(36) something something tokyo

Harajuku clothing store

It's funny that this is the title for a post about my winter vacation to Tokyo, because honestly, Tokyo and the experiences I have there are something I can talk about until I run out of breath. It's my favorite city. It's a place where I can always find some new experience while at the same time, revisiting old experiences that remind me why I love this place so much.

This time I was able to share the experience with my girlfriend, not only a special occasion based on the action of sharing my favorite place with her, but the fact that she was able to clear out her schedule enough to actually go for a few days was a miracle. Her job, is not the typical 9 to 5 that many people hold. Taking vacation time is almost never a possibility for her and taking more than three days off to travel overseas is also a next to impossible task.

However, after a lot of discussion, scouring of the web for affordable plane and hotel accommodations and planning a mix of my favorite places to see with some new things for both of us to explore, the date was finalized and the plans were set. Fate had aligned, it was time to return to the city that in many ways, set me on the present course my life is currently on today. My genesis city, the origin of everything.

Traditional Japanese Wedding

It has been several years since I had spent time in Tokyo, and admittedly my memory of locations and sight to see were a bit fuzzy. I knew that certain places existed in certain areas,  but the memory of exactly how to go to them, the right train to take, the right subway exit to leave, was still a bit fuzzy. I spent a large amount of time researching and refreshing my memory of the places I visited years before. This was the first time I was traveling overseas with someone who was more unfamiliar with the area than I was and I wanted to make sure that her experience was as stress free as possible. I was completely comfortable with being lost in an unfamiliar place. It's how I ended up discovering most of the areas that would become favorite places in Japan during previous visits. I knew my girlfriend though. I knew what made her uncomfortable and what quickly drained her enjoyment. I made sure that this time, there was no getting lost.

Bright Shibuya

The wonderful thing about Tokyo, specifically central Tokyo where our hotel was located, is that incredible ease to get to each location with little to no difficulty. Many of the popular areas like Shinjuku, Harajuku and Shibuya were only a few subway stops away with a maximum time of 30 minutes to get to each area. I was amazed the first time I came to Tokyo in terms of its efficient subway system. after spending two years using the subways in Seoul and Daegu, I can still say with confidence that the Tokyo subway line still impresses with its ease of use and access.

With only three days, we decided to maximize our time in seeing places and trying things. By the end of the day we were always tired and ready to sleep as soon as our bodies hit the bed. I always took this as a sign of a good day. We used our energy to do what we wanted, another check on the list.

Taken from an indoor onsen (hotspring)

I took her to some of my favorite old places to visit. We walked around the shops of Harajuku at night taking in the bright pastel and candy colored clothing while enjoying one of Harajuku's famous crepes. We visited Meiji Shrine and were able to visit the many temples and shrines there. We were even lucky enough to witness a Japanese traditional wedding in progress while we were there. It was a incredible surprise to see and something that made my girlfriend very happy to witness in person.

That's not to say everyday was a nonstop series of traveling. We took the time to appreciate some of the more calmer moments. We made sure to sip coffee at the Starbucks in Shibuya while watching the crowd of people cross below us. We visited an onsen and let our minds and bodies relax as the soothing hot water was a pleasant and comfortable yin to the cold, outdoor air's yang. In the evening we always took the time to have a sizable meal with cold beverages, a celebration of our freedom and a great way to end a day of new experiences.

Delicious and fresh sushi

My girlfriend had to return to Korea after three days, while I stayed behind a few more days to visit friends. At first I was nervous for her. Having lived in big city her whole life, I knew that the impact on her wouldn't be as big for her as it was for me. A place so important and significant, I wouldn't want her experience to be mediocre. I wanted to share the same feelings and love for this place that I had with her. I wanted her to understand why I loved this city so much.

In the end, she didn't get quite the same impact as I did, but ended up loving it all the same. For her, it was more of an experience of seeing the little differences and the subtle changes between her city of Seoul and Tokyo. For her, it was seeing clean streets with not a piece of litter in site. It was going to a convenience store and seeing a wider selection of alcohol than just beer and soju. It was seeing grown men and women purchase figures and statues of famous anime characters with no sign of shame or remorse.

While any big city is bound to be similar in many ways, digging into the center to see the differences and the essence of what makes the city different from anywhere else. Cities have souls, and the people and the places make up the blood that flows through its veins.

For a few days, she was able to see that blood. For a few days she was able to catch a glimpse of the city that I love and the city that I know one day, I will return to again.

