A three-generation family-owned coffee shop in Kumamoto, Japan, adds premium Taiwanese Alishan coffee to its menu as ties between Taiwan and Japan are at a historic turning point, thanks to semiconductor giant TSMC.
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00:00 Drawing out the smells and tastes of faraway places, through coffee, Ichimi Yojiro has
00:10 been perfecting his craft, roasting and brewing coffee from around the world here in Kumamoto,
00:16 Japan, learning from a veteran pro, his dad, Ichimi Yojiro.
00:24 Their family-owned coffee shop has now passed down three generations, and a new brew they've
00:29 been excited to share with customers is this little-known bean from Taiwan.
00:45 Ichimi Yojiro says people usually talk about Taiwan's Alishan tea, but rarely Alishan coffee.
00:52 The premium beans are known within the coffee community, but because not many are harvested
00:57 each season, they're limited and expensive, especially to ship overseas.
01:06 Ichimi Yojiro and his father say despite the price, getting Alishan coffee here is worth
01:12 it, as they strive to offer the world's best coffees to people in Kumamoto.
01:19 The southwestern prefecture has been transforming over the past couple of years, as Taiwanese
01:23 chip giant TSMC opened its first Japanese fab here, bringing in billions of dollars
01:30 and hundreds of Taiwanese people.
01:33 Ichimi Yojiro says the timing of TSMC's arrival alongside them adding Taiwanese coffee is
01:39 a total coincidence.
01:40 "I didn't know anything about TSMC.
01:41 My wife, Kanae's mother, went to Taiwan.
01:42 I didn't know anything about TSMC.
01:43 I didn't know anything about TSMC.
01:44 I didn't know anything about TSMC.
01:45 I didn't know anything about TSMC.
02:05 I didn't know anything about TSMC.
02:26 Now with a growing Taiwanese community in Kumamoto, both father and son are excited
02:31 to keep the cultural exchange going."
02:42 Ichimi Yojiro hopes Kumamoto's expanding community will be an inclusive one, and as
02:48 he says, what better way is there to get to know someone than over a delicious cup of
02:53 coffee?
02:54 Joseph Wu and Joyce Zen in Kumamoto, Japan for Taiwan Plus.
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