Taipei Travelogue 2020 - MAP ZINE

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--- In early January 2020, I went to Taipei, which I've always wanted to go since my last visit 6 years ago. I stayed in Taipei for 5 nights and 6 days to mainly look around the city on foot, which I couldn't do much 6 years ago. I made this map by following my inspiration that I felt during my stay in Taipei. The visuals are inspired by the variety of ZINEs I've seen in Taipei bookstores, creatives in the city, and the music I hear in Taipei Clubs and stores. If you zoom the map, it will become an area map, access map, or even one page of a magazine. Also, if you look at the whole, it represents the city of Taipei.

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Have you ever heard "Green Mangoes"? It is very sour, and you don't taste any sweetness. The sourness is too extreme that people either love it or hate it. In Japan, we say the taste of love is lemons, but in Taiwan, it seems to be green mangoes. Even though the sourness hits you first, when the mango flavor precedes the sourness, it becomes delicious. The flesh is a beautiful yellow-green color, and it's firm. I've never found it in Japan, I've only seen it in tropical countries. I really love this fruit. The first time I ate was when I was 5 years old in Mae Hong Son, Thailand. A group of residents was eating blue mangoes, and I joined in the circle. From that time on, I was entirely captivated by the green mango. I was looking forward to eating many during this stay in Taiwan, but the season for green mangoes is from April to June. How bad timing... I searched around the night markets and markets in Taipei, hoping that there might be places for sale. After a long search, finally, green mangoes showed up in front of me with a smile! I found them piled up in one corner of Jungmei Night Market! They were radiant look like jewels! I bought them as many as I could put in my purse thinking of having them for breakfast the next morning, but will my friend like it? My friend and I woke up a little late the following day. We were at the veranda looking at the city of Taipei and tried a green mango. At that moment, the feeling as if my missing soul had returned hit me. The sour taste blew up my drowsiness. No matter when I eat, it's sour, and I really love it because it makes me focus on how I'm feeling. As I was biting over the joy of green mango, my friend screamed, "It's sour! But it's so good!" She seemed to like it.

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People have been talking about the nightclub "FINAL Taipei" in Kyoto because of the flyers made by the Taiwanese artist, EG Huang (@eg____ge), a member of acid graphics (#acidgraphix), are really cool. The brochure represents clubs and events' ambiance, so I'd been interested in the club. The place is located in the middle of Daan Station and Zhongxiao Fukou Station. If you are not careful, you may pass it by. I took the stairs from the front to the basement. The path to the basement was illuminated in red, and I could feel that I was getting excited. How they created the ambiance was just perfect. The basement was divided into two floors; the bar and the main floor with the DJ booth. That day, hard techno of BPM 130 or more was on. The ceiling is high, and the floor was filled with fog that it hid my neighbors. The lighting was only the two red lines drawn behind the DJ booth. It wasn't an ample space, but it felt like the sound came down from the ceiling like rain because of the height. It was a great experience, and all the customers were purely enjoying the music. This club has become one of the places I would definitely like to come on the next visit to Taipei.

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The day of January 11, 2020, became a very historical day for Taiwan. It was the day of the presidential election of Taiwan. There are two major candidates, Ts'ai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party and Han Kuo-yu from the Taiwan Nationalist Party. The future of Taiwan would be significantly influenced by which candidate selected. Taiwan's election system is much more restrictive than Japan. One of them is that you cannot vote unless you have a permanent residence. Furthermore, unlike Japan, there is no early voting, meaning that people can only vote on January 11. Due to this constraint, many Taiwanese who were abroad were returning to the country for this election. As a result, the voter turnout reached a record high of 74.9%, and Ts'ai Ing-wen was re-elected with over half the support. On the day before the election, Ts'ai Ing-wen made a speech, and I was particularly impressed by the part where she addressed; Democracy didn't fall from the sky. It is rooted in this land because of the countless conflicts and struggles of many people to die. As a result, we have a democratic life. Her speech was an eye-opener to me. I happened to be born and raised in a country that chose Democracy, and I had been taking it for granted. If I think carefully, as Ms. Ts'ai mentioned, the life I have now is the result of many who risked their lives to fight for Democracy. I felt ashamed. Of course, I think many Taiwanese in their 20s, like me, hadn't been aware of "the root of our everyday life." It takes little energy to focus on those things. However, I am sure that they started thinking about the city or country they live in, triggered by the demo in Hong Kong that gathered more than 1million protesters in 2019. And many would have realized that Taiwan shouldn't bleed just like Hong Kong did. Can you imagine what's it like when the country is continuously under the pressure of having the greatest enemy right next to it? I thought about that with a friend, but I couldn't express it well. Taiwan chose "democracy" by themselves. If they don't select and make decisions, it will be easily taken away. It may look like an exceptional environment only happening in Hong Kong or Taiwan, but I think this is something I can, Japan can, and we all can relate to. Even in the society around us, if we speak up, there are things that we can maintain or make a change for the better. Through the presidential elections in Taiwan, I strongly felt that I couldn't just keep saying, "I don't know."

