Annyeonghaseyo, hangug seoul-eseoyo! Hello from Seoul, South Korea. Welcome back! It's been country transition week - leaving Japan to South Korea, my new country for the next 32 days. I hope your past week was better than expected and you had many blessings to be thankful for.
Two aspiring Japanese super heros
Traveling throughout Japan was an extraordinary experience. The country has its own distinct vibe like no other country I've visited in all my travels. There is a respectfulness the Japanese have towards each other and towards the environment they live in. I mean, where else in the world would you stand to right on an escalator with the expectation that you stand in place and not walk up the escalator steps. You stand to the right so other people can stand on the right. I need to return to Japan to explore the country in more depth. I'd love to spend time hiking in the countryside and meeting with people who live outside of the big cities.
My Japanese experience has been heightened since arriving in South Korea. My initial reaction to Seoul was less than favourable. I felt I was back in a North American city that had a long list of bad habits. People are smoking freely on the street, people spitting on the street, scrambling about on escalators and elevators, far less courteous to each other, and a lower service standard than many other countries. I was spoiled, by comparison, in most of the other countries I've visited. I've have several wonderful interactions with SK people who have stopped to help me find my way for which I'm incredibly grateful for. The subway system is amazing - easy to navigate. Maybe it's just me. I'm keen to see what my experience is like when I travel to Sokcho, a smaller and reportedly more laidback city, earlier next week.
The other noticeable differences include English is less commonly spoken and there are far fewer business signs with English translations. Poor me, I've have to work much harder to figure out what to eat.
It's early days, so I'll see how the days ahead unfold. Judging a country based on what you experience in its capital city is a bad idea. I'm finding, in retrospect, that I need two or three days to adjust to my new country and settle into the new routine. Different is uncomfortable. Embracing the difference is crucial.
Using Google Maps in South Korea Update: Google Maps is barred from accessing South Korea's geographical data of South Korea, as government regulation prohibits the data from being stored on foreign servers or by foreign companies. No data means no ability to provide directions.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
Ensure you give yourself enough time with all the connections you might have in your travel. You truly want to avoid those moments when you feel rushed (or are genuinely rushed) as those may be just the moments when something can go astray.
Travel Maps
I am in my zig zag journey through Honshu Island heading towards Fukuoka on the northern coast of Kyushu Island. I think Nagasaki, about two hours, by train, southwest of Fukuoka, is the furthest south I traveled in Japan on this trip.
A doll museum. Why not? Something different and new. Glad I made the stop. Tsujimura Jusaburo is a world famous doll maker as the dolls in this museum can attest.
I also found a home for post it notes and paper clip gift I received when I completed the survey when visiting the art museum in Tokyo. I gifted them to the woman working in this museum. Somehow it seemed to be the right fit. She graciously accepted the gift with a great sense of gratitude. Her reaction has left an indelible impression. In return, she gave me two small stickers with doll face images that I gratefully accepted. I end up finding a good home for these two stickers later in the week.
Enjoy the artistry and craftsmanship!
On the Road Rail Again
Next stop - Hiroshima! Enjoyed what turned out to be my last local train ride.
Miyoshi Station
Local train
Does get busier as we near Hiroshima
Hiroshima
My key interest in visiting Hiroshima was having a first hand experience in the city that suffered the fate of being the world's first city to be bombed with an atomic bomb. I've had a lifelong interest in World War II including what happened in the Pacific.
My first destination, after checking in at my hotel, was the Atomic Bomb Dome. Somber and sobering. And we continue to be unimaginably cruel to each other ever since. So many innocent people pay the ultimate price for the acts of aggression perpetrated by small groups of men. The photos speak to the devastation.
Here is background info on the Dome (more details in the link I've shared above):
Hiroshima Peace Memorial is the ruins of a building that was destroyed by an atomic bomb in Hiroshima, Japan. At 8:15 AM on August 6, 1945, the U.S. B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped the world’s first atomic bomb used in war on the city of Hiroshima. The bomb, called Little Boy, killed about 140,000 people.
