An Enjoyable and Safe Trip to Taiwan, Close to Home

 February 23–26, 2013: A 4-day trip to Taiwan

I traveled to Taiwan with a guide, flying with Cathay Pacific Airlines.

Day 1

We departed from Kansai Airport at 11:00, with a flight time of approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to Taiwan. There is a time difference of one hour between Japan and Taiwan (Japan is one hour ahead). We arrived at Taipei International (Songshan) Airport at 13:15.

The local guide, who had previously studied at a Japanese university, spoke Japanese fluently and was very friendly and welcoming to Japan. On this day, we took Taiwan's high-speed rail, the "Taiwan High-Speed Rail," to Kaohsiung. After taking a bus from the airport to Taoyuan Station, we began our journey, which took about 1.5 hours from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung.

Upon arrival in Kaohsiung, our first stop was Lotus Pond (蓮池潭, Liánchí Tán) and Shoushan Park (寿山公園, Shòushān Gōngyuán). After sightseeing, we went to Liuhe International Tourism Night Market in the evening. I was amazed by the bustling atmosphere and the large number of stalls. What I especially liked was a fruit called Shakatou. This fruit has a shape resembling the head of the Buddha, and when you cut it open, you find a white fruit inside. Its sweetness and flavor were so delightful that I bought three at the night market and enjoyed them at the hotel. I highly recommend trying this fruit.

We spent the night at a hotel in Kaohsiung.

Day 2

In the morning, we visited Chengqing Lake (a man-made lake) in Kaohsiung city, and in the afternoon, we moved to Tainan city. We toured Chihkan Tower and the Yanping Junwang Shrine. After that, we visited Sun Moon Lake. During the Japanese colonial period in 1918, under the leadership of then Taiwan Governor-General Genjiro Akashi and Tomoe Takagi, Taiwan Power Company planned to construct a hydropower plant. They planned to bring water from the Zhuoshui River, the longest river in Taiwan, through an underground aqueduct, and the dam and power plant were completed in June 1934. The Sun Moon Lake is Taiwan's largest lake. The local guide also expressed his gratitude for the infrastructure built during the Japanese colonial period, such as the dam and power plants. Tonight, we will stay in Taichung.

Day 3

In the morning, we toured Taichung city, and in the afternoon, we moved to Taipei by bus. Taichung doesn't have any particularly famous tourist spots, so we spent more time exploring Taipei. In Taipei, we visited Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Presidential Office Building, Martyrs' Shrine, the National Palace Museum, and the Confucius Temple. The Martyrs' Shrine is famous for its changing of the guard ceremony, and I took some photos of that event. The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a monument to Taiwan's first president, but during our visit, there was also an exhibition of the late Teresa Teng's (鄧麗君) personal belongings. She was a famous singer in Japan and China, and she passed away at a young age. At the National Palace Museum, we were surrounded by a huge crowd, especially with the large number of tourists from mainland China, which made the experience a bit exhausting. Tonight, we will stay in Taipei. Tomorrow, we will visit Jiufen, the highlight of our Taiwan trip.

Day 4

Today is the last day, and we spent it exploring the nostalgic town of Jiufen. Jiufen is rumored to have inspired Hayao Miyazaki's movie Spirited Away, making it a very popular destination for Japanese tourists. At the end of the day, the local guide asked me if I could give him the receipts from any purchases I made at supermarkets or stores. When I asked what he needed them for, he explained that the receipts have a number on them, and they are part of a lottery system. Interestingly, this lottery is only for people who live in Taiwan, and foreigners are not eligible to participate.