travel

Cherry Blossoms in Fukuoka (福岡櫻花)

October 01, 2023 in Travel, Photo Post, Japan

It may seem like there will never be an official ‘end’ to the COVID-19 pandemic, but finally after some difficult years, we’ve gotten to a point where we’ve been vaccinated enough that we’re able to live with the virus. With restrictions across the world easing, even in countries that imposed the strictest mandates, tourism has started to make a comeback, and people are eager to hop on a plane and enjoying life!

I’m sure, like so many around the world, the inability to travel for the duration of the pandemic was quite frustrating - and like myself, many of you probably came up with grand plans of traveling to distant lands when it all came to an end. Personally, I figured that my first overseas trip in a post-pandemic world would see me flying back home in Canada to visit family, or back to Europe for some more backpacking.

I had a bit of a rude awakening in that department, though, as flights back home, were priced at double, or even triple their pre-pandemic prices. So, instead of an ambitious trip to a far distant land, we decided to stay close to home, and celebrate my birthday with a quick trip to the southern Japanese island of Kyushu.

The plan was to fly into Fukuoka (福岡縣), stay there for a few days, rent a car to drive to the north of the island, then head south to a popular hot spring resort for my birthday before returning to the city. If you follow my Instagram, you’re likely aware that one of my favorite things to eat is Japanese ramen, and Fukuoka is pretty much the birthplace of Tonkotsu (豚骨) ramen, so I was quite content with the decision to spend some time there.

One of the highlights of the trip, however, was to be the cherry blossoms, which were forecast to start blooming the day after our arrival. After years of taking photos of cherry blossoms all over Taiwan, I was excited that I was finally going to be able to see them in all their glory in Japan, taking part in an annual ritual of blossom viewing known as ‘hanami’ (花見 / はなみ), which remains one of the special cultural links that the people of Taiwan share with the Japanese.

Link: Taiwan Cherry Blossom Guide (臺灣櫻花地圖)

On our first day in Fukuoka, the weather was quite nice, but the forecast for the rest of the week, unfortunately, wasn’t looking very promising, so after having a bowl of ramen, and checking out a couple of small shrines near our hotel, we decided to try our luck and head over to the city’s Maizuru Park (舞鶴公園), to see if any of the trees were blooming.

Sadly, we were several days early, and all we saw were the buds on the trees.

We probably should have known better though.

The Japanese are experts when it comes to their ‘hanami’ forecast, and they have a scientifically exact blooming schedule for every city in the country, which is something that doesn’t seem like it ever fails.

Link: Fukuoka Cherry Blossom / Sakura Guide 2023 (Fukuoka Now)

What I ended up discovering over the next few days of the trip was that no matter where you go, there are cherry blossoms blooming pretty much everywhere. It didn’t matter if we were just walking around the city, visiting shrines in the mountains, or simply just driving along the highway.

They were everywhere..

For the first few days, I got pretty excited seeing them, and wanted to stop and take photos, but to tell the truth, the novelty wore off pretty quickly, and after a few days, I started feeling like they were like the Tung Blossoms (油桐花) that turn the mountains of Taiwan white in April and May.

It’s a bit of a running joke, even though they’re quite beautiful, but people in Taiwan refer to tung blossoms as ‘mold’ on the mountains, because they make Taiwan’s beautiful mountains look as if parts of them are rotting. As we traversed the highway on our way from Fukuoka to the northern part of the island, I couldn’t help to notice the similarities as there were cherry trees all over the mountains.

Link: The Different Varieties of Cherry Blossoms in Japan From Light Pink to Radiant Yellow (Japan Travel)

That being said, after a week of seeing cherry blossoms all over northern Kyushu, I have to admit I wasn’t actually prepared for what I was going to experience on our return to Fukuoka.

We arrived in town in the early afternoon, dropped our bags off at our hotel, dropped off our rental car, and then started to make our way to the park where Fukuoka holds its annual cherry blossom festival.

As we approached the park, the amount of people on the streets started growing dramatically. It was the busiest I had seen the city during our trip, and there were so many smiling, happy people that we knew that we were about to see something special. As we got closer, and the blossoms started to come into sight, I was awestruck.

All of the trees that were bare just a few days earlier had completed transformed, and we were in hanami-heaven!

Maizuru Park is home to about a thousand trees, including nineteen different species of cherry, with the Somei-Yoshino (染井吉野櫻 / ソメイヨシノ) and the ‘Weeping-Cherry' Shidarezakura (枝垂櫻 / シダレザクラ) being the most common varieties. To celebrate the blossoming season, the city hosts the ‘Fukuoka Castle Sakura Festival’ and invites vendors to set up stalls within the park, offering some really great food and drinks to all the people coming to view the blossoms. They also install lights throughout the park, which light up the historic castle walls, and more importantly so that the cherry blossoms can be enjoyed both during the day and the night.

Company picnic in the park with copious amounts of sake!

Not only did I get to enjoy my first Japanese hanami experience, I took more photos than I can count, and then as the sun went down we visited the food area and enjoyed some takoyaki (章魚燒) octopus balls, (which I have to admit were so much better than anything we get here in Taiwan), some of Fukuoka’s famed yakitori (焼き鳥), chicken skewers, and some locally made craft beer, before heading back out to take more photos of the trees after they were lit up.

It ended up being a great conclusion to my birthday celebrations in Japan, and over the next few weeks (or months), you’re likely to see more articles about the places I visited during the trip, but until then, enjoy some of the photos I took of the cherry blossoms.

