Brian Q. Webb

Tomica (Tomy) 40th Anniversary in Taipei

Brian — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:13:56 +0000

Being born in the 70s in America, and thus a child of the 80s, I was raised on Hot Wheels. Remember those bendy blue plastic tracks? Little did I know that 10,000 kilometers to the left of me there were kid playing with die cast metal matchbox cars made by Hot Wheels Japanese brother, Tomica (known as Tomy in North America).

And this year they turned 40.

To celebrate their 40 years manufacturing playthings, they’ve set up a small set of exhibits and activities on the 7th floor of the HsinYi area Mitsigoshi Building. For NT$150 kids can participate in 3 different activities in which they can win new matchbox cars, including “old” new models. The 3 games are:

Matchbox pachinko. If you win this, you get a classic Tomica car, manufactured in past decades. One of my sons won this golden bus, made when I was his age.

Make Your Own Car. You pick the chassis, the interior, and the wheels, then a white-gloved attendant helps you assemble it into a custom Tomica car. The choices are limited, but it’s still something special for kids.

My kids creations.

Finally, there is car fishing. It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Beyond the games, there are a few displays. One of particular interest is a timeline display of all Tomica cars from 1970 up through the current year.

My kids showing off their bounty.

Some final photos from the activity floor.

World Chocolate Wonderland, Taipei, Taiwan

Brian — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:23:54 +0000

From July to September the National Taiwan Science Education Center (NTSEC) in Taipei is playing host to exhibits from the World Chocolate Wonderland. The World Chocolate Wonderland is a new (opened January of this year) theme park in Beijing, PRC and I suspect that this is an attempt to drum up nearby international tourism. The actual park in Beijing is only open from January to April, so what better way to save the energy required for refrigeration during the hot summer months then to get someone else to do it…in the name of cultural exchange, of course.

What is there to do?
For adults, there is a timeline of the “culture” and travels of the cocoa bean. There is also a nice display on how chocolate is packaged and marketed in various countries.

This is followed by some more interactive exhibits, including a “smell zone”, in which one can sniff various ingredients often mixed with chocolate.

Next comes my favorite, and the most interesting, part of the whole experience: historical artifacts and works of art recreated in chocolate form. Check it out.

400 Terracota…err…chocolate warriors.

The Great Wall of Ch…ocolate.

And for all you lego or photography fans out there, are you ready to have your minds blown? It’s a chocolate replica of a lego replica of a Barnack Leica.

For me, this was the coup-de-gras. It was a Chinese Imperial era epic-style painting done on a “parchment” made from white chocolate. It was as long as the room was and really impossible to show in a photo, so I did the best that I could with video as I walked alongside. This was handheld, so apologies in advance for the shake and off-kilter composition.

As for the kids…well, for an extra NT$100, they get to make their own chocolate candy.

Here are a few final random photos from my visit to the World Chocolate Wonderland exhibit at the NTSEC.

Here’s how to get there:
Tickets are NT$200 and the show runs until September 26. Hours of operation are 9am-6pm daily.

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Streets Saturday Features

Brian — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:00:58 +0000

Sorry that I haven’t been able to post these as regularly as I’d like to, but things have been massively busy and complex for a little while, cutting deeply into my my outside-and-shooting time. Hopefully, life will loosening up in the future and I’ll be able to be prolific enough to do this weekly again.

I do have a short article coming up in Craig Ferguson’s blog soon, so be on the lookout for that this coming Sunday or Monday.

So, without further ado, some recent street photos.

Until next time!

Teh Lin Prosthetic & Orthopedic in Taiwan

Brian — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 06:31:17 +0000

I’ve been using my prosthetic leg for about 3 months, since early March. A couple weeks ago the manufacturer of my prosthesis, Teh Lin, gave me a call and asked that I come back in for a check up.

You know…to have the oil changed and the timing adjusted.

I finally had a free day to go (they are in WuDu, quite far from the NE corner of Taipei city where I live) this past Tuesday. This time I was quite a bit more ambulatory then my previous visit, having a few months experience with the leg under my belt, so during their lunch break I took the opportunity to explore their workshop after everyone had cleared out.

Waiting.

View.

Quiet.

Hands.

Foot.

Smithy.

Spares.

Refurbish.

During my next visit, I hope to focus on the physiotherapy area and the patients doing their best to re-learn what most of us only have to learn once.

Taiwan Storyland, Taipei

Brian — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 11:51:11 +0000

It almost sounds like the name of a fantasy-themed amusement park, doesn’t it? Even the entrance, pictured above, invokes mental images of fairies flitting about in an enchanted forest. I fully expected to encounter scenes based on the Monkey King and other figures from Chinese children’s mythos.

But i didn’t. In fact, it became clear at the top of the stairway heading down what was in store for me.

Contrary to the name and external signage, Taiwan Storyland is actually a replica of city life in Taiwan during the 1950s. Every aspect of life has been reproduced to full scale, including shops, homes, children’s toys, and even a open & working tra bing restaurant.

Now I know what you’re probably thinking: this may be interesting from a cultural or historical point-of-view, but all the outside design and hotel lobby promotional material I’ve seen implies that Taiwan Storyland is a place for kids.

Well, it is.

There are plenty of traditional crafts and games for small children to get their hands in to. And while there are the occasional “don’t touch” and “keep off” signs, the majority of things are kid-friendly.

I mentioned the tra bing (shaved ice) diner already, didn’t I? They make a great banana milk, too.

Overall, it’s a great compressed cultural experience for tourists, nostalgic experience for locals, and fun experience for kids. Entry is only NT$200 (~US$6) and it’s conveniently located right across from Taipei Main Station and next to the Shin Kong Mitsigoshi building.

Taiwan Storyland isn’t large or complex enough to occupy an entire day, but one can certainly stay busy for a morning or an afternoon there.

More photos:

Let Google guide you.

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