Today was basically the day that we said that we would do things that we didn't get a chance to do. Originally, this day was suppose to be either the "Carribean Bay & Everland" Day or DMZ Day but due to the constant raining in Seoul, these events were unfortunately canceled. So today we woke up and decided to try out this restaurant that SL from home kept telling me to try. She said it was one of her most favourite noodle places so it was a MUST TRY before we left Seoul. So we headed to Myeongdong station again. When we exited, it was raining a bit so we were wondering if it was worth trying to find this restaurant. The instructions on Lonely Planet books are seriously not that great to be honest so half the time we're trying to find locations to places on our own. We decided to ask this lady working at the money exchange booth on the street for help and she pointed us to the right direction. The only instructions we had were "Myeongdong Gyoza" but there weren't any restaurants called that and even if it did, it would be in Korean. So we looked at every restaurant possible and then we walked by one that seemed like it would be it but I couldn't tell. Then we walked by a second restaurant that seemed really busy inside, I saw people eating noodles and I also saw that the restaurant hours were the same as the one in the book. So we asked the waitress if it was the right place and she said yeah.
We ordered our food and we decided to get these steamed dumplings that kind of reminded us of Siu Long Bao but Korean version haha. We also ordered this soybean noodle thing that was cold, which we weren't a fan of but we also ordered the famous dumpling noodle which tasted pretty good. Ray didn't think it was that great but I think it's because he ate majority of the soybean noodle haha. So after we finished eating we went to develop some photos for CK to give to her before we left. We walked around Myeongdong and since it was raining it kind of sucked so we decided to go into the Lotte Malls.
There were about three malls all owned by "Lotte." One was Lotte World which was like a department store like all department stores and then there was another more high class store selling all your high end name brands and then one that was for a younger and more hip generation. So all malls were pretty much the same but one of the highlights of the mall was how good the Lotte Duty Free Shop was. Like most duty free shops (minus the ones at airports) the prices didn't seem all good but this one was amazing. It had really good priced sunglasses as well as cosmetics. We end up getting a pair of sunglasses which were for Ray and I bought a few cosmetics and makeup tools which were all awesome prices! I believe we spent a good amount of time here just browsing everything in the duty free shop since we didn't want to miss out on all the good stuff.
When the rain stopped, it was around 9pm and we already browsed all the malls so we decided to head to Dongdaemun again. Since we didn't get a chance to check out the night market the day before we headed there and the typical malls were still opened. Apparently Doota and Migliore are both opened til like 4am in the morning which is insane but it makes sense if it gets lively at night. So it was pretty live when we got there. Live as in busy for the vendors. It seemed as though people were mainly just setting up their shops to prepare for the night. It was pretty cool walking into the other malls because it was like Doota selling the typical clothes and they had like wholesale amounts in their little section. They all sold a bunch of jeans, shirts just everything you could imagine. So if anyone ever gets a chance to check this night market out. It's really worth it especially if you love shopping. We didn't buy a lot of clothes because everything was similar to other things we've already gotten. So we just walked around and checked out the place a little more and headed back to our hotel :)
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Day 13 - Dongdaemun & N Seoul Tower
So today we decided to finally check out the Dongdaemun Market since this is one of the more popular touristy attractions. What we heard ahead of time is that they had a lot of cheap clothing, bags, shoes, etc. Anything you could imagine would be here. They also had a lot of wholesale things as well. So we left the hotel, went into the Metro and made our way to Dongdaemun Station. We were hungry of course so we decided to walk around and check out what restaurants they had to offer in the area. We decided to go to some random restaurant that seemed pretty popular. This restaurant didn't have a lot of items you could share with the entire table but more like your individual dishes. I decided to have cold buckwheat noodles with the hard boiled egg on top and Ray had some sort of spicy rice dish in a hot stone pot kind of like bibimbap but more so it was fried rice in the stone bowl.
When we left the restaurant we stopped into a bunch of beauty stores on the way to pick up some gifts for friends back home. Honestly Seoul has sooo many of these beauty shops which I'm sure I've mentioned in previous blog posts. One of my favourite stores were Skin Food. I liked this store because it had a lot of cheap skin care items like facial cleansers and random things to the more expensive priced items like scrubs. Anything ranged from 8,000 -20,000KRW there. I heard a lot of good things about this store as well so I picked up some facial scrubs. Another thing I like about these stores is that they give you a lot of mini samples from some of their various products which comes in handy when you want to see what products are good or not.
After that we went to watch this show/ride thing happening on this stage in the middle of this area (kind of like Dundas Square). Basically it was like one of those rides you see at CNE or WL where its like a circle and you sit and it spins around and around as well as moves up and down at the same time it spins so you get knocked out pretty badly. The funny thing about this ride is that it was just a circle and around the edges were seats and then a big center in the middle with nothing. So when people who tested out this ride were being spun around, their shoes were coming off, they were knocked off their seats cause there weren't any seat belts and it was just a really funny site to see. All you could do was hold onto the rails on the sides of the chairs to hold you up but even then it wouldn't help because it is also extremely painful to have to use both your hands and arms to hold you from being knocked off your seat. It also didn't help that the ride operator was purposely knocking people and making it spin extremely fast. It was also cool because the guys who worked there were doing flips as this thing was spinning which was really impressive.
Now we talk about the shopping! We've been told that there was a lot of malls in this area that had a lot of cheap clothing and accessories. The most popular being APM, Doota and Migliore. We decided to check out each of these malls and what they had to offer. Basically, APM and Migliore were pretty much the same. When you walk in there's a bunch of mini shops selling women's clothing and the next floor they sold boots and on and on. It's basically a bunch of mini vendors all on one floor which was pretty interesting to see cause each place had something unique or nice. It all becomes a bit overwhelming because they all offer the same clothing and some of them try to call you over to sell things. They have all their prices on the items but you can always bargain with them. ie. lowering the price for two items. We did that a lot at some stores. I must say that these malls have a lot of nice accessories so if anyone likes these types of things should definitely go there to check it out. We went to Doota after, and this was a very nice mall as well. Same concept, many different vendors in one mall but this was way more classier. It had the higher brand clothing, cosmetics and accessories. But the prices were so high it was ridiculous. We went to a souvenir shop to buy some shirts which we thought were "cheap" but then we went outside and walked a bit and saw the same shirt for half the price! So when you go shopping in these types of places and night markets, definitely check out everywhere before you make a heavy purchase.
We left Doota and decided to walk down more to the market area. We stopped at a food vendor and got some fried chicken on a stick :) and when we walked into the huge buildings, we realized it was all wholesale items selling fabrics and such. It was kind of boring walking through this so we tried to go on the other side of the street. It looked like a dead town so we asked for some info from a tourist booth and they said that this place is most live at night time starting 9pm. By this time it was already 6pm so we didn't bother to stay there so we decided to head to the N Seoul Tower because it was night time and we heard it was really nice to go at night.
We exited the station and followed the directions on the pamphlet on how to get there. It was kind of sketchy because it told us to walk pass this hotel and it was basically a small side road. It looked like an alley to me and it was dark and empty with not a lot of people. The pamphlet said it was a 10 minute walk but it felt like a 20 minute uphill walk. Seriously by the time we got there, we saw a set of stairs and ran up. We felt like we did a work out doing that uphill walking haha. So we bought the tickets to take the cable car up which is super high and scary. However, it's a really nice to check out the scenery and all over Seoul. By the time we got up there it was dark and we didn't realize that going up the tower would cost us more money so we decided to just check out the view from the cable car platform area. What was cool about this is that couples come up here and put their locks on the wires/railings. Pretty romantic.
