Travel Taipei

Ximending (:West Gate in English) is the Kingdom of Youth. It is full of juice bars and small restaurants, and small shops selling cheap clothing. It comes alive at night, when young people come out to play. There's nothing preventing older people from visiting Ximending, but it's made for young people.

來台北，有一個地方基本上是必到的。這就是台北的西門町。因為，這可以說是台北的市中心，最古老，也是最多人認同的商業中心區。 名字的由來，就是古台北城的西門，也有日治時期保留著的西門紅樓。其餘的地方，就是購物，飲食，買伴手禮的集中地。 總之，每一次來台北，點都會來一次。

This being our first visit to Taipei, our family couldn't ignore what our guide book suggested as a must see district. So we went to see the bright lights, enjoy the shopping (even if it was mainly only window shopping), and try what some of the restaurants were offering. In particular, we were curious about the Red House, the district's historic attraction and the landmark where many folks had arranged to meet each other. We also nearly caught a movie but found out later that the poster on the wall was promoting a premiere that would only be screened a week later. Like most trendy spots, Ximending seemed to be a magnet for many locals and tourists, and unsurprisingly, those that belong to a younger demographic. Still, it was worth seeing...at least once.

Ximending is a fun, trendy, entertainment, food, drink, shopping district in Taipei. It is easy to get to as it is at Ximen metro stop. Souvenir shops abound, bubble tea shops are everywhere (Taiwan invented bubble tea), coffee (I counted 3 Starbucks) & tea, juice, drink shops, clothing, footwear, toy stores, toy vending machines, souvenir food shops, movie theatres, little restaurants, bigger restaurants on second or third levels were all there. There are very few foreign businesses but Nike, H&M, New Balance were there and many grouped next to each other. There was a 300 year old temple in the midst of all this plus an octagonal red brick building from 1908 built by a Japanese architect, called The Red House. It is a cultural building housing a coffee shop, creative handicrafts and gifts in an extended building. There is a theatre on upper levels for performances such as an upcoming violin performance. Although mostly pedestrian, taxis, cars, scooters, motorcycles did enter down these streets so you have to be careful not getting hit by them.

Ximending is a very modern area with a very strong Japanese culture influence. There are anime illustrations even at the train station. When I went there, Pokemon Detective movies was highly promoted, and you could see Pikachu all throughout the place. There's also a One Piece store here. This is a very vibrant place with lots of shopping stores and restaurants. You could easily lose track of time just by exploring the entire area.