An Alien in Korea - Day 2

I woke up with my back feeling like I slept on the floor, but ready to the take on Seoul once more. My second day in Korea was inspiring, educational, and fun all three! Here's how it went down.

Cheongnyangni Market

Looking for a place to get breakfast, I strolled through my hotel's neighborhood, and stumbled into a food market. Though Cheongnyangni (so difficult to read let alone pronounce) isn't an area that draws many tourists, the food market certainly was interesting and, I feel, representative of Asia in so many ways that Tokyo isn't, with Japan's capital's most similar counterpart probably being Ameyayokocho.

 As soon as I set foot into the roofed market place, I was bombarded with a dizzying amount of different smells, some more recognizable than others. The red peppers Korean's seem to love so much were sold in mountains, but so too were pig heads, for some reason. As a matter of fact it seemed like there were more pig heads than anything else there, but that might have just been me. The market place had stalls big and small, some of which had interiors that were so cluttered with items such as electronic appliances that it was literally impossible to enter the shop. 
The dirt roads, pungent smells and otherworldly foods provided an ambiance I hadn't seen since I was in the Amazon villages of Peru.
 Literally five minutes before starting to write this post, I found out that this market was one of the two things Cheongnyangni is known for. The other is for being one of the last surviving red light districts in Seoul. Go figure!

Gyeongbokgung Palace

After eventually getting breakfast, I had a cab drop me off right in front of what was Seoul's greatest historical monument - the Gyeongbokgung Palace grounds. Located at the northern edge of the city, the palace had all the magnificence of the Todaiji Temple in Nara, only with three times the amount of space. Whereas most castles in Japan have maintained only their central keeps and a few towers along their walls, Gyeongbokgung's palace grounds are immensely full and complete with  pavilions, pond, garden, barracks, living quarters, courtyards and pagodas. It seemed like it would take forever to circumnavigate the whole thing, and much more likely that my legs would give out before I was done.
But what gave Gyeongbokgung its magnificence was not simply its enormity, but the presence of mountains in its direct vicinity, providing a backdrop that I wasn't expecting to find in Seoul at all. As I had stated before, Seoul itself is surrounded by a ring of mountains, but for that to be visible in such an obvious way was quite a treat indeed.

 That, and I had actually made it to the palace just in time for the changing of the guards ceremony! Several times a day, the guards of Gyeongbokgung (which retain a ceremonial purpose rather than an actual practical one) relieve each other from their duties. Dressed in colorful attire, they parade the palace grounds as they do so, playing a great variety of antiquated instruments that come together in harmonious cacophony (if that makes sense at all.) As the guards are changed, the captain inspects each one's weapons - their great poleaxes and the short bows fashioned to their shoulders, before sending them off to the barracks. It's a great show and it made me more than just a little giddy. Also, you can pose with the guards!

Gwanghwamun Square

Right in front of the palace is the Gwanghwamun Square, which is more of an elongated rectangle featuring the statues of both the Admiral Yi Sun-sin, and King Sejong the Great (pictured), the latter who took part in the invention of the Hangul alphabet used in modern Korea. The square is pretty modern now and serves as a really hip spot you could probably take a date to. Since I happened to go on a sunny day, some dozen pianos were laid out in the open, for any passerby to play if they fancied.

Though I wouldn't say the place was quite busy in any sense of the word, there certainly were a few couples and families walking around and trying their hand at it.
 Actually, corny as it might seem, there was a nearby booth open which allowed people to try on hanboks, which are the Korean equivalent of the kimono, for free, and pose against a replica of the same great painting located inside the actual Gyeongbokgung Palace. Trying a hanbok on happened to be on my to-do list, so I gladly obliged and dressed up pretty regally (I assume.)


That about sums up the best parts of my trip! To be sure, I also visited Tapgol Park, where the Koreans declared independence from Japan, and walked along a short section of the Chronggyecheon river, famous for its lantern festivals, before returning to Myeong-dong and eventually to the airport. I'm sure there's someone like me who's traveled from Canada to Korea rather than Japan and has been keeping a blog for over three years about the hundreds of things you can do in Korea, but my own trip was short and sweet. I came back home with about 5,500 Won left in my wallet (which is roughly 5,50$) plus a stomachache from eating too much spicy food, but moreover I know a little more about South Korea, which is nice.