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Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Park (滿月圓國家森林遊樂區)

December 18, 2022 in Waterfalls, Photo Post, Mountains, Landscape, New Taipei City, Travel

After seven years, it’s about time for a much needed update to this article.

One of the first blog posts I published on this website, the first version of this article was posted when I was still quite new to this whole travel writing thing. Actually, now that I look back, even though the original had some nice photos, it embarrassingly contained very little usable information. So after more than half a decade, I figured it was about time to address that problem.

My writing style has evolved quite a bit over the years, and so has the way I present information on this blog, so I’ve written an entirely new article that will combine both old and new photos to give readers a better idea what this beautiful natural space has to offer.

Suffice to say, if you haven’t had the chance to visit the Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Park, you’re not exactly alone.

The park tends to be quite a popular one with domestic tourists, but hasn’t really appeared on the radar of international tourists yet, which is quite unfortunate. As one of only two of Taiwan’s designated ‘National Forest Recreation Parks’ located within the greater Taipei region, Manyueyuan serves as a great escape for weekend tourists wanting to get a taste of Taiwan’s stunning natural environment.

This massive forest reserve is home to a number of mountains, one of New Taipei’s most important rivers, several waterfalls, a number of hiking trails, and just so happens to be a great spot for bird and butterfly watching. Even better, a trip to the park can also be combined with a number of other popular tourist attractions within the area, making a day-trip there an eventful one.

Unfortunately, the one drawback is that getting to the park can be a bit of a hassle, especially for international tourists, as public transportation options are limited. Thankfully, there are now tour groups like Parkbus, which offer group trips to the park (and other hard to reach mountainous areas around the Taiwan), so if you’re interested in that kind of thing, I highly recommend checking them out as they’ll take care of all your travel-related headaches.

Link: Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area 滿月圓國家森林遊樂區 (Parkbus)

That being said, getting to the park on your own isn’t impossible, and I hope that this article will help to show you why all the effort it takes to get there is worth it.

In this updated version, I’ll introduce the park, the beautiful waterfalls within as well as the various hiking trails you’ll be able to enjoy when you visit. To start though, lets first take a look at Taiwan’s National Forest Recreation Parks, so that you can have a better idea of what’s actually going on in these environmental sanctuaries.

National Forest Recreation Parks (國家森林遊樂區)

Established by the Forestry Bureau in 1965 (民國54年), the government has designated a number of Taiwan’s mountainous areas as protected ‘Forest Recreation Parks’ (國家森林遊樂區). Over the six decades since these protected areas were established, the number of parks on the list has grown significantly, with many of them once utilized by the Forestry Bureau for the purpose of extracting natural resources.

Currently there are twenty-two designated areas around the country that have established Forest Recreation Parks, but that list of parks can often be somewhat confusing, even for locals, given that they often receive slightly different designations, and may or may not be included within what are considered National Parks (國家公園) or National Scenic Areas (國家級風景特定區). Officially, the list includes some twenty-two established areas, which are classified simply as ‘Forest Parks’ or ‘Forest Wetland Parks’, making the actual number of these spaces slightly misleading, given that they differ greatly in size and scope.

Nevertheless, no matter how you classify them, these parks range from tropical monsoon forests in the south and east of the country to temperate high-mountain forests in northern and central Taiwan. In each case, the Forestry Bureau has developed a system of walking paths and hiking trails within where visitors are able to enjoy the natural beauty of Taiwan at their leisure.

Below, I’ve compiled a list of the (current) areas classified as 'Forest Recreation Areas,’ each of which have become popular with local and international tourists, with a few of them becoming rather iconic.

1. Taipingshan Forest Recreation Area (太平山國家森林遊樂區)
2. Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Area (滿月圓國家森林遊樂區)
3. Neidong Forest Recreation Area (內洞國家森林遊樂區)
4. Dongyanshan Forest Recreation Area (東眼山國家森林遊樂區)
5. Guanwu Forest Recreation Area (觀霧國家森林遊樂區)
6. Mingchih Forest Recreation Area (明池國家森林遊樂區)
7. Wuling Forest Recreation Area (武陵國家森林遊樂區)
8. Basianshan Forest Recreation Area (八仙山國家森林遊樂區)
9. Dasyueshan Forest Recreation Area (大雪山國家森林遊樂區)
10. Hehuanshan Forest Recreation Area (合歡山國家森林遊樂區)
11. Aowanda Forest Recreation Area (奧萬大國家森林遊樂區)
12. Alishan Forest Recreation Area (阿里山國家森林遊樂區)
13. Tengjhih Forest Recreation Area (藤枝國家森林遊樂區)
14. Kenting Forest Recreation Area (墾丁國家森林遊樂區)
15. Shuangliu Forest Recreation Area (雙流國家森林遊樂區)
16. Jhihben Forest Recreation Area (知本國家森林遊樂區)
17. Siangyang Forest Recreation Area (向陽國家森林遊樂區)
18. Chihnan Forest Recreation Area (池南國家森林遊樂區)
19. Fuyuan Forest Recreation Area (富源國家森林遊樂區)

Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Park

The Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Park (滿月圓森林遊樂區) is located on the territorial border between New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽區) and Taoyuan county’s northern Fuxing District (復興區). As one of two designated forest parks in the greater Taipei area, the park is an invaluable environmental sanctuary in addition to being a pretty popular tourist attraction, with people traveling from around the country to visit. Consisting of 1573 acres of protected land, a number of forest trails, and some really beautiful waterfalls, a visit to the park has a little something for everyone looking to enjoy the outdoors.

