Hayashi Department Store

This historical building was once not only the highest architecture but also the one and only shopping mall in Tainan back in the 30’s, under the Japanese occupancy. Nowadays it is still one of the most interesting retail and tourist attractions in this fascinating city, offers customers many selections of snacks, gifts, fashion, crafts and arts. Imagine you’re shopping in a ambience shop that’s surrounded by a eclectic vibe, as well as a colourful merchandise collection. A must see spot and hot spot when you come to Tainan.

The Hayashi Department Store has a time warp aesthetic. Beautiful store just to walk through and imagine what department stores were like in the 1960s. There is a display of miniature art that is beautiful as well. There is a shinto shrine on the roof.

Neat department store with a lot of interesting history. There are 6 floors including the rooftop levels. The stores feature many local Taiwanese artisans and creative businesses, and there is a café and a dessert shop on the 5th floor. There are some signs explaining the different vintage/historical features of the building, including the sliding doors and the rooftop shrine.

A very interesting departmental store unlike any other. From the architecture to the retro interior design, you were instantly brought back to the olden days the moment you step in. It's fun to just wander around the building even though you ended up buying nothing. There's even a small shrine at the rooftop and the lighting at night makes it a great spot to take photos.

A famous store that carries a lot of local merchandises. Not a big scale but with unique goods. I could spend more time in there but left after 1 hour, and bought a bag of pork jerky (average taste)

Beautifully restored heritage building with carefully curated products. I thought I wouldn't spend too much time but I was wrong,.spend quite a bit of time looking through the products. Shout-out to this earring shop at level 2, they can change it to "ear clip" on the spot - suitable for those without ear piercing.

A "must see" if you are interested in a relic from the Japanese colonial period. Interesting to learn that Taiwan was once ruled by the Japanese for half a century and that this area was once known as the "Ginza" of Tainan. Of note, the restrooms were tiny and the tofu pudding desserts served on the 5th floor cafe were delicous but servings were on the petite size. They also require each person to order something. Displays were in Chinese only but you can learn alot more about this relic doing a web search.

Has many different goods available. From household goods to fashion goods, one can find things that they like. They have quite a variety of Taiwan edible goodies on the first floor. The 5th has a cafe which serves delicious pastries and the soft toufu dessert. There is even a small souvenir shop on the top floor! Must go! Definitely worth a visit.

Super cool historic shopping building that dedicated each floor yo unique designs. For example, one floor is for clothing and fashion, while another is for fun food and edible confections. You'll pay a bit more for items thanks to its location. There's an elevator but it goes between floors 1 and the fifth floor roof. On the roof is a café and a gift shop, plus a hidden shinto shrine. It's a great place to browse for an hour tops, especially thanks to air conditioning.

This is the oldest department store in Tainan. For a period of time it was not in use, but recently local business owners and government made efforts to revitalize this architectural and historical gem. Every floor has a specific theme. For example the first floor sells various packed snacks you can take home to friends and family, and the other floors sell accessories, clothing, shoes, souvenirs, and so on. The Shinto shrine on the roof is worth seeing. Try to visit in the late afternoon or early morning if possible, to avoid the intense heat. The department store also has many spaces for pictures and mini museums which tell the history of the building.

Not often do we make it a point to visit a place because of its elevator...yet here we are! Hayashi Department Store was one of the first places in Taiwan to have an elevator and this state-of-the-art technology drew numerous tourists. To honour this age old tradition, we also trekked to Hayashi in hopes of riding this famous contraption. The elevator was, indeed, interesting. They kept its original operational and aesthetic style from the early 1930s, allowing only 5 people on at a time and only travelling between the first and fifth floor of the 6 floors. It was like going into a time machine. While nice, the rest of the store had much more to offer and turned out to be way more interesting. Today, Hayashi Department Store is still a department store, but not of general goods. Instead, it's become a rustic fairytale Pinterest fantasy. Handmade Japanese and Taiwanese-style specialty souvenirs are sold in what seems like a consignment basis. With all the different artistic styles, it almost felt more like a museum rather than just a department store. Artistic ceramics, traditional-style tote bags, hipster Asian clothing. There are definitely some fantastic gift ideas here. How about a luggage tag in the shape of bubble tea? Or handcrafted soap that look like a slice of colourful fudge? On the very top of Hayashi Department Store, you get a slightly impressive view of the city (it's only the 6th floor), but you also get to indulge in some traditional and western style treats. According to a friend, he had the best tofu pudding ever here (unfortunately I missed out on this, so I'll just have to take his word for it). Hayashi Department Store definitely makes a neat little landmark. Shopping, history, food, it's got it all. (51/100) - 2019

The very first department store built in Tainan, iconic and historic landmark, only six stories, small on each floor, good city view on the top.

This place has been renovated. This is the first department store in Tainan and they re did to make it kind of like a small department store / historical landmark. There are a lot of historical pieces with explanations on what part of the old structure they were from or what they were used for. The top floor has a small cafe with tea and small bites. There's also another tea shop and an ice cream store. The view at top is beautiful and they kept the Japanese style shrine that was there since it was built. Every floor sells something local to Tainan or Taiwan itself, whether it be the style or craftsmanship. It's like a glamorous souvenir shop and some of the stuff they have there is pretty amazing if you look hard enough. The first floor sells food gifts in nice packaging. I always end up going there to get gifts for my bosses back in the states. They also sometimes have strange and bizarre new things to try...like this time I discovered a corn husk/whisker tea that I need to try!

This is an old fashioned department store left from the ninetieth century. The building is a six story floor that features local culture handicrafts and food for attraction area in Tainan. There is also restaurants located on the top of the building and an observation deck. On the first floor, it is like a gift shop that sells Taiwanese traditional food, drinks, tea leaves and clothing. I would suggest you to go up the elevator to the six floor on the observation deck and walk down the stairs because there is only one elevator available and if you're unlucky to be there on a crowded day, then you may find yourself lining up for the tiny elevator that only holds 8 people at a time.

Lots of history here. Nice souvenirs. A bit pricey cafe but tasty. DVD playing shows history of some Japanese Taiwanese. Lots of snacks and sauces to buy. Nice view on the roof.