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Japanese dating tour marks start of new flight route

Thirty-six single Japanese men and women arrived in Taipei yesterday on an arranged dating tour led by Miyazaki Prefecture Governor Hideo Higashikokubaru.

Hideo, a former comedian well-known for his role in the Japanese game show Takeshi’s Castle, will accompany the group on the four-day dating trip called “Touring Taiwan with the Governor.”

The 18 men are all from Miyazaki, while the 18 women come from all over Japan.

The trip, marking the launch of direct, commercial flights between Taipei and Miyazaki, was billed as a chance for men from Miyazaki to find their soul mates.

Sugio Yasorou, 26, who works for the Japanese government, said he learned of the tour from a colleague and decided to attend because his parents are very concerned about whether he will marry.

Sugio has never been to Taiwan before. In addition to getting to know the women in the group, he said he looked forward to tasting Taiwanese delicacies, particularly steamed buns.

Kabayashi Asako, a 25-year-old from Yokohama, lived briefly with her family in Tienmu (天母) five years ago and still speaks some Mandarin.

“I came because I don’t have many opportunities to meet people,” she said.

Like Sugio, Kabayashi looked forward to the Taiwanese cuisine.

In addition to the 36 people participating in the dating tour, another 80 Japanese tourists and a dozen reporters joined the trip, drawn by Hideo’s fame.

The Tourism Bureau will offer each member of the dating tour a love charm made by the Xia Hai Cheng Huang Temple of the City God (霞海城隍廟) as a good-luck token. If any among the group choose to get married and select Taiwan for their honeymoon, the bureau will offer free wedding portraits for the couple at various tourist attractions.

The flights between Taipei and Miyazaki were launched by EVA Air (長榮航空), which received approval in December to operate regular flights to Miyazaki City and Komatsu City.

The first commercial flight between Taipei and Komatsu was also yesterday. In 2001 and 2002 EVA offered charter flights to Miyazaki and Komatsu. EVA will operate flights between Taipei and the two the cities on Sundays and Wednesdays.
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