Located within the mountainous area just outside of Sanxia, the Manyueyuan Forest Park is situated on land that combines parts of Manyueyuan Mountain (滿月圓山), Southern Xiongkong Mountain (熊空南山), Beichatian Mountain (北插天山), Laka Mountain (拉卡山) and Dongyan Mountain (東眼山). The elevation within the park ranges between 300 meters to 1700 meters above sea level, offering visitors and adventurous hikers a glimpse of Taiwan’s various temperate environments within a single space.

That being said, the mountains aren’t the only important natural aspect of the park as it is also home to the Ruizai Creek (蚋仔溪), which is a tributary to the Dabao River (大豹溪), one of New Taipei City’s most important rivers. Working hand-in-hand with the mountainous habitat, Ruizui Creek flows through the park, and over the years has crafted a beautiful river valley, acting as the lifeblood of the park, and as the source of the various waterfalls within.

While Manyueyuan is a protected forest sanctuary today, the area was originally the native home of the Llyung Topa (拉流斗霸), a tribe of Tayal Indigenous people (泰雅族), who made their homes along the river. More commonly known today as the Dabao Tribe (大豹社), named after the Dabao River (大豹溪), the people who lived in the area were essentially forced from their homes further into the mountains, first by the Qing and then later the Japanese.

When the Qing government removed its prohibition regarding entering Taiwan’s mountainous regions (開山撫番), Chinese inhabitants of Taiwan started a violent effort to force their way into the mountains of Sanxia in order to extract the area’s rich camphor reserves. This campaign resulted in what is referred to as the Takoham Incident (大嵙崁社事件), a violent affair that left many on both sides dead. Then, when the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1895 (明治28年), a similar push into the mountains took place, resulting in guerilla-style warfare and unfortunately ended with a well-equipped army marching into the mountains and forcing the Indigenous people to leave their ancestral homeland.

It goes without saying that the encroachment of the Japanese on indigenous territories across the island often resulted in violence and misery for Taiwan’s indigenous people, but as they stood in the way of the empire’s ambition for the extraction of the island’s precious natural resources, the violence was relentless and unforgiving.

Ironically, there’s (somewhat of a hidden) Japanese memorial to the members of the Japanese army who were killed during the conflict on a mountain near Manyueyuan. Not many people know about it, but it is a sad reminder of the historic suffering of the Dabao Tribe. I recommend giving the article linked below a read if you’re interested in a rare English-language article dedicated to the history of what happened to the Llyung Topa people.

Link: Sanxia Loyal Spirit Monument (三峽忠魂碑)

Serving as a base for the extraction of the area’s rich reserve of camphor, the Manyueyuan area was also part of a Japanese reforestation effort that brought prized Japanese cedar (柳杉) to Taiwan for future extraction. Nevertheless, unlike the neighboring Dongyanshan Forest Recreation Area (東眼山國家森林遊樂區), little evidence remains of the historic logging industry within the park today. That being said, the cedar that was planted by the Japanese has been given well over a century to grow, creating a beautiful forest that boasts a wide variety of local and imported trees.

Note: Manyueyuan Forest Park is one of the best locations in Northern Taiwan to view the changing colors of the maple leaves. However, when this does happen, the park tends to explode with visitors, as it is probably one of the most popular times of the year to visit. For a Canadian like myself, there’s a bit of nostalgia to see the red and yellow maple trees, but if you choose this time of the year to visit, you’re also going to have to put up with a lot of traffic as well.

With the decline of the camphor industry in the 1960s, the Forestry Bureau (林務局) moved almost everything out of the area and later reserved an estimated 1,500 hectares of land to be eventually converted into a protected ‘Forest Recreation Park’ (國家森林遊樂區). The Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Park, named after Manyueyuan Mountain (滿月圓山) opened to the public in 1988 (民國77年), providing the people of Taiwan with a beautiful natural sanctuary, a short distance from the capital. Over the three decades that the the park has been open to the public, it has undergone a number of changes, but the important thing to keep in mind is that it remains a sustainable natural habitat for Taiwan’s wildlife, a protected forest reserve, and a popular tourist attraction.

However, even though the park famously combines both the mountains and the river, it would be an understatement to say that it also provides a very healthy habitat for wildlife, unfortunately, that hasn’t always been the case.

Taking into consideration the history of the forest and the harvesting of its natural resources over the past century, many of the area’s original human and wildlife residents moved to safer areas higher up in the mountains. The good news though is that thanks to the reforestation effort, and several long periods of closure (for a period of renovation, and then again during the COVID-19 pandemic), the park has started to come alive again. Recently installed motion-activated infrared cameras have started to show a significant return of the area’s wildlife. The cameras, which are used to collect data on the wildlife within the park, have recorded an increase in sightings of rare mammal and bird species that have made their return to the area.

Link: Sightings of elusive wildlife on the rise in Manyueyuan (Taipei Times)

The most visible (and less disturbed by human activity) are the Formosan Rock Macaques (台灣獼猴), which most visitors to the park are likely to encounter at some point foraging for food in the trees along the trails. If you’re lucky, you might also encounter Formosan Red-Bellied Squirrels (赤腹松鼠), Reeves’ muntjacs (台灣山羌), crab-eating mongooses (食蟹獴), ferret-badgers (鼬獾), Swinhoe's pheasants (藍腹鷴) and Taiwan bamboo partridges (台灣竹雞). The park is also home to a wide variety of other birds, reptiles and amphibians, and during the spring and summer months, an impressive variety of butterflies, making it an ideal location for bird watchers, who you’re likely to encounter in the forest taking photos of the over fifty different species of birds in the park.