The building was originally built in 1915 as the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall. Designed by Czech architect Jan Letzel, it was a three-story brick building in a then-modern European style that was topped by a dome. During World War II, the building was used to house governmental and commercial offices. The hypocentre of the atomic explosion was only about 525 feet (160 m) southeast of this building. The bomb exploded virtually above the building, and because the blast wave traveled straight down through its centre, some walls and the steel frames of the structure survived, though all those within were killed.
Peace Memorial Park
The Park is located a short walk, across the Ōta River, from the Atomic Bomb Dome. I skipped visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum as I believe I've seen enough images and read so much about the bombing already to appreciate what happened on that day and the following years.
The museum is a relatively short walk from the Peace Park. I added extra distance by initially confusing city hall with the museum. Sincere thanks to the city hall info desk staff for setting me on the correct path, along with a downtown map to prevent me from getting lost again.
Building
Admittedly, I was underwhelmed when I first entered the museum. I was accustomed to seeing a large and expansive building. I wanted to be awed by the size and majesty. What I missed at the start was the museum's overall design which represented the beauty of a Japanese garden. I missed the forest for the trees.
I created excitement in the security guard's life, unwittingly, by trying to video the building's interior to share with you. I learned I was forbidden from taking video; taking photos was ok (which I had checked at the ticket desk). The building has a central rotunda and four separate rooms off the rotunda where the paintings are on display. All very stunning with the white stone.
Great white dome
A wall surrounds the museum - like a garden would have
Contemporary Art
There is an impressive range of artists represented in this art museum. I've shared a link to the list of artists hosted in the museum should you want to match the paintings below with their respective artist.
And conveniently, just across the road, was Hiroshima Castle and Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine (of which I forgot to take photos, sorry). Consistent with my castle visiting routine, I'm sharing photos the the moat and exterior castle views only. I'm skipping the walk inside the castle.
And the food...
Hiroshima is home to Hiroshimayaki (Hiroshima Okonomiyaki. It's the prefecture's most famous food. What makes this different from the rest of Japan is the ingredients are layered, instead mixed together, In addition, the amount of cabbage used in the Hiroshima version is usually three to four times the amount used in the Kansai-Osaka style.
Dinner #1
Thank goodness for the kindness of the guy, who was visiting from Tokyo, sitting next to me. I would have had a more adventurous culinary experience without him! The online menu (scan a QR code) was in Japanese. He intervened when he saw my reaction to the menu. Fortunately, I wanted exactly what he was eating. He took my phone to order the meal and the obligatory one drink to accompany the meal.
The mini spatula is used to cut up the food. This okonomiyaki eatery provides chopsticks to eat the portions you cleave off.
This eatery had a 'hip' vibe. Good music, younger clientele.
My okonomiyaki meal
What's inside
Chef
Dinner #2
I unexpectedly discovered this okonomiyaki eatery in my failed attempt to find a ramen noodle shop (it was closed). What a wonderful blessing to receive! 🙏 I was also blessed to have someone sitting next to me, from Kyoto this time, who spoke English to help me. I had the chance to watch my meal being created in front of me. With my fellow patron's help, I learned the 78 year old chef has been working for the last 50 years. His granddaughter was his trusty assistant responsible for everything other than the cooking. I also learned about the dining courtesies I should have been using from my fellow patron. Big ooops! The chef was all smiles.
You ate your meal with the small spatula in this eatery. The meal was placed on the warm surface in front of you. You cut up your meal with the spatula and then hoisted the food into your mouth. I'm thinking I had a most authentic Hiroshima dining experience in this eatery!
My meal
Chef in action
Chef in action
Chef and granddaughter
Night has fallen
A couple city views as I returned to my hotel, on the left hand side of the river. I had the good fortune to have a room that overlooked the river.