 What would I have done with a little more time? Visit the DMZ of course! Otherwise known as the North Korean border. Some day, eh?

An Alien in Korea - Day 1

(Though I do suffer from Shortness)

Well my time's running short, and I'm approaching my last two months in Japan. So I figured that while I was here, I'd might as well visit South Korea as well, given the proximity and the relatively cheap flights. Granted, it's a little hard to get time off work, so the best I was able to pull was two consecutive days, but as it turns out, that's plenty of time to get a good idea of what the Korean capital of Seoul is like.
 My timing kind of strangely lined up with the whole MERS commotion (that's the Middle Earth Respiratory Syndrome, for those of you who don't follow the headlines.) So tourism in South Korea wasn't exactly bustling at the time. But I've never really been one to worry about that kind of thing, so hey! Plus, rumor has it the Korean government was willing to compensate any tourist who caught MERS with 3000 USD. On the one had, MERS is a pretty awful virus, but on the other hand...mm, 3000 bucks...
 So it was that I ended up in Seoul! A city I knew nothing about in a country I knew nothing about, and I can't speak a word of Hangul. Things promised to get interesting, but I'm all about learning, so go figure, eh?

Seoul in a Nutshell

The Seoul Metropolitan area is actually the most populated on Earth, after Tokyo's! The city's quite scenic; it's bordered by mountains that stand freely along the city's edges and are quite visible if you stand in an open enough space. On top of that, the city's split in a Northern and Southern half by the Han river, which all adds up to being really panoramic.

 Despite the two metropolises being the first and second densest in the world, Tokyo people and Seoul people are worlds apart in terms of culture, with the latter being said to be more intense when it comes to just about everything. Seoul's food is hell of spicy, desserts are hell of sweet, women have hell of surgery and street vendors are hell of pushy. It's a welcome change from the very-reserved feel you get from the Japanese, but it's no wonder the two countries can't see eye to eye on most things. That being said, here are some of the things and places I had a chance to experience during my short stay in Korea!

Myeong-dong

 Myeong-dong is one of the most bustling areas of Seoul, with a reputation for being a highly fashionable shopping district. Walking down the central streets of Myeong-dong, it's impossible to look up without seeing billboards of glamorous girls with crimson lipstick. Shops in Myeong-dong are full of products promising to be the best for skincare, while vendors outside the shops shout out to passerby's in whatever way they can to get their attention. The first time someone shouted to me in Japanese took me completely off-guard, as I'd found it surprising someone would pin me for Japanese upon looking at me. I then realized that they shouted to people in Mandarin too, and I pretty much got the drift.

 Myeong-dong's also full of eateries, with a seemingly disproportional amount of them offering very generously servings of desserts. If anything, I found out in Myeong-dong that the dessert culture in Korea has Japan's beaten by a fair mile, as I sampled some shredded ice cut so thinly that the flakes felt like the softest of powder snows, topped with a strawberry syrup so deliciously sweet, I probably won't see the likes of it again. Street vendors also line the central streets of Myeong-dong, with many and most of them offering the standard fair street food with a spicy Korean twist.
 In spite of all that, after having eaten, I found that Myeong-dong didn't have all that much to offer me, seeing as I hadn't really come to shop in the first place, so it wasn't too long until I moved on.

Namsangol Hanok Village

 At walking distance from Myeong-dong is the Namsangol Hanok Village, a very well-preserved gathering of traditional Korean houses situated within the confines of a park. Great care was taken to furnish the interiors of the houses, which can be seen through open doors.  The village is admission free, which is a great bonus to an otherwise very worthwhile visit. I personally thought that the best thing about the village, though, was the nearly complete lack of traffic during the hours just before closing, and I was lucky to catch the sunset in this particular part of town. The tranquility of the Namsangol Hanok Village on top of its authentic vibe made it feel as though I had really gone back a few centuries, and it helped that the walls surrounding the traditional houses of the village were just high enough to block out the sight of the skyscrapers of the nearby district. The icing on the cake (asides from the free admission) were the red and blue lanterns lined up on strings.