So after taking our photos and stuff we saw a caricature artist doing a couple's portrait that looked really cool. Her name was like Connie Woo or something. But I know I totally got the name wrong. Anyways, we decided to get our caricature done because she did a pretty accurate job with everyone else and they were funny. She honestly didn't look older than maybe 20 years old and she was so talented. This is what she did for us:
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| Famous Cold Noodle Dish |
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| Sliced Pork Belly to accompany the Cold Noodle |
After that we went to watch this show/ride thing happening on this stage in the middle of this area (kind of like Dundas Square). Basically it was like one of those rides you see at CNE or WL where its like a circle and you sit and it spins around and around as well as moves up and down at the same time it spins so you get knocked out pretty badly. The funny thing about this ride is that it was just a circle and around the edges were seats and then a big center in the middle with nothing. So when people who tested out this ride were being spun around, their shoes were coming off, they were knocked off their seats cause there weren't any seat belts and it was just a really funny site to see. All you could do was hold onto the rails on the sides of the chairs to hold you up but even then it wouldn't help because it is also extremely painful to have to use both your hands and arms to hold you from being knocked off your seat. It also didn't help that the ride operator was purposely knocking people and making it spin extremely fast. It was also cool because the guys who worked there were doing flips as this thing was spinning which was really impressive.
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| Disco Ride |
Now we talk about the shopping! We've been told that there was a lot of malls in this area that had a lot of cheap clothing and accessories. The most popular being APM, Doota and Migliore. We decided to check out each of these malls and what they had to offer. Basically, APM and Migliore were pretty much the same. When you walk in there's a bunch of mini shops selling women's clothing and the next floor they sold boots and on and on. It's basically a bunch of mini vendors all on one floor which was pretty interesting to see cause each place had something unique or nice. It all becomes a bit overwhelming because they all offer the same clothing and some of them try to call you over to sell things. They have all their prices on the items but you can always bargain with them. ie. lowering the price for two items. We did that a lot at some stores. I must say that these malls have a lot of nice accessories so if anyone likes these types of things should definitely go there to check it out. We went to Doota after, and this was a very nice mall as well. Same concept, many different vendors in one mall but this was way more classier. It had the higher brand clothing, cosmetics and accessories. But the prices were so high it was ridiculous. We went to a souvenir shop to buy some shirts which we thought were "cheap" but then we went outside and walked a bit and saw the same shirt for half the price! So when you go shopping in these types of places and night markets, definitely check out everywhere before you make a heavy purchase.
We left Doota and decided to walk down more to the market area. We stopped at a food vendor and got some fried chicken on a stick :) and when we walked into the huge buildings, we realized it was all wholesale items selling fabrics and such. It was kind of boring walking through this so we tried to go on the other side of the street. It looked like a dead town so we asked for some info from a tourist booth and they said that this place is most live at night time starting 9pm. By this time it was already 6pm so we didn't bother to stay there so we decided to head to the N Seoul Tower because it was night time and we heard it was really nice to go at night.
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| N Seoul Tower |
We exited the station and followed the directions on the pamphlet on how to get there. It was kind of sketchy because it told us to walk pass this hotel and it was basically a small side road. It looked like an alley to me and it was dark and empty with not a lot of people. The pamphlet said it was a 10 minute walk but it felt like a 20 minute uphill walk. Seriously by the time we got there, we saw a set of stairs and ran up. We felt like we did a work out doing that uphill walking haha. So we bought the tickets to take the cable car up which is super high and scary. However, it's a really nice to check out the scenery and all over Seoul. By the time we got up there it was dark and we didn't realize that going up the tower would cost us more money so we decided to just check out the view from the cable car platform area. What was cool about this is that couples come up here and put their locks on the wires/railings. Pretty romantic.
So after taking our photos and stuff we saw a caricature artist doing a couple's portrait that looked really cool. Her name was like Connie Woo or something. But I know I totally got the name wrong. Anyways, we decided to get our caricature done because she did a pretty accurate job with everyone else and they were funny. She honestly didn't look older than maybe 20 years old and she was so talented. This is what she did for us:
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| The artist who drew our portrait! |
This girl is so talented, we loved her photo of us! Ray doesn't like his bushy eyebrows though ;)
After we checked out around the tower we decided to head back into town and we took the cable car back. Since we were in the Myeongdong area, we decided to stick around and grab some food that was around. We noticed that were were 4 huge Lotte stores that we vowed to check out before we left here. We walked through the mini streets of Myeongdong and we found a nice restaurant that consisted of the same type of food, basically dak-galbi. This time we had something with seafood in it as well. The food was okay but we both agreed that the first time we every had this dish, it was honestly the best place we tried. This one we gave it 3 out of 5 stars
After dinner, since everything was closing up we were pretty tired to go back to Dongdaemun to check out the night market, so we decided to just head back to our comfy hotel.
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| Popular Dak Galbi Restaurant |
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| Dak Galbi |
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| Dak Galbi |
After dinner, since everything was closing up we were pretty tired to go back to Dongdaemun to check out the night market, so we decided to just head back to our comfy hotel.
Next Day 14 - Lotte Department Stores & Myeongdong pt. 2 & Dongdaemun pt. 2
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Day 12
Day 12 - Hongdae & Ilsandong
So when we woke up, it was raining yet again. We were kind of sick of this crappy weather because it was really limiting us from doing certain things and we were hoping it would stop raining for the next few days we were here (but we were wrong). But we're lucky and fortunate that we were in Hong Kong when the typhoon happened in Seoul or else that would've been pretty bad. We decided this day to check out Hongdae area. We woke up kind of late so we only had a few hours to check out anything before meeting up with CK so we decided on going somewhere close.
We heard that the Hondae / Hongik University area was a very lively area at night time. This is the area / subway station you head to if you want to go clubbing or check out the night life. We wanted to see what this place was like ensuring that we didn't miss any hot spots while we were here (even though daytime is not the time to go haha). So when we arrived, our first intention was to find a place to eat. Any first impressions? The fact that it was raining and there were many students (obviously at a University area station) and lots of coffee shops, restaurants, little stores and bars. I believe there are plenty of night clubs in this area too that were closed because it was a weekday afternoon.
So we walked around the area which seemed like an alleyway and road with shops and restaurants. We were extremely hungry so we were searching for a good place to eat. We saw many places that had the same table top cooking we always ate but we wanted to try something new. So we spotted a restaurant that had a really good deal for cold noodles. We went to the restaurant and ordered two bowls of this cold buckwheat noodle, one spicy and one regular. They both came with the cold noodles, broth, half of a boiled egg and some raddish. Also they give you a small plate to share amongst two people, grilled pork belly (yum). This was so good, it was different from other cold noodles we've had in Toronto. What was even better, the bill came to 9,800KRW, less than 10 bucks Canadian!
So after walking around a bit and checking the place out we made our way back to the hotel to drop off some things and make our way to Ilsandong. There was a bus stop in front of our hotel that went straight there so we hopped on the bus. The bus driver was pretty rude, I was trying to tell him to let me know when to get off because we never took the bus before and had no idea where the place to meet CK was and he just brushed us off. So we sat there not knowing when to get off but remembering that CK said that it took about an hour to get there. So we asked this man beside us (I showed him a paper that CK wrote in Korean that said "Please let me know when we arrive at Ilsandong") and luckily the man said he was getting off at the same stop so we were relieved.