That being said, Manyueyuan is often referred to by locals as a ‘Waterfall Paradise’ (瀑布天堂), and even though the forest trails, bird and butterfly watching attract visitors on a regular basis, the park’s beautiful waterfalls are probably one of the biggest reasons why so many people visit. Below, I’ll introduce each of the waterfalls as well as a few of the other important points of interest within the park before moving on to introducing the various hiking trails that are open to the public.

Manyueyuan Waterfall (滿月圓瀑布)

Manyueyuan Waterfall, which is be literally translated as “Full Moon Waterfall” is a twenty-meter high waterfall that can be viewed from several different vantage points. Unfortunately, no matter which side you’re viewing the steep waterfall from, you can’t really get a full view of it as half of it is obscured by a large stone.

Note: Due to it being obscured in this way, the waterfall has been nicknamed by locals as a ‘dragon waving its tail’ (神龍擺尾) because you can see the top of the falls, but not the bottom. I don’t particularly get the analogy, but it’s probably quite clever.

As you approach the falls along the hiking trail, there is a trail that climbs up a hill high above the falls on the right where you’ll find a covered pavilion where you can sit and enjoy the beauty of the falls. On the other hand, as you approach the falls, you’ll have to cross the “Full Moon Bridge” (滿月小橋) where you can enjoy the beauty of the river valley, and the lower section of the waterfall as it reappears from behind the large rock. Once you pass the bridge, you’ll walk up a set of stairs to the left of the waterfall that will take you to a platform space at the top of the falls.

Personally, I recommend anyone who visits the park to climb the hill to the right of the waterfall just before you reach the bridge as it offers a panoramic view of the falls from above, which is the best vantage point.

Silver Curtain Waterfall (銀簾瀑布)

Located not too far away from the top of the Manyueyuan Waterfall, you’ll find the Silver Curtain Waterfall. While not as large or impressive as the other two waterfalls within the park, the two meter high and five meter wide falls can be quite beautiful in the right light, especially if you are lucky enough to visit on a day when the sunlight is shining over the falls, which creates the ‘silver curtain’ effect.

To reach the falls, simply continue walking past the top of the Manyueyuan Waterfall until you reach the end of the flat stone area. The end of the trail is marked by guard rails, which have been put in place to prevent anyone from getting too close to the water.

Virgin Waterfall (處女瀑布)

What I personally consider the star attraction of the park, the (oddly named) ‘Virgin Waterfall’ is located along the left tributary of the Ruizai Creek. The twenty-five meter high cascading waterfall a stunning sight whenever you visit, but if you’re visiting on a sunny day, the waterfall is going to treat you to a beautiful rainbow display, created by a mixture of the light and mist. The probability of seeing the rainbow created by the waterfall is pretty high, but you may have to be patient, so I recommend if you are planning a visit to the park, plan to have a picnic or a rest while on one of the waterfall viewing platforms, so that you can get a glimpse of the light show.

Conveniently located next to the waterfall you’ll find a three-storey viewing platform that features benches on each of its level and offers beautiful vantage points to take photos of the waterfall. Sitting in the gazebo on a hot day is both calm and comforting as the waterfall treats visitors to a cool mist that acts like a natural air-conditioner, while it also dazzles with its rainbow displays.

And just to let you know, I have been lucky enough to see a rainbow at the waterfall every time I’ve visited the park, so I’m sure that if you’re patient enough, you’ll be treated with one as well.

Tourist Visitor Center (遊客中心)

The recently completed Visitor Center is located along the main hiking trail that visitors will take from the front gate prior to reaching any of the other hiking trails within the park. The large buildings are beautifully designed and feature washrooms for guests in addition to some impressive and informative displays about the natural environment within the park. The three exhibition spaces within the tourist visitor center are the Forest Building (森林館), River Building (溪流館) and the Butterfly Building (蝴蝶館), each of which has been opened within the last few years and features exhibitions that are probably more suitable for children, but are quite enjoyable nonetheless.

Refreshment Station (森林小舖)

Within the park, you’ll also find a small, but beautiful canteen, where a number of snacks and drinks are available for hungry hikers. The menu within the canteen tends to change quite regularly, but you can expect local snacks like dumplings, braised tea eggs, buns, rice dumplings, etc. There also a variety of hot teas, coffee and Taiwanese soups available. For the less adventurous, there are a number of packaged instant noodle options.

The prices within the shop are pretty much what you’d expect from any eatery around Taiwan, so don’t worry about it being a tourist trap.

Manyueyuan Hiking Trails (滿月圓健行步道)

Now that I’ve introduced the waterfalls and various points of interest within the park, I’m going to take some time to introduce the network of trails that have been set up for all our of enjoyment. The trails within the park are all well-developed and well-maintained, some of which have been recently given a fresh coat of paint, making them quite accessible for people of all ages.

That being said, not every trail within the park is considered ‘easy’ and although most of them are quite leisurely, it’s important that visitors keep track of where they are and where they intend to visit while in the park so that they don’t miss out.

