Mrs. Catone and I just got back from a short trip to Taiwan in an attempt to flee the stupefying boredom that is oshogatsu in Japan. I've always liked Taiwan because I lived there as a kid and because it really is a kind of fun-house mirror of Japan. Some observations:
-Taiwanese chix have developed a level of sophistication to the extent that they match or even outclass the average J-chick in terms of appearance: lots of sleek chestnut hair, fewer orange dye-jobs and goofy eyebrow designs, better legs, better teeth, and they don't hesitate to make eye-contact. I like that!
-The MRT has women-only cars too. Interestingly, even in the regular cars women seem to make up the bulk of the riders at any given time, whereas in Japan the Sobu line turns into an oyaji sausage-fest after about 6 PM.
-The minimum taxi fare is equivalent to about 200 yen, a can of "Mr. Brown" coffee about 60 yen, a great dinner under 2000 yen, a museum exhibition about 500 yen, etc. Why is one small, resource-poor island country so much more expensive than another? A 510-yen difference in taxi drop fares is pretty substantial, and Taipei taxis all seem to be pretty new and clean. How does one explain the price difference? The cost of white doily-seatcovers in Japan?
-Toto toilet seats offer a "rectal wash." The terminology may be correct, but I prefer not to see it in English.
-The average Japanese 8-year-old has better graphic-design skills than what you see in Taiwan. Whenever the Taiwanese try to design a mascot that looks "cute," it just ends up looking evil. Exhibit A: the mascot of Taipei 101, "damper baby."
-Taiwanese architecture makes concrete-jungle Japanese cities look like Copenhagen by comparison.
-catone
-some people might consider S. Korea to be Bizarro Japan. To me, it's more Evil Spock Japan.