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This is where I was carried away by the exhibition of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, a movie director from Thailand. I want to take more time to look around the next time.

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This is where NC4K throws a party. Has a significant sound effect.

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Picking up my favorite pair of shoes, just like when I pick up flowers. Traditional Chinese shoes are available here to make your life more colorful and bright. Pick yours for a picnic in spring, to style up on a summer day, and for going for a drive autumn.

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I love the spice, star anise A rice bowl with pork

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The soup is the key of this dish. Pulled chicken rice bowl

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The next time, I want to try the flat noodle. There are many types of noodles.

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The tast of chinese chive makes it great

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Taiwanese savory sticky rice I like the ingredients cut in big pieces

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Great for your breakfast Porridge

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Unforgettable taste. Taiwanese style stuffed dumplings

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I found the Almond tea quite addicting.

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Tropical and Smooth: the papaya milk drink

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The spice is irresistible Dà jī pái, a giant Taiwanese fried chicken

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I could keep eating this forever It looks like a bigger soup dumpling (Xiao Long Bao)

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Taiwanese style hamburger The combination of the braised pork belly and cilantro is the best.

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Taipei is now evolving at a fast pace. In the process, Taipei's culture, such as fashion, art, music, night market.. which is hard to describe using familiar words, has been created one after another. I created a map that traces a wide range of that unique Taipei culture. What makes Taipei? Why is it so unique? Put on your confortable shoes and enjoy your trip to Taipei.

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On the last day, I found 30 minutes to visit the museum just before leaving for the airport. I was impressed by the service of Taipei here again; I was able to leave my large luggage at the counter. One of the Award-winning works I happened to see was breathtaking. I wish I could have spent more time.

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NC4K in Taipei One of the goals of this trip. I heard that NC4K, one of the parties I often to go in Kyoto, would have an event in Taipei around October 2019. I was asked, "You'd come, right?" and replied to it, "Yes, I will." without any hesitation, and now, I am actually here. If I respond rapidly like this on any other occasion, people would think I'm weird. The event was about a DJ who co-starred in FINAL from the day beofre, a VJ who is a CG designer based inTaiwan, and DJ of NC4K who's visitng from Kyoto, Japan. I enjoyed every minute of it and couldn't go home until the end. The night in Taiwan is long and very fun. NC4K VJ: cry fountain"

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I found my favorite blue mango in this fruit store! Because I stayeed in the early January, which is a little bit off the season, it was hard to look for it. I wish I could eat it in Japan...maybe it's available in Miyazaki Pref.?

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A local restaurant specialized in Lu Rou Fan is located just off the market. I was very excited about having the first Lu Rou Fan on this trip. Can anyone tell me why this is so good?! One of my goals for this year is to be able to cook Lu Rou Fan at home.

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The first time I came here, I ordered the papaya milk, and I loved it... The ingredients are simple. Just papaya, sugar, ice, and milk but tasty... I thought I might not find it in Japan, so I had it about 4 times during my stay in Taiwan. By the way, here is a little tip from me when eating papaya alone: Squeeze lime juice over it.

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All walks of life enjoy arcade games. It reminds me of Japanese festivals.

