“You definitely have to visit Monster Village when you are coming to Nantou!” my Taiwanese friend excitedly recommended. Thinking it was a haunted theme park, I went with much trepidation. The fear turned into pure glee when I realized that Monster Village is a kooky Japanese-style village located at the entrance of Xitou Nature Education Area (溪頭自然教育園區). And the monsters were cute ones – 大好きな！This monster-themed attraction is especially popular with domestic day trippers to the Nantou area since it opened in 2011, drawing more than 200,000 visitors monthly.
Entrance of Monster Village
Before its fame, the place was originally Ming Shan Hotel (明山森林會館) serving mainly domestic visitors. A food vendor selling sausages nearby decided to use a giant red Japanese Tengu face with a long sausage nose for publicity. As more and more people got to know about the humorous publicity gimmick via social media, the hotel got so many calls asking about “this monster sausage place 妖怪村” that they decided to re-build the resort into a monster-themed village. As for the sausage seller – he shut down just months before the hype materialised so he never got to cash in on that success. He did try to set up stall again, but wasn’t able to compete with the other sausage stalls which had also set up. Well, that’s life sometimes…
Here’s the famous “sausage nose” lol
Village Square
There are lots of good photo points, so be sure to bring your camera, and smiles :)
The attraction adds a new monster to the village every year, and these greenies are this year’s latest additions. Not sure if they are ducks, relatives of Shrek or whatever haha.
There are regular shows at the village, such as this fortune-telling monster.
Making a wish and sending it over to the monster for advice
Fancy a ride on the Monster Train?
Cute shuttle bus
Off we go to explore the shops and eateries!
Even the dads get into the ‘act cute’ moments
Erm, excuse me but there are 2 monsters above you…
Oopsie!
Monster Mail
I wonder if they get delivered, or devoured in monster speed too
Play a game with the Lucky Lion 招财狮, and collect your prize at its very strategic location! *shy* So shy my photo was blur lol
The nostalgia started flowing when I saw these game stations
Drum up a monster tune
Or flaunt a monster fortune
Mountain King 山大王
The story goes that the Mountain King is an unlucky but kind man who becomes a mountain guardian to protect the good and punish the bad.
Get your fortune told by the Mountain King for TWD10, that’s definitely a bargain haha
Japanese-inspired elements are prevalent at the attraction, such as this pool which you will find at most Japanese temples.
Bubbles are fun
Decorative carts which make good photo points
Scheduled music performances at the centre of the village
Look around you and you may spot something tongue-in-cheek – such as this movie poster for “Anus Man.”
Boo!
Food stalls and shops line this road leading to the Xitou Forest Recreation Area
They do not have KFC here, but they have KEC with a geisha hen as mascot
Fancy an eyeball dumpling?
The Black-Hearted Shop sells black sesame and matcha soft serve, licky licky!
Happy food vendor
Even the drinks are packaged so interestingly
A lot of locals will go hiking at Xitou Forest Recreation Area in the morning, and stop by here to buy some local vegetables on their way home. They are really fresh and cheap.
Drooling at the peaches…I want to dive right in and eat them all up
Get a photo taken with Kuma 枯麻 (a sun bear) and Badou 八豆 (a clouded leopard), the two main mascots of the village.
We spotted a long queue forming in front of Kubota bakery久保田面包店, waiting for the freshly baked ham and cheese bread called咬人猫面包（man-biting cat bread) which is sold only at 10.30AM and 2:30PM daily.
Start queuing 20 minutes before if you wish to try, and each person is only allowed to buy 2 pieces to ensure enough supply. You may want to keep the bread wrapper too – there’s a serialised number which you can see if you have won a prize from the village.
Ta da, the famed ham and cheese bread
Be sure to stop by the Monster Post shop to grab some souvenirs. They are all designed and produced in-house, so they make really good presents.
The items are all very tongue-in-cheek, so come with your sense of humour and you will definitely enjoy your visit :)
Cheeky snacks
Blood Pack Lamp
A cheeky take on the country’s famous Kinmen Kaoliang – this one is Gangmen (anus in Mandarin) Kaoliang lol
Sweets with very witty packaging
The many ways to say good bye
Give it to your frenemy or an admirer who cannot get the hint
Hmmm…
This, was an instant hit with my male friends who asked me to buy for them lol. Sorry to disappoint, I don’t think the milk sweets really work that way :p
The ladies will know what this is… it’s actually just tea with an alternative packaging
This one is interesting – it’s instant cup noodles packed in a rocket carton haversack
A good gift to get for your branded female friends – cakes with LV-inspired packaging
Feeling hungry? Try their signature wood fire-roasted chicken
The ambiance of the restaurant is retro 60s, quite cool
八豆妖？
The Hokkien for “Are you hungry?” And yes, Taiwan Beer is “very song” haha
We had the set menu for 10pax. At TWD2500, it worked out to be about only S$10.50/USD7.80 per person, very affordable and we ate like kings and queens.
The chef (yes dressed in soldier uniform) helping to cut the chicken for us
Mmmmm…the fragrant smell! Can’t wait to start eating!
Preserved Vegetables with Braised Pork Belly
Braised Yam
Fried River Shrimps
Fried Pumpkin with Basil Leaf
Hotplate Tofu
Fried Mountain Vegetables
Sweet Sour Fish
And of course, beer!
These are Taiwan Beer with the attraction’s own branding
I had so much fun, I am turning into a monster myself! lol
Monster Village is not really big so you can cover it quite quickly, but the beauty of the place unfolds when you take time to go around and appreciate the little touches and effort put in to make the place fun. It’s also a great place to buy souvenirs home (I had many requests from friends when I uploaded the cheeky snacks on social media). I would recommend setting aside 2 to 3 hours to visit Monster Village.
You can combine Monster Village with nearby attractions in Nantou, or go hiking at Xitou Forest Recreation Area in the day time. The forest belonging to the National Taiwan University houses a great variety of trees including cedars, rare redwood species as well as bird / firefly watching activites during the right season. Go on the Skywalk for an aerial view of the nature reserve.
Xitou Monster Village溪头松林町 妖怪村溪头妖怪村
No. 2-3, Xingchan Rd, Lugu Township Nantou County, 558, Taiwan
南投縣鹿谷鄉內湖村興產路2-3號, 558
Opening hours: Mon – Fri 10:00AM – 8:00PM; Sat & Sun: 10:00AM – 9:00PM
Free Admission
Website: http://www.mingshan.com.tw
Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheMonsterVillage
Getting There
1) Sun Moon Lake – Xitou Shuttle
Take the Sun Moon Lake – Xitou shuttle bus line which covers attractions in the Nantou area.
2) Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 台灣好行
Take Taiwan Tourist Shuttle at Taichung Gancheng Bus Station (台中干城車站), Taichung Train Station (台铁台中站), or Taichung HSR Station (台中高鐵站). Get off at the last stop- Xitou (溪頭) and walk about 5 minutes to Nantou Monster Village. A one way ticket costs NT175 per person, and round trip is about NT330. Take note that the last bus from Xitou to Taichung is 1720hrs, so it will be wise to get your bus tickets back once you reach Xitou to avoid missing the last bus.
3) Public Bus
Take Taichung Bus or Yuanlin Bus from Taichung Gancheng Bus Station (台中干城車站) directly to Xitou (溪頭)/Shanlinsi (杉林溪). Get off at Xitou and take a 5-minute walk to Nantou Monster Village.
Read more of my travels in Taiwan
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