This time the paper spread the map across Tainan’s east side: from Yongkang’s Zhongzheng North Road southward, over Provincial Highway 86 and into Guiren. One goal — count exactly how many singing lights stay on between the commuter town and the high-speed-rail gateway.
The answer goes on the front page: Yongkang four, Guiren one.
Field Check One: No. 215 Zhongzheng North Road, Yongkang’s Home Ground
Of Yongkang’s four singing venues, the size gap is wide, and 星天地ktv sits at the front. No. 215 Zhongzheng North Road, 4.9 stars, 848 reviews — a figure that ranks in the upper bracket even against the whole Tainan KTV list. This reporter’s read: it carries most of Yongkang’s demand for “we’re singing tonight” — Friday after-work groups, birthday rooms, summer-holiday student parties all funnel here. So does the pressure. Friday nights and school holidays are peak, and walking in cold may not get you a room; a phone call beats gambling. Closing time is per the notice at the door — this paper does not report hours on a shop’s behalf.
Weeknights are another story. The commuter town winds down early; after nine the streets thin out visibly, and that is when 星天地 is loosest — a two- or three-person room, walk in and sing.
Field Check Two: No. 378 Zhongzheng South Road, One Corner, Two Nights
South to the Yanhang strip: 聚星國際KTV sits at the rear-left of No. 378 Zhongzheng South Road, 4.7 stars, 336 reviews. Take the “rear-left” seriously — first-timers tend to loop the block once. Next door at No. 378-2 is BAR CRAZY酒吧, 4.9 stars, 876 reviews — one corner, a private room on one side and a bar counter on the other, under a minute on foot. That combination is rare in Yongkang: finish singing, turn around, keep the night going without hailing another car.
The reporter’s read: 聚星 is for a close-friends room. Smaller than 星天地, less crowd pressure — for a weekend group that wants to sing without fighting big parties for a room, this is Yongkang’s second answer.
Field Check Three: Yongda Road and Zhonghua 2nd Road, Two Venues With Different Temperaments
嗄嗄叫KTV at No. 1598 Yongda Road Section 2: 42 reviews, 4 stars, a neighborhood venue serving the Dawan side of town. Plainly: do not book a company party of ten or more here — neither the hardware nor the room count was built for large groups. A few neighbors wanting to open their throats on a weeknight is where its value shows.
零零柒餐酒館 at No. 2, Lane 110, Zhonghua 2nd Road is a different animal — food and drinks with singing, 142 reviews, 4.4 stars. It is not a pure room-rental format; small groups who want to eat, drink and sing a few songs will feel more at ease here than in a formal box, while anyone planning a serious three-hour set should go back to 星天地 or 聚星. That commuter-town loop of stir-fry, karaoke and massage was covered in Yongkang After Dark; no repeat here.
Across Highway 86: Guiren’s Xinyi South Road, the Only Lamp
Drive south. About twenty minutes into Guiren.
Rende-Guiren is already on the record with this paper: asleep by nightfall, most shops closing between eight-thirty and nine-thirty. Singing has exactly one name — 貝斯特卡拉OK .KTV, No. 61 Xinyi South Road, 4.3 stars, 155 reviews, neighborhood karaoke, one of the few lights still on in Guiren after dark; full context in the honest Rende-Guiren night report. Travelers staying near the HSR station should brace: the Shalun station area has no nightlife at night. To sing, either drive ten minutes to Xinyi South Road, or take a taxi north to Yongkang or west into West Central — twenty to thirty minutes either way. Chain-grade machines and late sessions do not exist in Guiren; the Guiren KTV list is honestly short.
The Reporter’s Turn-Back Column
- Ten or more wanting food service and new machines: none of the east side’s five venues is built for that; go back to West Central, comparison table in How to Pick a KTV in Tainan.
- A spontaneous Friday-night trip to 星天地: phone first, or expect a closed door.
- Staying near Shalun, planning to sing until the small hours: Guiren cannot hold that kind of night; a taxi downtown is the correct answer.
- A year-end company banquet at 嗄嗄叫: the January banquet season does not belong here; the venue cannot carry it.
Last Call
September nights in Tainan are still hot, and a few bottles of beer in the room is standard. TRA from Yongkang or Daqiao station reaches downtown in six to ten minutes before the last train; after that, taxis and ride-hailing are all that’s left. This paper’s position is constant: any alcohol, call a designated driver — the suburban stretch between Yongkang and Guiren runs empty and fast at night, no place to roll the dice; the full plan is in the Tainan late-night transport guide. The Yongkang KTV list is exactly these four, plus one in Guiren. The reporter counted; nothing was missed.