Miyazaki’s design of Kaonashi’s body changes along with the complex colors and overwhelming props in the bathhouse scene contrast with the mild color tone and moving background in the train scene. His appearance throughout Chihiro’s adventure symbolizes her constantly changing mental state when facing helpless moments and decisions. An essential character that follows Chihiro throughout her journey in the world of the spirits is Kaonashi (Akio Nakamura). Despite all that has changed, this mountain village has retained all its charms and reminded me of the food, moments, and people that root me.In Spirited Away (2001), director Hayao Miyazaki applies two aspects of visual design to portray the development of Chihiro’s (Rumi Hiiragi) mentality: different lighting modes to carry out the details in makeup and colors and adjustment of the motions of the props in the animation. Much has changed since I was last here-including a catastrophic pandemic, my grandma’s passing, my new career in photography, and a renewed interrogation of what it means to be Asian American. Many smaller traditional tea houses dot the cliffside, offering similar views and a broad selection of local teas.įor so many, Miyazaki’s films feel like a warm hug, and my return to Jiufen felt the same. The building’s ornate Japanese architecture bears a strong likeness to the film’s bathhouse, the main setting of the film, where spirits come to relax and where Chihiro finds work.Īmei teahouse offers little sweets like mung bean cakes with a traditional tea experience, a delightful pairing made better by sweeping views of the East China Sea. The century-old institution occupies a repurposed blacksmith’s shop and is perhaps the city’s strongest link to Spirited Away. Visitors can find fried fish, chewy, handmade sweet potato and taro balls in syrup, Taiwanese sausages on skewers, peanut ice cream rolls, steamed pork dumplings in sweet rice wrapping, and endless noodle soup offerings.Īt the town’s peak, the golden light spilling from the grand Amei Teahouse crowns Jiufen. ( How Singapore’s endangered street food culture got international recognition.)Īlong the meandering Old Street, a similarly extravagant spread awaits. In the film, as in real life, hot steam mingles with the glowing lanterns lighting each stall. Although delicious snacks draw crowds here around the clock, the street comes alive as the sun sets, much like the opening scene of Spirited Away, when Chihiro and her parents come upon lines of food stalls teeming with fresh noodles and roasted meat. Many of these favorites can be found along Old Street in Jiufen, one of the country’s most iconic night markets. Our family bonded over soy milk and fan tuan, a glutinous rice roll wrapped around you tiao, a fried dough, preserved vegetables and pork floss. I constantly nagged my parents for niu rou mien, beef noodle soup, a national staple. We took trips for ice cream with grandpa. A favorite for my sister and me was classic pearl milk tea from street cart stands and hole-in-the-wall spots. My sister and I felt the cultural divide deepen as we got older, but food brought our family together and created lasting memories. walk in the park, and grandma seemingly always cleaning up the kitchen. Jiufen was a favorite stop that became a mainstay in a collection of special Taiwan moments-reading comics with grandpa at the library, accompanying him on his 5 a.m. Today, I say I’m Taiwanese American, though like many others, I often feel like I’m too American to call myself Taiwanese, and too Taiwanese to call myself American.Īs often as we could, our family made trips back to Taiwan to visit my grandparents, the root of our family who stayed in Taipei, and gathered with aunts, uncles, and cousins. I was three when our family moved from Taiwan to Toronto, then to California. Spirited Away and all of Miyazaki’s work hold a special place in my heart. These are just some of the moments where identity and belonging take center stage in the film.Īlthough themes like these are experienced universally, it makes sense the movie resonated so strongly in the West, especially in America, a country of immigrants. The masked spirit No Face cannot speak unless he takes on the traits of the spirits he consumes. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Ĭhihiro makes a deal to work at the towering red bathhouse to rescue her parents, but as a result, she almost forgets her name after she’s assigned a false, shortened moniker.
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