Reviving Japanese colonial-era hot spring culture and Nankasi music with gourmet cuisine in Beitou

Written/Compiled and Reported by MOOK Travel Life Network's Chen Guanxin

Beitou District, with its hot spring resources and one of the world’s 25 most beautiful public libraries, will host the “2nd Taiwan Beitou Gourmet Restaurant Cuisine Culture Food Festival” from the 8th to the 10th of this month. The event combines the nostalgic charm of “gourmet restaurant cuisine” and “Nankasi,” setting up food stalls along the road south of Xinbeitou MRT Station. A food festival tourism brochure will be launched, featuring discount vouchers from multiple hotels and guesthouses—with savings of up to 50% off regular prices. The brochure can be picked up free of charge at 12 tourist service centers across Taipei. Additionally, from now until June 7th, customers who spend NT$2,000 or more at participating establishments will receive a limited-edition yukata and a gourmet banquet set meal.

The upcoming “2012 Taiwan Beitou Gourmet Restaurant Cuisine Culture Food Festival” will take place from June 8th to 10th, with live gourmet restaurant cuisine displays along the road south of Xinbeitou MRT Station from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Nankasi performances will be held every evening from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM during the event, allowing attendees to request songs and enjoy live singing. The festival will also launch a tourism brochure that includes event and attraction details, as well as discount vouchers from over 10 hotels and guesthouses in the Beitou area—some offering up to 50% off. Brochures can be collected for free at 12 tourist service centers in Taipei, Beitou Meiting, Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Ketagalan Cultural Park, Beitou Civic Center, Beitou Branch of Taipei Public Library, and Xinbeitou. Some vouchers are valid from June 8th to September 30th. Furthermore, from now until June 7th, customers who spend NT$2,000 or more at participating stores can exchange their receipts for a yukata and gourmet banquet set at the event’s main service desk on June 8th at 11:00 AM, limited to 100 people.

During the Japanese colonial period, Japanese visitors were drawn to Beitou’s hot springs, leading to the construction of numerous hotels and guesthouses. The gourmet restaurant cuisine of the time emphasized elaborate knife skills, presentation, and premium ingredients, available only to the elite—earning it the nickname “official cuisine.” Nankasi, a form of traveling musical performance originating in Japan, once flourished in Beitou, making it the birthplace of Nankasi culture in Taiwan. This event blends the traditional cultural elements of gourmet restaurant cuisine and Nankasi, integrating dishes with styles from Taiwanese, Sichuan, and Cantonese cuisines. It has also shifted away from the heavy oil, salt, and sugar of the past, adopting lower-fat, lower-salt, and lower-sugar seasonings to cater to modern health-conscious preferences.

2012 Taiwan Beitou Gourmet Restaurant Cuisine Culture Food Festival

Date: June 8–June 10

Time: 11:00 AM–8:00 PM

Venue: Road south of Xinbeitou MRT Station

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