(2) 90 in 90 days: My vacation in Osaka and the feeling of returning home

Working with the EPIK program usually means having a short period of time for vacation. Typically, there are eight vacation days in the summer and ten in the winter. While most of my summer vacation was spent last year exploring the southern coast of South Korea, my time this year was spent in Osaka, Japan.

I had visited Japan previously, once in the summer of 2009 and another during the summer of 2011. Both times had been spent in the Tokyo area looking for jobs and visiting friends who were already living there. Both times also served as my first and second times out of the country and in many ways, set me on the current course I currently am following currently.

Previously, I had only dreamed of visiting places outside the US, thinking it should be something better reserved for people with ample amounts of free time and money. While the trip wasn't cheap, it was well worth the effort and willingness to travel around the world as both times served plenty of happy memories and experiences that still remained to this day. I never thought I could fall in love with a culture or city, but two years in Tokyo taught me how attached one could become to a place. In its hectic and sometimes chaotic neon drenched atmosphere, beat a soul and a pulse that gave the city its life and atmosphere. Once I witnessed that pulse for myself, it became a seductive lure that always called back to me.

Oknomiyaki, an Osaka specialty 

Years later, I found myself in the position to visit some of the same friends I had previously met in Tokyo, this time in Osaka. Having never been to Osaka before, and being offered a full week to stay with friends during my vacation, I jumped at the opportunity to go and visit.

 At first, I thought it would be silly to have expectations of having the same exciting and fun experience that I previously had in Japan. I was a different person back then, less educated on the world outside my own country and naive to cultures different from my own. I knew that such a wildly eye opening experience would more likely than not be possible due to having a stronger sense and grasp on worlds and cultures outside my own.

However, I was very happily proven wrong as once again, my trip to Japan proved to be another incredible experience of meeting new people, seeing new places and falling in love with Japan all over again.

Osaka Castle

Osaka is a very different place from Tokyo. Gone is the crowded streets packed with people rushing to get from place and to place, replaced with a city a little more relaxed and laid back. Osaka, while still a large city, never felt like I was being rushed or pressured to make my way around there. The general atmosphere was one of calm which made visiting different places very fun and without massive amounts of pressure.

One thing I was able to do that I did not have time to do before, was visiting more historical sites. This time I was able to visit Osaka Castle and the riverside area of Osaka City. It was an incredible site to witness the sheer size of Osaka Castle, the despite being heavily modernized on the inside, still proved to be incredibly large on the outside. Even the park area that housed the palace was large and took a great deal of time to walk through. This was a great experience for me, as someone who was used to the cramped spaces of walking through Tokyo, being able to stretch my legs and have a wide open area was almost liberating in a sense.

Lanterns in Osaka

Exploring Osaka was also a joy and new experience for me to enjoy. Having a river running through the center made for a very festive experience. Lanterns lined the river area, and at night emitted a white glow which reflect off the water along with the other neon signs. Osaka also had more open area markets and arcade areas which hosted a variety of smaller random shops and restaurants. In many ways, it reminded me of Cheonggyecheon in Seoul, with is river running through the city and smaller places and shops to explore.

The week passed much faster than I would have liked, with every day filled with exploring during the day and eating delicious food with friends during the night. We never really had a set plan or criteria of what we wanted to do just doing what we felt like at a moment's whim. It made for a less structured time but at the same time, a more enjoyable and less limiting time.

It was nice to see old friends again. Despite being apart for several years and only talking through mediums like facebook, it was both a relief and reassurance that for the most part, my friends were still the same. Spending the nights drinking Japanese beer and eating delicious Japanese food with friends brought out lots of stories and experiences being accounted from the past, along with new jokes and stories from our time together.

Old and new friends

It was a great time in Osaka, the pictures and short bits and descriptions are not enough to show just how much fun I had there. For a time, I felt like I was back in college again, joking around, acting more immature than I should for my age and enjoying my time for a brief period without worry of student loans, lessons plans and monthly experiences, the things that had come to be a form of stress in my life.


Just me, my friends and happy memories set in the city of Osaka. Once again, I am assured that my friends are still the great people that I knew from years ago and that Japan is still the same country I fell in love with years ago, and even as I write this, I know in my heart that one day I will return again.

Living a second year in Korea: Love stories in Hongdae, North Korea and trips to Japan

I know quite a few teachers and other foreigners in Korea that go through a busy phase in the summer and fall time.It's that time when the weather starts changing and with it comes final exams and many, many events to go to and visit on the weekend.

Last year, I didn't take advantage of going to as many events as I wanted to. I was still new to this whole living in Korea thing and some days, having the energy to survive a day in school and make it home was more than a challenge. At the time, I was worried that the travel bug and the side of me that loved doing stuff was slowly dying or simply not interested in exploring what Korea had to offer. I thought I was in imminent danger of becoming  the hermit that lived to go home and spend his entire days playing video games and surfing the internet away from other people.