CK was there to meet us when we got off and she took us to this big outdoor mall complex with a bunch of stores inside. We never really found anything worth buying (in our opinion) but it was still nice to check out all the deals and the prices on numerous clothing items. We were waiting for her friends until 7pm to eat dinner so we continued walking around. We went into this 3D movie simulation thing where you sit into the chair and it's like a rollar coaster simulation that moves. It was fun and felt pretty real and it was just 2,000KRW a person so it didn't really cost us much. We decided to take a little break and go for frozen yogurt at A Twosome Place. We ordered red bean bing sa with frozen yogurt to share which of course was delicious once again. It was getting late and time for dinner and we were wondering what we should eat even though there were tons of places around. CK asked us if we ever had Sam Gyup Sal. We said no, we didn't even know what that was. So she said dinner was decided then because she wanted us to try. It is basically pork belly that is cooked on a table top eaten with lettuce, rice cakes and accompanied by soju.
We met up with her friends who thought we were Korean but to their surprise we weren't. We had to force them to speak their English which I might add was pretty good! We went to the restaurant and decided on a traditional table where we had to remove our shoes and sit cross legged. This was slightly uncomfortable but was still good. They started grilling the pork belly and when it was close to being cooked, they cut them into the smaller pieces. This was eaten with either rice, wrapped in a piece of lettuce, or with a thin piece of rice cake and some sauces. This was an extremely delicious meal and having it with soju was even better! We had tons of soju and then when we were done with the meat we left half a bottle of soju. I asked why we left it empty, and Rob (one of CK's friends) said because there wasn't any food left. In Toronto, people would still drink up the soju whether there was food or not. Only because soju in Korea is inexpensive compared to Toronto.
So we decided to walk off the dinner and take a stroll in the park where CK and friends shared their stories with us about Korea, the military, their experiences etc. It was a really nice conversation learning about their lives here in Seoul compared to ours in Toronto. We came to this musical fountain which pretty much reminded us of the Bellgaio fountain in Las Vegas that moved to the music. It started to rain and was getting late so we decided to head back to the hotel. CK brought us to our bus stop and wanted to tell the driver to let us know where to get off but like I said, the drivers are mean and rude. He forced her to get on the bus with us and so she rode the bus with us for an hour until we got back which we were so grateful for but felt guilty. We got off the bus and waited with her for a different bus and we end up making plans to meet at Lotte World tomorrow (an indoor amusement park).
We slept and were looking forward to Day 13!
So when we woke up, it was raining yet again. We were kind of sick of this crappy weather because it was really limiting us from doing certain things and we were hoping it would stop raining for the next few days we were here (but we were wrong). But we're lucky and fortunate that we were in Hong Kong when the typhoon happened in Seoul or else that would've been pretty bad. We decided this day to check out Hongdae area. We woke up kind of late so we only had a few hours to check out anything before meeting up with CK so we decided on going somewhere close.
We heard that the Hondae / Hongik University area was a very lively area at night time. This is the area / subway station you head to if you want to go clubbing or check out the night life. We wanted to see what this place was like ensuring that we didn't miss any hot spots while we were here (even though daytime is not the time to go haha). So when we arrived, our first intention was to find a place to eat. Any first impressions? The fact that it was raining and there were many students (obviously at a University area station) and lots of coffee shops, restaurants, little stores and bars. I believe there are plenty of night clubs in this area too that were closed because it was a weekday afternoon.
So we walked around the area which seemed like an alleyway and road with shops and restaurants. We were extremely hungry so we were searching for a good place to eat. We saw many places that had the same table top cooking we always ate but we wanted to try something new. So we spotted a restaurant that had a really good deal for cold noodles. We went to the restaurant and ordered two bowls of this cold buckwheat noodle, one spicy and one regular. They both came with the cold noodles, broth, half of a boiled egg and some raddish. Also they give you a small plate to share amongst two people, grilled pork belly (yum). This was so good, it was different from other cold noodles we've had in Toronto. What was even better, the bill came to 9,800KRW, less than 10 bucks Canadian!
So after walking around a bit and checking the place out we made our way back to the hotel to drop off some things and make our way to Ilsandong. There was a bus stop in front of our hotel that went straight there so we hopped on the bus. The bus driver was pretty rude, I was trying to tell him to let me know when to get off because we never took the bus before and had no idea where the place to meet CK was and he just brushed us off. So we sat there not knowing when to get off but remembering that CK said that it took about an hour to get there. So we asked this man beside us (I showed him a paper that CK wrote in Korean that said "Please let me know when we arrive at Ilsandong") and luckily the man said he was getting off at the same stop so we were relieved.
CK was there to meet us when we got off and she took us to this big outdoor mall complex with a bunch of stores inside. We never really found anything worth buying (in our opinion) but it was still nice to check out all the deals and the prices on numerous clothing items. We were waiting for her friends until 7pm to eat dinner so we continued walking around. We went into this 3D movie simulation thing where you sit into the chair and it's like a rollar coaster simulation that moves. It was fun and felt pretty real and it was just 2,000KRW a person so it didn't really cost us much. We decided to take a little break and go for frozen yogurt at A Twosome Place. We ordered red bean bing sa with frozen yogurt to share which of course was delicious once again. It was getting late and time for dinner and we were wondering what we should eat even though there were tons of places around. CK asked us if we ever had Sam Gyup Sal. We said no, we didn't even know what that was. So she said dinner was decided then because she wanted us to try. It is basically pork belly that is cooked on a table top eaten with lettuce, rice cakes and accompanied by soju.
We met up with her friends who thought we were Korean but to their surprise we weren't. We had to force them to speak their English which I might add was pretty good! We went to the restaurant and decided on a traditional table where we had to remove our shoes and sit cross legged. This was slightly uncomfortable but was still good. They started grilling the pork belly and when it was close to being cooked, they cut them into the smaller pieces. This was eaten with either rice, wrapped in a piece of lettuce, or with a thin piece of rice cake and some sauces. This was an extremely delicious meal and having it with soju was even better! We had tons of soju and then when we were done with the meat we left half a bottle of soju. I asked why we left it empty, and Rob (one of CK's friends) said because there wasn't any food left. In Toronto, people would still drink up the soju whether there was food or not. Only because soju in Korea is inexpensive compared to Toronto.
So we decided to walk off the dinner and take a stroll in the park where CK and friends shared their stories with us about Korea, the military, their experiences etc. It was a really nice conversation learning about their lives here in Seoul compared to ours in Toronto. We came to this musical fountain which pretty much reminded us of the Bellgaio fountain in Las Vegas that moved to the music. It started to rain and was getting late so we decided to head back to the hotel. CK brought us to our bus stop and wanted to tell the driver to let us know where to get off but like I said, the drivers are mean and rude. He forced her to get on the bus with us and so she rode the bus with us for an hour until we got back which we were so grateful for but felt guilty. We got off the bus and waited with her for a different bus and we end up making plans to meet at Lotte World tomorrow (an indoor amusement park).
We slept and were looking forward to Day 13!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Day 11
So today we weren't sure what we were doing. This is because we didn't
exactly follow the pre-made itinerary exactly in order, we did random
things that would come up. We also weren't able to do some attractions
that we really wanted to do during our stay here. This is because it
was either inconveniently far, raining, or we simply had no time. Some
things we wish we went to were a spa / sauna since we hear Korea is
known for these, Carribean Bay / Everland (aka. Korea Wonderland) due
to the last couple days raining like crazy, Busan Beach because it was
extremely far and finally the DMZ tour to check out the border of N
and S Korea because we didn't book it on time or reserve seats (but we
hear that we didn't really miss out on much because its "boring"
haha).