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It's a little bigger than Xiaolongbao(soup dumplings) and a little smaller than meat buns. You can just buy one, so take it with you while strolling around the area. While waiting in line, I was fascinated by how fast they made the buns and felt excited about eating.

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My friend told me that this club's flyer design is cool, and I started following it. I'd wanted to come to the club if I had a chance to visit Taiwan. No one cares about nationality, gender, professions. Has a great ambiance. What is a good club?... This is it. FINAL Taipei

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この投稿をInstagramで見る 大腸王(@horumonbaby426)がシェアした投稿 - 2020年 4月月11日午後5時01分PDT What is he? I found this king of large intestine everywhere. I found many cool Graffiti in Taiwan. Even when you go for a little walk, you will find various kinds there I personally just really liked the easygoing characteristic. I researched it after coming back home and found out that the artist seems to be quite famous.

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A Taiwanese friend suggested me to have a drink here before going to FINAL. I learned that it's a bit pricy to drink in Taiwan

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The 24-hour market where we arrived at the end of the walk. We picked a stall, and it turned out that's one of the popular ones. Our noses are good at finding yummy food. Plumpy Boiled dumplings. It was delicious with a lot of Chinese chives. I want to eat it again. I hope the store continues to grow until my next visit. 鴻水餃牛肉麺Hong Shuijiao Beef Noodle Restaurant Business hours 18:00~

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The same store that serves the boiled dumplings. The beef broth was so good and tasty. I had it with a bottle of Taiwan beer. 鴻水餃牛肉麺Hong Shuijiao Beef Noodle Restaurant Business hours 18:00~

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A kitty welcomed me with a couple of cat punch, but even that was adorable. I bought a Kodak film here. I wasn't sure if the one I brought from Japan can last because I wanted to use it to take a picture of my friend's truck company's ad. They carry various film cameras, and I found one that I have never seen in Japan. I wanted to buy it and bring back home, but I succeeded in controlling myself not to. SNAPPP寫真私館-ig

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I went on a regular holiday and came back without seeing anything in particular... I want to go again when it is open. 松山文創園区-HP 松山文創園区-ig

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You can make customized perfume here. I knew this store from a guide-book and wanted to come but couldn't make it. The next time, if I have a chance, I want to give it a try. It seems I tend to react to the word "Made just for you..." LFP香料香水実験室-ig

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I visited this shop about three times during my stay. The neon ornament at the entrance is adorable. You'll find a shop with bright atmosphere when you go down to the basement. It carries ZINE of Taiwanese artists, original apparel, and vinyl records. It seems there are some events. PAR STORE Opens from 14:00-

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It's quie intimidating to enter the store. But once you step in with courage, you will find the store has a great taste. My friend told me that this bookstore was the most impressive. I bought a sparkly souvenir for a friend who loves sparkly stuff. Those who like Yukio Mishima and Nobuyoshi Araki may fall in love with this store. Wild flower book store

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A Book Store & Gallery that is recommended by my friend who lives in Taiwan. It has a large selection of ZINE. The store reminds me of Keibunsha or Gake-Shobou in Kyoto, Japan. The photo exhibition "雪蟲 (Snow Bug)" held in the underground gallery was impressive. The nearby pineapple cake shop is also famous. 田園城市生活風格書店-ig

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A bookstore that specializes in poetry. It's quietly located in Chifeng-gai. I should have bought the bookmark that I found here. It was the design of window grids. If you fell in love with any item, don't hesitate to buy it, or you will regret that like I do. 詩生活-ig OPEN 14:00〜20:00 Regularly closed on Tuesdays

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CeeeSTee, a truck manufacture company based in Kyoto, bought a pack of ZINE about flyers of trance parties in London or somewhere. Although it is a small shop, I found many interesting things, and I can feel that the owner carefully selected all the items. If there is any ZINE that catches your eyes, I'd recommend you to buy it right there. Waitingroom_ig Waitingroom_HP

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A recommended cafe by a Langue de Chat cookie store. You will find traditional Chinese shoes lined up at the small corner for sale. I want to stop by next time I go to Taipei.

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The naming is startling, but it's a public toilet.