The trip starts early in the morning at Haneda Airport. China Airlines, the flag carrier of Taiwan. China Airlines has a large size limit for the transport of bicycles on flights, and if the total size of the three sides is 290 cm or less and the weight is 23 kg or less, the bicycles can be checked in free of charge! I am very grateful that the regulations are looser than other airlines.

Arrive at "Taipei Songshan Airport" in the city of Taiwan's capital "Taipei" from Haneda Airport. The appearance of the control tower below resembles the one at Japan's Itami Airport (Osaka).

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In the corridor of Taipei Songshan Airport, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau's bear mascot "Ausion" welcomes you on a bicycle. You can see how much effort is being put in to make this a bicycle tourism country.

First, we took a taxi from the airport to a hotel in the city about 20 minutes away, and asked the hotel where I was staying the next day to store my luggage that I didn't need for the ride.
Ostrich's OS-500 went straight into a standard-sized taxi.
Arrived at the hotel "PAPERSUN HOTEL" near "Shilin Station" on the north side of Taipei City.
The origin of the hotel name "PAPER" is said to be due to a remnant of a paper mill nearby.

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Kenta assembles a bicycle in the hotel lobby. The bike used this time is SPECIALIZED's "AETHOS". The lightest disc road bike frame on the market (585g!). Even with saddlebags, the total weight is only about 10kg.

Attached to the seat post is the original bike plate of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, which supports this trip.
Ready for the trip, let's go!

First of all, we aim for Songshan Station, the central station of Taipei, which is about 13km away from the hotel.
Since there is a lot of traffic in the city, we rode on the cycling road that runs along the riverbed. The cycling roads in the city are wide and comfortable.

Arrived at Songshan Station in about 40 minutes. A monument of "0km" in the square in front of the station, which is a symbol that serves as the starting point for a lap around Taiwan.
Take a commemorative photo while thinking about the challenge of going around Taiwan someday.

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Go underground to go to the ticket gate. There is a slope next to the stairs so you can go underground with your bicycle.
It's a simple facility, but it makes a big difference.
While I was surprised that such a simple thing would be so practical, I sensed the high level of awareness of Taiwan's meticulous city planning with bicycles in mind.

Purchase a local train ticket to Ruifang Station, about 30km west of Songshan Station. The fare is 40 yuan (about 180 yen) for an adult and 20 yuan (about 90 yen) for a bicycle. In Taiwan, in the case of local trains (stopping at every station), you can put your bicycle on the train without putting it in a bicycle bag. It took a little time, but I decided to take the local train.
Click here for details of the cycle train (traditional Chinese)

I push my bicycle towards the stop position of the first car designated by the station staff and walk. The platform is vacant during the daytime on weekdays, so it was a smooth process (it may be safer to avoid commuting hours).

After having lunch that Sam bought in advance, we took a break on the platform. The bread from "HOU TOAST and COFFEE" is soft and fluffy like a sponge cake and is slightly sweet, contrary to its rough appearance.
It seems to be an additive-free bakery near Songshan Station.

Take your bike on the local train and depart for Ruifang!
There are trains in Japan that allow bikes to be brought in without the need for a bike bag, but it is surprising that you can ride with a bicycle in such a natural way.

Arrive at the train destination "Ruifang Station and get off normally. You can travel by train from the city center to the countryside without the need for a bicycle, so you can easily go on a ride to various places.
It was a lot of fun from the beginning, but the first day's full-scale ride started from here.

First, head to Jiufen, a popular tourist spot about 7km away from Ruifang Station.
It is about 35km to today's accommodation. Will we make it in time for sunset?

First uphill to Jiufen on the hillside. It takes about 30 minutes to climb the winding slope.
Generally, I didn't see cyclists because it's a place where you can come by sightseeing bus or taxi.
It seems that more sightseeing buses come and go on weekends, so it's worth taking care while riding here.

The entrance to Jiufen is quite small, and I was surprised to find myself passing through it. On the side of the road leading to the entrance, there are signs written as "Minshuku".
Many of them are deserted and you can hardly believe they are in business, but some of them rent out the garages facing the road as parking lots. Standing signs that say "motor vehicle stop" are lined up. I chose a spot and asked the shopkeeper to let me park my bicycle there.
By the way, the parking lot here is 100 yuan (about 450 yen) for 3 cars. From here, walk into the city of Jiufen.

Jiufen is a small town in the mountains. The discovery of gold in 1893 led to an unprecedented gold rush. Today, it has become a popular tourist destination visited by tourists from all over the world, as well as a filming location for the Taiwanese movie "The Ruthless City". The photo shows the entrance to the town, beyond which souvenir and sweets shops line both sides of the road.

Jiufen's main street is bustling with colorful billboards, and the smells from the rows of food stalls arouse your interest. Sam carefully explained to me about all the interesting and unusual foodstuffs on display.

I hesitated for a while, but I stopped by the popular shop "Agan Yui Yuen" to eat Jiufen's specialty "Yu Yuen". Imo-en is an old-fashioned sweet made with adzuki bean soup and taro dumplings. You can choose cold or warm, but this time I ordered warm. The taste is similar to Japanese oshiruko. 55 yuan per cup (about 250 yen)

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The most popular spot in Jiufen is here "Amei Chalou".
A teahouse in a refurbished mansion when it prospered as a gold mine. A spot famous for being rumored to be the model for the oil shop in Spirited Away.
It seems that you can have Taiwanese tea in the store, but unfortunately I didn't have time, so I only took pictures.

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We ended up staying too long in Jiufen, so we returned to the mountain pass from which he had traveled earlier and continued to climb further.
There are no sightseeing buses in the area above this point, so the traffic is much less and it is easy to ride.

After getting off the train, we arrived at a scenic spot on the pass "Buyenting" that connects Ruifang and Shuangxi.
On weekends, the roads are jam-packed with cars trying to catch a glimpse of the scenery. Of course, it is also popular with cyclists and bikers.
From here, go further down in the direction of Sokei, which is in the back of the photo.

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Even though Taiwan has a warm image, the descent from the high summit is cold. Put on your outers and go down in one go.
I am grateful that there are cycling roads in addition to riversides in Taipei City.
One of the pleasures of Taiwan is that you can basically ride side by side while talking with your friends.

Arrived at the Fullon Hotel in Fulong, which is the goal of the first day.
The route was about 50km including riding in Taipei City (to Songshan Station).
We stayed in Jiufen longer than expected, so I arrived at 18:45, 45 minutes later than planned. We took a commemorative photo in the hotel lobby because it was pitch black outside.

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Fullon Hotel is a resort hotel next to the beach, so it features large rooms suitable for families. There are two king-sized beds, and there is also a small room in the back. The hotel is equipped with a hot spring, gym and restaurant.

Dinner is at the hotel's Chinese restaurant "Fu Yue Lou Dim Sum". Everything you order from the a la carte menu is excellent.
In particular, the “vegetables and sausages stir-fried in XO sauce” brings out the umami of vegetables, sausages, and seafood to the maximum with XO sauce! It was all very exciting!

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It's so fulfilling that I can't believe that I left Haneda Airport this morning.
After the meal, heal your fatigue in the hotel's luxury hot spring and finish preparing for the next day.