So we've been pretty lazy since we got to Seoul. In Tokyo, we would
always wake up early like 7am or 8am and leave our hotel but here in
Seoul we weren't waking up until 11am sometimes later and leaving our
hotel by 1pm. I blame this on how comfy our hotel room was. Anyways we
woke up to either the cleaning lady buzzing our room, or it was
someone back home calling our room. It was one or the other. It was
12pm and we were surprised how late we woke up. We quickly got ready
and made our way out the door and deciding as we walked to the subway
we would check out the Gangnam and Apujeong area.
So we decided to go to Apujeong first because we hear this is also an
extremely trendy area for young people. When we arrived there was
nothing around us that would lead us to the right direction just a
bunch of buildings and a huge bridge. We also came to this area to
check out the Hyundai Mall and its famous Meal Top restaurant that
sold red bean bing sa that SL told us to check out. We couldn't find
it and didn't want to bother asking so we randomly started walking
around. It was kind of frustrating because we were walking for such a
long time and we couldn't find anything and we were so hungry. So we
made a left because we saw this alleyway across the street that a lot
of people were going into. We walked around and realized this was
Rodeo St. The Seoul version pretty much, but not with all the fancy
brand names. Just lots of trendy stores, nail spas and restaurants /
bars. We were starved so we went to this place called Best Chicken. We
assumed that this place knew a bit of English cause of the restaurant
name but unfortunately the menu was pure Korean. The lady taking our
order didn't know a word either so she just pretty much used her
fingers and wrote "2" and then that was it. We were kind of nervous
cause we didn't know what the heck we ordered. But it was a table top
thing again. She then brought out and tossed in our pan cabbage,
onions, mushrooms, rice cake and raw chicken legs/thighs with the bone
attached (which she later cut off obviously). We realized this was
"Dak-Galbi" that a friend back home kept telling us we had to try. It
was pretty good despite how spicy it was with the mixture of
everything. Also, we ordered the rice and seaweed they cook on the pan
afterwards, also very delicious. I think anyone who would try this for
the first time would really enjoy it. They also give you aprons so
that while its cooking it won't splash on you or make your clothes
stink.
After brunch, we walked around this Rodeo area and walked into Coffee
Bean which is like everywhere in Seoul. Its like Starbucks basically,
a gourmet coffee shop. We asked the barista there where Hyundai Mall
was and he said by the station. At this point we had no idea which
direction the subway was but we were certain we didn't see a mall
anywhere. So we just kept walking when we saw the Galleria Dept Store.
This is pretty much Holt Renfrew but in a mall with all the luxury
brands and labels in different floors of the department store. We had
nothing to buy here so we just continued walking down the street
looking at signs that pointed to Apujeong Station.
When we got to the station we really laughed at ourselves because we
found the mall. It was truly beside the subway but we didn't see it
because it was covered by the massive bridge! Like all department
stores, we didn't find anything special. All we wanted was to try this
shaved ice that SL says is "famous." It did not disappoint as I feel
like it was the best red bean I ever had. We were like wow, they must
add drugs in this because its THAT GOOD. The restaurant is also packed
(all they sell are desserts), that you have to take a number from the
machine and when your number flashes, you get seated. Pretty good
system!
We left the Apujeong area and decided to venture out to the Gangnam
area where they are famous for the Coex Mall and Aquarium as well as
Lotte World (indoor amusement park). It was already the evening so all
we wanted to do was go to the aquarium and walk around Coex Mall but I
guess we were too late because although the mall was still open, the
aquarium closed at 7pm so we were at a loss. I blame this partially on
myself because when we arrived at Coex Mall, I was dying to get my
nails done and did this as Ray waited 45mins. So when I was done, we
walked around Coex and decided to check out the not famous but well
known Lucky Seven Casino. It wasn't anything worth mentioning but it
pretty much had your typical roulette, blackjack, spanish 21,
caribbean stud, 3 card, some slots and also baccarat. It had
everything except poker basically. We put 12,000krw into the slot
machine and came out empty unfortunately but better that we left than
to play.
By the time we left the casino it was 9ish and I saw that there was a
Lotte Duty Free shop which unfortunately was closed already. So after
we checked out the whole mall, we just called it a night because all
the walking and shopping we were pooped out. I think we had dinner
before we went back to the hotel but my memory is groggy at the
moment. But we had something to look forward to on Tuesday aka Day 12:
Itaewon and Ilsandong aka where CK lives!
exactly follow the pre-made itinerary exactly in order, we did random
things that would come up. We also weren't able to do some attractions
that we really wanted to do during our stay here. This is because it
was either inconveniently far, raining, or we simply had no time. Some
things we wish we went to were a spa / sauna since we hear Korea is
known for these, Carribean Bay / Everland (aka. Korea Wonderland) due
to the last couple days raining like crazy, Busan Beach because it was
extremely far and finally the DMZ tour to check out the border of N
and S Korea because we didn't book it on time or reserve seats (but we
hear that we didn't really miss out on much because its "boring"
haha).
So we've been pretty lazy since we got to Seoul. In Tokyo, we would
always wake up early like 7am or 8am and leave our hotel but here in
Seoul we weren't waking up until 11am sometimes later and leaving our
hotel by 1pm. I blame this on how comfy our hotel room was. Anyways we
woke up to either the cleaning lady buzzing our room, or it was
someone back home calling our room. It was one or the other. It was
12pm and we were surprised how late we woke up. We quickly got ready
and made our way out the door and deciding as we walked to the subway
we would check out the Gangnam and Apujeong area.
So we decided to go to Apujeong first because we hear this is also an
extremely trendy area for young people. When we arrived there was
nothing around us that would lead us to the right direction just a
bunch of buildings and a huge bridge. We also came to this area to
check out the Hyundai Mall and its famous Meal Top restaurant that
sold red bean bing sa that SL told us to check out. We couldn't find
it and didn't want to bother asking so we randomly started walking
around. It was kind of frustrating because we were walking for such a
long time and we couldn't find anything and we were so hungry. So we
made a left because we saw this alleyway across the street that a lot
of people were going into. We walked around and realized this was
Rodeo St. The Seoul version pretty much, but not with all the fancy
brand names. Just lots of trendy stores, nail spas and restaurants /
bars. We were starved so we went to this place called Best Chicken. We
assumed that this place knew a bit of English cause of the restaurant
name but unfortunately the menu was pure Korean. The lady taking our
order didn't know a word either so she just pretty much used her
fingers and wrote "2" and then that was it. We were kind of nervous
cause we didn't know what the heck we ordered. But it was a table top
thing again. She then brought out and tossed in our pan cabbage,
onions, mushrooms, rice cake and raw chicken legs/thighs with the bone
attached (which she later cut off obviously). We realized this was
"Dak-Galbi" that a friend back home kept telling us we had to try. It
was pretty good despite how spicy it was with the mixture of
everything. Also, we ordered the rice and seaweed they cook on the pan
afterwards, also very delicious. I think anyone who would try this for
the first time would really enjoy it. They also give you aprons so
that while its cooking it won't splash on you or make your clothes
stink.