I learned about this important shrine on Miyajima Island, about a 30 minute train ride (plus 10 minute ferry ride from Miyajima Port) from Hiroshima. The torii in the water is one of those famous Instagram photos from this area. Famous for everyone, except me, who lives without Instagram.
On the way
My short train ride almost had more adventure than I had planned for. At one stop, people who got on the train started switching the direction of the seats which meant the train was set to return in the direction I had just come from. I quickly confirmed, through hand gestures, that I should leave this train and get on the train that was approaching on the opposite platform. All's well that ends well. Hahaha!
Miyajima Island
Miyajima Island
Miyajima Island
The famous torii
Miyajima Island
Itsukushima Jinja Shrine
Wekcome to the Shrine experience on a beautiful warm and sunny day. I was incredibly blessed that the parents of the two little boys in the photo below was agreeable to have me take their photo. The mother went the extra step of corralling the littlest guy long enough to take the photo. I gifted my two stickers I received at the doll museum to these boys. I thought they could get better use from them than myself.
In what now appears my continuing efforts to ascend as many ropeways as I can, I was off to the Shishiiwa Observatory with the potential to reach Mount Misen Observatory. I decided to omit the extra two hour return hike to Mt. Misen once I arrived at the Shishiiwa Observatory. Hiking uphill in 30C+ weather (was about 11:30 am) was unappealing.
Info
Path to ropeway
More info
Mt. Misen
Seto Inland Sea islands
Seto Inland Sea islands
More islands
Ropeway down
Ropeway up
Returning to the ferry terminal
Manhole cover designs expand
Deer continue to roam free
Miyajima street
Miyajima street
Lesson learned:
Avoid taking the local train that departs from the Hiroden-Miyajimaguchi Station near the ferry terminal. The local train stops at every station on the way to Hiroshima. Why? Because this local train takes 70 minutes to reach Hiroshima Station instead of 30 minutes on the 'regular' train I had taken in the morning. What I mistakenly thought was convenient gave me much more personal time on a train. The kicker at the end of the ride was paying 240 yen because the ride was not covered by my JR Pass.
This beautiful garden was about a ten minute walk from my hotel. That is, of course, if you follow the Google Map directions more closely than I did. I ended up taking a longer route as I mistakenly thought the garden was on the opposite side of the river. I suspect I would be a source of frustration to anyone who might be traveling with me. I take all these diversions in stride, looking to discover what I might have missed if I did follow the directions correctly.
As this park is in the midst of the city, I tried to avoid taking photos that included the city skyline in the background. A little piece of paradise in a large metropolitan city.
Garden entrance
Details
Fading garden map - difficult to read
Details
Fukuoka
After two nights in Hiroshima, I was off to Fukuoka on the Shinkansen (translation - new main line/new trunk line) train/bullet train to Fukuoka on Kyushu Island. My original travel was to fly to Seoul from Fukuoka instead of returning to Tokyo. I'd also have the chance to visit Nagasaki, the second Japanese city bombed with an A-bomb in World War II, which is located about a two hour train ride west from Fukuoka.
I thought this building had the most interesting design of all the museums I had visited in Japan. The other museums were big, beautiful and stood out from the landscape. This museum seemed to be designed to blend into the surrounding landscape with its lower profile and brown colouring. One with nature.
Yayoi Kusama - artist from Matsumoto Art Museum reappears
Hello Kitty display
Art - Contemporary/Japanese
The museum had an extraordinary range of art that challenged my imagination. I continue to be fascinated by how other people interpret the world they live in. The Salvador Dali piece was a treat. It reminded me of the Dali art exhibit I was at in Cusco, Peru many years ago. Talk about interpreting the world differently.
Yayoi Kusama reappears again
This art piece is a cone; hard to distinguish with the depth of blue colour
Creativity plus
Pre-Modern Art
The museum also had a separate exhibit dedicated to what they termed pre-modern art. Again, great space to appreciate how artists bring their vision of the world to life.
