In north-east Taiwan there’s former mining town called Jiufen. Perched on the side of a hill overlooking hills and ocean, it’d be a gorgeous spot regardless of what else was placed there.
Today, the town is known for two main things: Old Street and teahouses.
Old Street barely a street. Really a narrow alley lined with shops of all kinds, weaving up, down, and along, packed with people. It’s quite an experience. The multiple teahouses along the way are notable for their view of course, but one in particular is known for something else. For many years people suspected it was the inspiration for the teahouse in Spirited Away. While there’s certainly a resemblance, Miyazaki himself has denied the rumor. However, it’s a gorgeous building in its own right, and eminently Instagrammable.
Old Street
People move like a fluid. A slow, viscous fluid. There’s no order to the flow. At one moment the right half moves in the direction I’m going, the a few steps later, it’s the left half. Occasionally, like oblivious rocks in a stream, knots of people stop in place to gawk at something, and the whole works grinds to a halt. It’s traffic, pre-automobile style.
Normally these kind of situations drive me nuts, but here I’m enjoying going with the flow. Old Street is like being transported to another time and unique place. The tiny shops remind me of parts of Hong Kong or the inner alleys of Akihabara. Souvenir shops adjacent to food stalls adjacent to pottery stores. Smells waft from fryers and grills. It’s an adventure in slow motion, hitting all your senses at once.
Sometimes you’ll spot a passageway that leads… somewhere.
After many hours, or perhaps just a few minutes, there’s a break in the seemingly endless line of shops. The view down the green hillside to the rolling hills that greet the ocean is stunning. Probably even more so on a less hazy day.
As Old Street gives way to new and less interesting roads, I turn around to do it all again.
Teahouses
Scattered behind, beside, and below the long line of Old Street’s shops are gigantic teahouses. On my first night I wait for a space to be available at Skyline Teahouse. This teahouse isn’t much to look at inside, but the view it offers of the gorgeous Amei Teahouse is epic. I had been hoping to get the photo you see at the top of this story, and by luck, I was ushered to the very table I would have picked if asked. It was late and hot, so I ordered a mango smoothie. Mangoes in Taiwan taste milder, yet sweeter, than I’ve had elsewhere. A perfect moment.
Passing Amei Teahouse itself, I expected a long line out the door. Instead… it was nearly empty. The benefits of being a night person and an establishment that’s open late, I figure another beverage isn’t going to do me any harm. I know this place wasn’t the inspiration for Spirited Away, but it sure looks like it could have been.
Masks line the entrance and walls, narrow staircases weave to other floors.
The entrance is quite inviting.
All the seats with a view are taken, but it’s late and that’s fine.
A calming cool tea lets me relax and enjoy this moment too.
What’s fascinating is hearing so much Japanese. It seems that despite Miyazaki’s denials, Jiufen remains a big tourist draw for fans of the movie from his home country. Many shops have No Face and other Studio Ghibli toys and trinkets.
The next day I have one more teahouse to visit. I’d passed it on my wanderings along Old Street. It’s Juifen Teahouse, and the inside is easily the most beautiful of the three I’ve visited.
The hostess seats me with a view of both the other teahouses, with a glimpse of the sea far below. It’s hot, but I go for the full experience. I pick a tea on the hostess’s recommendation and enjoy another relaxing teahouse moment, pouring water warmed by coals into loose tea the Taiwanese way.
Visiting
Taiwan is a wonderful place to visit. Friendly people and delicious inexpensive food. Jiufen is about an hour by bus from downtown Taipei. There are multiple hotels in the area. It’s definitely hilly, so if you’re not one for stairs make sure you pick accommodation that’s roughly the same level as Old Street.
It’s a relaxing way to spend a weekend, or at least an overnight. A day trip is certainly possible and popular, but the streets are quiet and empty at night, making for a whole different experience.