After brunch, we walked around this Rodeo area and walked into Coffee
Bean which is like everywhere in Seoul. Its like Starbucks basically,
a gourmet coffee shop. We asked the barista there where Hyundai Mall
was and he said by the station. At this point we had no idea which
direction the subway was but we were certain we didn't see a mall
anywhere. So we just kept walking when we saw the Galleria Dept Store.
This is pretty much Holt Renfrew but in a mall with all the luxury
brands and labels in different floors of the department store. We had
nothing to buy here so we just continued walking down the street
looking at signs that pointed to Apujeong Station.
When we got to the station we really laughed at ourselves because we
found the mall. It was truly beside the subway but we didn't see it
because it was covered by the massive bridge! Like all department
stores, we didn't find anything special. All we wanted was to try this
shaved ice that SL says is "famous." It did not disappoint as I feel
like it was the best red bean I ever had. We were like wow, they must
add drugs in this because its THAT GOOD. The restaurant is also packed
(all they sell are desserts), that you have to take a number from the
machine and when your number flashes, you get seated. Pretty good
system!
We left the Apujeong area and decided to venture out to the Gangnam
area where they are famous for the Coex Mall and Aquarium as well as
Lotte World (indoor amusement park). It was already the evening so all
we wanted to do was go to the aquarium and walk around Coex Mall but I
guess we were too late because although the mall was still open, the
aquarium closed at 7pm so we were at a loss. I blame this partially on
myself because when we arrived at Coex Mall, I was dying to get my
nails done and did this as Ray waited 45mins. So when I was done, we
walked around Coex and decided to check out the not famous but well
known Lucky Seven Casino. It wasn't anything worth mentioning but it
pretty much had your typical roulette, blackjack, spanish 21,
caribbean stud, 3 card, some slots and also baccarat. It had
everything except poker basically. We put 12,000krw into the slot
machine and came out empty unfortunately but better that we left than
to play.
By the time we left the casino it was 9ish and I saw that there was a
Lotte Duty Free shop which unfortunately was closed already. So after
we checked out the whole mall, we just called it a night because all
the walking and shopping we were pooped out. I think we had dinner
before we went back to the hotel but my memory is groggy at the
moment. But we had something to look forward to on Tuesday aka Day 12:
Itaewon and Ilsandong aka where CK lives!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Day 10 - Myeongdong and Insadong
First off I'd like to apologize for the lack of updates. We're actually in Hong Kong right now and we're not exactly living like how we were in Seoul. No laptop, no rented cell phone and no wifi access in our hotel room. Only certain times i can catch a signal so I'm taking the advantage right now to blog. Also, blogging with this iPhone is slightly difficult.
So I'm trying to remember day 10 since it was pretty much more than a week ago but I pretty much remember because we experienced some interesting things that day. This day I woke up and checked my email and received an email from my friend CK who lives in Seoul. She knew I was coming and wanted to meet up. I gave her a call and she said she was free so we decided to meet up. She lived an hour away from us so it took a bit of time but I was glad to see her. She was kind enough to take us around town, lend us her laptop and rent us a cellphone to use while we were here.
This was only the second day that we were here so she asked me what I wanted to do. Looking at our itinerary we decided to go to the Myeongdong area which according to our guide book, it is similar to Tokyo's Shinjuku. This area did not disappoint as it had many department stores/shopping options such as Migliore, Lotte Dept Store, Lotte Duty Free etc. As well, there were many shops and restaurants in the side streets / alleyways. It really reminded us of Tokyo Shinjuku Red District that's for sure. We walked around and decided to grab some food. CK and her cousin SK who joined us afterwards, decided to take us to eat shabu-shabu which is hot pot that came with beef, veggies, dumplings, fish balls etc. After we were done with those items, they brought us noodles which we boiled in the broth. If you think that was a lot of food then we must be pigs because after the noodles they tossed in rice and seaweed to make a dish kind of like congee using the leftover broth and rice. It simmered in the pot and made a nice flavorful congee. It was a huge and really tasty meal.
After lunch we decided to walk to Insadong near anguk station. This area is a very traditional place, meaning it had a lot of traditional food, stores and traditional gifts/souvenirs. It was an interesting site and had such a different atmosphere. We also encountered these guys who on the street, made this korean dessert using honey and a sweet peanut filling. They put on a performance for us which we have on the camcorder and will upload as soon as we get home! We decided after the long walk to check out this traditional Korean teashop. We didn't have any traditional tea but we did have red bean shaved ice with ice-cream and this 5 flavour tea that was sweet and sour. We didn't really enjoy the tea but the ice-cream and bing sa was good. CK and SK had to leave because they had other plans so we decided to stay in the Insadong area after they left for a bit.
We were planning to go to the Seoul N tower because we heard the view at night was beautiful but it started to lightly rain so we just walked around where there was shelter a little more. By then it was time for dinner so we walked down the streets kind of in between insadong and myeongdong area trying to find a good restaurant. We were enticed by an Italian restaurant so we decided to try it. Dinner was slightly expensive, well more like moderately priced, but it was really good. We had the best lobster spaghetti, caprese salad and pizza. So it was definitely a hit this night picking this place for dinner. I know you're all probably thinking we should be eating Korean food in Seoul but sometimes it's good to switch it up a bit.
Unfortunately for us, after dinner we caught some heavy rain so we ran to the nearest metro station and made our way back to the hotel to sleep and be ready for Itaewon the next day.
I don't know if I mentioned this in the last blog, but we saw a free concert at City Hall the other night and this dude named To Yun Yuen (sounds like toe yun yoon) performed. I think he sounds good but I guess he's not at international stardom yet cause no one seems to know who he is back home! If anyone knows him leave us a comment haha.
So I'm trying to remember day 10 since it was pretty much more than a week ago but I pretty much remember because we experienced some interesting things that day. This day I woke up and checked my email and received an email from my friend CK who lives in Seoul. She knew I was coming and wanted to meet up. I gave her a call and she said she was free so we decided to meet up. She lived an hour away from us so it took a bit of time but I was glad to see her. She was kind enough to take us around town, lend us her laptop and rent us a cellphone to use while we were here.
This was only the second day that we were here so she asked me what I wanted to do. Looking at our itinerary we decided to go to the Myeongdong area which according to our guide book, it is similar to Tokyo's Shinjuku. This area did not disappoint as it had many department stores/shopping options such as Migliore, Lotte Dept Store, Lotte Duty Free etc. As well, there were many shops and restaurants in the side streets / alleyways. It really reminded us of Tokyo Shinjuku Red District that's for sure. We walked around and decided to grab some food. CK and her cousin SK who joined us afterwards, decided to take us to eat shabu-shabu which is hot pot that came with beef, veggies, dumplings, fish balls etc. After we were done with those items, they brought us noodles which we boiled in the broth. If you think that was a lot of food then we must be pigs because after the noodles they tossed in rice and seaweed to make a dish kind of like congee using the leftover broth and rice. It simmered in the pot and made a nice flavorful congee. It was a huge and really tasty meal.
After lunch we decided to walk to Insadong near anguk station. This area is a very traditional place, meaning it had a lot of traditional food, stores and traditional gifts/souvenirs. It was an interesting site and had such a different atmosphere. We also encountered these guys who on the street, made this korean dessert using honey and a sweet peanut filling. They put on a performance for us which we have on the camcorder and will upload as soon as we get home! We decided after the long walk to check out this traditional Korean teashop. We didn't have any traditional tea but we did have red bean shaved ice with ice-cream and this 5 flavour tea that was sweet and sour. We didn't really enjoy the tea but the ice-cream and bing sa was good. CK and SK had to leave because they had other plans so we decided to stay in the Insadong area after they left for a bit.
