Adventures in Asia - 5 weeks in Taiwan and Japan
October 14-November 19, 2024

Another trip for Asia? After a wonderful trip to Japan in 2023, would we do this again? M has been learning Mandarin for a long time and wanted to use it in his travels; we had scheduled a trip prior to the pandemic to mainland China, but for many reasons, we were a little uneasy about traveling there now. So he suggested that we travel to Taiwan. The more I thought about it and the more I read, including the great trip report by my friend, yestravel , I thought, “why not?” And then I realized that the distance between Taiwan and Japan was a very easy and very short flight! And so, the trip was born.

We are now in our 70s and while there are many folks whose energy impress me at that age, we’re not that couple! So what we do in 5 weeks, many accomplish in half that time! We cover a lot but we take it very easy during the day, going out for a few hours, returning to the hotel to rest and then going out again. And while I do a fair amount of research, I find that many of my detailed plans often fall by the wayside when we arrive somewhere since we tend to follow our nose and enjoy the surprise element of discovery. We’re not foodies, so don’t tend to go out of our way for a particular restaurant; this has worked well for us, and we’ve often discovered fun hole-in-the wall places.

Planning for both Taiwan and Japan was an interesting challenge. We generally prefer to stay longer in places, taking day trips, rather than moving from place to place. I also like to mix up our stays between larger and smaller cities and getting some sense of the countryside. Planning our second trip to Japan was also a challenge; I didn’t want to repeat last year's trip, although we did want to return to Kyoto and our favorite hotel, Hotel Mume. So going back and forth between planning the itinerary for the 2 countries, I kept Taiwan relatively simple, staying in 4 different cities, taking day trips when appropriate. And we focused our Japan trip on Kyushu, a more rural and slightly less touristed island region than Honshu, which is the most popular region for first-time tourists.

And a few extra details…we’re at that point where biz class has become essential, but we used all our miles last year for our trip to Japan. After much searching, I found that Turkish Airlines Business Class was by far the cheapest (though not inexpensive!) and so, we flew Newark>Istanbul>Taipei and returned Osaka>Istanbul>JFK. While the flights themselves were very good and the lounge was the BEST, if there is a problem with flights beforehand, customer service is terrible. With multiple changes over the months since I booked the flights, and many seat changes, I ended up with many headaches. Just a week before we were to go, we had one flight in which the reserved seats disappeared and no one could resolve this. lt all worked out once we were at the airport, but for a week, I stressed that we wouldn’t be on the flight!

So, the itinerary:

Taiwan
Taipei - Okura Prestige Hotel (5)
Taitung - Gaya Hotel (3)
Tainan- Lakeshore Hotel (4)
Kaohsiung - Silks Club (3)

Japan
Fukuoka - Nikko Fukuoka Hotel (3)
Kurokawa Onsen - Yamamizuki ryokan (2)
Kumamoto - Nikko Kumamoto (2)
Nagasaki - Candeo Hotels Nagasaki Shinchi Chinatown (3)
Kagoshima - Daiwa Roynet Tenmonken (2)
Yakushima – Minshu Yakusugi Sar (3)
Kyoto - Hotel Mume (5+)

10/14-15/24-Leaving NYC/Arriving Taiwan

And we’re on another adventure! After the longest journey ever to get here, we made it to Taiwan!

Well, almost.

But first - our flights on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul (9 hrs), layover in Istanbul (7 hrs), and Istanbul to Taipei (10 1/2 hrs). It was quite a trip of a trip! The best part of that loooong day and night was the Amazing Turkish Business Class Lounge. Fabulous food and a private “suite” (think student dorm-style). Still, M and I each had our own room to relax in while waiting for the second leg of the trip.

I *almost* didn't want to leave!!


My Own Private Istanbul (private room in the lounge)


The Food!


The Food!

And drinks!


The Food!


My favorite - Turkish mani dumplings (like ravioli)


The private shower - wow!






Simit


And the piano played on....

