Day 278: Jioufen Old Street

Today we ventured to Jioufen Town and toured its Old Street. Jiufen became a gold mining town during the Japanese occupation; many Japanese miners and their families built Jiufen’s unique architecture and infrastructure, including its famous narrow alleys, tea houses, and lantern-lined streets.

They built it too well that millions of articles mistakenly said Jioufen was the inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki’s movie Spirited Away. This isn’t true at all (because obviously a Japanese town would be the inspiration), but the village buys into the gimmick anyway.

We loved the narrow streets and street food we could try.

Food:
Taiwanese meat balls
Peanut Butter Ice cream
Taiwanese Craft Beer

Spots:
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