Visiting 赤崁楼 Chihkan Tower at night is highly recommended
One of Tainan’s tourist attractions is Chihkan Tower.
Originally built by the Dutch, Chihkan Tower exudes an exotic atmosphere.
Tainan was apparently settled by the Han Chinese early on, and at that time, it was a land covered by an inland sea.
After many twists and turns in history, including conflicts between the Dutch and the indigenous people and invasions by the Ming Dynasty, it now houses a history museum and is designated as a national historical site.
While daytime sightseeing is also enjoyable, visiting Chihkan Tower at night is highly recommended.
Chihkan Tower is open from 8:30 AM to 9:00 PM.
The entrance fee is 70 yuan (approximately 300 yen) per adult.
Credit cards were accepted for payment.
Upon entering, the illuminated Chihkan Tower stands out in the distance across the courtyard.
There’s also a large tree in the courtyard.
Since it was nighttime, there weren’t many people around, making it easy to sightsee.
Besides us, there was one other family.
I went inside.
On the table were two wooden magatama (comma-shaped beads), and the family I’d seen earlier had been throwing them at the ground several times as a form of fortune-telling.
I went up the stairs to peek at the second floor.
On the second floor, there were exhibits explaining the old coastline of Tainan and displays of old trading ships.
This is what Tainan used to look like.
It’s completely different from how it is now.
The ceiling design and color scheme are also unique.
From the second floor, you can step out onto a small balcony-like area.
You can see that the courtyard below is also lit up.
The building next door is probably a museum, but it appears to be under renovation and was covered with cloth.
Passing through the stone gate, I came across a rather intriguing sight.
There were stone monuments about the size of one tatami mat with inscriptions, and several of these monuments were placed atop a stone statue of a turtle.
This area was also beautifully lit up.
The museum’s exhibition hours might have been over, but there weren’t many tourists, the temperature was pleasant, and I was able to enjoy sightseeing very comfortably.
For a quick and easy sightseeing experience, I recommend visiting at night.
Hayashi Department Store at night is also recommended
Now, for those who still have time after visiting Chihkan Tower, I recommend another nighttime tourist spot: Hayashi Department Store.
The store itself is filled with stylish shops, so it’s enjoyable even during the day, but what I wanted to see was Hayashi Department Store lit up at night.
If you walk south from Chihkan Tower for about 10 minutes, you’ll come across Hayashi Department Store.
The way the light spills in through the slightly retro square and round windows is truly magical.
We take a rather old-looking elevator to the top floor.
Take the elevator up to the 5th floor, and you’ll find a charming cafe overflowing with Taisho-era romanticism.
There are chairs and tables in the courtyard, so it seems like a nice place to have coffee outside.
The display outside the store has “Hayashi Department Store” written on it in Japanese, doesn’t it?
That’s right, this Hayashi Department Store was founded during the Japanese colonial period by Hayashi Hōichi, a businessman from Yamaguchi Prefecture, and at the time it was a Japanese department store.
It was apparently built using the most advanced architectural technology of the time and was the only building in Tainan with an elevator.
From here, you can take the stairs to the rooftop one floor up, so let’s go.
It’s not very spacious, but the monument that looks like a steamed bun with the Hayashi logo on it is interesting.
You can enjoy the night view of Tainan from the rooftop.
The rooftop wall isn’t very high, so please don’t lean over.
The view of the rugged concrete illuminated by atmospheric lighting, combined with the unobstructed scenery outside, is truly precious.
There was also a shrine on the rooftop.
This area was apparently bombed during World War II, and bullet holes were still visible on the walls.
The Hayashi Department Store also suffered considerable damage.
I took the stairs down.
Even the landing was stylish.
The stairs were also made of old-looking concrete.
The shops are open until 9 PM, so it might be a good place to look for souvenirs.
I walked back to the hotel from Hayashi Department Store, which took about 50 minutes.
Right in front of Hayashi Department Store is the Tainan branch of the Land Bank.
This building was the Nippon Kangyo Bank during the Japanese colonial era.
If you walk a little further, you’ll come across the Tainan Police Station,
Movie theaters with a nostalgic atmosphere,
There were public telephones and other amenities, so even just walking around was enjoyable.
And then there’s the Komeda Coffee shop and the Times parking lot that I encountered in Taiwan.
I returned to the hotel via a charming, local-feeling alleyway.
I love to see streets like this.
You can feel the life of local people.
I was quite tired because I went on a longer trip than expected, but I enjoyed seeing the unique scenery at night.
