Text by the MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network Editorial Team
As peach and plum blossoms fade in March, wisteria takes center stage to welcome visitors. While calla lilies and purple peonies bloom in Taipei and Tainan respectively, the "Wisteria Season" in Ruili, Chiayi County, kicks off today and runs until March 30. The gentle breeze sways the graceful sight of cascading wisteria, a unique "Chiayi-only" scenic beauty in the Ruili area of Meishan Township. This year’s wisteria season not only recommends 15 viewing spots to tourists but also invites actress Makiko Okubo to serve as the spokesperson, with a promotional video released today.
Ruili in Chiayi County’s "Wisteria Season" has begun, with actress Makiko Okubo as the spokesperson. (Photo provided by Chiayi County Government)
In March, as wisteria blooms, Ruili’s annual highlight — the Wisteria Season — also commences. Wisteria, a vine plant, was introduced from Japan in 1930 and thrives in cool, high-altitude environments. In Japan, wisteria symbolizes happiness. At an elevation of 1,000 meters, Ruili’s pristine, unpolluted environment produces richly colored, densely flowered wisteria. When in full bloom, strings of purple "wind chimes" hang in the air, swaying gently in the breeze — a breathtaking sight.
In Japan, wisteria symbolizes happiness. (Image source: from County Magistrate Chang Hua-kuan (Little Flower)’s Fan Page)
This time, Chiayi County Government invited Japanese actress Makiko Okubo to be the wisteria spokesperson and to star in a 20-second CF ad, telling the story of how she came to Ruili from Japan and found the person she had been hoping to meet. Filming locations included homestays, tea plantations, as well as attractions such as Ruili Green Tunnel, Youth Ridge Trail, Lovers’ Suspension Bridge, and the Thousand-Year Bat Cave.
Wisteria flowers sway in the wind, a stunning view. (Photo provided by Chiayi County Government)
Makiko Okubo said that although wisteria also grows in Japan, it is mostly found in flat areas and parks. Ruili’s wisteria, combined with natural beauty and leisure tourism, is something she had never seen before. During the shoot, she also tasted Ruili’s specialty mountain cuisine and coffee, experienced gum candy making and tea culture, and particularly enjoyed wisteria-infused dishes and the honey-scented alpine cloud mist black tea.
A total of 15 flower-viewing spots are recommended this year. (Image source: from County Magistrate Chang Hua-kuan (Little Flower)’s Fan Page)
In addition, Chiayi County Government also recommends 15 spots for viewing wisteria this year, including Starlight Forest (64.5 km on County Highway 166), Yuntan Store (71 km), Sanhua Eco Homestay (71 km), Ruijia Tea Homestay (76.7 km), Youyelin Restaurant (76.9 km), Third Brother-in-law’s Home (turn right at 76.9 km), Axi Wisteria (go straight up after turning right at 76.9 km), Aben’s Home (78.8 km), Ruili Elementary School (79 km), Han’s Home Homestay (79.8 km), Wangding Tea Garden (79.2 km), Ruili Impression Area Homestay (79 km), Ruili Teapot Homestay (79.3 km), Ruili Community Activity Center (80.2 km), and the Green Tunnel Rest Stop.
The 20-second CF ad starring Makiko Okubo as the wisteria spokesperson. (Video link provided by Chiayi County Government)
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