Us: “Sorry, we don’t eat meat.”

Them: “That’s all right, try these prawn crackers!”

Us: “Or seafood.”

Them: “That’s fine, try this fish floss!”

Vgag did end up buying some green tea flavoured broadbeans (I don’t really want to know how they became green tea flavoured), but I think our best purchase of the day was some calligraphy done for us on the spot by a local calligrapher selling New Year’s couplets and dragon-themed wall scrolls.

They’re only meant to last the season, but with assiduous care I hope they’ll be gracing Vgag’s desk for many years to come.

Er, I mean a Maybelline mascara spokes…cat.

If you get the chance to visit Okinawa’s capital, don’t just ride the monorail and walk up and down Kokusai Dori — go exploring down side streets and dead end lanes, and soak in the peace and quiet.

A local barbershop

Someone's house peeking out between two shops, complete with dishwasher hanging out to dry :)

Check out the bottles on display in the upper window!

And, of course, not all houses are of this world.

(Oh, and — missing my own cats as I do —  I couldn’t resist stalking a few of their Japanese cousins going about their daily business, i.e. sleeping and otherwise ignoring me).

My personal interpretation of the signs on the door of our Okinawan hotel’s laundry room: If you attempt to put yourself inside the washing machine,

1. Your body will be bisected and your lower limbs reduced to a bloody mush not worth any further representation on this diagram.

2. You torso will be spun rapidly in a clockwise direction, before

3. Your head pops out of that yonder slot. And finally,

4. Those remaining parts of your corpse not yet liquified shall be stored in small boxes inside a large bucket.

Alternate interpretations are, of course, most welcome.

 Across the famous suspension bridge, on the other side of the river from the promenade, are a number of hiking trails and unusual attractions, including the remains of a dismantled theme park and an air force cemetery. I chose to visit the former, as I was on the lookout for a weird, semi-covert area in which to set a supernatural showdown — and what better place than one surrounded by the creepy vestiges of a forsaken amusement park?

‘Hiking’ up one of the steeper inclines on the way to the remains of Bitan Theme Park, which is still paved in asphalt for the sake of past cars (which are no longer permitted up this far).

An old fountain surrounded by small plots of land for growing vegetables. I saw a few people gardening — they were presumably the area’s caretakers as well, if the numerous straw brooms scattered around were any indication.

Another defunct fountain, this time with a rock as the centrepiece and several hula hoops inexplicably nearby. The surprisingly-clear water was filled with bugs and the croaks of unseen frogs.

An unexpectedly beautiful vista on the edge of the abandoned theme park, a bend in Bi Tan just visible. The houses were also a reminder that this close to Taipei, it really is difficult to find truly uninhabited areas. (The omnipresent electricity lines audibly sizzling in the drizzle were another reminder).

More debris: a peacock statue hiding in the underbrush.

Just off ‘Happiness Plaza’, an abandoned building bears a faded mural of Snow White and Bambi. The building itself was blocked off by a sign warning people not to enter under pain of the roof collapsing on them.

My brain almost malfunctioned when I spotted this squirrel in a palm tree. Talk about the Northern and Southern Hemispheres colliding.

An abandoned temple on the way back down the mountain in the direction of the suspension bridge. I’m tempted to go back and explore in better light — so many of the decorative details were still intact. And part of the roof had already collapsed, so no problem, right?

This part of Xin Dian is most definitely worth a visit or two. The exercise isn’t rigorous, the flora is plentiful, and the trails are both well-marked and well-travelled if you’re worried about getting lost. And now that the theme park is no more, it’s also free to explore :)

There was also a cordoned off area with a nice view of Taipei 101, which will be handy come Western New Year celebrations and the obligatory fireworks.

Happy holidays and, wherever you are in the world, have a peaceful and safe new year! 祝大家新年快樂 ♥

Not only is it (mostly) mercifully free of the plastic tourist souvenir junk San Xia is overrun with, it also abounds in strange and delicious local specialty food and drinks. It is also filled with vendors selling high quality fruit and vegetables that even had me digging for my wallet when I don’t particularly like vegetables.

One of the shops selling a selection of pumpkins and sweet potatoes in Jin Shan Old Street is also home to an awesome cat.

So assured was it of its lofty position, it didn’t even bother to glance at the camera.

People died in the accident, and the ship’s bisected body is all the more eerie for the equipment still visible onboard, buffeted by the wind.

In the end I settled on Kitano Tenmangu (北野天満宮), a Shinto shrine dedicated to a scholar who died some thousand years ago in exile and was later blamed for causing various calamities beyond the grave. (What is it with me and angry, dead scholars? Earlier this year I also bought a scroll depicting Zhong Kui). To appease his spirit, the people deified him and built various shrines in his honour, including the complex we visited in Kyoto. Kitano Tengmangu as a deity is unsurprisingly associated with scholarship and success in academic endeavours, which is why school and university students often come to the shrine to write prayers before their exams.

It was a beautiful-if-rainy early December’s day when we arrived, and there was still enough Autumn foliage hanging on the trees in the shrine’s grounds that neither vgag nor I were tempted to shell out an extra ¥600 for access to the garden. It was a quiet and restful oasis to spend time in and watch locals pay their respects, and the bus ride back to Kyoto Station was a great alternative way of seeing the city — I think we saw more of Kyoto in a day than we did earlier in the year when we were actually staying in the city.

On the way back to the bus stop from the shrine we also picked up some yummy custard taikyaki from a path-side vendor, and for someone as food-fixated as I am, this was the perfect ending to a great day.