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Top and bottom:
Scrumptious
eats and the fun
crowd at HJS’
Grill; (inset)
tango violinist
Mike Palmer
They come for the food as
much as for the mystery of
encountering other diners
S T R E E T S O F C H A R A C T E R
Old and new
Divided into two parts, locals call the
blocks between Xin Yi Road and Jin
Hua Street the “commercial half” of
Yong Kang Street. The “quieter” side
can be found from Jin Hua Street
towards Hoping East Road, with a maze
of wide and narrow alleys lined with
four- to five-storey apartment buildings
and a few remaining Japanese houses
from the colonial period (1895–1945)
when the Japanese ruled Taiwan
and intended to turn the island into a
“
model colony” for future expansion
of their empire. A striking contrast is
made between the latter low houses
with gardens and the new swanky
apartments.
Chester Lin, a graphic designer for
luxury brands visited his aunt’s old
Japanese house in the Yong Kang
Street area every week for 30 years.