Nakji Bokkeum

After the traditional village, I cabbed my way across the Han river. This dish as well as the restaurant I ate it in came recommended to me, though I ended up eating it at the wrong restaurant. To be completely honest, I had no clue what the name of the dish was at the time I ordered it, but nakji bokkeum was basically the culinary highlight of my trip to Seoul. The gist of it is that it's octopus marinated with vegetables and extremely spicy gochujang red pepper paste.

The twist? Well, you can choose to have the octopus served live. Woo! Actually, octopus in Korea can be served live in a variety of different dishes, some of which even have the octopus squirming as it's in your mouth. Well, nakji bokkeum is not quite that, but it was still kind of shocking to pull the lid off the pan and see my food trying to make one last break for its life! Sadly enough for the octopus, it wasn't long until the waitress came around the corner with scissors and cut it up into pieces so that it could be eaten, reminding me once again that it's a cruel life for our marine friends in Asia. But on the bright side, nakji bokkeum is delicious in spite of being devilishly spicy. I thought I had a good tolerance to spice until I looked around me and realized I was the only fool panting like a dog.

I cabbed back to my hotel after a little bit of walking around. It had been a good first day despite my leisurely pace. My bed was stiff as all hell but I slept like a log. Korea, woohoo!

Interesting Tidibits: By Japanese Law

It wasn't until recently that dancing in public venues was illegal in Japan. DJ's and common folk were getting thrown into cells for getting a little too groovy, and clubs had to purchase expensive permits allowing people to dance. Woo! Fun was a big no-no in Japan, yes it was. Fortunately, that law's gone now. But it got me thinking - if such a ridiculous law existed in Japan in the first place, could there be other laws just as ridiculous? Let's open the book of Japanese laws and find out.

 THE DUMBEST LAWS IN JAPAN

I. IF AN OLDER BROTHER ASKS TO MARRY YOUR GIRLFRIEND, BY HONOR AND LAW, YOU, AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND, MUST AGREE.

Good god, someone ought to fix this. Granted, this law is probably simply terribly outdated, and no one has made use of this in recent times, but doesn't this mean someone potentially could pull this off with a good enough lawyer? If anything, it could just turn into the ballsiest prank of all time.

II. WOMEN ARE LEGALLY OBLIGED TO WEAR A BRA IN A BUILDING WITH AIR CONDITIONING.

Most likely has to do with men ogling said women's chests in the workplace? A little sexist, no? I mean, there's nothing preventing men from going commando, is there?

III. THERE IS NO AGE OF CONSENT.

Wrong on so many levels. 

IV.  THE MAXIMUM WAIST SIZE IS 33 FOR MEN AND 35 FOR WOMEN.

Specifically, 33.5 and 35.4. No, they won't throw you in jail for being too fat, but Japan passed a law a few years ago forcing men and women over that specified size to undergo counseling. Employers at the time faced serious fines if they could not reduce the number of overweight employees at the job by a certain amount. Seems a little harsh, considering Japan's currently the leanest world superpower.

V. THE IMPORTING OF PHOTOGRAPHS DEPICTING MALE GENITALIA IS ILLEGAL.

This one's a little bit of a conundrum. Genitalia in general is subject to censor in Japan, but why is it only illegal to import photos of male genitalia?

 

Rent-A-Dog!

Not a real dog by the way.

Sunny days in June are kind of a heaven-send, and I was resolved not to spend today indoors, enjoy some greenery, and have the benefit of companionship all three. And luckily I found the perfect way to kill three birds with one stone! Today's expedition took me to Yoyogi, a part of Tokyo located between Shibuya and Shinjuku, known for nothing if not its enormous park.
 Here, conveniently situated only a few blocks away from Yoyogi Park, is a quaint little shop named Dog Heart, which fortunately isn't a restaurant. In principle, Dog Heart isn't too far removed from the rabbit cafe I had visited not too long ago. It's a small space where you can sit down and have a coffee, and, as you'd guess, enjoy the company of dogs. Lots and lots of them. Though most of the members of the pack are poodles, there's a fair number of beagles, and a single golden retriever, which, incidentally, must feel a little out of place in the company of dogs half its size, but didn't look any worst for it. As a matter of fact, most of the dogs looked quite happy.

