Best Non-Food Souvenirs From Taiwan
The art of souvenir shopping holds a different meaning for each traveler. For some, the curated process involves authentic, small-batch items from local artisans. For others with a limited time and budget, haggling for mass-produced items is part of the adventure. I sit somewhere in the middle.
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Though I’ve curbed the Filipino pressure to buy pasalubong (a little something) for every single member of my clan and barangay, I still love souvenir shopping as much as the next Tita (auntie), though lately I’m a little more selfish, since most of the shopping is for myself.
Taiwan, in my experience, is like the little league of kawaii—the cultural phenomenon of cuteness that originated from Japan. Their kawaii-ness isn’t as extreme as Japan’s, and doesn’t overwhelm or overpower other aspects of their culture. To me that means you won’t be too distracted by all the “cute” merch; there’s plenty of room for other aspects of their culture. If you’re looking for the best non-food souvenirs to purchase from Taiwan, here are my 10 in no particular order.
1. Woodwork
What I love most about Taiwan is its woodworking culture. From street stalls to upscale shops, you’ll find art, furniture, decor, toys, and trinkets made from recycled driftwood and local timber.
Almost every souvenir shop in Taiwan carries a variety of wooden souvenirs, but make sure you look for the wonderland that is Wooderful Life. They use non-toxic, eco-friendly wood from sustainably managed forests to create high-quality, creative products—such as wooden toys and home decor that look like they came from a whimsical storybook. Their wind-up music boxes are often the first to catch customers’ attention when they enter their shops.
I love puzzles and crafts, so I purchased a lot of Taiwan 3D postcards—flat, postcard-sized DIY assembly kits. You just detach the flat, wooden, laser-cut pieces from the frame and assemble them into miniature landmarks or scenery. Popular designs include the Taipei 101 Building, Taiwanese grocery stores, and amusement parks.
2. Taiwanese Character Merch
Taiwan has its own range of original characters. One is Bugcat Capoo, a chubby blue cat with six legs, created by Taiwanese artist Yara in 2014. There’s Little Red & Little Green, named after a popular pair of leaning mailboxes located on Longjiang Road in Taipei. There’s Shiba Says, a cute Shiba Inu named Boss who’s famous for public safety campaigns, especially on the Taipei Metro. The list goes on. As a dog lover, my favorite Taiwanese character is Shiba Says, whose merch is everywhere, from MRTs to grocery stores, including the popular chain, Carrefour.
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June 2026 update: According to my favorite Taiwan-based bloggers, the Taiwanderers, Carrefour Taiwan is undergoing a rebranding. Starting this July, Carrefour will be replaced by a new company.
3. Net Fashion
If Japan has Uniqlo and Gu, Sweden has H&M, and England has Topshop, then Taiwan has Net. This mass-market clothing company has hundreds of branches all over Taiwan, with trendy to classic styles. Their regular prices are already affordable, so spotting sales and bundle deals will make you go shop-crazy.
For an extra challenge, look up “Taiwan discount math,” where retail discounts are written like math problems that have bamboozled tourists like me.
4. Limited-edition Merch from Taiwan’s Themed 7-Elevens and Vending Machines
Out of the 7,000+ 7-Elevens around Taiwan, over 100 are specially themed, featuring characters or brands such as Sanrio, Snoopy, Tomica, Pokémon, Mickey Mouse, and so much more! If you come across one of these themed 7-Elevens, look for the limited-edition character merch they carry, whether they’re in the gachapon machines or tucked in one of the shelves. I spent a chunk of my last trip to Taiwan looking for these themed 7-Elevens.
Keep an eye out for Taiwan-only merch from characters such as Sanrio and Snoopy dispensed from vending machines in malls and train stations. I found a vintage-style Hello Kitty keychain from a mall vending machine in Kaohsiung, which went well with my Hello Kitty x Kate Spade tote.
