As many of you are probably aware, Japan ruled Taiwan from 1895-1945 and Japanese influence is pretty strong here. Many of the grandparents of my generation grew up learning Japanese in school.

When I was taking my masters in Taiwanese Literature at National Taiwan University, there was a Japanese language prerequisite and some of the modules were focused on literature on or from Taiwan in the Japanese language. For this reason, and also if you want to travel in Japan, it’s handy to know hiragana and katakana. The game above is a fun way to learn these essential tools for learning Japanese. Credit for the game goes to Arvid Torres!

If you’ve ever heard the term “weeb,” you might be curious if there is a Taiwanese equivalent… Well, there is, though it’s not quite as pejorative. The term “哈日族” is used to describe people who are super into Japanese culture in Taiwan. The “哈” can also be added to other countries, but it’s most common form is with Japan.

So, what are you waiting for? Tickets are cheap at the moment, so get practicing your kana in the run up to your next trip!