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Taipei City, Taiwan
🇹🇼 Taiwan (Oct 3–7)
🛬 Oct 3 (Arrival Day)
• Arrival at 16:40 → check-in & freshen up
• Evening:
• Raohe Night Market: black pepper buns, grilled squid, mango shaved ice
• Stroll over Rainbow Bridge
🏙️ Oct 4 – City Explorer
• Morning: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Daan Park
• Afternoon: Optional Taipei 101, lunch at Din Tai Fung
• Evening: Elephant Mountain hike, dinner at Tonghua Night Market
🧖 Oct 5 – Day Trip to Beitou & Tamsui (or Wulai/Yamingshen)
• Soak at Millennium Hot Spring
• Explore Beitou Thermal Valley
• Sunset in Tamsui, A-gei + Taiwanese sausage
🌄 Oct 6 – Jiufen Day Trip (+ Shifen optionally)
• Jiufen Old Street, tea houses, taro balls
• Optional: Shifen Waterfall, sky lanterns at Shifen Old Street
🧳 Oct 7 – Chill & Fly to Japan
• Brunch + Huashan 1914 Creative Park
• Fly to Tokyo (15:30 flight, arrive 19:55)
• Light dinner & check-in (Shibuya or Shinjuku)
🍜 MUST-TRY TAIWANESE DISHES
1. Beef Noodle Soup (牛肉麵 – niú ròu miàn)
• Lin Dong Fang (林東芳牛肉麵)
• Yong Kang Beef Noodles (永康牛肉麵)
• Dragon Inn Dumpling House (龍門客棧餃子館)
2. Lu Rou Fan (滷肉飯) – Braised Pork Rice
• Jin Feng (金峰魯肉飯) – Near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
• Formosa Chang (鬍鬚張) – A great local chain
3. Gua Bao (割包) – Taiwanese “hamburger”
• Lan Jia Gua Bao (藍家割包) – Near Gongguan Night Market
4. Oyster Omelette (蚵仔煎 – é ā jiān)
• Ningxia Night Market – Several good stalls
• Tonghua Night Market
5. Fried Chicken Cutlet (雞排 – jī pái)
• Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken (豪大大雞排) – Famous chain
• Or grab one fresh at Shilin Night Market
6. Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐 – chòu dòu fǔ)
• Raohe Night Market – Crispier style
• Shenkeng Old Street – The “Stinky Tofu Capital”
7. Ba Wan (肉圓) – Giant chewy meat dumpling
• Shilin Night Market or Huaxi Night Market
8. Rice Sausage with Sticky Rice (大腸包小腸) – “Small sausage in big sausage”
• Ningxia Night Market – Look for a long queue
9. Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (鹽酥雞 – yán sū jī)
• Any night market — choose your own skewers!
10. Scallion pancakes (蔥抓餅, cōng zhuā bǐng)
• Tian Jin Flaky Scallion Pancake (天津蔥抓餅)
• Hsiung Chi Scallion Pancake (雄記蔥抓餅)
11. Bubble Tea (珍珠奶茶 – zhēn zhū nǎi chá)
• Chun Shui Tang (春水堂) – Claims to have invented it (original in Taichung, but has Taipei branches)
• Tiger Sugar, 50 Lan, or Milksha for modern classics
• Try both milk tea with pearls and fruit tea variations
🍧 DESSERTS
1. Peanut Ice Cream Roll (花生捲冰淇淋) – Ice cream rolled in a crepe with shaved peanut brittle + coriander
2. Taro Balls (芋圓) – Chewy, mochi-like, served with grass jelly or shaved ice (great in Jiufen)
3. Douhua (豆花) – Silken tofu dessert with syrup, boba, and toppings
4. Mango Shaved Ice (芒果冰) – Piles of shaved ice topped with fresh mango, condensed milk, and pudding
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Tokyo, Japan
🇯🇵 Japan (Oct 7–22)
Route: Tokyo → Kawaguchiko → Kyoto → Nara → Osaka → ? → ? → Tokyo
✈️ Oct 7 – Arrival in Tokyo (19:55)
• Check in to hotel (Shinjuku or Shibuya recommended)
• Light dinner: conveyor belt sushi, ramen, or konbini snacks
🗼 Oct 8–9 – Tokyo
Oct 8 – Modern Tokyo
• Shibuya Crossing, Hachiko Statue, Shibuya Sky
• Walk to Harajuku (Takeshita Street) and Omotesando
