(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.

(35) Another New Year and thanks to those who believed in me

This weekend was many different things to different people. In Korea, families were celebrating the new Lunar New Year and welcoming the year of the horse with hope and optimism for a new and insightful year. Back home, many of my friends and family were tuning in to watch the Super Bowl, something that I was not willing to wake up early for on a Monday to watch in Korea (but was more than willing to watch the movie previews and see the snarky tweets).

Along with this, many of my foreign friends have just returned to Korea from their trips overseas, returning back home to start their new school semesters again.

For many people this was a time of new starts and fresh slates, and I was also one of those people. After spending the last few months searching and worrying about my future in Korea, I can finally say that I have secured a new teaching job at an international academy in the city of Songdo.

Songdo, is a newer city located in Incheon and is known for being a clean and modern city designed to be welcoming to the international community visiting and living in Korea. Many of Incheon's elite and influential people live and work in Songdo, making it an interesting change from my little city of Gimcheon.

The school itself, separates itself from similar schools due to its ciriculum based more on creativity and artistic expression rather than normal textbook based lessons. Classes at this school include the normal English, math and science classes, but also includes several other classes not normally found at schools including ballet and horse back riding. Needless to say, English is where I will be applying my schools to these children as my horse back riding and ballet skills are not quite up to snuff.

Songdo has also recently gotten the attention of the media due to the announcement that Avengers 2 will be filming in the area. As a huge fan of Marvel and the recent cinematic universe, I take this as a sign from some benevolent deity that this was meant to be in some way and will allow me a possible peak at the filming of this movie or at the very least, bragging rights to tell people that Avengers 2 was filmed in my neighborhood. Maybe I'll see Scarlet Johansson on set/ Heck, I'd even settle for some random SHIELD agent.

I also begin my winter vacation today as I'll be spending the next few days in Tokyo, three of which will be spent with the company of my girlfriend, allowing me the opportunity to show her some of the places and things that made me fall in love with this city so many years ago.

The last time I was in Tokyo, I was still a student in university getting ready to go out into the world on my own. This was before the massive typhoon and Fukushima disaster that drastically changed the country. Now, as a slightly older and wiser adult, it will be interesting to see if the city I fell in love with still measures up.

All of the good things in my life right now, didn't come just through myself. I worked hard and searched for opportunities and chances to continue working in Korea, but finally landing the job came from dozens of people whose kindness, recommendations cooperation and understanding allowed me to be where I am now. I could not have done it without all of you and even now, I am thankful for all you have done.

So before I start a new chapter in my Korean life, I want to say thank you. To everyone. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return the favor but I will always try to be my best to you and myself. You efforts will not go to waste through me.

So thank you, all of you.

(11) 90 in 90: Into the (Ocean) World

Last week, my girlfriend and I spent a day at Ocean World, a water park a few hours away from Seoul. I've been to Caribbean Bay, another water park located next to Everland, however Ocean World was an entirely different beast. While both were water parks, Ocean World had more of everything. More slides, more pools, a bigger park, more areas to rest and a bigger variety of other attractions to see besides the slides. I may be getting ahead of myself, but in my opinion, Ocean World was a much better experience.

Getting to Ocean World is a fairly painless process. There are several buses that go directly to Ocean World and are free, as in no need to pay bus fare or swipe your travel card. They leave from a few locations in Seoul and Incheon, including places like Bupeyeong and Sinchon at different times.

The Ocean World Entrance

Once you arrive, there is a changing area at the front of the park along with an area to store picnic food and buy your tickets. after that, the rest of the park is pretty straight forward,as you can walk around the entire park with each new pool and slide located one right after the other.

We went on a Thursday, which by normal standards should have been pretty empty but due to it being the summer time and a peak season where most people in Korea are either on vacation or have extra days off work, the entire park was packed.

I didn't mind though, compared to my last visit to Caribbean Bay, which was strangely empty, seeing lots of people swimming and having fun was nice to see.

Another thing that was different (and admittedly a pleasant surprise) was the lack of covering up from many people in the park. I've been to other pools and beaches before in Korea and both guys and girls usually make it a habit of covering themselves with pull overs, big t shirts and hats. Here, i saw very few people covered up and instead swim trunks and bikinis everywhere. For someone from America, this wasn't exactly a foreign sight to see in the summer, but in Korea, this was the first time I ever saw this much on display at once much to my surprise.

The two most memorable parts of the park were the massive wave pool and the tube slide. The wave pool was probably the largest I have ever seen in Korea and America and was at any given moment filled with people. There were more than enough people to fill the entire front section of the deep end, making moving around impossible. I never felt the threat of drowning or being swept away by the waves due to the large number of people. The claustrophobia was worth it though, as the waves the pool sent out were strong and large. If you caught the wave at just the right angle, you could have easily been carried back several feet. There were times where I would struggle to stand up after a massive wave and regain my composure before another one would come crashing down on my sending me back and disorientating me even further.

There was a downside to the waves though, my girlfriend lost her balance to one of the larger waves and scrapped her leg on the bottom of the pool. Since the bottom was rough and oddly, sharp textured, she ended up getting some significant cuts. A trip to the medical ward showed that she was not the only one there as there was a line out the door of people who suffered cuts all over their bodies. Perhaps its time to invest in another material Ocean World.

