Taiwan and Japan-Cyril, Erwin, Penny

Taiwan and Japan are popular travel destinations in Asia, and differ in certain key aspects, like architecture, festivals and food. First, Taiwanese architecture shows evidence of being ruled by the Japanese between 1945 and 1985, thus making many of Taiwan’s buildings similar to Japan’s. For example, the Taiwan Grand Shrine looks like a Japanese shrine, but the difference lies in the details. The Taiwan Grand Shrine was built of concrete; the shrine in Japan however was built of wood. Second, though most of the festivals celebrated in these two countries are rooted in Chinese traditions, they have undergone great changes with the mixing of local customs. Unlike most people in East Asia, Japanese people generally don’t celebrate the Lunar New Year. Japanese New Year is between January 1st ~3rd. Different from Japan, Taiwanese New Year usually falls in February. However, national holidays in Taiwan begin on New Year’s Eve and run until the following week. Third, though our foods are similar some of the dining habits are different. Japanese restaurants only serve iced water, but Taiwan provides more beverage choices. In fact, Japanese restaurants don’t like to parcel a meal customers couldn’t finish eating at the restaurant. However, most of Taiwan’s restaurants provide the doggy bag service. In conclusion, you can be sure to have different experiences when travelling to these closely located countries.