Celebrating the most weird and wonderful attractions Taipei has to offer, there are so many unique and unusual things to do in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.
From a ‘crap’ restaurant to a cat village, rude pineapple cakes to wonky post boxes, Taipei is utterly unique in the unusual tourism sector.
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With something to suit all tastes (stinky tofu included), it’s time to take on Taipei’s more unusual and surreal sights, both by day and at night.
Featuring Taipei’s most unusual mascot and a ‘good luck’ snack, here is our guide to the most weird, wonderful and unusual things to do in Taipei.
This article was originally published on 2 August 2024.
You might like – 35 things to do in Taipei at night >
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Unusual things to do in Taipei
1. Modern Toilet Restaurant
We start our weird Taipei list with certainly one of the ‘cr@ppiest’ things to do but in a very fun way – Taipei’s Modern Toilet themed restaurant is so popular, they are ‘flushed’ with success (sorry not sorry – please get used to it!)
No sh*t – there are actually two toilet themed restaurants in Taipei, with a Modern Toilet branch near Shilin Night Market, plus Modern Toilet Ximending which reopened in 2024 after a lengthy closure (and everyone hates it when toilets are closed).
A meal at Modern Toilet is like no other, with food and drinks served in toilets – this is one time when it is fine to lick your ‘bowl’ clean in public. The turd shaped ice-cream (chocolate of course) is particularly memorable and even your seat is a toilet.
Something to do in Taipei at night (or if you just like sh*tty restaurants), Modern Toilet is open in both Ximending and Shilin.
Read more in our guide to Modern Toilet restaurant in Ximending >
You might like – Our guide to Zhonghshan, Taipei’s trendiest neighborhood >
2. Viral Digital Signpost
Taipei’s digital signposts have gone viral on social media and are a fun thing to do in downtown Xinyi, even if you have Google Maps.
Recently installed in key spots like the outside concourse of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place, these Taipei digital sign posts work in several languages – use the keypad on the touch screen tablet to enter where you want to go.
The signpost then magically rotates in the direction you need to, also showing the distance on the LED direction arrow. Very smart!
Lots of people have filmed themselves using the Xinyi digital signposts and posted their videos on Tik Tok and Instagram – and they didn’t get lost in the Xinyi district either (bonus).
You might like – 25+ things to do Xinyi, Taipei >
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3. Taipei themed 7-Elevens
The world is never short of 7-Eleven convenience stores but did you know there are over 100 themed 7-Elevens all over Taiwan, most of which are in Taipei?
Taipei has so many unusual, weird and wonderful 7-Elevens. There are even themed 7-Elevens in Taipei that look like an airplane or a Maserati supercar!
Check out all our themed 7-Eleven stores in Taiwan guides:
• Hello Kitty
• Mofusand
• Snoopy / Peanuts
• Pokémon
• Ultraman
• STARLUX
• Sumikko Gurashi
You might like – 14 reasons why Taiwan 7-Eleven is the best 7-11 in the world or the best themed 7-Eleven stores in Kaohsiung
4. Damper Baby @ Taipei 101
Taiwan’s most iconic building standing at 508 meters tall over 100 storeys high, inside Taipei 101 you’ll find one of the rather more unusual cartoon characters, Damper Baby!
To assist with earthquake resistance, Taipei 101 has the world’s biggest mass damper which is on display, like a huge ball.
However, in a unique twist, they’ve even created a cute cartoon character out of it, Damper Baby (which has merchandise across the several gift shops). An epic mascot of engineering if ever there was one!
Book your Taipei 101 admission online so you can see Damper Baby for yourself >
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5. Xinyi Apple Store
Mac stores are normally nothing special (unless you are a super Apple admirer) but the Xinyi Apple store is pretty unique.
We spotted this purely by chance when having a drink in Simple Kaffa Sola at the top of Taipei 101.
As we were looking down from the 88th floor, we almost spat out our coffee when we realized the Xinyi Taipei Apple store was actually shaped like a Macbook – very cool! No word yet though on how many USB points it has coming out of the roof.
You might like – First time visitors guide to Taipei and Taiwan >
6. Weird and unusual Taipei EasyCard designs
If you are planning to use public transport in Taipei, from the Taipei Airport to Taipei MRT train or the buses and Metro, make sure you buy an EasyCard and read this simple guide about how to use them and top it up.
However, whereas in most countries, travel cards are very mundane and meh, EasyCards in Taipei feature a range of cute / weird designs, everything from a miniature Korean fried chicken to tiny vintage TVs.
We even bought a miniature food panda travel card after a drunken night in a 7-Eleven bar.
