Taipei Travel

Came here hoping to have a more in-depth explanation to Beitou and its development. Was disappointed in the content - half the property dedicated to restaurant, the other half had little in content, the only interesting room was that of the old ceramic bath area for the hotspring. Unless you are fans of Japanese architecture, not worth the long walk uphill from Xin Bei Tou MRT station, nor the admission fee in my view, as we also travel quite extensively to Japan.

With its century old history, most of which wonderfully preserved, the museum is a hidden gem in this hot spring central area of Beitou. Established in the 1920's during the Japanese occupation era, this place used to be an elegant guesthouse (Kazan hotel), probably serving the then Japanese "upper class", complete with meeting rooms and ritual tea ceremony space, and a traditional 'hot spring bathing room'. The manager of the place has been kind enough to show visiting guests the various rooms in this rather spacious 'museum' & its history. Rather amazing setup in my view. When we arrived in late morning, we're welcomed to stay for lunch which we happily accepted the offer. After being shown around the place and watched a video, we returned to the dining area where quite a few families were already taken their place in the hall where lunch will be served. It's kind off a set lunch arrangement and we're promptly given a menu. To my surprise it resembles a list of what I would call "mini-degustation" - 9 dishes in all, complete with ontree, small snacks of prawns, scallops, chicken, fish 'snacks' (steamed, fried & sushi style), finishing with kinda herbal soup, desert & fruits. Admittedly the three of us were quite full at the end of the 'banquet' and really couldn't fault the menu, or the chef who designed it for that matter. A very pleasant surprise lunch experience at a museum.

This is a lovely old hotel in traditional Japanese style architecture, with miniature courtyards. There are exhibition explaining the construction method, as well as temporary special exhibition. There is a restaurant with outdoor terrace for afternoon tea sets. It is a great place for spending time with friends.

Absolutely lovely, tranquil and mesmerising part of Taipei, definitely worth a trip there! Based in Taipei for the trip but have done all the stuff within town so decided Beitou would be a good change from the hustle and bustle of main Taipei. I walked all the way up to the museum, used around 15 minutes (can be quite steep for some), there's a bus (S25) that does go from Beitou Park (just outside Beitou metro station instead. Entrance fee: 100TWD (£2.5~) if you just want to walk around. 800TWD (£20) would be for the meal and walking around, which I would recommend if budget allows (see below). Everyone there were very friendly and helpful. An older lady was talking to the kids, offering to help visitors to take group photos and kindly talked me through some of the exhibits. The waiters/ waitresses were all very polite too. The house's wooden and the tiles are in tatami style, which for me was really mesmerising, peaceful and tranquil, very relaxed just to be around. There were exhibitions about Taiwanese art crafts and also history of the museum (it was a Japanese hot spring resort when established). The meal was in Kaiseki style, meaning multiple small dishes. I've had Kaiseki meals where it's served all at once; as dishes were served one after another this time, I was a bit disappointed (I suppose it keeps the food warm and fresh though). Good quality food indeed, such as soft and tender egg and eel roll, 'al dente' soba noodles and comforting chicken soup (bamboo shoots and cheese was a weird combination though...). Overall excellent experience, very lovely morning spent here!

The occupying Japanese developed the property as a spa, guesthouse, tea house and Kubiki in the 1920s. Seems the Japanese were instrumental in introducing host springs to Beitou and re-foresting the Yangming mountain area. Surprisingly the Taiwanese government compensated the Japanese owners shortly after WWII. The property was in private hands from the 60s on and served as a movie set and private residence. It was repurchased by the government and refurbished to original state 2000-2008. It is spectacular and photogenic location. The original onsen and tea rooms are intact. The exhibitions rotate and we were unfortunate to visit in the middle of an exhibition change. There is also a Kaseki style Japanese restaurant, tea house and art shop on the property. Curious that this Japanese legacy was not plowed under. Perhaps the Taiwanese have a more nuanced view on Japanese occupation relative to the Koreans.