My love affair with Japanese Gardens also continues. I've developed a much better appreciation for the artistry invested to create this type of garden. Such beautiful space that generates peace and tranquility. Every plant, water stream (including the fish), walkway and tree seems to be in the right place.
The museum and Japanese Garden are in the midst of Ohori Park, an oasis in a busy city. The park also includes athletic fields and a baseball diamond just behind the art museum.
And evening comes to Fukuoka...
Nagasaki
Nagasaki is about two hours train ride (and one transfer) from Fukuoka.
I did visit the museum in Nagasaki. The best I could do is take photos from the exterior and the ceiling photo below. I find it difficult to share this tragedy in the same graphic detail found in the museum. A personal experience if you wan to go down that path.
One comment that caught my attention was a reference to the rationale for using the bomb. The long standing reason given for using the bomb was to quicken the war's conclusion. The additional observation made was that the USA had invested over two billion dollars in the Manhattan Project to be build the bomb and needed proof of that the investment. Something more to ponder.
So, I got off the city tram one stop sooner than I should have only to discover this historic sight as I was making my way to the correct destination. Everything you wanted to know, and more, about the Dutch presence in Nagasaki. You can get info pamphlets in Japanese, English and Dutch.
Moat
Moat around site
Site model
Sundial instructions
Sundial, although I think it may be 'broken' as it had the wrong time 😉
With the trading post diversion behind me, I was back on my mission to visit Glover Garden. I found the tram station I had meant to get off at to transfer to the tram for Glover Garden. When I think about gardens I'm now thinking traditional Japanese gardens. I was working on the wrong assumption about this garden. I'm glad I visited given the harbour/city views, unsure if I would have made the effort if I had done more research. I thought it was seriously missing the elements required in a 'real' garden. Yes, I'm transforming into a garden snob! 😊
I was blessed with a brief conversation with a high school girl who was on a field trip with her class. She approached me to ask where I was from and what I was doing. I have great admiration for younger people willing to take the chance to speak in English. I know from my many conversations how self-conscious people can be about their English language skills.
Welcome to the birth place of Japanese porcelain. I'm trying to expand my experience and feed my curious side. The link above has more info should you be interested in learning more.
Area map
Wonder if there is a competition for the most decorative/creative manhole covers?
Porcelain
I've included a few photos I took as I was walking along the main street in search of my destinations. While ceramics are low on my list of things to see, one does have to appreciate the skill and artistry invested in creating these works of art.
On Arita train station platform
Hair Cut
Getting a haircut has been on my mind for a few days. How convenient to be walking by a barber shop in small town Japan. My barber, who proudly shared he was 79, has been cutting hair all his life. Big baseball fan as he watching a LA Dodgers baseball game while cutting my hair. We managed to communicate using Google Translate. This haircuts ranks as one of the better barber shop experiences ever. I had a shampoo, neck and head rub along with the cut. He was old school with limited use of clippers and bigger reliance on scissors to cut my hair. Quite the contrast from my last haircut in Diphu, India!
This ginkgo tree at Izumiyama Benzaiten-jinja Shrine is about 40-meters high, 12-meters around at the roots, and has a crown reaching 31-meters east to west. It's about 1,000 years old. It could well be the largest ginkgo tree in Japan. It was designated a national Natural Monument in 1926.
Welcome to the first shrine I've visited that has had ceramics. Built in the second half of the 1600s to venerate the legendary Emperor Ojin and Nabeshima Naoshige (1538-1618). In 1871, the shrine was renamed Sueyama-Jinja, literally "Ceramic Mountain Shrine."
"Creating porcelain was competitive 400 years ago as Arita became the first place in Japan to produce it. The Arita pottery masters that once lived in these streets built the walls to hide their techniques from prying eyes.
Made from discarded fireproof bricks (known as tonbai) that were once used in kilns for firing pottery."
There is about 900m of these walls within Arita, located just off the main road running through Arita.
