[Travel/Taiwan] Jiufen九份 / Stepping into the world of Miyazaki's Spirited Away -- 走進神隱少女(千与千寻)的世界

A few months ago, we spent a weekend at a small town called Jiufen (九份) at New Taipei City, the northern part of Taiwan. A couple decades ago, Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town. The gold rush facilitated the development during the Japanese era. Like any mining town, it fell into decline after the gold ran out.

幾個月前，我與我女友前往在位在北台灣的小鎮－九份，在十幾年前九份是台灣著名的淘金鎮，日據時期因為盛產金礦而興盛，礦坑挖掘盡後曾經一度沒落。

The urban legend has it that Jiufen is the spitting image of Studio Ghibli’s visually stunning animated movie Spirited Away. Rumor or not, this brought Jiufen back to life. It became a must visit place among tourists.

曾有人傳說九份這個小鎮是激發日本動畫大師宮崎駿創作神影少女（千与千寻）的靈感來源。無論這是不是傳言，都讓九分起死回生，成為觀光客來台必訪之地。

Here's one of the scene in Spirited Away ｜神影少女（千与千寻）中的場景

Here's Jiufen ｜ 九份街景

Here's a comparison of the two ｜ 兩者比較

source

Miyazaki's Inspiration? ｜ 宮崎駿的靈感來源?

Winding alleys lined with food stalls, and decorated with red paper lanterns, this is a view of the Jiufen old street. As Taiwanese, it's easy for us to romanticized that Miyazaki took inspiration from our little town. After all, the similarities are remarkable if you let your imagination run wild. Regardless of the urban legend's accuracy, the small town shrouded in mist does resemble the fantasy world crafted by Miyazaki. 

蜿蜒巷弄裡的小吃攤外高掛著紅色的燈籠，這是我們熟悉的九份，也難怪在看到宮崎駿電影場景細膩地描繪時，腦中會不自覺得把他們拼湊在一起。但是不論謠言是真是假，九份和神隱少女中的湯屋確實有幾分神似之處。

The old street is a tourist spot filled with mass-produced souvenirs and manufactured vintage goods. They are made for tourists but it's still fun to window shop. Some of them even bring back childhood memory.

一到假日，老街總是人山人海，路邊的攤販賣著各式紀念品和復古童玩。雖然都是賣給觀光客的，但身為本地人的我們還是逛得很開心。尤其對在淡水（北台灣另外一個觀光小鎮）長大的我來說，假日的九份就像淡水老街的翻版。

I had these candies growing up!

小時候常吃的糖果

Feel free to wander off the main street into the maze of staircase and laneway.

走入人少的巷弄

Dinner Activities ｜ 晚餐

If you drive to Jiufen and have a little bit more time, Keelung is just thirty minutes away by car. (The foothill of the mountain in the picture below)

如果你是開車來九份，不妨到山腳下基隆去吃晚餐，車程大約是三十分鐘。

We feasted on seafoods that evening with two cats earnestly watching us while we ate. Pro tip: Do not give in. This will save you from some claw actions.

我們當天晚上在基隆吃海產，店裡還有兩隻貓一直待在你的腳邊要食物，無論如何都要堅持住啊，不然他們會越來越放肆

After dinne, if you still have stomach for dessert, the night market can definitely cater to your craving. We opted for some light exercise with a round of bb gun shooting.

晚餐後如果你還有胃可以吃甜點的話，可以到基隆夜市逛逛。

Thanks for reading

TC