see. I still would have hope for Taiwan even if invaded by ChiComms.
the taxi drivers would create havoc like scenes out of Mad Max
Next time bring an offering and they shall let you pass.
Agreed!
Look you have local mafiosi, taxi and blue truck drivers, market workers, SEA laborers -great intel from Vietnamese guerrilla-, and assorted loonies. weĀ“ll do fine.
apart that most the mafiosi are on the side of the chi comms apparently
I got to say that ive been to pretty much all countries in asia and Okinawa is the safest, cleanest and most civilized country/island/prefecture (whatever u wanna call it) that there is. Even though it is technically Japan, its realistically its own country and culture because its nothing like Japan.
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Japan is more expensive because its better. The more you pay the better the quality. In Japan you can drink the tap water, food is safe, there is sewage treatment and separate sewer systems (taiwan barely has any of that), no street gangs or street thugs (unless the bosozuku are considered them), clean air and more hygienic place. They would be idiots if they left japan.
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Thatās just not true. Itās hard to figure out if something is simply cheaper or if it is because its inferior if the products are vastly different.
But things like gas and big mac are the same anywhere in the world you go (Big Mac is barely food but thatās besides the point). Itās not even a contest, Taiwan is far far cheaper and donāt get me started on rent prices in Tokyo.
That said, I would prefer Japan if I was Japanese and could land a decent job otherwise Taiwan is better IMO.
Better to legalize everything, have the government produce, distribute and sell it in government run dispensaries and tax the hell out of it. Probably could cover 100% of health care costs for all.
Also Japanese landlords have a lot of rules. For example, if you want to have a pet, forget it unless you pay a pet deposit equaling several months rent. Thereās a reason why cat cafes are so popular in Japan but not so much in Taiwan, even though the whole idea started in Taiwan (that cat cafe that used to be near Zhishan MRT was apparently the first cat cafe in the world).
In Taiwan rent is comparatively cheap, unless youāre renting one of those luxury serviced apartment, but those are expensive everywhere. Taiwanese landlords also donāt give a ratās ass what you do as long as you arenāt making guns or growing pot inside. Cats, dogs, ferrets, turtles, snakes, kangaroos? No problem, not even a pet deposit needed.
More or less. You can do anything but drill a hole on the wall. Dunno what it is but they fill as if you are drilling their soul.
As to pets, well, it is more a ādonĀ“t ask, donĀ“t tellā situation. I remember we had to escort my roomateĀ“s cat and hide it away several times when the landlord visited.
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In my experience, if you drill holes in the wall, so much as you fill it before you move out, the landlord wonāt know or careā¦ depends on the landlord though. You can get brick mortars in building supply store that is perfect for this work.
Hiding cats is hard. Even if you hid your cat (cats hide when they see strangers come anyways) evidence of the cat is always present, such as feeding bowls, litter box, and the ever present cat smellā¦
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And they know how to make ramen 
Yes, no doubt about that, although sometimes I still do wonder if its death by a thousand cuts
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@Zhong-li, Taiwan looking might clean in the aspect of recycling.
Taiwanās reforms were started two decades ago by residents in the capital, Taipei, who protested the cityās inaction on waste management, resulting in āpay-as-you-throwā taxes, where charges depend on the amount of garbage produced.
Taiwan recycles about 55 percent of its municipal solid waste ā the second-highest rate globally, said Grayson Shor, a circular economy consultant to the US government-funded American Institute in Taiwan.
I lived in Taipei decades ago when trash piles rose nightly on random street corners for the garbage trucks to pick up.
Big Macs are smaller here and yes its food, soya, beef, bread and some salad = carbs, proteins, fats, why isnāt that food ?
iāve spoken to a couple of japanese about taiwan, seems like they it cus its a cheap place to go on holiday. canāt blame them, i had a good time in vietnam because of how crazy cheap it was.
in terms of comparing taiwan and japan, theres no comparison. taiwan is laid back, looks like a dump but you can live a relaxed life. japan looks spotless but ā¦rules.
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Also jobs in Japan I hear is very strict.
If you ever quit your job, your career is over, because quitting is seen as betrayal in Japan. It means if your employer sucksā¦ suck it up because youāre stuck with him. Thereās a reason why they have a doll of the boss with a baseball bat next to it in the menās room at most workplaces! If you quit, youāre a traitor and nobody wants to hire a traitor.
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aye its a different culture over there. very strict and disciplined. the reason the streets are clean is because the people have to clean outside of their apartments or offices. there is a price to pay for such order.
Even compared to the US Taiwan is so laid back.
In the US, rules are everywhere, and it is followed to the letter. Nothing wrong with that unless the rules contradict themselves (and they often do) so youāre relying on the opinion of somebody (past cases, rulings, whatever the authorities think, etc.) to sort out those contradictions. Break them and it is punished according to the rules, which if they are rather arbitrary, oh wellā¦
In Taiwan, rules exist as a guideline. If the rules result in social order, then it is generally respected and followed, and those who break them are subject to very harsh punishments (for example, guns, drugs, murder, etc.) but if the rules are just there because of whatever, then itās followed if someone checks, and completely disregarded as soon as that someone is out of sight. But since the perception of those rules are not different to those who enforce them, even those who enforce āpointlessā rules will enforce them halfheartedly. For example, illegal buildings? The landlord signs an agreement that heāll demolish it himself and the government agent leaves him alone (since he already got what he wants to appease his boss). Nothing further is done to make sure the said building is actually torn down.
The rules on garbage is generally followed however, because it is a public order thing, as in Taipei used to be disgusting with garbage everywhere. As much as the rules are annoying people put up with it because if you allowed dumpsters, the city will be full of it and it will stink to high heavens, as it had before. I even asked if there was a place you could deliver your trash to if you really donāt have the time to be at your house during garbage time, and he said no because if such places exist, they will just dump all sorts of garbage there and it would break the system.
Numbeo rankings 2023
Taiwan 3rd from bottom in Crime Index, meaning itās the third safest country in the world.
https://www.numbeo.com/crime/rankings_current.jsp
Quality of Life: Taiwan at 36, Taipei at 114ā¦ not so good
Health Care (Wow, Kaohsiung!)
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