Fangshan Townshi

I took a round trip on December 9, 2025. Train enthusiasts should definitely take this trip. It costs about twice as much and takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes compared to regular travel (normally about 3,000 yen round trip, about 1 hour and 20 minutes one way), but considering the TRA's low fares, 7,000 yen round trip, about 3 hours one way, doesn't seem expensive or slow to me. The outbound journey is from Fangliao to Taitung, and the return journey is the opposite, but the outbound journey seems to be more popular. On the outbound journey, you'll get a TRA bento box and dessert. On the return journey, you'll get a donut and drink. The train stops at different stations: Karuku, Dawu, and Taimali, and you can exit the ticket gates. There are other stops, but they are waiting areas for passing trains, so you can't get off. The view of the Pacific Ocean from the window after Dawu is the highlight. On the return journey, there's a guided tour for about an hour in Jinlun. The only other stop is Fangshan, the southernmost station on the TRA. The highlight of the return trip is the sunset view from Fangshan to Fangliao, but it was cloudy on the day I took the trip and I couldn't see it. The only drawback is that the guide only speaks Chinese, so if you can tolerate that, I recommend you take the trip. I don't speak Chinese, but I enjoyed it very much.