From classic souvenirs to the latest high-end gifts. A local report on the most popular Taiwanese souvenirs in 2019

Good taste, good appearance, good size. "Heian Turtle" is a good-luck gift item

Ping An Gue is a cute turtle-shaped snack with the delicious aroma of peanuts and sesame. It is made with simple ingredients other than peanuts and sesame, including malt, sugar, and sea salt. The peanuts are kneaded with malt and have a slightly chewy texture, and the ground sesame gives them a crunchy texture.

It is a familiar ingredient to Japanese people, and the taste is easy for anyone to accept. A small pack of four costs about 500 yen. It is inexpensive, but comes in a sturdy box, so even a small amount makes a great souvenir.

Li Ting Xiang, which produces and sells these Heian Turtles, is a long-established confectionery store with over 120 years of history. Currently, the main store is located on Dihua Street, but when it first opened, it was located in front of Yonglian Temple in Luzhou, on the outskirts of Taipei. At the time, it made sweets to be offered to worshippers. Despite this background, the confectionery store has adapted its traditional sweets to suit the modern era and passed them down to the present day.

Heian Turtle was inspired by the traditional turtle-shaped rice cake called Ang Kueh. Turtles are considered lucky charms in Taiwan as well as in Japan. They are a symbol of longevity and good fortune, making them the perfect gift.

At the main store, there are wooden molds for sweets (molds for the patterns engraved on the surface of sweets) and paper placed in front of the store, so you can enjoy printmaking as you like. It's not often you get the chance to try printmaking, so it's a fun experience that will make you feel like a child again. They also hold workshops where you can experience making sweets on an irregular basis, and are enthusiastic about spreading the word about sweet making and traditions, so please check their website.

There are branches at Mitsukoshi (department store) near MRT Zhongshan Station and Weifong Department Store in the Xinyi area. They are in places that are easy for tourists to find. Heian Kame has all the qualities of a great souvenir: taste, appearance, and price. The expiration date is 20 days. Don't forget to buy one for yourself.

Not satisfied with Taiwanese tea? Experience the new Taiwan with "TAI CHI COFFEE," a hybrid of tea and coffee

TAI CHI COFFEE is a slightly unusual drip bag. What makes it unique is that it is a blend of coffee and tea, a drink that is neither coffee nor tea, but a combination of both. Its Chinese name is Tai Chi Tea Coffee. It is not a product created to be unique, but a drip bag that was created with a golden ratio that can only be achieved by a deep knowledge of tea and coffee, and it took four years to bring it to market.

When you drink it, you will feel the strong coffee flavor at first, but as you continue to drink it, the tea comes to the forefront. When you finish drinking it, you will notice the strange sensation of the aroma of tea spreading in your mouth. It is a refreshing coffee with a refreshing tea aroma. A good Taiwanese tea is one whose aroma lingers in your mouth for a long time. It is blended using this characteristic, so you can feel the wonderfulness of Taiwanese tea with this TAI CHI COFFEE.

The creator of TAI CHI COFFEE is Mr. Li, the owner of Te' Zao Ka, which manufactures and sells the coffee. After 10 years of frequent visits to tea and coffee producing regions, TAI CHI COFFEE was born from his desire to create something unique. This series includes the "TAI CHI COFFEE Shang Shen Zu Ha" drip bag set, which combines Taiwan's distinctive teas and carefully roasted coffees, such as Taiwan's Hongyu, a fermented tea similar to black tea, with coffee from Nicaragua, honey-scented oolong tea, and Ethiopian coffee, and the "FLORENCE-ALL COFFEE," which combines Taiwan's Alishan coffee with Taiwan's Baozhong tea, in a pack of five.

The Alishan coffee used in "FLORENCE-ALL COFFEE" is made from beans grown in a field that has been used to grow Qingshan Oolong tea for 20 years, so it has a special aroma similar to oolong tea and is said to go very well with tea.

