Juifen

I had a reservation for 7:30 PM, but due to the large crowd, I arrived a little after 7:00 PM. Even so, the staff immediately attended to me, and I was able to enjoy a fantastic view from the balcony seating on the third floor. The tea experience was easy to understand because the staff spoke Japanese, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tea and sweets. Having made a reservation in advance meant I only had to show the voucher and didn't have to pay anything afterward, which was incredibly helpful. Thank you very much.

Our guide, Mr. Hayashi, was a friendly and wonderful person. He was also interesting to talk to, so we weren't bored at all. The itinerary was a bit rushed as we spent little time at each location, but releasing sky lanterns and strolling around Jiufen were very enjoyable and memorable.

Getting to Jiufen and Shifen from Taipei is difficult. Even if you take a taxi, there's a risk of not being able to find one on the way back, so it ends up being more like chartering a taxi (I wonder if you can call one with an app...?) The other tourist spots were places I wouldn't have thought to go to on my own, but they were worth seeing. The weather was a bit bad, which was a shame, but I'll definitely use their services again when I return to Taiwan. Unfortunately, they didn't speak Japanese, and although I wanted to get along with them, there was a lack of communication. We ended up communicating using LINE translation... Thank you very much for your help. I think the experience varies depending on the person in charge.

Two women in their 20s visited. We showed them a copy of our reservation and they showed us to our table right away. There were many staff members who could speak Japanese, so we felt at ease. We were able to relax in a seat with a view of the outside. The sweets weren't too strong in flavor, so I think anyone would enjoy them. It was raining heavily and it was around 2 PM on a weekday, so it was possible to use the restaurant without a reservation and there were several menu options to choose from, but I think it's safer and easier to understand if you have a reservation. The toilets are Japanese style, but they are much cleaner than the toilets near the entrance to Jiufen, so you should use them here.

Stay at a guesthouse in Jiufen, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, explore the quiet old street that opens at 10 am, and arrive at your Taipei hotel before noon by chartered taxi. Purchase and top up an EasyCard at a convenience store and tour the area by bus, visiting Dihua Street, Longshan Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall + mango shaved ice at "Bingzan," the Taipei 101 Observatory, and having an early dinner at "Din Tai Fung"—a perfect way to experience Taipa. However, buses are infrequent and take a long time.

On my first trip to Taiwan, I absolutely wanted to visit Ame no Chaya and release lanterns! I thought it would be impossible to do it on my own, so I booked a bus tour. The price was reasonable, and the course was fantastic!

The itinerary was excellent, and the tour guide was very friendly, helping us order delicious food, choose sky lanterns, and providing great explanations of the itinerary. Time management was also superb! The only downside was that we had to return to the bus early because the air conditioning wouldn't be turned on earlier if there weren't enough people! Everything else was great 👍! A great choice for a day trip!