MAGIC HOUR - Travel Essay & Photo by COLO

Man Is a Thinking Reed / Aomori & Hokkaido, Japan

Sea of Japan in Winter Dusk

Henashi Fishery Port

Morning View from JR Gono Line

Afternoon View from Donan Isaribi Railway

In February, I visited Taiwan as a tour guide for my family trip. Even though the guide work ended up taking only about a half of the entire trip, I deserved a little reward for myself. Since I had already taken time off at work to go to Taiwan, I figured I should plan one-night weekend getaway.

For a Japanese person, a hot spring (“onsen” in Japanese) is the perfect way to treat yourself. With only two days, it is tempting to go somewhere nearby, but I believe travel is all about seeking an escape from the everyday. I wanted to go somewhere far away.

There is an onsen called Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen on the JR Gono Line in Aomori Prefecture. It is an inn famous for its seaside open-air baths, and I love the quality of the spring water – it is salty and has a little oil floating on top. Since the Onsen is not crowded in winter, I decided to revisit there.

The number of miles required for a Japan Airlines award ticket fluctuates based on demand. On the other hand, as long as I have enough miles, it is easier to make a reservation. For this trip, I planned to fly to Aomori Airport then take a bus to Hirosaki to catch the Gono Line. On the second day, I planned to take the Gono Line Rapid Service to Shin-Aomori, then take the Shinkansen to Hakodate for a sushi restaurant. From there, I would just take the last flight from Hakodate Airport back to Tokyo. It was just a combination of places I had visited several times before, so I thought there was not much to think about.

I had been constantly changing my travel plans in Taiwan. Since this was a trip rewarding myself after the Taiwan trip, it was probably better if it was not too novel.

When I boarded Hokkaido Shinkansen at Shin-Aomori, it turned out to be a train that stopped at every station to Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto. It came to my mind that just going all the way to Hakodate might not be very interesting. Man is a thinking reed. I found myself thinking that it might be a time to think about something.

Once I get like this, I cannot stop myself.

I got an idea of taking “Donan Isaribi Railway (South Hokkaido Railway)” from Kikonai Station to Hakodate Station. I checked the timetable on the Shinkansen and found a train with good connection. Upon the train arriving at Hakodate Station, I would take a bus to the sushi restaurant and arrive right on time for my reservation. Even though it meant wasting a part of the Shinkansen fare, I decided to get off at Kikonai Station. I made that decision just one minute before the Shinkansen arrived at Kikonai.

The Donan Isaribi Railway was a local railroad. I boarded an old Japan National Railway (JNR)-style diesel train, the kind that even JR Hokkaido probably does not use anymore. Even more, a train passed at an intermediate station was painted in JNR’s vermilion color, adding even more charm to the experience.

True to its name, which includes “Isaribi (meaning fishing lights),” I was able to enjoy a leisurely journey on the Donan Isaribi Railway while gazing out at the sea of southern Hokkaido. I regret not buying a beer beforehand even though I had a little time to kill before the train departure.

By shifting my perspective just a little, I made a new discovery. Just because it was a reward trip to myself, I should not make it by inertia. After all, man is a thinking reed.

COLO’s Traveler Guide: Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen & Hakodate

The times listed are based on the schedule at the time of my visit.

Day 1

Tokyo Haneda 07:15 (JAL141) > Aomori 08:35
Aomori Airport 09:00 (Konan Bus) > Hirosaki Station 09:54
Hirosaki 10:21 (JR Gono Line) > Fukaura 12:44

Lunch: Sailing

Fukaura 14:42 (JR Gono Line) > WeSpa Tsubakiyama 14:57

Accommodation: Koganezaki Furofushi Onsen

Day 2

WeSpa Tsubakiyama 10:38 (Resort Shirakami 1) > Shin-Aomori 13:27
New Aomori 13:59 (Hayabusa 17) > Kikonai 14:49
Kikonai 15:19 (Donan Isaribi Railway) > Hakodate 16:22

Dinner: Kihara

Hakodate 19:30 (JAL588) > Tokyo Haneda 21:00

COLO’s Traveler Guide: Taiwan

Kaohsiung Lighthouse

San Fong Kong

Wufeng Lin Family Mansion

Temple at Taichung Market

Times listed are based on the schedule at the time of the visit.

Day 1

Tokyo Haneda 0840 (Japan Airlines JAL097) > Taipei Songshan 1140

Taipei High-Speed Rail Station 1401 (Taiwan High-Speed Rail 1317) > Taichung High-Speed Rail Station 1452
Xinwuri 1508 (Taiwan Railways) > Taichung 1519

・Fengjia Night Market

Dinner: Miyahara Moon Pavilion

Accommodation: CHECK inn Taichung Zhongshan

Day 1 Tips
・A famous spot in Taichung is a sweets shop called “Miyahara Eye Clinic.” Apparently, there is always a line at the ice cream counter. Reservations are available for the restaurant in the same building, and it serves ice cream.

Day 2

・Chun Shui Tang (Original Store)
・Taichung City Second Market
・Wufeng Lin Family Mansion

Dinner: Qin Yuan Chun (Original Store)

Day 2 Tips
・Another famous sweets spot in Taichung is the flagship store of Chun Shui Tang, known for its bubble milk tea. I heard it gets crowded during the day, so I decided to stop by for breakfast. Since this is where the famous tea chain was founded, I imagined it would be in a historic building but it turned out to be on the first floor of an ordinary apartment.
・For dinner, I went to Qin Yuan Chun, a famous xiaolongbao restaurant. Reservations are available, but time limit on stays is a bit strict. I believe the difference between an “exquisite” restaurant and a “delicious” one lies in the perfect balance of saltiness in the finishing touches (the final pinch before gets salty), and everything was exquisite in here. If they would let me stay another 30 minutes, it would have been perfect.

