A Full Japanese Immersion at Radium Kagaya Hotel, Beitou, Taiwan

If you’re craving a true Japanese onsen experience without flying to Japan, Radium Kagaya Hotel in Beitou, Taiwan, is an absolute must. This exceptional ryokan-style hotel offers a complete immersion into Japanese culture, rituals, wellness, and gastronomy — just a short escape from Taipei.

Located only about 30 minutes outside Taipei, in Beitou, a district famously known as the city of thermal hot springs, Radium Kagaya feels like stepping into another world. Calm, elegant, deeply rooted in Japanese tradition — this is the kind of place you go to truly slow down and reset.

🎎 Choosing Yukatas: The First Ritual

The experience begins the moment you arrive. Before anything else, we were invited to choose our yukatas — and honestly, it felt like the hardest decision of our lives. Patterns, colors, textures… there was so much choice that it turned into a fun yet serious dilemma. Slipping into a yukata immediately sets the tone: you’re no longer in Taiwan, you’re in Japan.

🔥 Hot Stone & Cypress Sauna

Next, we headed to the hot stone and cypress sauna, a deeply grounding experience designed to relax both body and mind. Inspired by traditional Japanese wellness practices, the sauna uses natural heat from stones and aromatic cypress wood to promote detoxification, improve circulation, and melt away stress. It’s one of those moments where time simply disappears.

🍵 Tea Ceremony: Matcha Meditation

After the sauna, we were invited to a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. More than just drinking matcha, this was a beautiful learning moment — understanding the history, the movements, the precision, and the intention behind every gesture. We prepared the matcha, enjoyed a small traditional treat, and left with a deeper appreciation for this ritualized art form. Calm, educational, and deeply soothing.

✨ DIY Wood Snowflake Activity

We also had the chance to participate to a DIY workshop, where we built a wooden snowflake by hand while enjoying tea. Simple, creative, and meaningful — this little activity added a human, playful touch to the stay. And best of all, we left with a handmade souvenir to keep as a memory of the experience.

🍽️ Autumn Kaiseki Dinner — 星月夜 (A Seasonal Highlight)

Dinner was hands down one of the highlights of our stay. At TENSHOU Restaurant, we savoured the seasonal Autumn Kaiseki dinner — hyper-refined, beautifully presented, and deeply rooted in Japanese culinary rhythm. The meal is crafted following the Japanese principle of 旬 (shun), meaning “in-season” — capturing early autumn’s freshest flavors with the most delicious ingredients.

This isn’t just dinner — it’s an artful multi-course kaiseki experience (typically ranging from appetizers and sashimi to grilled and simmered dishes, concluding with a delicate dessert) that evolves with the season. The chefs at Radium Kagaya meticulously design each course to tell the story of autumn through taste and presentation — a feast for all senses.

Dinner was sensational — every bite an exploration of texture, flavor, and seasonal harmony.

♨️ Ending the Day in the White Sulfur Hot Spring

To end the day, we soaked in the White Sulfur Public Hot Spring, a signature Beitou experience. The mineral-rich milky water is known for its skin-benefiting properties and deep relaxation — the perfect way to unwind after a multi-sensory day.

🛏️ Sleeping on Tatami: The Perfect Ending

The experience wouldn’t be complete without sleeping in a Japanese-style tatami room. We stayed in a tranquil room with tatami flooring and futon-style bedding — and honestly, it was the final touch that made everything perfect.
We slept incredibly well — slept like a baby. Peaceful, quiet, and deeply restorative.

🍱 A Japanese Breakfast to Remember

The next morning, breakfast was just as memorable. Served in true Japanese style, it featured an impressive selection of high-quality Japanese products, beautifully presented and perfectly balanced. From warm, comforting dishes to delicate flavors, everything felt thoughtful and refined.
And yes — you even get sashimi for breakfast. Fresh, light, and absolutely delicious. Such a treat, and honestly so yumm. A wonderful way to wake up and gently start the day, still fully immersed in the Japanese experience.

🌿 A Perfect Japanese Escape Near Taipei

Radium Kagaya Hotel offers a full Japanese immersion, right in Beitou — just minutes away from Taipei. From choosing yukatas and tea ceremonies to saunas, seasonal kaiseki cuisine, and tatami sleeping, every detail is designed to transport you. This retreat is the perfect break to recharge, an extraordinary experience, and without hesitation, we consider it an absolute must when visiting Taiwan.

🗺️ Practical Information

📍 Radium Kagaya Hotel
No. 236, Guangming Rd, Beitou District, Taipei City, Taiwan 📍
🌐 Official Website: https://www.kagaya.com.tw/en/ 北投加賀屋