Check out these 30 cute, weird and unusual Taipei EasyCard and Taiwan iCash card designs>
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7. Shiba Says posters and decals on the Taipei MRT
Following on the Taipei transport theme, nowhere in the world are travel safety posters delivered in such a delightful manner as the Shiba Says public transport campaign (actually, Pengsoo the giant road safety penguin in South Korea is pretty cool too).
Shiba Says is Taiwanese cartoon character with over 1 million followers on Instagram. The other popular Taiwanese cartoon character you might see a lot of is Bugcat Capoo (Bugcat even has their own themed 7-Eleven).
The super-cute Shiba dog and friends appear on all the safety posters on the Taipei Metro, advising such sage advice as not to wear big backpacks or don’t run. They were also at the forefront of the COVID campaign to encourage train passengers to wear masks – good dog!
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8. Taipei dogs in prams and strollers / Taipei MRT Pet Day
Dog Day Afternoon. We’ve become a little obsessed with all the dogs in prams we’ve spotted on every trip to Taiwan – from Keelung Night Market to Jiangao Jade Market, we’ve seen so many pampered pooches in prams – and we are here for it!
Taiwan top dogs can often be seen in the daytime being wheeled around in strollers, often with visors and sun shields to protect them or at Taipei’s night markets in the evening.
Did you also know that one day a year, the usually pet-free Taipei Metro opens to dogs and cats one Sunday in March on the Xinyi – Tamsui line.
We were surrounded by cute dogs and cats, plus Taipei Metro laid on special cleaners and staff in case of pet mishaps. It was kinda weird and unusual but also adorable to see.
9. Spot the musical garbage trucks
Have you heard the musical delights of Taiwan’s garbage/ bin trucks?!
A marvellous classical melody is played loudly from Taiwan’s garbage trucks to alert local residents to bring out their rubbish and put it straight into the back of the truck as it trundles along.
Pretty much every yellow garbage truck in Taiwan plays “A Maiden’s Prayer” and “Für Elise”.
The rumour is that a former Taiwanese environment minister heard his child play “A Maiden’s Prayer” on the piano, whereas some garage trucks already had Beethoven’s “Für Elise” as a ‘jingle’ when they were imported from Europe. But this could be ‘rubbish’ too!
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10. Watch a performance on a funeral truck
Have you heard about the funeral trucks in Taiwan, also known as Taiwanese electric flower cars?
These are bright neon mobile stages with pumping sound systems, where strippers or singers perform during funeral processions and temple events.
Their job is to strip, dance and sing for the deceased in an effort to celebrate life and please wandering spirits. These performances have been taking place in Taiwan for many decades.
We’ve seen a few of these trucks during our time in Taiwan, but have only seen the singing and dancing, not stripping!
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11. Houtong Cat Village
Keeping on the pet-theme, a ‘purrfect’ day-trip from Taipei and easy train ride away is Houtong Cat Village.
A former mining town in the mountains outside of Taipei, it is now more famous for looking after lots of cats, with lots of paw-some themed cat cafes (check out Hide and Seek Cafe) and stores.
The Houtong train station has resident cats (there used to be station master moggy) plus even the railway bridge is shaped like a cat.
There are over a 100 cats living in and around the Houtong Village and local residents have built them little kitty shelters plus feed them.
Houtong Cat Village is a direct train from Taipei Main Station or can be combined with a day along the famous Pingxi Line, where you can release lanterns on the railway in Shifen, or see numerous waterfalls.
Read more in our guide to Houtong Cat Village >
You might like – Our guide to the natural wonders of Wulai, an easy day-trip from Taipei >
12. Taipei’s wonky post boxes
Special delivery – meet the most famous wonky post boxes in Taiwan, ‘Little Red’ & ‘Little Green’! In 2015, typhoon Soudelour devastated Taiwan, including bending these postboxes in downtown Taipei.
After the storms, these two tough mailboxes featured on the local news and locals began to take pictures & selfies with them.
The imperfect postboxes became a symbol of resilience so the Taiwanese mail service left them as is, wonky stands and all – you can still post letters in them today and everything posted in these two boxes gets a special postal stamp.
If you want to visit, the Taipei post boxes can be found here >
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13. Unusual Taipei manhole covers
The streets of Taipei are adorned with colorful Taiwanese manhole covers – there is even a dedicated map you can follow.
From cherry blossom manholes in Shilin to classic Taipei 101 manhole cover designs, get spotting some of these sublime sewer covers.
There are 24 different Taipei Taiwan manhole cover designs at the time of writing in March 2025, spread across a dozen Taipei city districts – read our guide here >
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14. Get up close to a capybara
Located a little way out of downtown Taipei, Capybara Knight is one of the more unusual pet cafes in Taipei – who needs cat cafes when you can visit a capybara cafe?
The world’s largest rodent, capybaras are now popping up in cafes all over Asia. Capybara Knight is home to Ba La (girl) and Ga Ba (boy) capybaras plus ducks, rabbits, a cat and dog – quite the menagerie.