"With two exceptionally-carved stone guardians standing watch at the temple’s entrance, Keiunji Temple was built in 1620. Since 1896, important ceramic-judging competitions have been held here. The temple hosts over one million visitors per week during the annual Japanese Arita Porcelain Festival and Ceramic Bazaar are held here during Golden Week!"
Truly hard to imagine a million people being in Arita, never mind crowding around this small temple! The two statutes have been exquisitely carved!
I included Sasebo on my itinerary because the guy who was helping me with ordering Dinner #2 in Hiroshima mentioned he was from Sasebo. The city was only 30 minutes train ride from Arita, so why not? I ended up having a very brief stay in the city. One of the key tourist attractions was taking a boat ride through the 99 islands off Sasebo's shoreline. I had just missed the last boat for the day.
I also discovered the following tidbit of info in my limited exploration of Sasebo:
'Sasebo flourished first as a former base for the Japanese Navy, and after WW2, as a U.S. Naval base, where American music, food, fashion, and various other cultures flourished. The Sasebo Burger is one of these cultural products, and is said to have been first created around 1950 from a recipe directly from the U.S. Navy base, making Sasebo the "birthplace of the hamburger" in Japan.'
Sasebo Harbour
Training ship on its way to adventure
The top of this sign says 'You are here'. While the statement was true, the usual map that goes with this statement to indicate where 'here' is was missing.
Sayōnara Nihon
Getting to the international airport was one of the easiest and least expensive airport transfers ever. It was a 5 minute subway ride from the main train station to the domestic terminal costing about $2.60 CAD. The subway ride was followed by a 10 minute shuttle bus ride to the international terminal. Security was quick - leave everything in your bag and take off your shoes. There are slippers provided so you avoid getting your socks or feet dirty as you walk through the scanner. How thoughtful is that?
This masterpiece suddenly appeared at the Fukuoka Station.
Read all about the new installation
McDonalds french fries test in Japan completed
Underground bike storage in subway walkway
Park your scooters on this side
Fukuoka International Terminal
Fuluoka coastline
South Korea
My knowledge of South Korea (SK) is limited to what I learned through watching the MASH 4077 TV show as I was growing up, my friends Howard Ko and Nancy Rhee who emigrated from Korea, and all the news stories about the DMZ on the 38th parallel separating North and South Korea. We are launching into another journey of discovery together.
I have a keen interest in visiting the DMZ to see the area first hand. The only way to enter the area is on an organized bus tour. Seoul is about 23 km (14 mi) from the DMZ so it's going to be a short bus ride!
The flight from Fukuoka to Seoul is 75 minutes gate to gate.
From the air
SK's southern coastline
SK's southern coastline
Approaching Incheon International Airport
Approaching Incheon International Airport
Seoul
I was blessed with a very positive airport experience. Customs was busy, however, I was through without any issue receiving my customs sticker authorizing me to stay for up to six months. I also remembered to complete my arrival card online before arriving making my entry that much easier. Luggage arrived intact. I got my data only SIM card quickly and easily. The telecom company, KT (Korea Telecom) also gave me a free TMoney card (stored value card) along with the SIM card. I visited an ATM for cash, and put money on the TMoney card at the airport CU convenience store. Last stop was tourist information to get directions to my hotel. The person helping me provided detailed instructions on the subway map. And I was on my way.
Street near my hotel
Lots of different art installations throughout the area (Myeong-dong) I was staying in.
'Gyeongbokgung Palace is the primary palace of the Joseon dynasty that was established in 1395 (the 4th year of King Taejo's reign) after the foundation of the dynasty in 1392.'
If you are going to visit one of the five palaces in Seoul, this is the palace you are recommended to visit. I arrived just as the changing of the Royal Guards was wrapping up. The weather was too hot for the guards to stand guard outside after the guard changing activity. I'm sharing a five minute YouTube video if you want to see the changing of the guard.
The Palace has been destroyed and rebuilt multiple times since 1392. You can delve into its history by clicking on the link I've shared in the section title above.
