Ximen Metro Mall gets a trendy anime-themed makeover

Ximen Metro Mall gets a trendy anime-themed makeover

2026-01-30

Tourists visiting popular Ximending on the Taipei Metro would once typically head to Exit 6 to get out of its underground mall and deserted shops. Not anymore. Now a developer has transformed Ximen Metro Mall into a hub for anime and K-pop. There are also trendy cosmetic and accessory stores. Since it’s opening at the end of last year, foot traffic to this underground mall has increased by nearly 60%. Let’s find out more

The shop windows are replete with dolls and miniature models, while in another area there is the first-ever cosmetics vending machine in this underground mall, paired with a retro photo sticker booth, making the small shop packed with people.

Member of the public
Previously I had to go to many different places to find these kinds of shops, but now there’s a wide variety here, so it’s easier to find them all at once.

Member of the public
I imagined underground shopping malls probably wouldn’t be so clean or attractive, but I think it’s quite beautifully done up now, with a consistent theme. The kind of walkway that’s very Instagrammable and really draws people in.

Ximen Metro Mall has had a makeover. It opened at the end of last year, and now attracts at least 10,000 visitors daily. Compare this with earlier footage. In 2002, the Taipei City Government invested over NT$1.67 billion to renovate this underground mall, but subsequent attempts to attract investment all did not amount to much. In 2017, then-Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je spent over NT$50 million in renovations, with a grand plan for transforming it into an anime and cultural and creative hub, but ultimately a row of 16 shops remained unused and abandoned. That is, until a savior arrived.

Chou Shang-min
Ximen Metro Mall Manager
We’ve combined pop culture, trend-driven concepts, and fandom-related businesses. About 90% of the shops have now been leased.

Taiwan’s underground shopping malls often give an impression of being dimly lit and chaotic. The Ximen Metro Mall has moved beyond the traditional model of simply leasing space. Instead, all businesses are organized around a unique theme. By featuring the most popular anime and K-Pop themes, it targets Ximending’s young and diverse visitors.

Wang Li-mei
Guangfu Borough chief, Taipei
Now the foot traffic has increased by 40% to 50%, almost 60%, because before there were very few people, and I was quite worried. Hardly anyone was going into the shops. If there are more young people, it will naturally energize the entire commercial area, turning this place into a popular destination.

Visitors can experience all the latest trends in one place, a place that truly turns people flows into cash flows.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#Taiwantourism #Ximending #Anime #Kpop #urbanplanning

華麗變身! 西門地下街 KPOP、動漫進駐吸年輕人朝聖

2026-01-30

以往觀光客到西門町，往往都是直奔六號出口，到地面逛街，地下街人流慘淡，16間店面，更是長年荒廢閒置。但現在有業者以主題規劃，把整條西門地下街，打造成動漫跟KPOP的潮流天堂，不只有專輯店進駐，動漫周邊、美妝小物，這裡都能買到！去年底開幕至今，讓地下街造訪人流提高近六成。

這邊的櫥窗滿滿公仔、模型，在另一處則有首度進駐地下街的美妝販賣機，搭配復古拍貼，讓小小店面，擠滿人潮。

[[民眾]]
"之前都要跑比較多地方，才看得到（這些店），然後現在這裡，比較多種類，所以比較好一次找到。"

[[民眾]]
"想像中地下街，可能沒有那麼的乾淨跟吸引人，然後我覺得，現在做得蠻漂亮，而且會是有一個，一致的主題性。滿網美街的那種，然後滿吸引人的。"

西門地下街改頭換面，去年底開幕，單日人流破萬。對比先前畫面，2002年北市府斥資16億7千多萬，改造地下街，但之後，三次招商，次次流標。2017年，柯文哲陸續砸了5千多萬整頓，發豪語要變身北市動漫文創基地，但後來一整排16家店面，閒置荒廢，直到救星登場！

[[西門地下街營運業者周上閔]]
"把所有的流行文化、潮流文化，還有一些粉絲經濟的東西，去結合在一起。大概90%的店家，都已經招商出去。"

台灣地下街，往往給人昏暗、雜亂的印象，西門地下市，突破以往單純招商的營運模式，改以特殊主題企劃，串聯所有進駐業者。以時下最流行的動漫跟K-POP為號召，鎖定客群，當然就是西門年輕、多元的觀光客。

[[北市光復里里長王麗美]]
"現在（人流）已經多四五成以上了，大概快六成，因為之前真的人非常的稀少，我也很擔心，商家幾乎沒有人進駐。年輕人一多的話，也順便會帶動，這邊整個商圈，一個活動，這變成一個很好的景點。"

旅客來此，能一站逛到所有潮流，將人流真正轉換成金流。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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It’s pretty good. They get a chance to experience different kinds of activities than students at other schools.

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With the recent cold weather, many people have been enjoying hot pot in the comfort of their own homes using portable gas stoves. But first responders said they have recently seen patients with injuries from these stoves exploding. Wanting to cook more food faster, they used a pot too big for the stove, heating up the gas canister on the side and causing it to explode.

Taiwanese actor Ming Dao warns of the dangers of using portable gas stoves. Many people use small stoves like this to cook hot pot at home, but it’s important not to heat up the gas canister on the side.

Firefighters described these portable stoves as “grenades on the table.” They said people had recently been injured with metal shrapnel from one of them. Wanting to cook more food at once, a group of young people used a pot too big for the small stove, causing the gas canister on the side to heat up and explode.

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Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine prototype, the Narwhal, is at Kaohsiung Harbor, escorted by Marine Corps assault boats and CSBC workboats. It’s heading out again after successfully completing its first submerged tests.

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I’m so happy. It looks like everything’s going well. It’s especially apparent when it’s navigating, its turns are so slick, so smooth.

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There is a possibility?

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Possibility and maybe even probability. You know? Who knows?

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“At the moment, there is no related information, but if Nvidia submits a request, the city government will provide assistance.”

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