Its also important to point out that even though most of the trails well-developed, not all of them are accessible for visitors with certain physical disabilities, or those with strollers. The Virgin Waterfall trail for example has quite a few stairs, making it relatively difficult if you’re traveling with a small child. So if you’d like to hike these trails, you might want to find a spot to fold up your stroller and leave it behind.

Ruizai Creek Ecological Trail (蚋仔溪生態步道)

The Ruizai Creek Ecological Trail is essentially just a newly developed trail that curves its way the park’s four designated parking lots, leading up the main entrance to the park. The trail is more or less just an added bonus to the rest of the park as it is just an off-shoot of the parking lot from the main road and provides visitors with the opportunity to check out the wide river basin prior to it joining up with the much larger Dabao River downstream. It also allows you to avoid any of the cars and scooters coming and going on the road to the other parking lots.

Total Length: 800 meters
Time Required: 20 minutes at the most.

The ‘Hiking Trail’ (健行步道)

Starting from the main entrance and following the river all the way past the Visitor Center and the Refreshment Station, the so-called ‘Hiking Trail’ is a (mostly) flat trail that connects to the other trails within the park. From the ticketing booth, the trail does have a gradual incline, but it is quite accessible for anyone who would like to enjoy a leisurely walk through the park. Similar to the Ruizai Creek Trail mentioned above, it’s part of the walking section of the park that most visitors have to pass by, but although it is forested in sections, it is just a leisurely walking trail that runs parallel to the river and offers views of the stream with plenty of places to stop and rest. That being said, this is essentially one of the most important trails within the park as it connects to all of the others, allowing visitors to head off in different directions.

While on the trail, you’ll find a number of informative displays that the have been set up to help inform visitors of the various species of wildlife and vegetation within the park.

Total Length: Between 1250 meters - 2km (the trail splits off at one section)
Time Required: 25-30 minutes.

Virgin Waterfall Trail (處女瀑布步道)

As an offshoot of the ‘Hiking Trail’ you’ll eventually come across a fork in the road where you’ll see signage that points in the direction of continuing along the path toward the Manyueyuan Waterfall, or cross the river on your way toward the Virgin Waterfall. Both waterfalls are worth the time and the effort, but if you only have enough time to check out one of them, this should be the one you choose.

The trail to the Virgin Waterfall isn’t a long one, but it is considered to be more difficult than the others due to the incline of the trail, which includes a number of stairs that takes you up along another section of the Ruizai Creek. From the start of the trail, you’ll cross the Manzu Bridge (滿足小僑) and then start your climb to the waterfall. Even though the hike is a little less than a kilometer long, it’ll feel like the most strenuous exercise that you’ll have had on your journey through the park thanks to all the stairs.

The trail ultimately comes to an end when you reach the Virgin Waterfall, which has a nice three-storey covered pavilion for you to view the waterfall and rest.

If you’re lucky, you may also be able to make use of the ‘Connecting Trail’ (連接步道) to take an easier and direct route back and forth from the Manyueyuan Waterfall Trail. I’ll introduce that trail in more detail below.

Total Length: 930 meters (+300 meters with connecting trail)
Time Required: 45 minutes (+10 minutes with connecting trail)

Manyueyuan Waterfall Trail (滿月圓瀑布步道)

As another offshoot of the main ‘Hiking Trail’ you’ll reach a fork in the road where you can turn right and continue along the path toward the Manyueyuan Waterfall. This trail is considerably easier than the Virgin Waterfall mentioned above in terms of the incline of the path, but it does feature a number of stairs that hikers will have to climb on either side of the waterfall to reach the end of the trail.

Much of this trail is covered covered by the forest, and is noticeably a lot more damp than the rest of the park as it is the area where you’ll find the Ruizai Creek at its strongest.

As mentioned earlier, the trail splits off into two sections, one where you’ll cross the beautiful ‘Full Moon Bridge’ (滿月小橋) and make your wall up to the top of the waterfall to an area where you can also enjoy the Silver Curtain Waterfall.

The other part of the trail is a section where you’ll climb a steep set of stairs prior to crossing the bridge. It will bring you to a platform high above the waterfall where you can enjoy panoramic views while sitting in a roof-covered pavilion.

Similar to the Virgin Waterfall trail mentioned above, hikers can make use of the ‘Connecting Trail’ (連接步道) to take an easier and more direct route to the other waterfall, rather than climbing all the way back down and starting all over again.

Total Length: 930 meters (+300 meters with connecting trail)
Time Required: 45 minutes (+10 minutes with connecting trail)

Connecting Trail (連接步道)

Making things convenient for hikers, there is a ‘Connecting Trail’ between the Virgin Waterfall Trail and the Manyueyuan Waterfall Trail that allows visitors to save quite a bit of time biking between the two waterfalls. That being said, it’s important to note that the ‘Connecting Trail’ has experienced long periods of closures in recent years due to the instability of the trail as it passes from one waterfall trail to the other. Unfortunately, it’s possible that the trail might be closed at any given time, so although it is an extremely convenient way to pass between the two waterfalls, you may end up discovering that it is blocked off with notices warning hikers not to enter.

You’ll want to keep this in mind as you hike through the park and ultimately be prepared to hike back to the start of the other trail.

Total Length: 300 meters
Time Required: 10 minutes

Self-Guided Trail (自導式步道)

What is it they say about taking the road less travelled?

