We're starting our overseas rest area research! Our destination is "Taipei."
This time, we're visiting "Jiufen," which served as a model for the town in Spirited Away!
Jiufen is a town in the mountains of northern Taiwan that once prospered from gold mining.
Today, it's a popular tourist spot where you can enjoy the nostalgic townscape!
There are many teahouses, and in particular, the teahouse called "A-Mei Tea House" is said to have been the model for Yubaba's bathhouse.

Here is the famous "A-Mei Tea House"! The beautiful scenery created by the red lanterns and the building is a popular photo spot in Jiufen!
We waited quite a while to get here (lol)
Now, to get to Jiufen, take the Taiwan Railway "TRA" from Taipei Station to "Ruifang Station," the closest station to Jiufen.
From Ruifang, you can access Jiufen by taxi or bus.
Or, you can take a direct bus from Taipei.

There's a Jiufen Old Street bus stop near 7-Eleven, and the bus stop going downhill is located up the road in the photo.

Jiufen is a wonderful tourist spot, but... it gets incredibly crowded!!
Look at this crowd at the entrance to Jishan Street, the main street of Jiufen (lol)
And there's a public restroom right next to this entrance, and the line for the women's restroom is always long.
"...I'm tired, I wonder if there's a place to sit and rest around here."
And when I looked back... there it was!

There were four two-seater wooden benches on the second floor of the observation deck called Jishan Viewing Pavilion.
It's located in front of the 7-Eleven, near the Jiufen Old Street bus stop.

The benches are comfortable, but I was so relieved to take a break away from the crowds....
Jiufen's illuminated townscape with red lanterns from the evening to night is the best time to visit, so I spent some time here.

But it's not just the benches! The scenery from this Jishan Viewing Pavilion is simply amazing!
You can enjoy the view of the Keelung Bay area, an international trade port in northern Taiwan. You can see the mountains, their undulations, and small islands.

There was an information board about the coastal scenery. You can enjoy the scenery of the port, islands, and capes ♪
Isn't this also a tourist spot?? But everyone is so absorbed in Jiufen that they don't notice....
The entrance to Jiufen is right next to it, which is extremely crowded, but this rest area is empty, so I saw couples and people on dates.

You can also see the night view of Jiufen Old Street. Let's relax and take a break on the bench~.

And after waiting for the right time, head to "Shuchi Road," where the scenery of the red lantern stairs is beautiful!
It's a spot that can be called "the Jiufen". It felt like a scene from a movie.
Be sure to remember the observation deck rest area at Jishan Viewing Pavilion ~.
Also, Jiufen can be tiring, so it's recommended to take a break and drink some tapioca in Ruifang before going ♪
By the way, I used an LCC for the first time on a trip to Taiwan, and it was more comfortable than I expected, and I was able to go to Taiwan at a low price!
Here's a report on the in-flight conditions of LCCs that can be traveled on a low budget, and what I found out from actually using them.
So, why not use it as a bench to take a break in Jiufen?