Day 3

Taichung 0700 (Tze-chiang 371) > Chiayi 0808

・Beimen Station
・Chiayi Depot Park
・Zhuzhi Station
・Chiayi City East Public Retail Market
・Suantou Sugar Factory Sugarcane Yard Cultural Park

Chiayi 1439 (Tze-chiang 121) > Kaohsiung 1555

・Kaohsiung Lighthouse
・Sanfeng Temple

Accommodation: Kindness Hotel – Kaohsiung Main Station

Day 3 Tips
・I visited the former sugar factory site in Chiayi. It was better maintained than the one in Kaohsiung, but I actually preferred the Kaohsiung site because it felt more authentic.

Day 4

Kaohsiung (MRT) > Zuoying
Xinzuoying (Taiwan Railway) 0742 > Fangliao 0907

Fangliao 1025 (Breezy Blue) > Taitung 1335
Taitung 1410 (Breezy Blue) > Fangliao 1738

Fangliao 1800 (Taiwan Railway) > Xinzuoying 1931
Zuoying High-Speed Rail Station 1955 (Taiwan High-Speed Rail 156) > Taipei 2129

Bar: Kavalan Whisky Bar

Accommodation: Roaders Plus Hotel Theme

Day 4 Tips
・Visited the bar operated by Kavalan, a Taiwanese whisky distillery. I tasted whisky aged in casks from famous French châteaux. I got hinted why Scotch producers, many of them are under many French ownerships now, do not use wine casks very often.

Day 5

・National Railway Museum
・Ri Xing Type Foundry
・Lin Hua Tai Tea

Taipei Songshan 1535 (JAL098) > Tokyo Haneda 1925

Day 5 Tips
・National Railway Museum is currently partially opened. Looking at online articles of the unopened sections, I noticed that many of the train cars I wanted to see were in the unopened areas. Even so, since they have made good use of the former factory facilities, the atmosphere is quite nice.

Gap Between Ideal and Reality / Taipei

Letterpress Printing Shop

Tea Wholesaler

National Railway Museum

This trip to Taiwan was largely driven by spur-of-the-moment decisions.

By the time I returned to Taipei after I had finished my ride on Breezy Blue train, it was already past 9:00 p.m. Since I was flying back to Tokyo the following evening, I could stay in Taipei only for about half a day.

I went to Taiwan as a planner and tour guide for a family trip, but I was not sure if my guide duties were limited to Taichung. I believe in “Knowledge of Ignorance,” there are certain things better not to know. I deliberately let the time pass without knowing any plans for my final day in Taipei. Even though the departure had approached, it seemed I had no particular plans as a guide. Seeing this as an opportunity, I decided to fill my schedule in Taipei with whatever came to mind.

During my first trip to Taiwan, I took an express bus from Taipei to Yilan for a Kavalan Distillery visit. I would not be able to visit the distillery this time, but there was a bar in Taipei owned by the Distillery. I had heard that they had special whiskey aged in casks from famous French châteaux. Also, there is a flower market in Taipei that I have wanted to visit for a long time. Furthermore, I hoped to revisit the letterpress print shop and tea wholesaler I had visited at the first Taiwan trip.

While researching Alishan Forest Railway on a later day, I eventually found that National Railway Museum had opened in Taipei. It seemed to be partially open, but since it was originally Taipei Workshop of Taiwan Railway, I thought I would be able to take some nice photos there. I wished to visit the museum as well.

I had a lot of hopes, but without giving much thought to create a plan, I found myself arriving in Taipei. I took a first-class seat on Taiwan High-Speed Rail, intending to do some research during the ride, but I fell asleep. It was a completely useless expense.

Since the bar is only open at night, I headed straight there for whiskey. I tried three types of whisky aged in ex-Bordeaux casks and one type in an ex-Port Wine cask. Since they were cask strength, I ended up consuming quite a bit of alcohol.

While having whiskey, I thought about my plan for the next day.

Apparently, the flower market opens early in the morning. I would go back to the hotel for a quick sleep, head to the flower market, return to the hotel, and sleep again. Then, if I go to the Railway Museum at 9:30 a.m. as its opening time, I still have time to visit the letterpress print shop and the tea wholesaler before catching my evening flight. It was an ideal plan, indeed much better than a Japanese proverb “killing two birds with one stone.”

I was fairly drunk when I left the bar. I thought I was able to catch the last bus, but Google Maps was wrong. It happened to be a bus stop that had a real-time arrival information display, showing service for the day had ended. I was not bothered to use Uber to call a taxi and walked to the hotel. By the time I got back, it was past 1:00 a.m.

Going to the bar at 10:00 p.m. was not a bad idea. However, considering how much I was likely to drink, my plan for the next day was unrealistic. There is a Japanese proverb “easier said than done,” I had no choice but to face reality.

Stay up and go to the flower market or manage to wake up before 9:00 a.m. to visit the Railway Museum. If I did not choose one or the other, there was a high chance that I would be ended up “chasing two rabbits and catching neither” as said by a Japanese proverb.

I did not have the energy to stay awake till 3:00 a.m. and I realized that I even did not know where the flower market was. I was already drunk, so the best I could hope for was to wake up around 8:30 a.m. and head out to the Railway Museum.

I cannot travel only on ideals.