Mar 14–17 – Part 1
In October last year, Kenshi Yonezu announced his JUNK Tour. As someone who’s a fan and would do anything to see him live, I stayed updated and made sure I wouldn’t miss ticket info. Sadly, the Philippines wasn’t on the list of tour stops. But the closest country was Taiwan, and he was doing a 2-day concert. So, I made a decision and booked a flight to Taiwan on a whim as soon as the tour dates dropped. Yes, even though the concert tickets weren’t guaranteed. I just prayed and hoped for luck.

When they released the ticket info in December, I immediately registered since it was a full real-name registration lottery system, which was great for preventing scalpers, but also terrifying. Because what if we didn’t win, right? And my dread did come true—I didn’t get any text or email. I didn’t win. Not even in the resurrection lottery or general on-sale. I was heartbroken! I told myself, “Oh well, we’ll just travel instead.” But the pain…

Then, just two months later and only a few weeks before the concert, BIG ART (大鴻藝術) (one of the official organisers) announced another general seat release and poor sight zone lottery draw. And again, it gave me hope! Finally, on March 3, I got the text. I won! Not my desired seats, but better! We were placed at the farthest right section next to the stage, second most expensive tier. It was out of my initial budget. So yes, it did hurt my wallet, but I wasn’t about to waste the chance. I was soooo happy. And just a few days later, I started arranging our itinerary for this very short trip to Taiwan.

This intro’s gotten long and it’s not even about the trip yet! It’s just so nice to look back at the struggles of my ticket quest.

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March 14, Friday – Jiufen
We arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at around 9 AM. After clearing immigration, we got ourselves the super handy EasyCard, picked up local SIM cards, withdrew some cash, and also had our Kenshi concert tickets printed at 7/11. We also tried our luck at Lucky Land inside the airport, but we didn’t win. To be honest, I didn’t even understand how the game worked. Lol.

Instead of taking the express Airport MRT, we accidentally rode the commuter line. But it was nice. We weren’t in a rush, so we just took our time and didn’t mind the slower pace at all. What surprised me was how much nature surrounded us along the way — mountains, trees, and greenery. Not just buildings. It was a calm start to the trip.

Once we were all set, we made our way to Jiufen. From the Airport MRT, we transferred at Taipei Main Station and eventually reached Ruifang Station via the Yilan line. Navigating public transport turned out to be genuinely fun. We stopped by a few shops to grab snacks, and every convenience store we passed had this mouthwatering aroma. Turns out, it was the braised tea eggs they were selling, mixed with the scent of beef noodle soup and other local dishes from nearby stalls. It was really comforting, especially with the cool, damp weather that day.

We got a little lost here and there, but that was part of the adventure. Honestly, figuring out how to get around is one of my favorite things about traveling. We got to take in the local atmosphere, learn along the way, and just enjoy being in a new place. That’s the perk of DIY itineraries, there’s no need to rush.

We were actually planning to drop by Shifen too, but since it was raining, we decided to head straight to Jiufen instead. From Ruifang Station, we took a bus that brought us into town. The weather was cold and sombre, with light rain falling every now and then. The sea view was covered in fog, and the whole Jiufen looked like it was quietly hiding behind the mist. We didn’t expect it to be that chilly since we only brought a few thin jackets and sweaters.

Glimmers During Our Jiufen Stay

• The place I booked for our overnight stay was spacious and really nice. It was close to the stores but far enough from the crowded street. We slept so well that night, snuggled under the comforter with the windows open and the cool air gently drifting in.
• Trying the street food! I liked the grilled oyster mushrooms, and the peanut and cilantro ice cream roll.
• The night lanterns were so nice. It honestly felt like I was in a Ghibli film.
• The strolls around the area on that foggy, cold day were really nice. I genuinely loved the weather.
• We saw the couple we got tattoos with in Bangkok, Thailand. Can you imagine? Asis and I were in this quiet alley when we spotted them. Of all the places. So glad they remembered us. We said quick hellos. It really reminded me how small the world is.
• Taking our sweet time at 7-Eleven, browsing through the shelves and looking at all the interesting stuff they had.
• Wandering through the busy streets and narrow alleys of Jiufen until most of the shops were already closed.
• The mountain view peeking through the fog every now and then.

It was a long first day for us, but a good one. Day 1 of our Taiwan trip was off to a nice start. Most of the photos I took on my first roll of film came out blurry though. I shot a lot of them at night, and well, I was just using a point-and-shoot film camera. Not much to expect, really. Still fun.