 But sitting in a room surrounded by nine poodles, two beagles and a golden retriever wasn't what I had come for! Instead, Dog Heart also offers a different service - that of renting one of its hearty residents! At the price of 3600 yen an hour, it doesn't totally break the bank, but it's not exactly cheap either. I signed a few forms and agreed to all the clauses saying I couldn't let my dog get hit by a car and was responsible for bringing back her poop, and presto! Seeing as the retriever was currently reserved, I chose a slightly sullen looking beagle amongst the droves of poodles (some of which were literally jumping up and down, in hopes of being picked perhaps.) And just like that, I had bought an hour of Marin the beagle's time!

 I can't say I'm much of a dog person at heart, and I really don't know much about dogs to begin with, so I can't tell if Marin the beagle was as happy to spend an hour with me as I was to spend an hour with her. None the less, I took her to Yoyogi park as advised by the staff of Dog Heart, and she spent a good amount of our time together with her nose in the bushes. There was the one time she happened to find dog food on the ground and I had to grab her and run off somewhere else because the contract I had signed had told me not to feed the dog anything. I think Marin the beagle kind of resented that. But still! I was quite stoked that I got to feel like a genuine dog owner and make the best of the one sunny day we've had in weeks. After most of our time together had passed, Marin got a little tired and so I opted to carry her back home rather than walk her, which she actually didn't seem to mind too much.

 By the time I got back, though, there was actually a line of customers forming, seeming to be ready to rent a dog too, so it seems like the business is doing quite well for itself. I wouldn't be too surprised if there were regulars, even, who rent the same dogs on a weekly basis. Though I'm not quite sure Marin the beagle took to me much, I was pretty proud of myself without entirely knowing why. Regardless, if renting a dog seems like something you'd want to do, I could hardly think of a better location to do it at, so there! Dog Heart is like a good dog. It's...good!

In The Meanwhile...

Hello!
 It's rainy season in Japan right now. And, well, it's rainy. Between that and setting up for my replacement at work, it's been a little difficult to undertake anything big, but I do have some nice things set up for me at the end of the month. In the meanwhile, here's how I've been spending my time.

Lots of sunsets in Ikebukuro.

I'm trying to make the best of the few precious days I have left with the kids. Time's flying!

Millo set up a projector on his roof. There's so much potential.

Night out with some coworkers! Never mind that they're not the same ones as previous pictures.

Tonkotsu Ramen - which I will most definitely miss.

I brought a friend to the Western Village!

Uncanny Signs 5

It's basically been two years since I put up one of these, but hopefully these are worth a laugh or two. You can check the others here!

  

19:  Prease Don't

Location: Oedo Onsen Theme Park

Category: Engrish

And they did so good with the rest of the English! They just had to let the "prease" slip by. But we're just getting started.

20: No Dibing

Location: Zauo Restaurant

Category: Engrish

Granted, this sign's more for fun that anything else, but you kind of lose points for execution here.
 For those of you wondering, yorokobi in this context means to display happiness.

21: Extraordinary Ladder

Location: Hotel in Hakone

Category: Engrish

Really? What's so great about this ladder?

22:Magic Mushroom

Location: Nokogiriyama Ropeway Station

Category: Lost in Translation

This must be one very trippy arcade game.

24: Emergency Panther

Location: Matsumoto Highway Bus Station

Category: ???

This one I really didn't think I would have stumbled upon anywhere other than in the the countryside of China. In case of fire, open the lock and release the panther! How the hell did this happen?

Out of a Vending Machine

A fact about that Japan I've come to accept over the years: if it exists, you can sell it inside from a vending machine. Just strolling around, I've encountered a handful that have made me do a double-take. Let's see...what can you find inside a vending machine in Japan? Hmm.

