What to Eat, Buy and Do at Ximending 西門町
Ximending is a very popular shopping area in Taipei. It was the first pedestrian zone in Taiwan. When I took my mom to Ximen she surprised and said that it has changed a lot. Apparently back then it use to be somewhat similar to the night markets and it was very crowded and dirty. But now there is a paved walkway that is fenced off to only pedestrians. America’s got talent? Taiwan does too! In my opinion, Ximending is the most talent filled and culture filled shopping area in Taipei. On top of the typical trendy clothes, shoes, and food, Ximending is a stage for young and old musicians and artists. Coming out of the MRT station you can see a various bands playing across the street. Ximending has been called the “Harajuku of Taipei” and the “Shibuya of Taipei.”
Table of Contents
Dancing
Many, many young people come here to show off their talents.
Cosplay
Short for “costume play.” A performance art where people dress up to represent characters from anime.
Candy Shops
Look at how big this lollipop is!
Hot Star Chicken Taiwan 豪大大雞排
Famous for their XXL fried chicken. Piping hot, juicy, tender and flavorful with salt and pepper seasoning. Only $55 NT ($2 US)
Mango Shaved Ice
Not the best. Smoothie House at Yong Kang Street is much better.
Custard Fish
Portait Drawing
For about 100nt ($3) you can get your portrait drawn.
Calligraphy
Silhouette Cutting
The nice man is a pro at scissor cutting. He cut my silhouette under 4 minutes. There’s always a long line for this but we were lucky enough to catch him right when he was setting up. By the time he was done cutting my silhouette, there was about a crowd of 20 people around us.
Claw Games
Unfortunately we must suck at claw games because we didn’t get Totoro 🙁
Cute Accessory Stores
This is the mecca of Japan so don’t be surprised if you find a lot of cute accessories and clothes Japan inspired.
Shaved Ice
This shop allows it customers to leave their mark whilst enjoying a bowl of ice cold shaved ice.
You can get shaved ice flavors of milk, mango, regular, and many others with different types of toppings like tapioca pearls, peanuts, jelly and fruit.
Peanut Ice Cream
With freshly shaved peanut candy.
Taiwanese Sausages
阿宗麵線 Ay-Chung Noodles
Very, very famous in Taiwan. No tables here! Pull up a chair and enjoy a bowl of steaming noodles.
Taiwanese BBQ
Mochi
Various different colors filled with green bean or red bean paste.
Ximending
XiMen MRT Station, Exit 6