It costs NT$100 to get access to the cafe where there are lots of themed Mochi capybara cakes and treats (like waffles) plus an additional fee to then spend time in the capybara enclosure.
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15. Stinky Tofu
Love it or loathe it, you can’t escape stinky tofu at the night markets in Taipei (mainly because the smell hits you from meters away).
This iconic snack is made from cubes of firm tofu marinated in a brine (that usually includes dried fish, meat and fermented milk) and left for months, then deep fried or steamed to serve.
The flavor is a bit of an acquired taste – slightly sour, and some say the worse it smells, the better it tastes (there are 13 different grades of stinky tofu).
Some may say it’s weird, many find it wonderful so at least make sure you try stinky tofu for yourself when in Taipei.
You might like – Guide to Taipei’s best night markets >
16. Taiwan Striped Bag Merchandise
Time for Taiwan’s tote-ally famous bag, Ga Ji Di 茄芷袋 – the iconic bag that isn’t that unusual and it is quite a common sight to see it on the streets of Taipei.
Sometimes jokingly referred to as a Grandma bag or Taiwan’s LV bag, what is weird and wonderful is the amount of merchandise you can get in the red, green and blue stripes.
You can even find an array of GaJi / Taiwan striped bag souvenirs from bubble tea carriers to glasses cases – there are several Taiwan shopping bag style EasyCards that always sell out.
Find out more about Taiwan’s famous striped bag or check out the best places in Taipei to buy souvenirs.
17. ‘Good Luck’ snacks
There are many tasty Taiwan snacks but one in particular is bought as much for good luck as it is for eating!
The familiar green packet of Taiwan’s Kuai Kuai coconut butter corn puffs can be seen everywhere, from supermarket shelves through to a common offering in temples.
Amazingly, it also features in many workplaces as a charm or amulet placed around computers or technology to stop them breaking.
So iconic is this Kuai Kuai / Guai Guai 乖乖Taiwan coconut puff, you can even buy Guai Guai merchandise like an EasyCard shaped like a miniature pack or even Kuai Kuai tissues.
From flavours to folklore, here is our guide to Taiwan’s Kuai Kuai corn puffs and culture >
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18. Ximending’s Tattoo Street
If you want a more lasting unusual souvenir from Taipei, you could always head to Tattoo Street in Ximending at night.
There are several tattoo shops located in one covered lane, all of which have tattoo ‘menu boards’ outside.
On our last visit, one tattoo shop was proving particularly popular as it had a rather cool cat out front drawing attention from passers by.
So if you want to get inked in Taipei, Ximending has a good choice of tattoo shops to choose from.
To find Tattoo Street in Ximending, just keep an eye out for the huge golden statue (a bit like a giant Oscar statue) that is holding a massive tattoo needle – quite the unique Taipei tourist attraction!
You might like – Our guide to Ximending’s Red House and bars >
19. Taipei stamps
Pretty much every attraction in Taipei (and across Taiwan) has their own stamp and ink set, often as part of a trail.
Grab a leaflet (or take your own book) and ink up the stamp, before pressing it down in your book – some attractions also offer free gifts if you find the full set of stamps.
The other great thing about collecting Taiwan ink stamps is that they are very light to carry so make a cool souvenir to take home that doesn’t take up too much luggage space.
Read more in our guide to collecting ink stamps in Taiwan >
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20. Taipei and Taiwan Mascots
From Beitou’s bear mascot to Badouzi bear cop near Keelung, there are some top Taiwan mascots you’ll see on your travels.
Whilst not on scale of Japan’s mascot mania, Taiwan mascots range from Mikan the station master cat in Kaohsiung to Taiwan 7-Eleven’s alien dog mascot, Open Chan, which even has its own themed 7-Elevens in Taipei.
Many of the mascots have their own Taiwan souvenir stamps plus some Taiwan mascots and cartoon characters even have their own stores, like Bugcat Capoo House in Taichung.
Such is the cultural cache of these characters, there has even been Taiwan mascot competitions where mascots from all over Formosa meet up and take part in races.
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21. UFO Claw Machines
Taipei has loads of gaming centers and arcades and along with gachapon toy capsule machines, one of the most common sites is the UFO catchers (also known as claw machines in some countries).
Whilst they can be quite hard to win at (who said ‘fixed’?), common prizes include plushies, watches, games or jewelry.
However, on our regular visits to Taipei over the years, we have seen some truly unusual UFO Claw machine prizes, from a kettle to liquid detergent. We also really liked the Ferrero Rocher UFO claw machine – choc-tastic!
