Nikko (日光市）

Shinkyo Bridge

In mid-June 2013, a few fellow coworkers and I took a 2-day trip up north to Nikko, a city in the mountains of Tochigi Prefecture. A popular destination for Japanese and international tourists, Nikko attracts visitors with its beautiful natural scenery, World Heritage temples and shrines, and famous hot springs.

Since it was a short trip, we decided to purchase the World Heritage Pass, which covered a roundtrip between Tobu Asakusa Station and Shimomaichi Station as well as admission to the main World Heritage temples and shrines (Toshogu, Futarasan, Rinnoji). From Chiba, we took the train to Asakusa in Tokyo, picked up the passes, and took the limited express train for about 2 hours. Groups of people on the train already started drinking canned beers and eating snacks they brought with them (this was around 9am). We conformed and bought some beers on the train. Never too early to drink!

We made our way to the hostel we booked called Nikkorisou, which was located minutes away from the famous Shinkyo Bridge. Nikkorisou was a fairly small hostel, but the location was very convenient because it was close to the temples and the staff was friendly and helpful. They sold art and jewelry they made themselves too, and there was a wall for backpackers to write/draw on.

Many traditional wooden buildings lined the nearby streets (mainly restaurants and souvenir shops). The Shinkyo bridge was beautiful, but what many pictures don't really show you (mine included) is how odd the location was for such a popular site. Roads and busy traffic were all around the bridge, but the view people usually take the picture at cuts all that out.

a road and river near the hostel

something I drew on the wall of the hostel

On the first day, we toured the temples and shrines. The day was cool and partly cloudy--in the evening it rained. Lots of gorgeous green to relax the eyes, though I was slightly worried about my cedar allergies since the mountains were covered with cedar. Perhaps the rain decreased the amount of pollen in the air or I lucked out somehow because I felt fine.

The path up to the temples was crowded with visitors, but that was expected. The temples themselves were impressive with their beautiful ornate decorations. To our disappointment, a few of the temples we toured were under construction, but still lovely to behold from the outside. It was quite a bit of walking, but we managed to cover all the temples by evening (we started around 1 or 2pm).

Lovely moss

path up to the temple areas

one of the paths to another temple

On our second day, we took the bus to Lake Chuzenji/Kegon Falls. We had our fill of yuba, or tofu/bean curd skin, which is a popular food in Nikko along with unagi (eel).

Yuba oyakodon

statue of a yuba croquette

The Kegon Falls is a popular waterfall in Nikko. We were at a pretty high elevation since we could see the clouds not far above us. There was an elevator that brought visitors down to the bottom of the waterfall, but we didn't want to pay for it.

shops near Kegon waterfall

from across the waterfall

view from the top

Lake Chuzenji

After seeing the waterfall, we walked a little further to Lake Chuzenji. It was a sunny and relaxing afternoon by the glassy blue waters. 

We decided to walk around the lake area for a bit and encountered a hiking trail that we decided to take on. It took us about an hour to hike up the cool and damp trail. There was a map of the trail at some point that indicated a ropeway at the top, so we thought we could take that down instead of hike another hour.

The view at the top was pretty interesting--we were really high up so a lot of the clouds (and the fog that rolled in) covered much of scene, but we could make out the town below when some clouds/fog parted. It was a dangerously steep slope down, so we didn't walk down any further to see the view.

So that ropeway we thought we would find at the top didn't exist (curse the old trail map!)...Tired and feeling slighted, we had no other choice but to hike down the same way we went up as the skies grew darker.

When we finally made it back to the lake, we took a break at a nearby cafe. As evening approached, we took the bus back to our hostel and later took the train back to Tokyo/Chiba.

some guy cleaning the lake with a long squeegee...?

Although we didn't get to the experience all the attractions Nikko had to offer, it was a nice short getaway from the bustling craziness of city life. I will always remember the cool air, elaborate temples, and the beautiful green mountains.

Seoul, Korea

During Japan's national holiday Golden Week this year (end of April-early May), my friend and I visited the cities of Seoul and Busan in Korea.  Since this was during the time North Korea was threatening to attack South Korea and its allies, we were apprehensive about following through with our trip. However, after some reassurance from friends living in South Korea that people were carrying on with life as usual, we packed our bags and flew over to Korea. 

Myeongdong shopping districct in Seoul

After flying into Incheon International Airport, we took the commuter train to Seoul (~53 minutes). There were other transportation options that could've gotten us there quicker, but not by much anyhow (Express Line takes ~43 minutes). The transportation system is pretty straightforward and convenient. For more information: Korea Tourism Organization. Looking outside the train on the way to Seoul, we passed by many industrial plains and steaming mud flats (?). Not the most beautiful scenery, but the train was clean and the ride was pleasant.

