(Published by Fujinsha in 1995)
"Retro Pub"
Taiwan has been striving to modernize from a small Asian dragon to a true economic powerhouse, but recently, a nostalgic sentiment has emerged as a backlash against this one-sided forward-looking approach.
One of these is the retro pubs that have sprung up one after another in Taipei's student district. They use old buildings from the Japanese era, decorated with antiques and old tools, and have old movie posters, star bromides, and graduation certificates from the past hanging on the wall, creating a mysterious atmosphere where you can drink.
The names of the establishments are things like "Sake Country Academy" (aka Drinking University) or "Daddy's Lover" (aka Daddy's Lover). They all have unique interiors, such as a rickshaw at the entrance.
When I hear that the owner is a designer, I think that this kind of nostalgia is a barometer of a country's cultural development.
About half of the clientele are foreigners living in Taiwan. Many of the Taiwanese are working adults in their late twenties, enjoying reasonably priced drinks in a nostalgic atmosphere. This is another example of Taipei's modern culture, closely linked to the success of nostalgic films. However, I've heard that many of these establishments are only operating temporarily. This is because these retro pubs are operating in old buildings that will inevitably be demolished in a few years.
One evening, I invited my friend, Mr. Sakurai, and his father to the restaurant "Apa's Lover." Mr. Sakurai is a second-generation Taiwanese born to a Taiwanese father and a Japanese mother. He came to Japan ten years ago and has now become a naturalized citizen, having changed his surname from Chen to Sakurai, his mother's.
He became friends with Chen through oolong tea. His father, Chen, was a military officer involved in the development of Hainan Island during the Japanese colonial period, and after the war returned to Taiwan to work in education as the principal of a school in Nantou County.
Among his students at the time was the current Legislative Yuan member, Lin Guangyan, who, as the head of the Lugu Farmers' Association, supported the local oolong tea industry and created the Dongding boom we see today. Another student was Li, who founded Tenren Mingcha, a company with numerous branches in Taiwan, Japan, and the United States.
I also liked his personality and called him the father of Taipei. "Oh, this place has an old-fashioned feel," said Chen.
"I had been away from Taipei for a while, so I didn't know there was a store like this," said Sakurai.
When I ordered a beer, a bowl of Taiwanese beer was brought out.
"That's right, in the old days, many people would drink sake from broken bowls or rice bowls. That's because there was a long period of poverty. But people nowadays find it amusing."
The Taipei man had just had surgery on his prostate, so he couldn't drink much alcohol at the time. Nevertheless, we spent a pleasant evening talking about old times, the recent economic ties between Japan and Taiwan, and lamenting the shame of the money-driven elections that are always a hot topic in Taiwan.
Afterwards, we went to a Taiwanese restaurant for dinner, but that was our final farewell. In April of that year, his health deteriorated, and he was finally called to heaven.
That day, while munching on Taiwanese food,
"That's right, in the Asahi Weekly magazine, Shiba Ryotaro had a conversation with President Lee Teng-hui."
"I bought and read that issue."
"If possible, could you please send me a copy? I really wanted to read it, but I couldn't get hold of it."
"I'll try to find it. It might take some time though."
When I returned to Japan, I searched for my house, but I hadn't kept most of the weekly magazines, and while I was thinking about asking the Asahi Shimbun if I could make copies, time passed.Then, one day, I went to a bookstore and found that the new Taiwan edition of Shiba's "Walking the Highway" had been published, and to my surprise, that interview was included in one of the volumes.
The least I could do was send it to my father in Taipei through Mr. Sakurai, who lives in Yokohama. I'm sure my father read the interview from his sickbed.
