Will you eat monsters? Fires fly, and tears flow -- a report from the Ueno Taiwan Festival 2025

Over the weekend, I went to the Taiwan Festival 2025 held at Ueno Park. The atmosphere was filled with heat, aromas, music and laughter, and it was hard to believe I was in the city center. I felt like I had wandered into another world.

A row of food stalls imitating Taipei's night markets were lined up, tempting visitors with countless Taiwanese delicacies such as braised pork rice, pepper buns, douhua, and aiyu... along with the fragrant steam. Among them, what particularly caught my eye were the many foods with a "yokai" motif. Yes, "yokai cuisine" was alive and well at this festival.

---

Original dishes with a yokai motif

The menu featured monster-themed dishes that combined Taiwanese tradition with humor, and the dishes were all visually delightful.

Particularly memorable were the "Super Spicy Red Chee Pai" (紅雞装) and "Medicinal Braised Chicken Feet (滷無碼雞爪)", named after the "blood-covered monster" Chicken Horn Spirit (け盞角精). The blood-red Chee Pai made a striking appearance. When you actually tasted it, you could taste the spiciness with a strong umami flavor that lingers in your mouth. It went perfectly with beer, and was especially delicious when eaten while sweating in the hot sun. And the collagen-packed braised chicken feet were soft and jiggly, just like pig's feet. The aroma of medicinal food filled your nose, and it was a dish that was packed with nutrients.

Others include: * "Monster Mala Beef Noodles" from the fire-breathing divine beast "Kirin𩗗" * "Black Chee Pie" from the man-eating monster bird "Mazakazakau" * "Honey Sweet Potato Crepes" from the handsome young monster "Jarou-kun" * "Black Tea" from the mischievous monster "Majinko" * "Fried Taro Donuts" from the Venus Mermaid

In addition to the monsters, there are also many rare gourmet foods. * Stewed minced pork and pickled cucumber "Cucumber Pickled Pork Rice (Gua Zi Meat Rice)" * Chewy "Skewered Squid Balls (Da Hua Shi Maru)" * "Taiwanese Sausage (Uyu Zi Xiang Chuang)" with the luxury ingredient dried mullet roe, etc.

---

An encounter with the Taiwanese monster "Kinrari (Golden Carp)"

While walking through the festival, I came across a rare monster at a booth with eye-catching golden decorations. Its name was "Kinrari (Golden Carp)". It is a sacred beast that looks like a pangolin and is said to be from Nantun District, Taichung City. It crawls out of the ground to cultivate the fields and help the crops grow, almost like a spirit of the earth. I will mention it at the end, but I remember He Jingyao, the author of the Taiwanese Monster Encyclopedia, calling it the "Wizard Pangolin" at a talk show. After that, I tried to meet pangolins on social media, and the reactions were good. It is said that in real life, there are still many mysteries surrounding it. It's cute. Pangolin.

This Kinrari is also a symbol of fertility that appears with the arrival of spring. There is a custom of wearing centipede geta and stomping on the ground on the Boy's Day to summon Kinrari. It is a messenger of abundance and good fortune, which overturns the image of a frightening monster.

---

God and the Five Demons Walked! Taoist Performance

One of the highlights of the festival is the parade of Taiwanese Taoist god Shoki and his followers, the Five Demons. Shoki, known as the god of warding off evil, walks through the venue with the Five Demons, scattering a kind of funeral money called Waifangji, like a ritual from another world. The sight of the paper flying through the air and the audience laughing as they pick it up is also a visualization of good fortune, warding off evil and bringing good luck.

It occurred to me that the act of scattering things around could be used in a Hyakki Yakou event. However... it does make a mess, doesn't it? (laughs)

---

A finale of flames and tears - the Fire Dance of Shinka Dance

Taiwan's strongest fire dance group, Coming True Fire Group, which brought tears to the eyes of visitors in 2024, is coming to Japan again this year. With a yokai-themed performance, they filled the venue at night with a fantastical glow.

They didn't just spin sticks, but also flaming hula hoops, flaming cubes, soft body tricks, and a gigantic dragon fire. The wave of amazing moments that followed one after another brought me to tears. What? Is it really worth watching this for this admission fee? It was such an overwhelming and moving performance that I wondered. It was a soul-shaking moment that was truly fitting for a finale.

---

What Yokai and Festivals Have in Common

What I felt from eating the yokai cuisine at the Taiwan festival was that unique sense of exhilaration that comes from the intersection of "different cultures" and "different worlds." I was reminded that both yokai and festivals have the power to break the shell of everyday life and take us to a "different world."

If the Yokai Shop were to set up a stall at this festival, one can only imagine what kind of dishes they would serve, such as "Ittan Momen Banh Mi," "Nurikabe Douhua," and "Kappa Fried Rice." The Yokai would no doubt be hiding in the shadows of the stalls, laughing.