Starting as an off-shoot from the ‘Hiking Trail’ that follows the river through the park, the ‘Self-Guided Trail’ follows a completely different route through the forest, ultimately connecting to the Manyueyuan Waterfall trail at the end. This trail tends to be the most secluded of all the trails in the park as well as being considered the most ‘difficult’, but it does offer those who take it a much different view of the lush untouched forest, where you’re also much more likely to encounter some of the local wildlife.

Taking a stroll through this section of forest tends to be pretty quiet, with far fewer hikers than the other trails, and it’s also a pretty good section for checking out the butterflies in spring and summer. This is also the area where you’ll find the trailhead for the Dongman Hiking trail, which will take you from Manyueyuan Forest Park to the Dongyanshan Forest Park.

If it’s your first visit to the park and you’d like to enjoy a bit of a hike, I recommend starting with this trail and taking it all the way to the Manyueyuan Waterfall before making your way back to the entrance along the much easier and more leisurely ‘Hiking Trail’.

Total Length: 1100 meters
Time Required: 40 minutes

Dongman Hiking Trail (東滿步道)

The longest trail in the park is an interesting one because it is essentially a one-way hike that’ll take the entire day and connects you from one Forest Recreation Park to another. The name “Dongman” (東滿) is a combination of the first characters in “Dongyanshan” (東眼山) another Forest Recreation Park located in the mountains of Taoyuan and “Manyueyuan” (滿月圓).

Hikers are free to choose to start the roughly eight kilometer hike in the Forest Park of their choice with one starting at a lower elevation and the other starting at a higher elevation. The trail is known for its panoramic views of the northern mountain range, but is considered an advanced hike, and should always be done in a group for safety.

The other thing that has to be reiterated is that since the hike starts in one park and ends in another, your method of getting there and getting home will be different, so it doesn’t make much sense to drive your car to one, do the hike, and end up stranded in the other. Fortunately, there are hiking groups like Parkbus that coordinate hikes to the trail and conveniently provides drop off at one park and pick up at the other, solving those logistical problems.

Trail length: 8km (4-5 hours one way)
Time Required: 4-5 hours (one way)

Getting There

Address: (新北市三峽區有木里174-1號)
GPS: 121.44470, 24.830391

Car / Scooter

If you have access to your own means of transportation, getting to the park is quite easy thanks to quick access to the expressway that runs between Sanxia (三峽) and Yingge (鶯歌). Simply get off of National Highway #3 at the Sanying Interchange (三鶯交流道) and make your way to Rural Highway North North 115. The best way to achieve this is to copy the address or the GPS coordinates provided above into your vehicle’s GPS or your phone’s Google Maps.

If you’re riding a scooter however, you obviously don’t have the option of taking the expressway, so you’ll have to find your way to Sanxia and then to the Rural Highway #115, where you’re able to drive.

In both cases you’ll ultimately follow the rural highway to the very end where you’ll find the park. Driving a car might seem like your best option, but it’s important to keep in mind that on weekends and during national holidays, the narrow mountainous road can get quite busy and you may find yourself stuck in a traffic jam on the way up the mountain.

If you’re on a scooter on the otherhand, you can simply zip past all the people sitting in traffic and enjoy the park at your leisure.

Public Transport

Unfortunately, the only way to get to Manyueyuan via public transportation is by bus, and that tends to be a bit of a pain in the ass.

First you’ll have to get yourself to Sanxia (三峽), and the best way to do that is to take Taipei Bus (臺北客運) #702 from Banqiao Station (板橋車站) or Taipei Bus (臺北客運) #812 from either Dingpu MRT Station (頂埔捷運站) or Yongning MRT Station (永寧捷運站) on the Blue Line (板南線) all the way to Sanxia Stop 1 (三峽一站). From there, you’ll need to hop on Taipei Bus #807, which will take you to the Manyueyuan Parking Lot.

While that sounds simple, it’s important to note that there are only a handful of buses that depart from Sanxia each day, so you’ll have to keep a tight schedule in order to ensure that you catch the bus there, and more importantly, your bus home.

Link: Taipei Bus #807 Real Time Location (Taipei eBus 大台北公車)

From Sanxia 1 Bus Terminal to Manyueyuan (三峽一站 - 滿月圓)

Weekday Departures: 05:20, 07:00, 09:30, 12:00, 15:00, 17:30
Weekend Departures: 06:00, 08:30, 11:00, 14:30, 17:30

From Manyueyuan Parking Lot to Sanxia (滿月圓 - 三峽一站)

Weekday Departures: 06:05, 07:45, 10:15, 12:45, 15:45, 18:10
Weekend Departures: 06:45, 09:10, 11:45, 15:15, 18:10

Once again, you’re going to have to be very careful about the amount of time you spend in the park if you are taking the bus home - If you miss the last bus out of the park, you’re going to find yourself stranded, and your only option might be to hitch a ride with another hiker who would be willing to drive you into town.

Park Admission Fees

It is somewhat uncommon for popular tourist destinations to charge an admission fee in Taiwan, but in this case, for the purpose of maintaining the quality of the trails, the administration of the park, and more importantly the wildlife conservation effort, a modest admission fee is collected at the entrance.

The current admission fee scheme is as follows:

Weekdays: Adults NT$80
Weekends & National Holidays: Adults NT$100
Group Rate (20 or more people): NT$80
Children: NT$50
Seniors (65+): NT$10

Hours

Weekdays: 08:00 - 17:00
Weekends: 07:00 - 17:00
The park is open year-round, but is closed for Lunar New Year’s Eve (除夕). The Visitor Center on the other hand doesn’t open on Tuesdays.

