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Japanese man travels around Taiwan on
foot
Saturday, Jul 31, 2010, Page 13
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A 23-year-old Japanese traveller has achieved his goal of walking around Taiwan,
completing the journey in 55 days. Taisuke Morofuji from Fukuoka in southern
Japan set off from Tainan and walked counter-clockwise around the country. He
says the things that kept him going on his journey were the help and enthusiasm
of people he met on the road.
Before coming to Taiwan, Morofuji took a part-time job and took out a bank loan
to get the ˘D500,000 (NT$183,000, US$5,700) he needed for the trip. He says the
idea of walking around Taiwan just suddenly hit him earlier this year.
Morofuji came to Tainan University of Technology last year for a two-week camp
aimed at experiencing life in Taiwan. During the stay he learned Mandarin in the
morning, then explored Tainan in the afternoon. It was then that he first fell
in love with Taiwanˇ¦s handicrafts and scenery.
When he came back to Taiwan this year, he traveled around the country visiting
friends and was struck by the beauty of the scenery that kept him company. These
trips inspired him to travel around Taiwan on foot, so he could fully experience
the warmth of the Taiwanese people.
His journey started in Tainan City on May 27, from where he went south toward
Kaohsiung and Pingtung, eventually passing Taiwanˇ¦s southernmost point. He then
went north past Hualien and Ilan before heading south again after passing the
islandˇ¦s northern tip. Last Tuesday he ended the trip at the same point he
started from, with ˘D200,000 (NT$73,000, US$2,300) of his travel budget still
unspent. He jokingly said that this was because he received lots of support from
people he met on his trip. For instance, he sometimes spent the night in
Internet cafes in order to save money on lodging.
When asked why he chose to make a trip around Taiwan on foot, Morofuji answered
in awkward Mandarin ˇ§Because itˇ¦s exciting.ˇ¨ He added that he would like to come
back next year to do the same trip, this time with friends and by bicycle. He
said curious locals would greet him or ask him questions, and some even gave him
food, while others gave him their phone number in case he needed assistance.
His friends created a fan group on Facebook, as a focal point for people who
were interested in following him on his journey.
(LIBERTY TIMES, TRANSLATED BY TAIJING WU)
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