The slide was also a highlight for good and bad reasons. The good being that the slide was long, the longest I have ever been on with lots of drops and steep inclines to make it feel almost like a roller coaster more than a water slide. The bad was the wait. We had to wait in line for three hours before getting the chance to go down the slide for a few minutes. My advice is to get in line as early as possible because from 12 PM on, the wait will surely stretch to 3 hours.

Towards the end of the day, we ended up relaxing in one of the spa pools filled with pine needles and also discovered by accident another water park located indoors. If I haven't stressed this enough, I'll say it again: this park is massive.

My girlfriend at the DJparty

In the center square of the park, there is a stage that throughout the day features different performers and musical acts to entertain the guests. At the end of the night when the park closed, there was a DJ on stage

complete with booming speakers and a dance area for people to gather around. Judging by the massive amount of people dancing and grinding in the center, they were having a great time even after spending hours in the water.

I had a great time at Ocean World for me and my girlfriend, it was a nice way to send off the summer, to say goodbye to our vacation period and welcome back the 9 to 5 jobs that allow us to travel to places like this in the first place. It was fun, it was wet and exciting. I could not have picked a better way to say goodbye to the summer. It's still not too late, visit Ocean World, you won't regret it.

Link to Ocean World's website 

(3) 90 in 90: Trip to the DMZ

A child's drawing asking for peace between North and South Korea

July was a busy month for me. Not only did I take my summer vacation to Japan during this time, but I also participated in a tour of the DMZ between North and South Korea. This was a trip that I had wanted to participate in since I first came to Korea, but never really found the best time to do so. After an offer from a friend, the right opportunity finally presented itself and my trip was finally booked to go and visit the DMZ.

The first thing that struck me as our tour bus made its way from Seoul to the DMZ area, was the bleakness of the landscape. While it wasn't anything like a bombed out or barren wasteland, the area was devoid of any kind of architecture with the exception of a few small farm buildings here and there. The landscape was dotted with fields and hills from all sides. The sky was grey and overcast that day, making the entire experience all the more somber. This was a very different places from the crowded and loud Seoul.

I was able to visit five places on the tour: the meeting center where negotiations between North and South Korea take place, Dorason Station, the third tunnel, Dora Observatory and finally, the DMZ area.

Outside Dorasan Station

While the negotiation building was just a simple gray building that really didn't seem too impressive outside its unique purpose, Dorason Station was particularly interesting. Its purpose was to be a link between North and South Korea in the event of unification. Currently, its just s small train station that serves as a tourist spot, but according to the tour information, it can be activated at a moment's notice and start function as the main from or transportation to the capital of North Korea.

The third tunnel was one of three underground tunnels dug by North Korea as a means to infiltrate and conquer Seoul. The three tunnels were of varying size and length, but the one we were able to go to was a tunnel meant to send troops from North Korea. What shocked me the most was just how small and claustrophobic the tunnel was. On numerous occasions I found myself having to duck to avoid the ceiling and even hit my head a few times. Luckily, the tour provided each guest with a helmet. Combined with the lack of light and moistness of the rocks, it helped to build an image of a North Korean solider marching hundreds of miles through a tiny tunnel to invade a major metropolitan city above. Despite being one of the shortest parts of the tour, it was the one part that sticks out in my mind the most.

JSA guard

The Dora Observatory was a large observation building located near the border between the North and South. From the top, North Korea was able to be seen off in the distance. While I couldn't quite make out the fine details, I was able to notice smoke trails and what appeared to be factory pipes off in the distance. Probably the best view I would ever get of North Korea without being uncomfortably close. This provided another memorable experience, because despite the constant stories of the evils and mistreatment of its citizens from within, from far away it looks like any other city you could see from a distance. Its appearance of normalcy from far away was very unnerving considering what could possibly be occurring inside.

The JSA or Joint Security Area was host to some of the more famous parts of the DMZ including the Bridge of No Return, the large flagpole and the small blue buildings guarded by soldiers. Similar to the guards at Buckingham Palace, these soldiers stood at attention, emotionless and expressionless as we passed them by. Off in the distance I was able to see a North Korean soldier at attention. His eyes focused on the land ahead of him as he tightly clutched his assault riffle. Two decades long enemies, standing only a couple dozen feet away from one another.

Once the tour was over, we we able to walk around the gift shop area. Along with the usual assortment of trinkets and souvenirs, one of the most interesting things on sale were bottles of North Korean whiskey. I was tempted to buy some for myself, but in the end convinced myself not to. I wasn't exactly a huge fan of whiskey and I was certain the whiskey from North Korea would do little to change my opinion.

North Korean whiskey

The trip to the DMZ was an enlightening experience and one that I was glad that I took. I felt that being able to actually visit the sites and places that I have only read about before helped to bring the impact home. This was a real place, the result of a deadly and ugly conflict that killed hundreds of people and tore a country into two.

I'm not sure I'll be going back anytime in the near future, but like many things in life, I was happy that I was able to experience it and will most likely hang on to the memories for the foreseeable future.