manage affairs and public relations in southern Taiwan in 2013. Since then he has grown especially fond of Taiwan, and has even married a Taiwanese wife, reports CNA.
He was initially only dispatched for three years of duty, but with regular annual assessments his stay was extended to six years. Abe left Taiwan last year and returned to Minakami, Gunma.
Recently, Abe made a return visit to Tainan’s Municipal Government office to announce that he had written a travel book about the region, to the delight of his friends and former colleagues.
Abe told CNA that the book is 108 pages long, with half of the book covering his experiences and trips in Taiwan. The other half of the book is a detailed introduction and travel guide focusing on Tainan and the city’s Anping district designed especially for Japanese travelers. All of the photos in the book were taken by Abe.
Source Taiwan News
