The Japanese love Jiufen, and they also enjoy exploring winding paths to admire its unique teahouses and street scenes.

▲ The Japanese love Jiufen, and one of their favorite attractions is the stairway-lined Shuqi Road. (Photo / from Wikimedia Commons, the same below)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

Although it’s a beautiful misunderstanding that some scenes in the renowned Studio Ghibli film *Spirited Away* were inspired by Jiufen, the town’s distinctive landscape, old street charm, and teahouses with a Japanese architectural flair continue to attract many Japanese visitors. Among these, Shuqi Road, lined with numerous scenic teahouses, is a must-visit spot for Japanese tourists coming to Taiwan.

Once a thriving gold mining town, Jiufen transformed into a key tourist destination in northern Taiwan after the decline of gold mining. In 1989, the globally acclaimed film *A City of Sadness* by director Hou Hsiao-hsien, shot here, brought Jiufen into the spotlight. Shuqi Road is one of the main streets of Jiufen’s old town, featuring a unique “丰”-shaped layout that runs through the entire road. At the entrance, bright red lanterns stretch upwards along over 300 stone steps, with quaint teahouses and shops lining both sides of the stairs—still giving visitors the illusion of stepping into the mysterious world of *Spirited Away*.

▲ The classic, Japanese-style “A-Mei Teahouse,” with its architecture strikingly similar to that of the witch Yubaba’s building in *Spirited Away*, was once rumored to have been the model for the film. Though this was just a beautiful misunderstanding, it helped propel A-Mei Teahouse to fame.

Among the teahouses on Shuqi Road, none is more popular with Japanese visitors than A-Mei Teahouse. Not only does it offer breathtaking views of the harbor, but its architecture also bears a resemblance to the traditional Japanese buildings seen in *Spirited Away*. Many Japanese visitors have commented that stepping into A-Mei Teahouse feels like hearing a warm “欢迎回家” (welcome home). Inside, the classic, nostalgic decor feels like stepping into a time tunnel—with large Japanese Noh theater masks, furniture reminiscent of the Japanese colonial era, and spacious, open interiors allowing travelers weary of city life to enjoy a rare moment of relaxation.

% From the teahouse, you can also enjoy a sweeping view of the harbor.