Gwanghwamun Gate
Wall to the right of gate
Wall to left of gate
Photo op with lead guard
Guards on their way out
Heungnyemun Gate
Heungnyemun Gate
Geunjeongjeon Hall and Geunjeongmun Gate & Corridors
The National Folk Museum of Korea is dedicated to acquiring and preserving artifacts and information on the traditional ways of life, which are rapidly disappearing due to modernization and urbanization.'
I walked around the grounds, skipping my opportunity to visit the museum.
Pagoda above Folk Museum
Folk Museum grounds map
Outdoor exhibits
Details about exhibits
I Spy...
In case of North Korean invasion
Looking out from Palace
Korean flag
Free Admission to Palace for Hanbok Wearers
Administration
I'd encourage you to ensure you've allocated enough time anytime you need to change destinations. I'm now always pleasantly surprised when everything that I have scheduled actually happens as planned. I'm ok if I have an extra couple of hours waiting. I know you have limited time when you have one or two weeks vacation. You have to make every moment count. You reacting badly because your plans are off the rails with no recovery time built into your schedule creates a lifetime of memories for the people traveling with you. I've gone down that path, had my meltdowns and have now successfully avoided repeating that mistake. I've just found new things to mess up! Hahaha!
Next Week
I leave Seoul on Monday for four nights in Sokcho, an east coast city which is about a 2.5 hours bus ride. I'm planning to spend a couple days hiking in the nearby mountain park as well as visit the beach. My final destination for the week is likely to be Gangneung, a coastal city south of Sokcho.
I'd be delighted and honoured to 'see you' next week! Stay happy and healthy!
Welcome to the inaugural post of David's Great Adventure 2024/25 edition. I'm delighted you were able to take time to join me on this journey. The initial plan is to travel to Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, India (Chennai and Nagaland), Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. The idea of a short return trip to Sri Lanka to visit friends is now on my radar. We'll keep track of the delta between the original plan and the actual travel. I find that my heart tugs me in different directions so I'm equally interested in how the adventure unfolds! I've arbitrarily decided to start this blog with my flight to Canada from Wisconsin. I'm now thinking the Great Adventure truly started in January 2024 when I moved to Wisconsin for work. September and October were two months where I had all the flexibility to experience Wisconsin AND I did! I had more time to spend time with friends and explore the great state of Wisconsin. My friends in Wisconsin permanently changed my ...
Welcome to the second full week in New Zealand! Thank you for taking your time to check in on last week's activities. Lots of stuff to share. The photos for this past week may be aligned with what I, perhaps you as well, expect when I think about New Zealand. Majestic mountain ranges, crystal blue water and Milford Sound, of course! I'm going to do my part to broaden my New Zealand landscape stereotype by profiling the east coast, highlighting its rugged beauty, amazing people and quietness (other than the surf). My travel objectives for the week was to slow the pace of travel as well as traverse from the Alps to the east coast as I wind my way to the southern part of South Island. I have an affinity for being by the sea, hearing the surf, the air and experiencing the expansive horizon. Long to be by the sea to watch the sun either rise or set - equal beauty. In Buzz Lightyear's immortal words - to infinity and beyond is what I feel when I see the open ocean. The weath...
Greetings! Welcome to Week 7 - what I'm fondly recalling as my Maori cultural immersion week. It maybe just me, I've noticed the Maori presence appears to be much more pronounced on the North Island. Besides seeing more Maori people, I've also learned about the Maori flags flying at residences, and there is a Maori Queen. Perhaps it's just more so on the north part of this Island. I shall see in the weeks ahead. The week started in One Tree Point and ended with me finding motel space in Dargaville near the west coast. This was another week of limited driving. For perspective on physical distances, the two coasts are only about one hour drive distance from each other from where I'm currently at. Definitively a significantly different vibe in the northern part of the North Island from the South Island. It's busier in all ways. Fewer open stretches of highway, more traffic on the main highways, more of most everything. Again, this degree of being busy is relative ...
.jpg)
Comments
Post a Comment