こんばんわ！This summer, I studied 中國語 in 台湾. How does this relate to 日本 or 日本語? Actually, 台湾 has been strongly influenced by 日本. Why? Well, certainly the ごじゅう years of colonial rule has had something to do with that. Much of the present infrastructure in 台湾, such as buildings, roads, plumbing, 電車 and 電気 were all introduced under 日本の rule. 台湾の most famous tourist site, 太魯閣渓谷 (Taroko Gorge), still bears the name assigned during this time period as well. Furthermore, an older generation of 台湾人 still speaks fluent 日本語, as they were taught in がっこう.
Beyond these colonial remnants, young 台湾人 are very interested in 日本文化 (Japanese culture). 日本食 can be found everywhere, including the ubiquitous night markets. This is something that I found particularly striking, as 日本食 is very hard to find in mainland 中国. 日本の clothing, toys, etc, fill the デパート. Alongside every なな-じゅういち（７−１１） is a Family Mart, a 日本の version of the chain. I was surprised to find as well that many young 台湾人 study 日本語, which I assume is both a matter of its popularity and its usefulness for business purposes.
All of these factors served to familiarize me with various aspects of 日本文化 (Japanese culture), and have increased my interest in further understanding the linguistic aspects of this culture. Hopefully soon I will be able to write more of these blog posts in 日本語!
