This dog looks like a toy on a throne of purses. But he’s real alright!
He guards the purses in this leather goods shop with two other layabouts… so you can definitely tell who’s the hardworking one here! :P
So where are these purse-guarding dogs exactly??
Welcome to Jiufen, the fabled town that gave Hayao Miyazaki the inspiration for the mysterious lantern-lit town in the movie Spirited Away.
Enter the rabbit warren of narrow streets and alleys lined with red lanterns…
… that is not scary at all in bright daylight. :P Even though we are not right into the tourist season yet, this tourist spot is already packed with them… despite the seasonal rain!
We were there around lunchtime, but our driver advised that there are no good places to eat here.
“Just try some of the street food for fun,” he said. “Look at the knick knacks they sell.” He explained that this is really more of a tourist town with shops geared toward tourists.
“Locals don’t come here.”
Where do the locals go then?
“If you live in the north, you holiday in the south. If you live in the south, you holiday in the north. But mostly we fly out to other countries. ”
Right.
So we meandered about and tried the food… including this – World’s #1 Mushroom Under the Sky / 天下第一菇。
Look at the whole stack of them… sure is a lot of #1 mushrooms in Taiwan. Hah! Cut into bite size for convenient munching while walking. ;P
I didn’t take a lot of pictures due to the rain. Boo. But this photo shows you the sort of elevation we were at… and also the rolling mist.
Nothing much to see here but mist, so back we head into the alleyways.
Thought we’ll rest our feet at a ramshackle teahouse. (not pictured)
And this was the view to the right…
… and to the left. Feels like a whole different world?
After the break, we headed on for Pingxi from Jiufen.
How to get to Jiufen
If you can, take a taxi to hit more places in a day! If not, Jiufen is still very accessible by public transport.
By Train: From Taipei, take the train north to Ruifang Station. After exiting the station, cross the street to the bus stop next to the Wellcome Supermarket and board the Keelung Transit bus towards Jiufen. The bus trip takes roughly 15 minutes, and the fare is NT$21 during the week,NT$15 during weekends/holiday.
By Bus (via MRT): From Zhongxiao Fuxing (忠孝復興), Brown and Blue lines, leave from Exit 1 and take bus route 1062 (Keelung Bus) to Jiufen. The ride is about 1 hour and the fare is NT$90. Be sure to sit on the left side of the bus to enjoy scenic views of Northern Taiwan.
Source: http://guidetotaipei.com/visit/jiufen-%E4%B9%9D%E4%BB%BD
From other blogs
– Taiwan’s Jiufen – the real world inspiration for Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
– I went to the real life Spirited Away
– A trip to Jiufen, New North City
– Spirited away in Jiufen
– Taiwan travels : Jiufen and Spirited Away
Kyla
If that dog is truly a male, he needs to turn in his man card.
That mist is very San Francisco.
weliveinaflat
I actually don’t know :P But he has a very kingly face so I proclaim him male!! :P Wahahahaha
I was in San Francisco a long time back… we drove there for the evening, up and down the famous sloping roads and then went to a cafe for cake. Bought some chocolates too. But that was all I saw of the place, lol.
Emmadog
Mom has been to markets like those all over Asia. She said they are interesting, but so very crowded and she is always afraid a fire will start and she will get trapped.