Sponge Bear was one of the Best General Blogs in the peer-judged section of the 2009 Taiwan Blog Awards. His blog features travel stories and some interesting observations about the continuing presence of Japanese culture in Taiwan. Taiwanderful asked Kaminoge about his life in Taiwan.
Blogger – Kaminoge
About the blogger – English teacher; interests include history and hiking
Blogs – Sponge Bear
Years in Taiwan – 4 1/2 (this time around!)
Years blogging – 3 1/2
Blogging platform – Live Journal
Country of Origin – United States
Age – mid-Forties
Could you please tell us little about your background? What brought you to Taiwan?
I was living/working in Tokyo and enjoying it immensely. However, I needed to take a break due to some personal problems I was having at the time, and came to Taichung, where my best friend from high school was teaching English while studying Mandarin (he’s still here, by the way, married with two kids). What was supposed to be a short stay turned into something longer, including marriage! My wife and I then moved to Yokkaichi in central Japan, where I managed a small language school. We enjoyed the 18 months we were there, but when the school’s owners decided to scale back operations at about the same time my wife became pregnant, we decided to return to Fengyuan in Taichung County.
What do you like about living in Taiwan?
The close proximity to the mountains has kept me relatively sane during the time I’ve been here. As a native Californian, I also enjoy the year-round sunshine.
How long have you had a blog and why did you start blogging?
I started the blog in the summer of 2006 primarily as a way to let family and friends know what I was doing here.
What are the main topics you blog about?
A lot of personal things, like what the family did over the weekend, where and when I went for a walk in the mountains, unusual things I come across etc. But I’m also very interested in the relationship between Taiwan and Japan, from both historical and cultural viewpoints. This is why I like taking photos of buildings dating from the Japanese era, as well as the use (or misuse!) of the Japanese language on signs and so on.
Do you avoid writing about certain topics? What kind of ethical issues have you met with?
I’ve been in North-east Asia for a while, and I took off the rose-tinted glasses a long time ago. I try to avoid writing things about how friendly the people are (people are friendly the world over), or how fascinating and unique the culture is (again, the same is true everywhere you go), or how great the food is (it’s hard to appreciate the fine qualities of the local cuisine while attempting to fish out the veggies from the sea of oil they’re drowning in inside the lunch box). As a result, I occasionally get angry and/or nasty comments from those who think I’m a jaded cynic (I am, but…). In general, though, I don’t avoid writing about certain topics but I don’t go out of my way to annoy people either (except when it comes to Soka Gakkai and Taiwan Beer!).
What benefits has blogging given you, either personal or professional?
Blogging has allowed me to blow off some much-needed steam at times, and it’s a good way to let people know what I’ve been up to. And through blogging, I’ve been able to get in touch with a number of other expats here in Taiwan (marriage, fatherhood and life in a small provincial city naturally limits one’s social life), though I haven’t had the chance yet to meet most of them in person.
Have you had any special or unusual things that have happened as a result of writing your blog?
Not really, other than getting to know a couple of people, and expanding my circle of Facebook friends!
Do you have any advice for new bloggers?
Don’t be cheap like me – pay for a blog! Having a free account limits what I’m able to do with it (plus I’m running out of storage space for photographs).
What are some of your favorite Taiwan blogs?
The View from Taiwan , The Daily Bubble Tea , David on Formosa and The New Hampshire Bushman immediately come to mind!
