Introduce my hometown to the people of Taiwan

 

It was a pleasure to introduce my hometown to the people of Taiwan. For the past few months, I have been working hard to bring the delegation of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Taoyuan City, just south of Taipei and home to the international airport, to my hometown of Hiji Town in Oita Prefecture to promote business opportunities. 

On Monday, they came to the town hall. We were delighted to be able to introduce them to this small castle town of flounder and distilled liquor called “shochu”, overlooking the scenic Beppu Bay. 

Taoyuan, with a population of 2 million, is a significant metropolis in Taiwan, next to Hsinchu City, where semiconductor giant TSMC and others are located. I am just grateful they took the time to visit this small town in Oita. When we saw them off at Fukuoka Airport the next day on their way back to Taiwan, we shook hands firmly with each other. We promised both of them would work hard to find what we could do together in the future. It was a two-day event in which I enjoyed the real thrill of international exchange.