A Secret Hideout To Cosplay In Jiufen, Taiwan

A Secret Hideout To Cosplay In Jiufen, Taiwan
Yiqi
Yiqi 
Published
| 3 min read

A popular day trip option from Taipei city, Jiufen is well-known for its lantern-lit night scene, traditional teahouses and yummy taro balls. Unknown to many, there is also a place that allows you to channel your inner drama queen and cosplay as an imperial concubine, an emperor or even an innocent schoolgirl in front of realistic backdrops from different eras.

The three-storey high photoshoot studio “Jiufen Mi Mi Ji Di”(九份秘密基地), which literally translates to Jiufen’s secret hideout, is hidden all the way on top of Jiufen Old Street and offers you unlimited costumes to cosplay for only 100 TWD (about 3 USD). Read on to find out what to expect!

A photo shoot studio that even celebrities have visited

The entrance to the secret hideout.
Source: Yiqi

Located near the famous “Ah Gan Yi Taro Balls” shop, this secret hideout is hard to miss due to its beautifully designed entrance that offers you a hint of what you could expect when you enter. Apparently, even Taiwanese and Japanese celebrities have also visited this studio before to take advantage of its numerous backdrops and outfits for photoshoots.

A huge array of costumes to choose from

The numerous outfits to choose from.
Source: Yiqi

Upon paying an admission fee of 100 TWD (about 3 USD), you are free to take your pick of costumes to change into. With feminine cheongsams, old-school uniforms, Japanese yukatas and even traditional Qing dynasty costumes in all sorts of colours, ladies will probably have a really hard time choosing. However, fret not if you can’t decide because you have unlimited outfit choices; therefore, as long as you are not in a hurry, you can change to your heart’s content and snap pictures of yourself in tens of different outfits.

There are an equal number of outfit choices for guys, and one popular outfit is the emperor’s costume in royal gold colour, which I have seen many male customers changing into.

Some customers might not be aware that other than costumes, there are also shoes and hair accessories from different eras that you can mix and match to nail down the different looks from different eras. Therefore, don’t make the fashion faux pas of wearing a costume from the Qing dynasty coupled with track shoes, which I see many tourists making!

Different backdrops from different Chinese eras

One of the backdrop.
Source: Yiqi

Once you have chosen your outfit, it is time to choose the appropriate backdrop to take your picture. Again, there is no limit to the number of backdrops you can choose and no limit to the amount of time you can spend in the studio. Therefore, it is best to choose a weekday morning or afternoon to head to this studio so that you have the whole space to yourself and you don’t have to awkwardly share the backdrop with other tourists.

There are different backdrops from different eras, such as a “bedroom” with a traditional Chinese antique wooden bed and mirror set, a “kitchen” with realistic looking stove and food props, an ancestor table with incense and offerings, and even a “courthouse” from the ancient times where you could act as a magistrate. Get ready to unleash your creativity with all sorts of poses you can think of!

Freedom to snap your own pictures with no photographer trailing after you

Pretending to cook in front one of the backdrop.
Source: Yiqi

Even though this is a photo shoot studio, there is no assigned photographer. Rather, you snap the pictures yourself with your camera or handphone. In a way, this offers you more flexibility and freedom to pose without feeling shy at someone looking at you. However, this also means that it is best to go with patient friends who are willing and happy to help you snap pictures non-stop.

A fun place to take memorable photographs

At only 100 TWD (3 USD), this is a very affordable place to star in your own photoshoot. You get to change outfits and take pictures in front of different backdrops with no limit to the amount of time spent there. With such low pricing, naturally the costumes are not of top quality and you see frayed edges at some parts. However, if you are not bothered about the quality of the costume or wearing costumes that so many other people have worn before, this is a great place for a casual photoshoot that makes for memorable photographs.

Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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An avid budget traveller, there is nothing Yiqi likes more than trying out local street food and hunting for bargain buys in flea markets. Another aspect she likes about travelling is the...Read more

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