It wasn't too difficult to navigate through Seoul, partly because it was similar to the trains in Japan, but also everything was announced in English and Chinese (mandarin) in addition to Korean. Our first stop was Myeongdong, one of the busiest and most popular shopping spots in Seoul. The streets were flooded with a sea of consumers, food vendors and other shopping stands. We passed by many popular cosmetic shops (ie. The Face Shop, The Skin Food, Etude, etc.) and clothing stores as we wandered the crowded streets. 

We planned our trip rather poorly, or rather, we didn't really plan things out this time around. So unfortunately, we went to Gyeongbok Palace in Northern Seoul on the one day it was closed--Tuesday. I wonder if the people in this picture were not aware of their day off too. (above: outside of Gyeongbokgung)

We also visited Dongdaemun Market, another popular shopping district. However, we didn't really know where to go, and the buildings we thought were shopping malls turned out to be something else. We wandered through the traditional markets and found ourselves going down some long streets like the one above, where all the stores only sold shoes. Myeongdong was probably a better shopping spot.

In the evening, we took a taxi to over to Ddukbokki Town. The whole area was mainly lined with restaurants that served ddukbokki (spicy Korean rice cake). Wish there was a town for every awesome food out there. 

Ddukbokki Town

Ddukbokki with ramen noodles, egg, mushrooms, and other veggies--spicy but delicious!

Since we weren't very interested in going up Seoul Tower, we only went up to its entrance, which required taking the ropeway up the mountain. We waited in line with other tourists (mainly couples it seemed) for our turn. The tower was lit up in pretty, changing colors. 

The area at the bottom of the Seoul Tower was pretty spacious and tranquil. The night view of the city lights was beautiful, and walking around we encountered a few areas with exercise equipment. Why and for whom? I do not know.

view from the top of the mountain (at the bottom of Seoul Tower)

near the entrance of Seoul Tower

exercise equipment facing the beautiful night view

walking down to take the ropeway down the mountains

On another day, we visited the Hongdae area, where Hongik University is located along with many popular clubs. The streets were lively with plenty of retail stores and young, college students. As a coffee lover, I was pleased to see that almost every other store was a small, independent cafe.

Inside a Siphon Cafe

It's hard to judge the clubbing scene by the one night we went club hopping, but the overall atmosphere was a lot more fun than Japan's clubbing scene, where people don't really dance. We went to three clubs: Papa Gorilla, Mama, and Big Baby. Paying the admission fee at only one club, we were able to go to all three clubs. They were not next to each other, but there were arrows on the floor to guide us to the other clubs. The drinks were crazy cheap. If I remember correctly, tequila shots were 2000 won (~$2) and we got a long island in a little bucket for maybe 10000 won (~10), which we shared. Mostly a young population (probably university students). Good music though, and at the time Psy's song Gentleman was still a hit. One strange thing we noticed: places that had a stage area with dancing poles were dominated by shameless young men.

Seoul would be a great place for people who love shopping, food, and the big city life. I will always remember the Korean people's bright neon shoes, the somewhat rude elderly women, the beautiful feminine male celebrities, and the amazing food.

Busan, Korea

While I was still an EFL teacher in Japan, I took a trip with a friend to Korea during the week-long break Golden Week. Although we stayed in both Seoul and Busan, I will highlight some places in Busan since I took the most pictures there.

The coastal city of Busan had beautiful natural scenery and was a breathe of fresh air from the big city of Seoul. My friend and I were lucky to have a friend drive us to some popular destinations, though taking a taxi would have still been pretty cheap (taxis are SO cheap in Korea: http://www.exploringkorea.com/taxis-in-seoul/). 

HAEUNDAE BEACH

We didn't spend too much time here, but the sunshine, blue skies and water, and coastal breeze were refreshing. 

The APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference hall was located nearby. Not a whole lot to see around here, though I bet the beach is a popular summer destination. 

For more information about the area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeundae_District

YONGGUNGSA TEMPLE

Beautiful temple nestled among the rocks by the sea, the Yonggungsa attracted a good number of visitors. It was not a strenuous walk up the temple, but there were quite a few stone steps to conquer. Best not to wear heels (though some ladies somehow made it up with heels on). 

Stone statues of the 12 zodiac animals near the entrance

Golden Buddha from afar (pic above) and up close (pic below)

Lots of other interesting statues and figurines to see in this large temple by the sea.

 GUKJE MARKET

Lots to buy and eat at the Gukje Market. Don't miss the Hotteok (sweet Korean pancake)--they make it differently in Busan than in Seoul. The street food is cheap and good...

GAMCHEON ART VILLAGE

Probably my favorite place in Busan so far, the Gamcheon Art Village (or Korea's Santorini) is vibrantly colored and intriguing. Here is an interesting article from CNN about this unique town: http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/10/travel/busan-gamcheon-village/index.html

Le Petite Prince and the fox

Busan Station at night: looks like the perfect setting for a Korean drama!