Written by Quila Gustave (Allegheny College), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Spring 2023
Now that it may be your third or fourth week in Taiwan, it’s time to plan some traveling before your midterms! You can plan to go to Yilan for the beaches, Tainan for Chinese rock concerts, or just stay in Taipei and look at animals at Taipei Zoo! It is possible to visit these places but try your best to remember that you have limited time and prioritize wisely! For me, I wanted to study a lot, so I tried to make goals within Taipei to accommodate my academic goals. Below are some places that I have been to!
Hala Planet in Gongguan
This is an arcade filled with Taiwanese music rhythm games or racing games. It is opened 24/7.
Lee Hwa Hang Internet Cafe (Songshan) or Hackers Internet Cafe (Ximen)
A café where you can use a computer for work, watch movies or videos, play games, and eat and drink small Taiwanese snacks or meals. It is opened 24/7.
Miss 33 or Matsumoto Kiyoshi near Zhongxiao Dunhua
Miss 33 is a hair and hat accessory shop; however, in front, there are some Korean and Taiwanese shop ladies selling cheap clothing for around $200-400 NTD depending on what you’re looking for. There is also a Japanese makeup and skincare store right next to Miss 33 called Matsumoto Kiyoshi. It also has small Japanese and Taiwanese snacks.
Me trying to see if an eyeshadow pallet was showing in my eyes, but it didn’t work at Matsumoto
Syntrend for Electronics, Arcade, or a Gacha Machine section
If you are looking for a speaker, headphones, or just a place to get cool anime figurines as souvenirs, then Syntrend Mall is a good place to visit. The store also has an arcade section on the 5th floor.
Bookstore in Gongguan
There is a 台大 书店 in Gongguan where you can find some books to practice reading in Chinese!
If these do not interest you, you can also go to Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and the National Palace Museum. Night markets like Raohe are always a nice place to visit if you aren’t looking to explore too far.
Entrance of Raohe Market after exiting Songshan station
Here is another tip from me for now in bold: DO NOT FORGET TO VISIT THE NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY MERCH STORE! Things there are limited edition and will probably not come back. You guys should also try to join clubs at NTU and communicate with them through Facebook!
An anime, cosplay, and drawing flyer at NTU
I hope some of these places help you on your journey!