If you are looking for something to do on the weekend or during a holiday, a quick trip to Manyueyuan for a bit of nature is definitely worth a visit. Not only are the trails within the park beautiful, but you also get to see a couple of beautiful waterfalls and possibly even some wild monkeys.

And hey, if you arrive early enough and still have time and energy for another short hike, you can make your day complete and visit the nearby Cloud Forest waterfall (雲森瀑布), or just take a dip in one of the pool areas of the Dabao River on the way out of the mountain. Finally, why not end your day checking out Sanxia Old Street (三峽老街), where you can fill your belly with some pretty good food!

References

滿月圓國家森林遊樂區 (台灣山林悠遊網)
滿月圓國家森林遊樂區 (新北市觀光旅遊網)
滿月圓國家森林遊樂區 (Wiki)
三峽．滿月圓 (Tony的自然人文旅記)
滿月圓人團圓，隱身於中海拔森林裡，在大台北地區就能四季森林體驗！(微笑台灣)
國家森林遊樂區 (Wiki)
Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area (Wiki)
Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Area (Taiwan Forest Recreation)
Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area (Parkbus)
Sightings of elusive wildlife on the rise in Manyueyuan (Taipei Times)

Gallery / Flickr (High Res Shots)

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Zhongli Elementary Teachers Dorms (壢小故事森林)

November 21, 2020 in Japanese Colonial Era, Photo Post, Taoyuan, Travel

Having recently celebrated the 120th anniversary of its founding, Zhongli Elementary School finds itself on a very exclusive list of educational institutions in Taiwan with such a long and storied history.

Plans for the construction of “Zhongli Public School” (中壢公學校) started in 1898 (明治31年), shortly after the Japanese took control of Taiwan. The school opened two years later in 1900 and became one of Taoyuan’s (and Northern Taiwan’s) first public educational institutions.

To celebrate the 120 year anniversary of the school, festivities were held throughout the year and the school announced plans for some restoration projects that would modernize and beautify the campus.

To coincide with the anniversary, the Taoyuan City Government started a restoration project on the historic teachers dormitories that were once used by the staff at the school during the Japanese Colonial era.

The plan was to have them ready to reopen to the public in conjunction with the celebrations for the school’s milestone anniversary.

With such a long and storied history, you’d think that finding information about the school would be pretty easy, but that’s not actually the case.

From what little I’ve found from the school’s own literature is that “Zhongli Public School” opened in 1900 and as the number of students steadily increased over the years, several “branch” schools had to be constructed nearby communities - all of which still exist today.

In total, five branch schools were constructed around town, which have all since changed their names and are now known as Chung-Ping Elementary (中平國小), Hsin-Ming Elementary (新明國小), Hsin-Jie Elementary (新街國小), Longgang Elementary (龍岡國小) and Nan-Shih Elementary (南勢國小).

If you’ve lived in the area as long as I have then you’re probably aware that these schools (in most cases) were the basis for the formation of a community that used the same name as the school.

Most notably “Hsin-Ming Elementary” is known for its popular neighbour, the Zhongli Night Market (新明夜市), which is actually named “Hsin-Ming Night Market” and the Hsin-Ming Traditional Market, which is home to two of the city’s most famous restaurants, Hsin-Ming Beef Noodles (新明牛肉麵) and Yong-Chuan Beef Noodles (永川牛肉麵).

In the decades since the colonial era ended, the school has changed its name a few times, but no matter what it is called, it is still the first educational institution opened to the public and is an important part of the local history.

Subtle name changes:

1947 (民國36年) - 中壢國民學校
1968 (民國57年) - 中壢國民小學
2014 (民國103年) - 桃園市中壢區中壢國民小學

The topic today however isn’t really about the school itself, but the Japanese-style teachers dormitories that were constructed nearby.

As I’ve already mentioned, the growing number of students wanting to take part in the public education system, it became necessary to construct branch schools as well as homes for the staff working at the schools to live.

Constructing “dormitories” (員工宿舍) for employees was a service that the Japanese Colonial Powers provided, especially for civil servants and those working within important industries.

There would have been dormitories that housed police, government officials, teachers, principals, railway workers and many of the engineers who came to Taiwan to help develop the island.

Today, all over Taiwan many of these dorms are being restored and reopened to the public as tourist destinations in an attempt to help people learn more about an important part of Taiwan’s history.

So lets take a look at the newly reopened Zhongli Elementary School teachers dormitories, which have been (randomly) renamed the “Zhongli Forest Story House” (壢小故事森林).

Zhongli Elementary Teachers Dorms (中壢國小日式宿)

You might think that like most school dorms that the teachers dorms would have been constructed somewhere on campus, but in order to provide the teaching staff with a bit of privacy, they were constructed on a nice plot of tree-covered land nearby.

Constructed in 1917 (大正6年), the three Japanese-style homes are on a plot of land that is about 871 square meters large and would have provided staff with easy access to the school as well as the nearby train station and whatever amenities would have been available in the downtown area at that time.

Interestingly, from a design perspective, even though there are three buildings, each of them was constructed somewhat differently as they all served different functions. One of them was a typical Japanese style family home, while the other two were more dorm-like in their set-up.

The two single-floor buildings, which are referred to as “Building A” (A棟) and “Building B” (B棟) are typical Japanese-style homes that were constructed with Taiwanese Cypress (台灣檜木) and have beautiful black Kyoto-style roof tiles (黑瓦).