Backstory: I’ve had my eye on that bag since the 2025 collection was first unveiled. I always knew it would end up in the outlet stores of Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan, and getting it was part of my strategic TW itinerary. I found Taiwan’s last remaining Hello Kitty x Kate Spade medium tote in Gloria Outlets, Taoyuan.
5. Gaji Bag
Also called the grandma bag, Taiwan LV, or Ga Ji Dai, this traditional Taiwanese market bag is easy to recognize with its red, blue, and green nylon mesh stripes. These iconic shopping bags were originally hand-woven in the 1960s, but because of their popularity, they transitioned to the more affordable and durable machine-sewn nylon mesh.
Use it as your grocery shopping bag or as a fashion statement. Personally, I stopped buying eco-friendly totes because of the paradox of reusable bags’ overproduction. Instead, I purchased a keychain version of the Gaji from Mr. Ho, a Ximending souvenir shop that’s extremely popular with Filipino tourists. Wherever you go in Taiwan, you’ll find Gaji bags in a variety of forms, from purses to small totes and even keychains.
6. Your Favorite Cartoon Character in Taiwanese Setting
A cute pouch showing Grandma Hello Kitty tending a Taiwanese store? A keychain of Snoopy drinking bubble tea? A shirt with Spirited Away characters standing in front of Taipei 101? Take my money! Around Taiwan, you’ll find oodles of souvenirs depicting popular characters, such as Sanrio, the Peanuts Gang, and Studio Ghibli. For a more unique buy, look specifically for the ones that depict Taiwanese culture or landmarks.
Special mention: For fans of Labubu, Molly, Crybaby, and the like, there’s a POPMART Flagship Store in Ximending that’s hard to miss!
7. Cultural Items
For high-quality Taiwanese pottery and ceramics, most tourists go to Yingge Old Street, Taiwan’s pottery capital. It’s a 30-minute train ride from Taipei Main Station. But you’ll also find ceramics shops in markets and other tourist spots. I still have the ceramic tea cup I purchased from Jiufen back in 2019.
If you love jade jewelry, go to the Jianguo Holiday Jade Market in Taipei.
For other cultural souvenirs, consider paper lanterns, lantern trinkets, traditional fans, and calligraphy sets, which you’ll find everywhere, bunched together with the usual touristy souvenirs like magnets, keychains, and shot glasses. I got a lantern trinket from Shifen Old Street.
And if you’re an LGBTQIA+ ally like I am, there are plenty of rainbow- and pride-themed souvenirs you can buy for your friends back home.
8. Designer Collaborations
Keep an eye out for designers and brands collaborating with Taiwanese tourism. The last that caught my eye was the Adidas Samba OG x Bubble Tea Taipei and Adidas Samba OG x Taiwanese Fried Chicken in Fall-Winter 2025. Thank goodness the collection didn’t go as viral as the Adidas Chinese Track Top, which sadly crashed and burned faster than you can say, “Gong Xi Fa Cai!”
9. Quirky EasyCards and iCash cards
If there’s one thing I regret not doing in Ximending, it’s getting a unique, 3D EasyCard from the viral toy shop on the fourth floor of Wan Nian Building. They sell the craziest, quirkiest keychains and 3D cards that function as EasyCards and iCash cards. From toys to snack keychains, each one works as an actual EasyCard or iCash card, which would have made my commute as a solo traveler more fun. But I did get a Hello Kitty EasyCard from the Sanrio 7-Eleven in Ximending, so that’s good enough.
10. Stamps
Stamp collecting (ink stamps, not postage stamps) is a fun and free thing to do when you’re in Asia. In Taiwan, I noticed that the stamp community has grown tremendously in the last year few years. Bring a blank notebook (or purchase one from the souvenir stalls) and find stamping stations in airports, train stations, and popular tourist spots. There are Facebook groups and online forums dedicated to tracking down every single stamp rally spot. But for me, there’s no need hunt for every single one. I was happy to organically run into some of them as I explored the cities.
What tops your Taiwan must-buy list?
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