Ruifang District

I chose a greedy 6-hour tour that included Shifen and Jiufen, from evening until late at night! At first, I was debating whether to explore Shifen and Jiufen on my own by train or bus, or to go on a full tour (around 15,000-20,000 yen per person), but after reading reviews that the return buses were extremely crowded and infrequent, I decided to charter a private car. In the end, it was really great! They took photos and videos of my trip and even made a short video for me as a gift at the end. They were very considerate, asking things like, "What do you want to do?", "Where do you want to go?", "Do you want to eat this?", "This is a great photo spot!", and even though we were speaking broken English, it was a lot of fun! Because my stay in Jiufen was short, I had about two hours to spare, so when I asked if I could go to a supermarket and a pharmacy to buy souvenirs, they readily agreed! They researched stores with a wide variety of goods and took me there. They were supposed to drop me off at Taipei Station on the way back, but when I told them I was going to the airport by MRT afterward, they said, "That's a different entrance!" And he took me all the way to the MRT station! And there was a microphone in the car, so we had a karaoke session! He was so helpful from start to finish, I really recommend him! Thank you, YANG! YANG, I'm so grateful!

Unfortunately, it was pouring rain (apparently it rains 200 days a year in Jiufen), and even though it was Golden Week, it was cold, and the narrow streets meant umbrellas kept bumping into each other, getting everyone soaked. In that situation, it was a relief to be able to relax and enjoy tea in a shop. Above all, the location was fantastic. You can take photos of that famous scenery (and you can't get in without a reservation), and then leisurely sip Taiwanese tea while admiring it. I think it's an irresistible place for people who love Chinese tea sets, furniture, and tea ceremony. The tea was high mountain tea. Peanuts, rakugan (a type of Japanese sweet), and plums simmered in tea were served. It was a small portion, but it was delicious, so I bought some of the simmered plums as a souvenir. I had made a reservation for 3:30 PM, which was when it wasn't busy, but they told me I could come in at 2:30 PM as well. They were very friendly. I stayed for a long time and left around 4 PM, and the stairs were dangerously crowded. It got dark early because of the rain, so I was glad I could experience that magical atmosphere early. If you decide to go to Jiufen, make a reservation as soon as possible. I think 5 PM is the best time.

This trip was mind blowing! Our tour guide was extremely friendly and knowledgable and gave us very detailed instructions for every location we visited and shared with us some of the most popular and tasty spots. Beautiful spots for sure! Our bus driver was extremely experienced in driving which made the road trip a good ride to and back. Will definitely miss this trip and everyone we've met on this trip!