You might like – Things to do in Taipei with kids >
22. Big c*ck pineapple cake
Taipei is famous for its pineapple cake but if you want to try a slightly more unusual version, a few shops (including a famous Ximending branch) sell pineapple cakes in the shapes of willies (talk about big d*ck energy).
Honestly, this is a thing – we aren’t making up a ‘c*ck and bull’ story – this pineapple cake might not be for the prudish and probably not the ideal gift to take home to your daily or colleagues (unless your work-place is every open).
P*nis pineapple cakes ‘come’ in all sizes, from small to very ‘schlong’ – but remember, it’s always cake quality over quantity (probably).
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23. Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple Food Street
We think this might be our favorite thing to do in Dadaocheng – it is unusually wonderful that it is a fine food court in the grounds of the temple.
The Cisheng Food Street must be one of the most serene street food settings in the world, with a huge outdoor seating area, surrounded by banyan trees and next to the temple.
There are around 20 or so stalls selling traditional Taiwanese tidbits, from pig trotters to congee, fried oysters to Sishen soup.
Cisheng Temple Market Food Court featured on the recent Taipei episode of Somebody Feed Phil on Netflix. Phil explores the Dadaocheng neighborhood and meets up with Instagrammer Charlene Yang to eat at the Usu-Tasi Pork Noodles stall.
When we visited, it was a warm sunny afternoon and most of the tables were busy, with local groups of elderly gentlemen, many of whom seemed to be enjoying big bowls with big beers – ganbei!
24. Keelung hot dog bus stop / themed bus stop
Located a short train/bus journey from Taipei – Keelung Zhengbin Fishing Harbour is a popular photo shoot spot with an American diner / hot-dog themed bus stop.
This particular Keelung bus-stop is covered in American diner style graphics and is a homage to the hotdog. There are several other themed bus stops in Keelung including a technology themed one down the road at City God Temple.
In case you are wondering, the hotdog themed bus stop in Zhengbin Fishing Harbor is actually sponsored by Taiwan Farm Industry Co and shows different cuts of meat.
It is to encourage tourism and selfie pics but also create funds for Keelung’s transport infrastructure through bus-stop sponsorship.
25. TENGALAND Taipei
‘Coming’ soon to Taiwan? We’re so ‘excited’ to talk about TENGA, Japan’s top (self) love toy that now has a store in Xinyi’s ATT 4 FUN mall.
TENGA is one of those ‘adult’ products that you may or may not want to know about – there are lots of interesting latex gadgets and fantastic plastic gadgets may bring some ‘pleasure’ to those that use them.
TENGA suction cups are a popular self-love tool and this store also has lots of TENGA Taipei merchandise like t-shirts, models, magnets and even robots and gashapons.
Tens of millions of TENGA products have been sold in over 40 countries worldwide so it isn’t Taipei!
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26. Taipei Maid Cafes
‘Maid’ in Taipei, not Japan. The popular Japanese trend of maid cafes and cosplay cafes are now creeping into Taiwan including Yumemi Maid Cafe in Gongguan and one at Syntrend Mall in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District.
At Taiwan’s maid cafes, you usually get to eat themed food whilst the maids sing, dance and draw cartoon characters. Food for thought!
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27. Taiwan Not Thailand t-shirts
There are lots of fun t-shirts to buy in Taipei – but one of the most unusual t-shirts found by one of our Taiwan Facebook group members is this ‘Taiwan Not Thailand’ t-shirt which was bought at Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
It is sad that people really don’t know the difference between Taiwan vs Thailand – and we at Taiwanderers know how amazing a country it is. In this instance, it’s just wonderful!
28. Blind box Drink Vending Machines
Anyone else like Taipei’s colorful character vending machines (some with blind box drinks)?
We spotted these mainly dotted around Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Huashan 1914 Creative Park and Ximending.
Please note these shots were taken a few months ago so designs / mystery cans may vary now! And we wonder what mystery drink you will get…
You might like – 30+ best Taiwanese foods guide >
Our final unusual and weird thing to do in Taipei
29. Treasure Hill Artist Village
A short walk from Gongguan MRT Station, Treasure Hill Artist Village is an interesting place to visit (free to walk around too). It is an old settlement with many abandoned houses and areas that have been turned into artists studios (and many residents still live there).
From robot workshops to neon light installations, Treasure Hill Artist Village is a ‘treasure trove’ of street art, fun installations and a few outdoor sculptures. Even the squash courts near the river are adorned with vibrant murals.
The whole area feels a little run down and abandoned and is all a bit curious (albeit quirkily creative).
The best bit is just wandering around the village without a plan, discovering artworks in out-houses or on tree-covered terraces – just remember some people still live here so try to be respectful of their privacy and homes.
Incidentally, another unusual attraction nearby Treasure Hill is the Taipei Museum of Drinking Water – a former pump station now open to the public and a popular wedding photography spot.
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