Hayashi Department Store
林百貨
Taiwan's second department store, opened in 1932; Tainan's first elevator and rooftop shrine have survived, and the building is now a landmark for creative souvenirs.
Hayashi Department Store stands at the intersection of Zhongyi Road and Zhongzheng Road in Central West District, Tainan. Founded in 1932 by the Japanese merchant Lin Fang-yi, it was Taiwan's second department store and southern Taiwan's first. The five-story reinforced concrete building, plus a rooftop, was the tallest in Tainan at the time and was nicknamed the Five-Story Building. It had Tainan's first elevator, locally called liu-lung (flowing cage), and a rooftop Japanese shrine called Suehiro Shrine, along with a lookout. Toward the end of World War II, the building was hit by Allied bombing, and the bullet marks remain. After the war it served as a salt administration office and a police station. It sat vacant for years before being restored and reopened in 2014 as a department store focused on Tainan creative goods and souvenirs. The first floor sells old Tainan brand snacks and teas (such as Tainan kumquat, Yifeng winter melon tea and Liande Hall pancakes). Floors two to four hold clothing, design goods and exhibitions on old buildings. The fifth floor has a café and a restaurant. The rooftop offers the restored shrine torii, bullet-hole traces from machine-gun fire, and a view over the old Zhongzheng Road. The old manually operated indicator elevator still runs and is a popular photo spot. Admission is free. Suggested itinerary: combine it with the Museum of Taiwan Literature across the street (the former Tainan Prefectural Office, a Baroque building, free admission), the Tainan Art Museum Building One next door (a former police station) and the Confucius Temple for a half-day walking route. The building's exterior lights are most beautiful at night when photographed from across the street. Getting there: about a 12-minute walk from Tainan Station, or take a bus to the Hayashi Department Store stop. Notes: the elevator carries only a few people at a time and requires queuing. The mall is crowded on weekends and holidays, and the rooftop shrine area is sometimes closed for events.
Opening hours
11:00 am–10:00 pm
Nearby sights
- Tainan Confucius Temple
- Museum of Taiwan Literature
- Tainan Judicial Museum
- Tainan Art Museum
- Sacrificial Rites Martial Temple
- Grand Mazu Temple
- Chihkan Tower (Fort Provintia)
- Guohua Street