Jiufen Old Street Treats

Jiufen

Jiufen was once called the Golden City. It was a gold mining town in the 1890s. When gold mining declined, so did the town. Jiufen was rediscovered in 1989 when a movie, A City of Sadness, was filmed here. A 2001 Japanese animé film, Spirited Away, captivated Japanese audiences for its locale which resembles Jiufen. Japanese tourists came and cemented Jiufen’s place as one of the top attractions of Taiwan.

Yin Yang Sea in the distance

Jiufen Old Street

Old Street is a long, narrow street that slopes uphill. It can be quite crowded because this is a tourist destination. I was there in late January and it was raining. Despite the lousy weather, the street was packed. At the very end of this street is a view of the houses spilling down the mountain.

A tea shop

Artisanal Taiwan Boba

Bubble tea or boba was invented in Taiwan in the eighties. Hence the popularity of this drink. If you buy your boba at this store, you can rest assured the ingredients are made in the traditional method.

Ready for lunch? Bon appetit!

Skewered strawberry and grapes. These are so pretty and tempting to eat. There were several stalls selling these.

A selection of street food - chicken gizzard, chicken heart, chicken feet, chicken tail, mushrooms, bird’s eggs, tofu, kelp.

Goose liver, shank, cuttlefish balls, meatballs, chicken tail and so much more…..

Fish and squid balls, fries, ganthiya, fried shrimps, trumpet mushrooms.

Dried squid and dried fish.

This alley leads to more restaurants and shops uphill.

Motorcycles are allowed in some alleyways. Notice the beautiful lanterns.

Mini electric sky lanterns. I wish I bought one of these as a souvenir of our adventures in Northern Taiwan.

Pretty slippers for children

There are a thousand and one things to find here. Fun to explore.

Jiufen Xiahai City God Temple

How to get there:

There are several ways to get to Jiufen - by bus, train, taxi, Uber or by organized tour. Check rome2rio.com for details. I went with a group of friends on a private tour to Northern Taiwan and I highly recommend it for the ease of travel and for a more customized itinerary. A friend recommended Raul Ng of Taiwan Tours and you can reach him through his Facebook page or at 886-926-177-849 or by email at hellotaiwantours@gmail.com. You can read my post about Northern Taiwan here: https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2024/04/northern-taiwan-road-trip.html

Currency: USD$1.00 = 30.92 New Taiwan dollar (TWD) as of this post’s date.

Check out my post on Northern Taiwan Road Trip here:

https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2024/04/northern-taiwan-road-trip.html

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*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

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