From SOGO to Big City

Full Colour
Jul 29, 2015
7 min read

Field Trip Itinerary

SOGO

生活工場
UNIQLO
春水堂
Irodori

Big City

VieShow Cinema
Food Court
湯姆熊歡樂世界/大魯閣
誠品書店

Field Trip Schedule

SOGO

Our travel locations included Hsinchu SOGO Departmental Store (Sogo), Hsinchu Big City (Big City) and Far East Departmental Store (Far East). However, due to time constraints we could not cover Far East. So in this Travel Article, we will only be focusing on some of the attractions and restaurants in SOGO and Big City.

Full Colour one day trip with our friendly surveyor, Vivian

Our group, Full Colour met up with our friendly surveyor, Vivian at Hsinchu Train Station at 10:30 in the morning. We started off with SOGO because it is located just opposite of the train station (we just have to cross one traffic light). SOGO’s opening time is at 11:00. So we went in right at their opening time. The entrance of SOGO was quite accessible as they have enough space for people on wheelchair. However, they do not have an automatic door. Vivian mentioned that it would be better if they leave their door open, otherwise people on wheelchair will have to seek for passersby’s help.

Once we were at SOGO, we took the elevator up to the 11th floor. The elevator was very spacious and there are floor buttons on the left side which is accessible to people who needs it. Unfortunately, there is a drawback to the elevator design. The wall of the elevator is not completely mirrored. Vivian expressed that it is harder to move out if there is no mirror.

Our first stop was the Working House 生活工場. They do not have a very big space but wheelchair can still pass by certain areas.

Next, we checked out the accessible restroom on the same floor. The accessible restroom is not very ideal but the space in the restroom is just enough. However, the handle near the wash basin should be made in such a way that it could be lifted up instead of being fixed in a position and the slanting handle by the wall should be horizontal, according to our friendly surveyor. Noticed that there are two emergency button, one higher near the toilet seat, one lower further from the toilet seat. This is a very thoughtful design as those on wheelchair can still reach the button even if they fall down.

We decided to check out a little more on the reason girls would come to a mall – SHOPPING!! Since our friendly surveyor is girl, our next stop and attraction was UNIQLO at the 2nd floor. This store is spacious but some of the clothes are placed on high shelves. There are many fitting rooms in UNIQLO but only one is accessible and bigger than the others but it uses curtains instead of a door and Vivian could not pull the curtain completely.

We were hungry by 12:00 noon and proceeded to Chun Shui Tang 春水堂 at B1F to have our lunch. This restaurant is cozy and they are the first who invented the Pearl Milk Tea. They have a variety of choices from their menu but it is quite pricey. Their tables can be a little higher. Vivian could not fit her wheelchair in at first, so we had to lower her legs for her to sit comfortably at the table. The font size of the menu is a bit too small. It can be bigger, preferably with pictures so that it is easier for customers to know what they are going to order. We ordered noodles served with beef sauce, kung fu noodles, handmade thin noodles, signature braised bean curd, turnip cake and a pot of hot pearl milk tea. Their opening time is from 11:00 to 22:00.

There is no accessible restroom in B1F so we went down to B2F. The accessible restroom here is very well designed. The door is automatic with indicator that is occupied when the door is closed from the inside and the interior is very spacious with the ideal horizontal and lift up handles. There are two emergency buttons of different heights that our friendly surveyor can reach.

We checked out a Japanese restaurant, Irodori Japanese Restaurant 鮨彩壽司beside the restroom. This is a small restaurant but there is a large space for movement. They have a variety of sushi and other dishes. Their opening time is from 11:00 to 21:30.

Big City

We proceeded to Big City after that. It takes around 20 minutes’ walk from Sogo to Big City. There are free shuttle buses from SOGO to Big City. Unfortunately, we could not take the bus as it is not accessible to a people on wheelchair. We had to walk along the roads to Big City with cars and motorcycles moving in fast pace, so it was dangerous as there were no walkway that is accessible for people in wheelchair.

We went to the Parking Lot at Big City. We only managed to check out B3F Parking Lot. There are two accessible parking slots at D15 area in B3F opposite of the elevator entrance but the accessible parking lots should be located next to the entrance so that our people in need does not have to cross the road to get to the entrance.

Parking Lot at B3F (Left: Car; Right: Motorcycle)

The VieShow Cinemas at the 4th floor was our next attraction. The cinema opening time is from 09:00 to 00:00 and the movie fare is range from 250NTD to 350NTD. There is an accessible restroom near the cinema right beside hall 2. There are two accessible slots in each hall. The accessible slots might be located in front or at the back of the hall depending on the entrance of the hall.

The food court at the same floor as the cinema is a very large area. There are many seats and you can order from different stores. Their space and table height seem to be just right.

Then, the next attraction is the Indoor Sport Area 湯姆熊歡樂世界/大魯閣 at 8th floor. This is an indoor playground or theme park for children, teenagers and adults. The kind of entertainment includes baseball, bowling, laser tag, arcade and etc. It is a comfortable environment with amusement equipment, especially for family visit who wants some parent-child fun. There is also a cafe by the side of the elevator (right opposite the baseball ground). Their opening time is from 11:00 to 21:30. Some of the activities are not very accessible to our friendly surveyor such the baseball area and bowling area. There is a private bowling area and some arcade games which are accessible and people on wheelchair could enjoy.

The bookstore 誠品書店 was our next stop and attraction. It located at the 5th Floor. This place sells all sorts and varieties of books and stationeries and other stuff. The area is big enough for people who loves to read. There are some books on the side and in the center which are lower compared to those on the shelves. So our friendly surveyor could reach and see the books. Their opening time is from 11:00 to 21:30.

Before calling it a day, we went to the restroom in the same floor as the bookstore. They have an accessible restroom on that floor. Their toilet is neatly designed with enough space for wheelchair. There are the horizontal and lift up handles and different levels of emergency button by the wall near the toilet seat. The restroom has a sliding door.

We walked back to the train station to send Vivian off and departed back to NCTU. It was a great experience travelling with Vivian because she was friendly, helpful and gave us a lot of insights through different perspectives. We found so many obstacles that we usually would not pay attention to but would be a challenge for a certain group of people. It was an eye-opening experience and in the end of the day, we learned so much and most of all we had lots of fun and a great time!

Transportation - How to get there

UNIQLO