1. Assorted Disney Items
 Limited not only to snacks, but also handkerchiefs.
2. Books
 Though most of them seemed to be self-help oriented, the prices were pretty fair.
3. Hot Meals
Hot dogs, french fries, and fried rice balls. If it were anywhere else than Japan, I wouldn't risk it.
4. Wrapping Cloth
You often see these wrapped around lunch boxes (bento). Came in a variety of elegant patterns.
5. Bananas
Or banana chips! Also, mango.
 

The Asylum

The team minus Agha.

"I draw the line between hospitals and asylums," Erika said to me as I went through my list of Adventure Friends, inviting them to hop on board my latest venture. Her curiosity eventually got the better of her. But this was one adventure I knew not everyone would be willing to join me in. Even Millo had to think twice, and he had been on this journey before. But he, Agha, and Christina answered the call along with Erika, and soon we were five, making the trip down to deep Saitama on board local trains, chasing fear like a junkie chases a high.

Not all of my companions wanted to be here by the time we took this pic.

The building we stood before was once known as the Asakura Hospital. Today, it's a place known only to self-reputed ghost hunters. For 14 years has it stood in silence, disturbed only by those who dared breach its walls to uncover its secrets. In its heydays, the Asakura was a mental clinic, you see, and when it shut down, rumors of the reason for its abandonment spread throughout the urban explorers, and soon attracted the ghost hunters. Some sources say the place shut down because an unreasonable amount of deaths made authorities suspicious of medical malpractice occurring within its walls. The last time Millo visited, said he, the sounds of doors opening and closing echoed throughout the building, despite its seeming stillness.

 The way was basically paved for us already by other explorers. Through breeches in fences, we managed to enter the facility, and found it to be in in complete disarray. The first floor was a mess full of broken glass and torn up pages, with messages lining the walls. If there's one thing urban explorers like to do is play tricks on the next batch of explorers following them. It was all we could do to ignore the messages written in red along the walls, saying things in the vein of "there is nothing to do here but die." But I could feel the discomfort rising in some of my companions already.

 A branch in our path soon offered itself to us - downwards to the basement, or up to the upper floors and roof? We decided to plunge into the belly of the beast, and so down it was.
 The basement looked like a dungeon.

Not really sure what it's an x-ray of, though.

 Consisting of nothing but a hallway lined with prison-like cells, the basement was spooky in its eerie silence. Wheelchairs were scattered throughout the floor, inside and out of cells alike, though I suspect this is also the doing of past explorers. We made our descent in relative silence, passing row upon row of rusting bars. Would this be where they kept the unstable patients? Upon a table in one of the rooms at the end of the hall were scattered record books full of black sheets that were immediately familiar to me from my previous experiences with Haikyo. I lifted one to my light and confirmed that they were x-rays.

 On the higher floors, we found the patients' rooms and beds. Unlike other ruins I had been to in the past, most furnishings in the building had been removed, save only the hospital beds, which stood where they were, gathering dust. Several rooms full of them were all that was left of the upper levels, and silently, so as not to wake the neighborhood we could see through the windows, we made our way to the roof.
 The town was asleep. We decided to rest here and started joking amongst each other, and I found myself enjoying the cool breeze under the night sky. And that was when some of us heard it - the sound of footsteps coming up the very same steps. Panic took our group, but we responded fast - Agha was fast out of sight, and Millo took care of hiding himself and making sure Christina did the same. Erika and I opted to hide behind the stairwell, and I positioned myself so that I could see who the incoming party was before they could see me.

 But rather than the authorities, the group turned out to be a smaller posse of ghost hunters. I took care not to scare the shit out of them as I popped out of the shadows and introduced myself, but ended up doing so anyway. My companions soon came out of their respective hiding spots too, and we soon began conversing. "You know this place is famous for ghosts?" the guide in their group asked me. "Have you seen the blood covered bed?" No, in fact, we hadn't.
 They brought us down a floor and showed us the one bed covered in deep brown stains. It was soon after that that the other groups left in silence, without so much as a goodbye. I'm a skeptic by nature, I guess, but it was around this time that some of my companions decided they weren't keen on staying around too much longer. Come to think of it, the group didn't really talk about that bed much after that.