October 15 - Arrival in TaipeiWe arrived in Taipei in the early evening, had a few frustrations with the ATM machines, then took the MRT (Taipei Metro) into the city, taking a cab from the station to the hotel. After remembering to turn it on, I got my esim (Airalo) to work and it worked perfectly while in Taiwan.

By the time we got to to our hotel, Okura Prestige, it was close to 8:00PM (which is 8:00AM in NYC or 1:00AM in Istanbul). Where are we? Is it day? Is it night? Needless to say, we were zonked. Fortunately, we weren’t hungry since we had plenty to eat at the lounge and the food was actually pretty good on our second flight.

We took a short walk around the blocks near the hotel and called it a night. Or day. Or morning. Or evening.

10/16/24-Wednesday
Taipei

A slow start. After a discombobulated sleep, we woke up to a grey and cloudy sky and a few drops on window pane. Well, not too bad, we can deal with it! And we do have our trusted umbrellas.

And wow, the humidity! I knew it was going to be humid, but it hits as soon as you walk out of the air conditioned hotel. We decide not to take sunglasses or sun hats - why would we bother, the skies are grey. But we found out that the weather changes from minute to minute here, so sunglasses and umbrella are with us.

After a buffet breakfast, we set off to join a Taipei Historic Free Walking Tour run by Like It Formosa. An excellent company and we liked our guides very much. We received a good overview of the history of Taiwan, from the early Dutch, to the different Chinese dynasties, then Japanese occupation and the current complex relationship with mainland China.

Our tour started at the Longshan Temple, one of the most recognizable buildings in Taipei. It was built by Chinese immigrants coming to the island in the 18th century. The temple underwent fires, earthquakes and being bombed during WWII, and was rebuilt after the war.

We continued on to the Bopiliao Historical block, a former commercial and trade center that is now being restored as a cultural center. From there, we walked through the Ximen Red House, built during the Japanese colonial period, it was first a public market and is now a center for social and cultural activities. Very cool building!

We walked by the Presidential Building and spent time in the 228 Memorial park, learning about the tragic Incident which sparked protests which resulted in thousands killed by the KMT. This, in turn, is considered to be the impetus for the Taiwan independence movement.

We ended our tour by the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, admiring the beautiful architecture yet also noting the complicated relationship with the man.

After a lovely lunch by the memorial, we returned to the hotel, where we soaked away our fatigue in our respective steam rooms and jacuzzi!

Taipei Historic Free Walking Tour


Bangka Park in the Wanhua District - we met our tour nearby just outside the MRT station


Exterior of the Longshan Temple


















Bopiliao Historical Block


Bopiliao Historical Block


Ximen Red House




The 228 Memorial


The Presidential Building


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and Gate


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall through one of the gate portals

10/17/24- Thursday
Taipei

We’re gradually adjusting to the time change - did I mention that there’s a 12 hour difference between Taiwan and the East Coast? It’s now 8:30AM Saturday as I write this but at home, it’s 8:30pm Friday night. Travel can scramble your brain!

We have a tour scheduled for 3pm but we have time in the early part of the day. We aren’t out trying to see or do everything but we decided to visit the iconic Taipei 101, the symbol of Taiwan. It was the world’s tallest building when it was built until the Burj Khalifa surpassed it in 2010. Now it is considered the tallest and largest green building in the world.

In 37 seconds, we travel from the 5th floor to the 89th floor, where the main observation area is located. That is a quick ride! There’s panoramic viewing through glass and lots of cute sitting areas. It’s surprisingly fun walking around, taking in the views as well as getting a kick out of the playfulness of the cute photo opportunities created for tourists. It may seem a little hokey at first, but it’s very engaging!

One of the coolest sights here is not the city but the Tuned Mass Damper (TMD), a huge, room-sized ball hanging in the center of several floors. It’s purpose is to stabilize the building in the event of an earthquake or typhoon winds. There’s even an exhibit which includes a video taken during an earthquake and one sees people swaying while the ball sways in response to the quake. It’s impressive!