“Building C” (C棟) on the other hand is a bit different from the other two and even though it maintains aspects of Japanese architectural design, it was constructed with brick, has two floors, a nice patio space on the second level and a roof that was constructed using the same type of red tiles (閩式紅瓦) that you’ll see on many older Taiwanese buildings.

The buildings were used by the Japanese staff of the elementary school from 1917-1945 and then afterwards became dormitories for the teaching staff hired by the new regime for the next few decades before they were more or less abandoned.

Today the dorms have been completely restored and are part of a newly established culture park known as the Zhongli Forest Story House.

Now that they’re no longer dormitories, the government had to find a use for the space, so each of the buildings now serves a specific purpose.

“Building A” - A棟 (沐樂居)

“Building A” was originally constructed as a dorm that would house two families under the same roof (雙拼日式宿舍), so the interior has several rooms and two large open spaces. It would have been a space for more senior teachers who brought their family with them to Taiwan.

The building is currently used as a revolving exhibition space that is likely to focus on the history of the local area, its people, language, cultures and cuisine.

2. “Building B” - B棟 (儒林所)

“Building B” is a smaller single family dorm (單棟日式宿舍) that was likely used by the principal of the school and his or her family. The home is complete with a couple of bedrooms, an open living room, kitchen and bathroom.

The building is currently used as a fun exhibition space for children to come and learn about Taiwanese history in a fun and interesting way.

3. “Building C” - C棟 (睦森館)

“Building C” is the largest of the three buildings and was the space that was offered to teachers and staff with lower seniority. The building was constructed with bricks and as I mentioned above features a red tile roof, which is uncommon for Japanese-style buildings. The living conditions would have been what you’d expect from a typical dorm but there would have been ample space for everyone living inside.

The building is currently used as a multi-purpose space for exhibitions, meetings, public lectures, etc. It is also home to a small cafe where you can purchase some drinks and sit inside. The second floor patio is also open for guests to walk up to get a good look at the beautiful red tiles on the roof of the building as well as the exterior of the other two smaller buildings.

During the week, the space can be a little quiet, but on the weekends there are always events taking place similar to weekend markets with hip vendors setting up mobile coffee shops with others offering a variety of foods. If you visit on the weekend, you should probably expect that there will be quite a few people and the opportunities for photos probably won’t be so good.

Getting There

Address: #52 Bo-ai Road, Zhongli District, Taoyuan City (桃園市中壢區博愛路52號)

The Zhongli Forest Story House is located within the downtown core of the city and is easily walkable from the train station (中壢車站) or the inter-city bus terminal (中壢客運站).

If you’re in town, you can easily grab a Youbike and make your way to the dorms while also checking out many of the other historic destinations within the area.

Located directly across the street from Zhongli Elementary School (中壢國小) and a short walk from the Zhongli Police Dorms (壢景町), the Zhongping Story House (中平故事館) and several staple local restaurants, there is quite a bit to see and do in the space of a single city block, and a five minute walk from the train station.

Hours: Tuesday - Sunday: 10:30-7:00
Admission: Free of Charge

If you’re feeling hungry, take it from me, there are quite a few local restaurants nearby that should satisfy your tastebuds.

Tseng’s Steam-Fried Buns (曾記老牌水煎包) - A short walk away from the dorms, there is always a big line for these freshly cooked buns and for good reason - they’re amazing.

Address: 桃園市中壢區康樂路61號
#61 Kangle Road.

Old Alley Hakka Noodles (老巷小館) - This Hakka noodle place serves up some cheap and amazing Hakka noodle dishes with the addition of succulent plates of duck.

Address: 桃園市中壢區中正路243號
#243 Zhongzheng Road.

Mama Liu’s Hakka Vegetable Buns (劉媽媽菜包店) - This take-away only store sells steaming hot sticky Hakka vegetable buns and are one of the things you absolutely have to eat if you’re in town. There are meat and vegetarian options, so make sure to let them know which type you want!

Address: 桃園市中壢區中正路268號
#268 Zhongzheng Road.

Papa’s Secret Lover (阿爸的情人) - If you’re looking for some straight up amazing Hakka food, then look no further than this restaurant which has been open for half a century.

Address: 桃園市中壢區中山路401號
#401 Zhongshan Road.

Yong-Chuan Beef Noodles (永川牛肉麵) - If you’re a lover of beef noodles, then this restaurant should be high on your list. Its open 24 hours for your enjoyment and no matter what time of the day you visit, its always jam packed with people slurping up the spicy noodles.

Address: 桃園市中壢區民權路61號
#61 Minquan Road.

The Peanut House (張豐盛商行) - While most locals visit this historic shop for their peanut fix, tourists have been coming from all over Taiwan for a taste of their peanut-flavoured ice cream which is surprisingly amazing. If you’re in town on a hot day, you’ll definitely want to visit.

Address: 桃園市中壢區中正路349號
#349 Zhongzheng Road.

The restoration and reopening of the Zhongli Elementary School Teachers Dorms adds yet another location to the list of places for people to visit when they come to Taoyuan. These dorms, in conjunction with the nearby police dorms show off a bit of the city’s colonial history in an area that is rightfully very focused on and proud of its Hakka history and culture.

A visit to the teachers dorms won’t take very long and it seems like there is always something interesting going on, so if you’re planning to visit the area, you should definitely add them to your list of places to visit.