My new favorite tea shop in Seoul

A lot of teachers I know often spend their first year exploring and going on vacations to other countries nearby Korea. Every weekend is another adventure and every holiday is a chance of living it up in another place. By the time the second year comes by, most people are burnt out of traveling, having explored all their options. The desire to travel and explore dies. The honeymoon phase of seeing all the nooks and crannies of a country disappears.



"You don't live your second and third year," someone once told me. "Rather you coast them."

I wish I could find the guy who told me that and show him my schedule for the next couple of months, just to prove to him how wrong he was about this second year foreigner living in Korea.

Well, not really, since I don't like to gloat and want to be nice to everyone. Still though, the last few months have been incredible in terms of going places and seeing things. Every weekend since the beginning of June has been filled with some kind of interesting place to visit and cool thing to see. The only time I ever stayed at my home during the weekend was due to a lack of money or being simply too busy with something else to venture out.

I'm getting to know Seoul better. For all the hofs, clubs and restaurants that are always talked about, there's a charming underside to Seoul that I absolutely love. One of my favorite spots in Seoul is the Hongdae area, home to Hongik University and one of the most varied and interesting nightlife areas that I have visited in Korea.

Being near a famous university know for art, there are lots of coffee shops and cafes with interiors resembling  different artistic styles. Its not entirely uncommon to run into a coffee shop with an Andy Warhol esque interior to only go across the street to a cafe filled with art deco tables and chairs.

A wedding proposal in process with a guy in a bear suit. Only in Hongdae.

The nightlife in Hongdae is just as interesting. The streets are packed with people walking around and contributing the happy atmosphere. On every corner there's usually an outdoor show or public performance happening. There has never been a time that I went to Hongdae and wasn't entertained. I've seen everything from giant dogs to girls fist fighting in the streets. If I could, I would jump at the chance to live in Hongdae. Its that exciting, crazy city life atmosphere that would leave you with a million interesting stories to tell.

On the work side of things, this month has my school finishing their final exams towards the beginning of the month and their summer vacation beginning shortly afterwards. It's also the month I have two exciting events to look forward to: my trip to the DMZ and my summer vacation to Japan.

I've been wanting to go to the DMZ since last year, however time and money has always been a factor in turning down opportunities to visit. I never had a specific time to visit this year, but felt that it would be best to go when the opportunity best presented itself. A few weeks ago a friend offered the chance for me to visit both areas of the tour for a cheaper price than most travel packages. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. If there was ever an "this is it!" moment, well, this was it.

My first time watching live bands perform in Seoul.

Towards the end of the month I should also be making my way to Japan for a week to visit old friends and spend some time in sunny and beautiful Osaka. I've previously spent a great deal of time in Tokyo, so exploring somewhere new is a very exciting prospect for me. Japan was my country of many 'firsts' for me. The first time being abroad, the first time job hunting for a career job and the first time spending a significant amount of time on my own without help. I have a certain draw to Japan that I continue to hold near and dear to my heart. The USA will always be my home and Korea will always be special to me, but Japan is in a category all on its own, and I can't wait to reunite with her again.

My schedule is looking busy and expensive, but I honestly could not be more excited. My second year has been one exciting adventure after the other and I'm looking forward to many more.

Sophomore slump? Never heard of it.

Vacation Wrap Up: Busan and the final days

Coming to Busan was a shock to see and initially a very overwhelming experience. Spending the last few days in the peaceful countryside where the only noise would be the chirping of cicadas or the distant hum of a car was quickly contrasted by the blaring K Pop, nonstop traffic and constant crowds of people hurrying back and forth. It truly felt we had entered another world, or another time and era all together. Living in the past had truly made for a brightly colored and loud future.

One of my friends had been lucky enough to sit next to a friendly resident of Busan who attended Busan University during our bus ride. She had told my friend all about the different spots to see and visit in Busan and the best places to stay for the night. With that knowledge we hopped into a taxi with a destination in mind: a jimjilbang named Homers, supposedly one of the fanciest jimjilbangs in Busan.

The taxi ride was a long one, taking well over ten minutes to arrive at our destination. Traffic and tall buildings bathed in neon light was a constant reminder that we were back in the big city, back to civilization. We were still recovering from the shock of being back. I used to enjoy living in the city and being part of the hustle, it made everything feel dynamic and alive. Everything was always moving. Everything was always exciting.