I got to experience a different culture and encounter some monsters. That day at the festival was the best kind of "feast" I could have had.

And finally, it was a great reward to talk with Mr. He Jingyao, the author of the Taiwan Yokai Picture Book. He told me that yokai events are not yet very active in Taiwan, and we hit it off, saying, "Then let's get excited about it together in Taiwan!" The dream of a yokai festival for friendship between Japan and Taiwan has expanded greatly and it feels like it's becoming a reality.

---

Yokai Gourmet Advancement in Taiwan——Otherworldly tastes created during the Ueno Taiwan Festival

Last weekend, we will be participating in the ``Taiwan Festival 2025'' at Ueno Park. A space filled with enthusiasm, flavor, music and laughter, and a different world filled with memories of people.

There are many delicious dishes in Taipei night market, such as pork rice, big dumplings, bean blossoms, and balls. The most popular among them is the creative cuisine based on the theme of ``yokai''. Confusion, during the festival, full of ghosts and gourmet spirits.

---

Yokai-themed creative cuisine

A fusion of Taiwan's traditional and ghostly ghost theme cuisine, with a unique taste and taste, and a dozen outside hobbies.

A special impression of a serious person is a ``bloodthirsty specter'', a spirit-like ``hot-blooded red beetle'', and ``藥膳雞飞''. The blood of the red image is not visible, the impact is strong, the entrance is spicy, the scent is strong, the person's desire is irresistible, and the wine is carefully distributed.雞雞类类性豐富、诱豬腳general Q彈、藥芥营芥谣氣动子、It's one way to take care of yourself and delicious food.

Others include: ● ``Youkai Spicy Beef Noodles'' as in the eruption demon ``Kirin𩗗'' ● ``Black Drift'' as in the cannibal monster bird ``Basuda Kasakou'' ● ``Mischi Melon Thin Mochi'' as in the handsome boy yokai ``Jaburo-kun'' ● ``Sensusayama Koen Tea'' as in the case of the made-up drama yokai ``Mashinko'' ● Venus Mermaid's "Burning Potato Mud Ball"

Rare Taiwanese dishes from Kono Gaiya: ● ``Gourd meat rice'' ● ``Q Hua Ji Maru'' ● ``Wu fish roe fragrant intestine'', etc.

---

Encounter with the Taiwan monster “Gold Carp”

A ``Golden Carp''-like monster with gold-coloured decorations and a kind of ``Golden Carp'' appearance. It is the spiritual spirit of the stream in the central Nantun district of Taipei, the outer shape of the mountains, and the spiritual spirit of the earth that descends from the earth in every spring.

During the Dragon Boat Festival, the customs of the Chinese carp and carp are awakened by the return of Yukuo. The creepy monster is not afraid of people, and it is the messenger of fortune and wealth that will come.

---

Taoist performance by Zhong Kui and Goki

The first part of the festival was the journey of the Taoist gods, the gods, and the five demons. Shoki's ``Outer Paper'' is a rite of death, a journey to get rid of evil spirits, and a ritual to enter another world. Paper flying dance, people's conflicts picking up, setting individual scenes are also sacred.

Since the act of sowing seeds and blessings, he has been active as a Hyakki nocturnal. Sorry for the inconvenience...I have to return to the scene (lol).

---

The Final Chapter of Fire and Tears - Sokusho Seishinka Dance Band's Youkai Fire Dance

In 2024, the thrilling and unwatchable ``Sokusho Sei Shinka Dance Company'' will once again come to Japan, and will perform a monster-themed fire dance performance. The fire calls out to the flames, the flames form a mass, the soft body special skill reaches the gigantic dragon fire dance, and each act shakes the hearts of the people.

The real story: ``Is it really time to vote?'' A perfect and beautiful finale, with a unique performance by the audience.

---

Common points of Yokai and festivals

The Taiwanese festival's gourmet food and ghost activities have given me a serious sense of the charm of cross-cultural and otherworldly interweaving. Of course, it's a monster festival, a city lord disappears from everyday life, and a world enters.

Wakayokai-ya Mirai's exhibition at the Taiwan Festival, and dishes such as ``Ittanmokuso Etsu Nan Meiji'', ``Painted Bean Flower'', ``Kappa Fried Rice'', etc., recommended by the party, excited the imagination of the servants. There is also a certain corner of the story, and the story is written by a true monster.

During the Nozai Ichiban Festival, the culture of delicacy, monster encounters, words of wisdom, and the most delicious banquet.

Lastly, we had an exchange with Mr. He Jing-yao, the author of the Taiwanese Yokai Guidebook by Ariyuki Gaya. In Taiwan, activities on the theme of yōkai are about to spread. Taiwan's motivating monster culture is a promise that will come true in no time. The Japan-Taiwan friendly monster Ka Year Hua, the individual dreams, the memories, the truth, and the truth.