We also walked up to the 91st floor where one can walk outside, but it’s harder to take in the views from here because of the extensive protective barrier fence and overhang. If you want to go to the very top (101st floor), you can pay extra for the opportunity to experience the outdoor view without any obstructions, where you’ll be harnessed in so you don’t blow away or fall! We didn’t do this but, for the adventurous, it looks like a cool thing to do.

We ate in the food court located on the lower level of the building. Once again, our attempt to eat at Din Tai Fung failed, thanks to a long line (we could’ve eaten there but didn’t want to wait, honestly).

We then walked on in the general direction of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial, but never quite got there. We were amazed, though, by the elevated walkways extending from Taipei 101 and zig-zagging through the large shopping district.

After a rest back at the hotel, we met our guide from Like It Formosa for the 2nd pay what you wish tour, the Golden Age Walking tour. The tour is focused in Dadocheng, an area that was a gathering of artists and elites during the Roaring 20s, and was one of the most prosperous centers in Taipei at that time. Today, it’s an amazing stretch that retains an old-world flavor, filled with local craftspeople and small boutiques in buildings which retain much of their original structure. The well-known Dihua Street is the at the heart of this area, and is the oldest street in Taipei, and its architecture is being preserved thanks to conservation efforts by the city.

For photographic purposes, we moved too quickly through the area to really capture this amazing section.

Taipei 101 - A surprisingly fun place!


Front of Taipei 101 looking up, up, up


Interior design of building with lots of shops


Robot shopper!


Good views


And hello to you!


View closeup - love some of the architecture


lots of Instagram-worthy sets




The fallen angel! I don't know about those wings...


The 91st Floor


And another view


The Tuned Mass Damper (TMD), built to stabilize the building in the event of an earthquake. There's a video capturing this!


The Tuned Mass Damper (TMD), built to stabilize the building in the event of an earthquake. There's a video capturing this!


Damper Babies, the Taipei 101 Mascot


More cute displays

Golden Age Walking Tour


Our lovely guide


















Where contemporary and traditional art meet

Progol - another interesting place that your visited...Taipei - what beautiful photos you took!

Besides many trips to Japan, the only other Asian country I visited was Korea - a few days in Seoul from Japan - mainly as I am a big fan of Korean dramas.

Peach Airlines has fairly cheap fares from Tokyo...maybe I should put Taipei on my next year to-do list along with Yakushima....by next year I mean 2026 since my 2025 Japan plans are pretty much set already....

Mara, thank you! Taiwan is a wonderful and very easy country to travel! There are other regions that I would've liked to visit but I really kept it simple. But it is definitely easy to combine with Kyushu!

If we ever do get back to Asia, I'd like to get to Korea, too. And Japan again.

10/18/24-Friday
Taipei

Today was a scorcher yet an absolutely fabulous day. It was hot and humid so a perfect day to head for the hills. We’re off to Maokong, a tea growing region on top of a hill on the edge of the city where a number of small tea plantations and tea houses are located. We travel by gondola (no, not like Venice!), but a cable car that travels over 4 kilometers, makes several stops and takes from 20 to 30 minutes to make the trip from the ground to the top of the hill. It’s an amazing journey, 5 of us cocooned in a car while dangling over the treetops in an otherworldly journey to the top of the hill.

And we have arrived! There are numerous trails from the top, but after a steamy ride, we were ready to chill out first. We stopped at a small cafe where we ate shaved ice with brown sugar - a simple but heavenly dessert for a very hot day.

We wandered for awhile along one of the paths, seeing the small but working tea plantations and gardens in a lush landscape, enjoying the views of Taipei filtered through the heat and clouds, and chatting with other tourists along the way. Finally, we stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants and had the most delicious oolong tea ever.

We enjoyed our trip back, having a lot of laughs with a couple from the Philippines and a Moroccan-born German. Love the interactions we have with other travelers.

And back to the hotel. Have I mentioned how easy it is to get around? Taipei has a fabulous public transportation system called the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) which is extensive and efficient and easy to use. We’re back at the hotel in less than a half hour. After a hot day, it’s time to cool off in the steam room and jacuzzi! A nice relaxing end to our day’s adventure!