We were planning to go to the Seoul N tower because we heard the view at night was beautiful but it started to lightly rain so we just walked around where there was shelter a little more. By then it was time for dinner so we walked down the streets kind of in between insadong and myeongdong area trying to find a good restaurant. We were enticed by an Italian restaurant so we decided to try it. Dinner was slightly expensive, well more like moderately priced, but it was really good. We had the best lobster spaghetti, caprese salad and pizza. So it was definitely a hit this night picking this place for dinner. I know you're all probably thinking we should be eating Korean food in Seoul but sometimes it's good to switch it up a bit.
Unfortunately for us, after dinner we caught some heavy rain so we ran to the nearest metro station and made our way back to the hotel to sleep and be ready for Itaewon the next day.
I don't know if I mentioned this in the last blog, but we saw a free concert at City Hall the other night and this dude named To Yun Yuen (sounds like toe yun yoon) performed. I think he sounds good but I guess he's not at international stardom yet cause no one seems to know who he is back home! If anyone knows him leave us a comment haha.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Day 9
I apologize for not being able to post any pictures of our tour only because we did forget to bring the usb cable for the camera. In addition, some places which we will be going to does not allow us to insert the SD card into the PC. Therefore, the trip pictures will available as soon as we arrive back in Toronto. So please bare with me = ) We were fortunate however, that a good friend in Korea has lent her laptop to us so that we could bring you these blogs and update you guys as quickly as possible.
Before I start mentioning anything about our trip I would like to give you some quick tips about the country so that if you ever plan on going to Seoul, Korea after reading our blog you would have some better knowledge to prepare you.
Quick Tips
1. 1 CDN dollar is equivalent to approximately 1000 Korean Won (1,130KRW to be exact). Although shopping in Korea does give you some benefits and deals on certain items and products, don't expect to always find a bargain. If anyone is familiar with the term "the law of one price," they should know that the prices of any good and service in whatever country should be somewhat similiar regardless of a different foreign exchange rate. This has been proven true while we were in Korea, HOWEVER there are definitely some places which have bargain steals which we will mention later in the blog so just continue reading and we will tell you all the juicy spots on where to shop.
2. Beware of Korean food. If you are not a spicy eater make sure you have a friend who knows how to write Korean hanguel so that he or she can write you a card which says "Less spicy or no spicy." This is to save you the hardship of sweating and not enjoying your food simply because the food tends to be spicy or VERY spicy. The majority of the food we had during our stay always consisted of some hot spices. I believe this is part of the Korean culture. So I warn you, Korean food is some hot stuff. Although most of the food is hot, there are a lot of other dishes which is very delicious and not spicy at all such as cold buckwheat noodles. We will get into this later. But this is just a pre-blog warning.
3. You do not need to tip in Korea. The ldeology in the west is for people to tip the server after finishing a meal, however this is not the case here. Whatever price is listed on the menu for a particular dish, this is what you're expected to pay. Sometimes the service is so good that you just want to tip, but you should refrain from doing it. It is not part of their ideology and has been this way for decades.
4. Never pour your own drink when in a party, allow someone else to do it. Everytime you finish your drink someone will always be there to refill your glass. When you see an empty glass of another member of the party, you should always take the liberty to refill their glass.
5. Like we said from before, the transit system is extremely covenient. It takes you all over Seoul with the max cost of 1,200KRW one way. Everything is located above the subway so if you need to get anywhere, the Metro Transit is the way to go.
Without further ado here is day 9, the first full day of Korea.
So we wake up on the first day in Seoul around 10am. For breakfast we pretty much filled ourselves up with these pastries we got in Tokyo. I wouldn't call them pastries, they were those litttle red bean cakes. We had a whole schedule done up before we arrived to Seoul so we would know what we were doing for each of the days we were here (Thanks SL). Some people go on trips not planning because I guess they have a pre-planned tour already scheduling their day or they rather just wing it. However, I feel like exploring on your own is a lot better because you get to spend more time in the areas you like and planning is awesome because you keep yourself busy.
So we leave our hotel and start heading out west towards some areas close to us. For those who have been to Seoul or know Seoul really well, we are staying in the Seodaemun area which is in between a lot of tourist attractions and shopping areas. We didn't really explore our own area because from the looks of it there's nothing really around us whenever we exit our hotel but one subway station away there is always something exciting. So we took the subway and transfered to Ewha Women's University station. The area had such a different atmosphere with all the students and young adults walking around and about. There were lots of cafes, coffee shops and some clothing stores around us. We walked around and went into this store called Olive Young. This shop is super popular, almost equivalent to a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto however their focus is mainly beauty, not really food. They had a lot of cheap make up and beauty products. In Toronto, eye contact solution is pretty expensive. Here, they had 2 bottles of contact solution and some extra things with it for about 11,000KRW which I think is a steal. You'll come across a lot of these beauty product shops such as Tony Moly, Missha, Etude House, The Skin Food, Banilla Co. etc. You get the picture.
After walking around the area, we were feeling hungry so we went into a restaurant that looked pretty good. It had photos of noodles outside so we figured that we would get some Korean noodles. When we sat down, we noticed a lot of people sharing food on a huge pan on top of the mini stove and table. Like table top cooking. We had 4 options: Spicy noodles, black bean noodles, white noodles and seafood noodles. We each decided we would get one spicy and one black bean which cost 12,000KRW each. We thought this was reasonable. However, when we ordered, the lady was confused because she said its a "set" and we only pick one. We then said, "no, no set, seperate." She still looked confused so we're like okay fine, spicy noodle set then. We came to a realization that we were suppose to only order one thing and share on the table top. This is pretty much what we ate:
After our meal, we realized we walked towards the next station aka. Sinchon station. This area is known for great food during the evenings and a lot of young adults hanging out. We were there during the day, so it was busy but it didn't live up to the reputation we keep hearing about it. We went into a mall that was there called Migliore. It seemed like a dead mall to us. It was pretty empty in certain areas and basically this mall is suppose to be a bunch of little shops in this one mall but with super cheap clothes. We later learned that there's like three of these Migliore Malls and the other two we experienced was full and packed with people. However, the one in Sinchon was dead. We went all the way upstairs and saw that there was a Megabox Cinema. Considering we are huge movie fanatics we were feeling like watching a movie since in Toronto, we go to the movies 3-4 times a month. We decided to watch The Expendables. It was good because it was in English with Korean subtitles so it was pretty worthwhile for us. It's also reserved seating when you buy the ticket. The total for two of us came to 18,000KRW. This definitely beats those $25 prices at Cineplex back home!
After the movie, we decided to check out the Gwanghwamun area which is known for having lots of history with all the palaces and well known museums. We came out from the subway and saw this background:
It's actually a really cool site you can see the Geongbukgong Palace gates (which we will talk about later) and the mountain behind it. It's a very nice site. People were really friendly here too, they helped us take photos and it's funny we actually bumped into a man from Toronto visiting Seoul.