My love of the city was subsided during my trip. I had gotten used to the peace and quiet; I was beginning to appreciate how much time and space I had in the rural areas. The air was cleaner, the people nicer and the food tastier. Our cab driver was mostly silent on the way to the jimjilbang, only occasionally confirming our destination. I was officially missing the smaller places; I even missed the talkative cabbies.

We arrived at Homers and were greeted with a large building in front of us. The inside lobby was a posh collection of immaculate polished floors, shiny glass chandeliers and smooth brass railings. Dressed in only a sweaty t shirt and carrying only a backpack, this place was much too fancy for my vagabond looking self.

Homers was two parts, one a jimjilbang and the other a hotel. Both were connected and both could allow different people to go back and forth as they choose to. The jimjilbang was on the higher floors and despite being slightly less fancy, it was still the most impressive jimjilbang that I had been to yet. The highlight was a huge window that allowed a view of Busan’s famous bridge from the jimjilbang hot tub or the sleeping area. It was only a few feet away from one of the smaller beaches in Busan, with a view that allowed you to see the dark waves crashing up on the shore and the brightly lit stands selling food and random trinkets to shine brightly below.

Being that this was towards the end of our trip, the fatigue of traveling around was beginning to catch up to all of us.  Despite the novelty of the place we were in, sleep was a main objective. As much as I wanted to sleep, my body was still too active, still too excited to go to sleep just yet. Thankfully my friend sitting next to me was not quite ready for bed either (or was and I ended up keeping her up) and the next few hours were spent talking and taking in the view in front of us. It was funny to think that at the time, our journey started in a bus station with the mountains in the background and was now ending with a bridge and the ocean. It was a comforting and triumphant thought as the room grew dimmer and my eyes grew heavier.

I was immediately awoken by a sound intimately familiar with. I bolted up to the sound of the entire room’s scream, once again awkwardly looking around trying to get over my initial shock and disbelief that something like this could happen to me again.

My blurry eyes made out a large group of people glued to the TV in front of them. By the time I had put my glasses on and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I was finally able to piece together the chaos as the room once again let out a unified scream that shook the room.

The soccer game between Korea and Japan was on TV, the game that was one of the biggest games for any Korean with even a passive interest in sports. It was nation versus nation, pride versus pride and even at three in the morning, these fans were going to show their support.

With the outburst of noise, sleep was no longer a viable option. I moved around the room watching the people and the game, not really angry or tired but more amused and interested in a game that had now managed to capture the attention of the entire formally sleeping room.

By the time the sun began to peak over the ocean and rise between the columns of the bridge, casting its lights and shadows on the sand below, the noise and excitement had just reached its peak. Korea had just won the game, the crowd had gone wild, and the yelling and the screaming was slowly beginning to die down. After the last few people had finally left the TV, quiet had swept over the room again and the quietness was finally back, inviting for someone who had only previously slept a few hours before, just enough time for an hour of sleep before having to wake up again.

The reason we awoke so early was to meet another friend meeting up with us. Not only would we be traveling around Busan with him, we would be traveling around in a car that he had rented and he would be driving. I had ridden in cars around Korea before, but never with close friends and never for the purpose of just driving around.

The sun was shining brightly as my friend signed the release papers and we cautiously got into our small fuel- efficient car for the first time. We would be driving in one of the biggest cities in Korea with some of the more aggressive drivers in Korea. My friend said a prayer for us before we left. We all laughed it off as a joke, but I secretly suspected that she was not.

The worry and fear of driving was quickly replaced with an incredible sense of freedom and excitement. We were riding in our own car in Korea. We didn’t have to rely on the subway or the bus. We were free to go where we wanted to, listen to our own music and leave when we felt like it. The freedom and giddiness was infectious and soon everyone in the car was laughing and talking on where to go and what to do.

I never thought you could encapsulate the feeling of driving for the first time but this was a moment that was perfectly replicated for me. We were young, we could go where we wanted to, and we had no worries.

We spent the day driving to random places in Busan, occasionally taking a look at a map to get a solid idea of what areas to visit. We ended up going to two large malls, one of which was supposedly one of the largest in the world, a driving range bowling and finally finishing with a steak dinner. Relatively normal and characteristic of big city living but I didn’t care. We went to these places with good people, drove there with our own will and did next to no planning.

The trip had come to an end and as I boarded my train to go back home and prepare for my return back to the work force, my mind was completely at peace. No reflection, no worries and no planning ahead. Just silence and serenity existed where only a few weeks before worry and stress.

There was nothing left to think about. I now had everything I wanted, everything I needed. 

Our chariot of freedom in Busan