• Dinner: Ichiran, Uobei, or Gyukatsu
• Nightlife: Golden Gai or Omoide Yokocho
Oct 9 – Old Tokyo
• Sensoji Temple (Asakusa), street food
• Ueno Park or museum visit
• Akihabara: anime, tech, arcades
• Dinner in Kagurazaka (izakaya or soba)
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Kawaguchiko, Japan
🗻 Oct 10 – Kawaguchiko (Mt. Fuji area)
• Morning train/bus to Kawaguchiko (~2 hrs)
• Visit Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi, Ropeway
• Try hoto noodles (regional dish)
• Stay overnight with Fuji views
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Kyoto, Japan
⛩️ Oct 11–14 – Kyoto & Nara
Oct 11
• Travel to Kyoto by shinkansen (~2.5 hrs)
• Evening walk in Gion (spot geisha)
• Dinner: kaiseki or yudofu
Oct 12
• Fushimi Inari Shrine
• Kiyomizudera + Sannenzaka/Ninenzaka streets
• Try Kyoto-style matcha desserts
Oct 13
• Arashiyama: Bamboo Grove, Monkey Park
• Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)
• Dinner in Pontocho Alley or Nishiki Market
🦌 Oct 14 – Nara Day Trip
• Todaiji Temple, Nara Deer Park, Kasuga Taisha
• Lunch: kakinoha sushi
• Return to Kyoto
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Osaka, Japan
🍜 Oct 15–19 – Osaka & ?
Oct 15
• Train to Osaka (~30 min), check into hotel (Namba or Umeda area)
• Visit Osaka Castle and nearby park
• Street food in Dotonbori (takoyaki, okonomiyaki, kushikatsu)
• Night views from Umeda Sky Building or Tempozan Ferris Wheel
Oct 16 (Explore Osaka)
• Kuromon Market for breakfast/snacks
• Nipponbashi Den Den Town (anime/tech fans)
• Retro vibes in Shinsekai and Tsutenkaku Tower
• Optional: Spa World onsen or teamLab Botanical Garden at night
Oct 17 (Flexible/Hidden Gems)
• Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine or Osaka Museum of Housing & Living
• Boat ride along Dotonbori Canal or visit the aquarium (Kaiyukan)
• Shopping in Amerikamura or Tenjinbashisuji Shopping Street
• Izakaya night in Ura-Namba
Oct 18 – Day Trip:
Option 1 – Koyasan:
• Take early train & cable car to sacred Mount Koya
• Visit Okunoin Cemetery, temple stay lunch, and Garan temple
Option 2 – Himeji:
• Himeji Castle + Kokoen Garden
Option 3 – Kobe:
• Kobe Harborland, Mount Rokko, sake brewery tour
• Try real Kobe beef
Option 4 – Kinosaki Onsen:
• Stroll in yukata, try different hot springs (7 public bathhouses)
Uji (matcha)
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Tokyo, Japan
🚄 Oct 19 – Travel to Tokyo (via scenic stop)
Option 1 – Kiso Valley:
• Train to Magome or Tsumago (post towns on Nakasendo trail)
• Hike scenic trail segment, continue to Tokyo
Option 2 – Hakone:
• Hakone Loop: Pirate ship cruise, ropeway, Owakudani Valley
• Onsen and Fuji views, then head to Tokyo
Option 3 – Shizuoka:
• Tea farm visit, views of Mt. Fuji, sushi lunch by the coast
• Arrive in Tokyo in the evening
Oct 20 – Tokyo Day Trip (Choose one)
Option 1 – Nikko:
• Visit UNESCO shrines (Toshogu), scenic lakes and waterfalls
Option 2 – Kamakura:
• Visit Great Buddha (Daibutsu), Hasedera Temple, beachside cafes
• Optional: Enoshima Island or Komachi Street shopping
🛍️ Oct 21 – Tokyo (Final Day)
• Chill day: shopping in Ginza or Nakameguro
• Souvenir shopping: Don Quijote, Loft, Daiso
• Farewell dinner: sushi omakase, yakiniku, or izakaya
Oct 22 – Departure from Tokyo (08:15)
• Early check-out, head to airport (Narita)
• Grab breakfast/snacks for flight