We wanted to check out the Geongbukgong Palace because it's a really famous palace but unfortunately it was already closed because it was past 5pm (which is a super early closing time I mightt add). So we walked around the area and came across the Chung Gye Cheon River. This is also a nice place for people to take a stroll:
We went to this place called Hot Sun which is basically chicken wings and beer. We ordered probably too much for two people. Like we said, people share all their food here so we ordered two dishes: Sausage and potatoes and grilled chicken wings. The sausages were super westernized, with bbq sauce on top. The chicken however was a dangerous meal to my stomach. We ordered 3 chilli which is medium spicy. We had an option to order 1, 3 or 5 chilli. When we got the food Ray took the first bite and said "Oh man, I'm in trouble, there's no way I can eat all of this." He was refering to the fact that I can't eat too much spice and how spicy this chicken was. I wanted to try anyways because it looked so good. I took one bite and my tongue burned and the small bite I swallowed really burned/made my stomach turn. Not even a joke. Ray was even having a hard time eating it. Thank god I ate the potatoes and sausage or else I'd be starving this night. We took it to go because he couldn't handle eating 30 wings by himself. This shows that you need to be careful when picking your spice here cause it was pretty bad for me.
We decided to walk it off and head back to the hotel. Both of us complained that our stomach was hurting before we went to sleep haha.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Day 8 Part 2 - Flight to Seoul
So I figured I'd change the page a bit because technically, the Japan part is over. Now we begin Seoul, Korea.
The last day was pretty sad as we were leaving a great city but at the same time we were super excited to be heading to Seoul. We arrived at the Haneda Airport and as I've said before, we had our luggages scanned before check-in. After checking in, we made our way to the gates. What we noticed during check-in and the security scanning process is that the security personnel checking our luggages and carry-on bags were women (no older than 35 but between 25 and 28 ish). Just an observation. Anyways, we made our way to the gates and came across the Japan Duty Free. Everything was super expensive, we weren't really surprised. Anyways, we waited in the airport for our flight and it was mainly Koreans and Japanese people on this flight to Seoul.
When they finally called us to the gate, we entered the plane. We were flying with Korean Air, which is suppose to be a good airline. However, the take off was quite scary as it was bumpy and very shaky. The weather in Tokyo wasn't too bad when we left so we weren't sure if it was the weather to blame or a terrible pilot which contributed to a horrible take off. In addition, the flight was really bumpy and shaky. This isn't the type of feeling you want when riding a plane cause it pretty much brings up unneccessary fear and an uneasiness in the stomach. Our flight was only 2 hours so they got right on dinner for us which consisted of stewed beef with rice, smoked salmon salad, onions and apple jelly. Interesting dinner I must say. Time went by pretty fast and we were about to land in Seoul Gimpo Airport aka. the domestic airport. The landing of the plane I would like to add was also super bumpy and not smooth so I blame it on a terrible pilot once again. Compared to the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Narita, our AC pilot was pro and this guy on Korean Air was terrible!
So we exit the plane and wait for our luggages and after picking up our luggages, we exit the airport. We were really lucky that there was a subway station at the airport or else we would probably have to waste money on a taxi which by the way, we never took one but they seem pretty cheap. What can I say about the Seoul Metro? The fact that it's amazing. We pretty much owe it all to Tokyo Metro for teaching us how to use a complicated transit system because Seoul Metro is a derivative of that.
This is pretty much the Seoul Metro System, not any different from the Tokyo one in terms of the lines. Some facts which make the Seoul metro quite superior is the fact that this subway system has huge glass barriers that cover the railway. Like there's no way you can climb over the barrier, to put it in leymans terms the tracks are completely covered with this barrier and the only time it opens is when the train is arrives (I hear HK is similar). Also, the trains are super spacious. I think the size is like 1.5x the size of TTC trains back home. Also, the transit fare here is super cheap. When we got here, we used single journey tickets which one way was about 1,200KRW which is a little less than $1.20CAD. However, the next day we both got T-Money cards. When you buy tickets at the machines they drop a card and instead of inserting it into a slot (like Tokyo), you scan the card against the T-Money surface/card reader to enter. Basically what a T-Money card is, it's a card you keep reloading money into to use for the buses and transit system. It costs 3,000KRW for the card itself and then you can reload. The perks of purchasing this card is that you make back the 3,000KRW you spend because each time you ride the transit system instead of charging you the usual 1,000-1,200KRW, it only charges you 900KRW which saves you a bit of money. I only suggest you get this card if you plan to travel A LOT during your stay here. We're here for about 9 days and we've been using the transit everyday sometimes more then 3 times a day so we're pretty glad we got the card. It's a lot easier than buying a single journey card each and every time we ride the transit system. Oh also, the subway is super clean, no garbage. The city invests a lot of money in city workers because the tracks are always clean and garbage free. There are about 3 to 4 city workers at each station doing the necessary activities that make a subway system clean such as changing the garbage, cleaning the escalators, and mopping. I wish Toronto was like that because then we would have a cleaner subway system!
So we made our way to our hotel which is close to Seodaemun Station. When looking for a hotel to book, it was more difficult to find one in Seoul because all of them were extremely expensive. This was an average priced hotel and next to the subway station so we thought it would be nice. The security here is fantastic, you need to scan your room card against the card reader in the elevator before you can enter any of the residences upstairs. The doors are steel, it's quite different from any other hotels. I think because these are also serviced apartments it comes with huge fridge, stove, microwave, washer and dryer and the other things like iron and tv. It also has like 2 huge closets to put clothes in so I think people often stay here for longer stays but we were pleasantly surprised that we paid a decent price for a great hotel. Also, when people knock on your door, they ring the bell and it's a digital command center so you can see who's outside your door via. camera.
Anyways, it was about 1am when we arrived, no time to explore cause it was late so we just went to sleep to prepare for Day 1 in Seoul!
-LD
The last day was pretty sad as we were leaving a great city but at the same time we were super excited to be heading to Seoul. We arrived at the Haneda Airport and as I've said before, we had our luggages scanned before check-in. After checking in, we made our way to the gates. What we noticed during check-in and the security scanning process is that the security personnel checking our luggages and carry-on bags were women (no older than 35 but between 25 and 28 ish). Just an observation. Anyways, we made our way to the gates and came across the Japan Duty Free. Everything was super expensive, we weren't really surprised. Anyways, we waited in the airport for our flight and it was mainly Koreans and Japanese people on this flight to Seoul.
When they finally called us to the gate, we entered the plane. We were flying with Korean Air, which is suppose to be a good airline. However, the take off was quite scary as it was bumpy and very shaky. The weather in Tokyo wasn't too bad when we left so we weren't sure if it was the weather to blame or a terrible pilot which contributed to a horrible take off. In addition, the flight was really bumpy and shaky. This isn't the type of feeling you want when riding a plane cause it pretty much brings up unneccessary fear and an uneasiness in the stomach. Our flight was only 2 hours so they got right on dinner for us which consisted of stewed beef with rice, smoked salmon salad, onions and apple jelly. Interesting dinner I must say. Time went by pretty fast and we were about to land in Seoul Gimpo Airport aka. the domestic airport. The landing of the plane I would like to add was also super bumpy and not smooth so I blame it on a terrible pilot once again. Compared to the Air Canada flight from Toronto to Narita, our AC pilot was pro and this guy on Korean Air was terrible!
So we exit the plane and wait for our luggages and after picking up our luggages, we exit the airport. We were really lucky that there was a subway station at the airport or else we would probably have to waste money on a taxi which by the way, we never took one but they seem pretty cheap. What can I say about the Seoul Metro? The fact that it's amazing. We pretty much owe it all to Tokyo Metro for teaching us how to use a complicated transit system because Seoul Metro is a derivative of that.