Taiwanese tea is world famous for its fragrant and high quality, but high-quality domestic coffee made using delicate techniques has also been gaining attention in recent years. High-quality "tea coffee" can only be made in Taiwan. This is the perfect souvenir for those looking for something unique to bring home.

Find a pair of shoes you like from a treasure trove. Find a gift for women with "hand-embroidered flower shoes"

China shoes have been featured in Japanese guidebooks for some time now. Although they weren't that popular until recently, they have recently become something of a fad.

There are many stores selling Chinese shoes all over Taiwan, but they are all sold in shoe stores near old-fashioned markets, where the goods are piled high and double-stacked, with both good and bad shoes all mixed together.

In Taiwan, Chinese shoes are called "Shou Gong Shou Hua Xie" (hand-made embroidered shoes). As the word "hand-made" suggests, everything except the embroidery is still handmade. There is no reason why these gorgeous Chinese shoes with shiny satin fabric and embroidery will continue to be overlooked. In Japan, some people have started to wear them in recent years, and gradually they have begun to realize the fun of digging out their own treasures from the pile of shoes.

They are made of fabric, so they are light and soft to wear. Some people are concerned about the thinness of the soles, but perhaps because they are so light, they can be worn for a surprisingly long time. Like mules, they can be worn with pants or skirts, and because the fabric is shiny, they can be worn for weddings and other events with a clean style. There are also types with straps, indoor slippers, and subdued colors such as gray and brown, so women will lose track of time and become engrossed in choosing shoes.

The price range is also reasonable. Slippers are 300 yuan, and shoes are 350 yuan. It's a price range that allows you to easily buy several pairs to take home, so ask your friends what size they want before you go and give them a souvenir.

What everyone loves is the "everyday item" that everyone uses. The high-class toothbrush "Genki Takega Brush"

Taiwan has a large amount of bamboo and a wide variety of bamboo, so various household items have been made from bamboo since ancient times. Before plastic became widespread, homes were filled with bamboo products, and even today bamboo products are an essential part of Taiwanese folk art. Many items, from household utensils to handicrafts, are made from bamboo, including baskets, colanders, spoons, chopsticks, fly screens for dining tables, chairs, bamboo sheets, electric umbrellas, and tea ceremony utensils.

Yuantai Bamboo Arts is a bamboo brand established by the third generation of a family that has been making bamboo goods for generations. The product we would like to recommend this time is a toothbrush called Yuanqi Bamboo Toothbrush. This bamboo toothbrush is made by hand one by one, so it is a slightly high-end toothbrush that costs about 500 yen in Japanese yen.

The brushes are made from natural horse or pig hair, and the bamboo handle is finished with linseed oil and beeswax. Not only are they safe to use, but animal hair toothbrushes are strong and will not become bent like nylon bristles. The bristles are large and remove dirt well, so many customers buy them again and again, with some even buying dozens the second time. As long as you drain the water well after use, they can be used for a long time, so they're not expensive.

Toothbrushes are something that everyone uses every day. They are light and small, so even if you buy a lot, they won't take up much space, and they are made of materials that are typical of Taiwan. In addition to the regular size, there are many variations, such as thin bristles, children's toothbrushes with small and short heads and handles, and white and black toothbrushes. They are easy to carry while traveling, so some people even buy toothbrushes for children. They look cool, so they make a stylish gift for both men and women.

It's fine to buy souvenirs in bulk at the airport or souvenir shops, but the best part of choosing souvenirs is finding something that no one else has. Choosing a souvenir that is unique to you and that you can give to someone special is the fun of traveling. Please use this as a reference.

Yuka Aoki

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1972. Currently living in Taiwan. Introduces Taiwan to Japan through her work as an essayist and coordinator. Her books published in Japan include "The Best Taiwan" and "Bringing Home the Good Things of Taiwan." Her book "Strange Taiwan," published by a Taiwanese publisher, became a bestseller. In 2013, she received the Taiwan Tourism Contribution Award. Owner of Taipei shop and gallery "You Good I Good." Serialized in the Hobonichi magazine "Taiwan's Windows."