Wow, I love those pictures of the distinct architecture. Taiwan just moved higher on my travel wish list!

Up, Up and Away to Maokong by Gondola







A fun ride!


Brown sugar ice - simple but so good!


The vendor


Small tea field


No, this is not real!


Along the walk


A farmed plot


A group tour


Vanilla and Green Tea ice cream

You would not be disappointed! And there is so much more to Taiwan! It’s a gentle place to travel.

I love green tea ice cream - eat it often while in Japan!!!

Thank you for sharing, progol. As always, your report and accompanying photos are amazing. Appreciate reliving my experiences in Taipei through you and looking forward to learn about the rest of the island, where I haven't been.

Mara, for some reason, I never had green tea ice cream in Japan, so of course, I had to try it here! The ice cream was good but the tea we had in the restaurant was probably the best tea I ever had. And we didn’t buy any (kicking myself for that!).

tripplanner, thank you! We truly loved our time in Taiwan! There are so many places we didn’t get to but I’m so happy we did send time elsewhere. I hope you do get back there someday.

Thanks so much for showing us the beauty and curious excitement of Taipei. Looking forward to the other stops!

Many thanks, shelemm! More to come very soon!

Saturday, 10/19/24
Taipei
FOOD TOUR!

And today’s big activity was the Like It Formosa Food Tour. This was a paid tour, but of course it would be since we will be eating a lot of food along the way!

An easy ride on the MRT, we’re on the Red Line and it’s only 4 stops to Dongmen where we’re meeting our guide. Michael and I arrived a little early and discovered the fantastic Dongmen market just behind the large street where we got out.

(An aside here - we’ve found that behind the very large commercial streets, there are smaller streets and alleys that are just chock full of smaller shops and restaurants and are full of life.)

Back to the market - we walked through a few streets and loved the energy of the marketplace, with a great variety of food and wares being sold. We loved it here and could’ve spent longer than our 10-15 minutes we had before meeting our guide.

**Fair warning of a fairly odd set of eyes coming up in the photos - a little on the creepy side**.

We then met Hanwen, our delightful and enthusiastic guide for the next few hours. We start in the older part of the Dongmen market, which is a covered section. Here, Hanwen makes a few stops - by the “stinky tofu” vendor (we didn’t sample) and the vermicelli maker, before we stop for a taste of some of the fruit. We got tastes of guava (delicious) and wax apple, which isn’t an apple and didn’t have much taste, but was very juicy.

We left the market and continued on to a small restaurant (unfortunately, we didn’t get names of places or clearly identified names of dishes), where we were served several dishes: a hot and sour soup, an eggplant dish, a small cabbage-like side dish, and 2 types of dumplings. I managed to burn my tongue on a steaming dumpling!

After that, we stopped for bubble milk tea at a stylish tea shop. And then on to the fabulous Yongkang Street, a vibrant street, filled with fashionable boutiques and traditional food stalls and restaurants. It’s a very popular destination for tourists but it’s got the right balance of quirky, trendy and traditional! The best, though, was the children’s Halloween Party in Yongkang Park - there were lots of adorable costumed kids which made the experience that much more fun.

We then ate a scallion pancake at one of the oldest stands. On to the vermicelli vendor, where we got to sample vermicelli with intestines. On to the last savory sample of the day: the famous beef noodle. And finally, the most refreshing mango and taro shaved ice. We ate the straight mango shaved ice - a huge scoop of mango ice cream sitting on top of the shaved ice, covered with big pieces of mango. Yes, that was a refreshing ending after the variety of tastes.

So our thoughts - first of all, we’re not foodies, so we don’t go far out of our way for specific places or to search out specific items. But we were disappointed in the food. We’ve heard so much about the food culture here in Taiwan that we expected more - and, truthfully, these samples were underwhelming. We loved the area and we really enjoyed our guide, but the food itself didn’t sing. Perhaps there are better places to sample these foods, all of which are considered iconic tastes of Taiwan. Again, we’re not foodies, so it isn’t that critical for us, but we were a bit surprised that nothing really stood out.