So we made our way to our hotel which is close to Seodaemun Station. When looking for a hotel to book, it was more difficult to find one in Seoul because all of them were extremely expensive. This was an average priced hotel and next to the subway station so we thought it would be nice. The security here is fantastic, you need to scan your room card against the card reader in the elevator before you can enter any of the residences upstairs. The doors are steel, it's quite different from any other hotels. I think because these are also serviced apartments it comes with huge fridge, stove, microwave, washer and dryer and the other things like iron and tv. It also has like 2 huge closets to put clothes in so I think people often stay here for longer stays but we were pleasantly surprised that we paid a decent price for a great hotel. Also, when people knock on your door, they ring the bell and it's a digital command center so you can see who's outside your door via. camera.
Anyways, it was about 1am when we arrived, no time to explore cause it was late so we just went to sleep to prepare for Day 1 in Seoul!
-LD
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The Japan Tour: Summary and Highlights of Japan
The Japan Tour: Summary and Highlights of Japan: "The first leg of the trip is over. Although sad, it will not be forgotten. Japan was an exhilerating country to experience and was definitel..."
Summary and Highlights of Japan
The first leg of the trip is over. Although sad, it will not be forgotten. Japan was an exhilerating country to experience and was definitely one to remember. It will always be known as the country with the freshest sushi and the most expensive cantelope ($40 USD).
After being in Japan for eight days there are some observations that need to be noted only because they are worth mentioning. So here it goes the Top 10 Observations and highlights
1. Japanese Girls: Japanese girls are extremely pretty. (About 75% of the girls would be considered model quality. If you go to the main department stores every sales associate is atleast a 7.5 or 8/10) What is considered pretty here is skinny, dyed hair, high heels, and ultimately fake eyelashes and foundation. Although you may think this is typical on a girl, let me tell you every Japanese girl wears fake eye lashes, has high heels, has dyed hair (only two colours: brown and gold) and dresses reasonably well. Its scary at times only because all the girls look alike. Make-up wise and fashion wise as well. Another thing to note: When you go into the department stores the Japanese sales associates (girls) will always greet you with a "mashi mashi" which means welcome or hello. When these girls say those two words, their voice is usaully a high pitched voice. It gets overwhelming at times but its very cute. If your in Japan make a note of this and see if you notice the trend.
2. White shirts: I dont know what it is but when you go to work it is understandable to dress business casual or a form of business attire when going to a workplace setting. However, in Japan between 7:00am and 9:00am and 4:00pm and 7:00pm the subway and streets will be flooded with men wearing white dress shirts. Literally only white will be seen on the backs of many Japanese men. It doesnt sound like a big observation but it is very surprising to literally see the entire streets flooded with men wearing only white shirts. Theres a reason why there is a colour pallete so that people can change it up and have a variety. People should look different but this isnt the case here in Japan, I guess white shirts is a requirement and a must. I found this observation to be funny and quite entertaining.
3. Nose Picking: Nose picking in public is a very common practice. It is frowned upon in the west and would be considered dirty. However, in Japan nose picking on subways and on the streets seems to be a very normal thing and no one ever thinks twice of it. Either they will take a glance and look away or just stare. The person normally doing the nose picking will just do their thing and act as though its a normal practice. Personally I dont care, but I just found this very surprising that people find it normal to do these type of things in public.
4. Etiquette: I love the etiquette in Japan. People here are so polite and follow an ancient tradition of bowing to their elders and seniors. There are two things I learned in Japan. When a sales associate leaves the department store to use the washroom or get lunch they will bow before leaving the store and when coming back they will bow prior to stepping foot on the department floor. Also, the customer is considered god so most associates will treat the customer as the number one priority. When entering the store they will greet you with a "mashi mashi" and bow to welcome you in and when you make a purchase they will confirm that the product you selected was indeed the correct item. For example; if you bought an xl shirt the associate will point to the size and make sure xl is the one you really wanted. Another example is when your purchase a food item they will open the box to show you the product inside the container to make sure that the food item is fresh and is indeed what you ordered. Afterwards they will pack the item 2 to 3 times with wrapping paper put it in a bag and bow before greeting you out of the store. This is something that I loved in Japan.
5. Food: Fresh ingredients is key in Japanese food. That is why the food here is always so delicious and awesome tasting. Although some places get quite expensive it is worth the dollar depending on what you are eating. For example; Sushi, gyoza, tempura, shabu shabu, and ton katsu. For some vegetarians beware because Japanese food consists of a lot of meat, normally pork and beef and usually has very limited vegetables. Bacon can be found in a lot of Japanese food.
6. Fashion: I mentioned this already, but Japan is the mecca of fashion. I have not been to Europe (london and italy considered high fashion countries - will be my next trip) but this country is definitely ahead of the fashion curve by 5 years lol. The styles here are very exquisite and flattering in so many ways. Who would of ever thought that a fishing hat on so many girls would be considered such a popular trend and yet look so beautifully worn. Also, harajuku styles.
7. Size: Barely anyone in Japan is fat or obese (sumo wrestlers only because they have to). Everyone is either short are very skinny (petite). It may be a genetic thing but regardless to find a large or even muscular person in Japan is very rare. Gyms are also hard to come by. Maybe gyms are not a popular thing there, hence the small size. Being big (fat or muscular) is deemed as not being attractive and skinny is what is attractive.
8. Glitter stars: These are men or boys who dress very metro a certain style to attract people to enter a strip bars, prostitution houses or club houses. Let me try to describe what they look like. Each glitter star will wear black boots, a black vest, black pants with a chain from the back pocket to the belt loop, a white shirt and have long dyed blond or gold hair (these people are sometimes called pimps but I dont think they are). These individuals are very well groomed and their main purpose is to invite people to those establishments I mentioned above. They will normally court girls because in Japan its normal for girls to be entertained by males either sexually or visually. Vise versa, Japanese girls can be seen wearing the typical fantasy outfits such as nurse, baseball player, maid or bunny to court males to enter those establishments but for men. Role playing is very common when it comes to sexual arousal. All this can be seen in the red light district. If you are interested in seeing the area go around 8:00pm and it is north of Shinjuku station.
9. No chairs: I dont know what it is but finding chairs to sit on is impossible. It is literally impossible to find chairs in a mall or department store. You can walk for 4 hours and never find a bench to rest your feet and by the end of the day your legs will hurt mainly because you never got to sit down. The only time you can sit while shopping is when you enter a diner to purchase food to eat. I believe the Japanese philosophy is to always keep going and never slow down. Shopping in Japan is very tiring. There is no such thing as a food court only a "food basement"
10. Garbage cans: Japan is a very clean country and they will do anything to keep it that way. Either by paying additional workers to clean the city or have some kind of technology that will dispose of the garbage from the streets. But one thing I noticed is that finding garbage cans is a difficult task. In Toronto you can honestly find a garbage can on almost every corner or side street. However, in Japan you can walk 5 miles and never find a garbage can to throw out your bottles or simply your used tissues. Its so strange. At times it gets fustrating because you would be walking in the mall with a bottle for 1 hour without finding a can to dispose of it. Take notice of this if you ever plan on hitting up Japan for your vacation.
Highlights must do top 10 from our experience
1. Tsukuji Fish Market (sushi)
2. Senjo-ji Temple and Asakusa Souvenir shops
3. Shibuya and Shinjuku (shopping and sight seeing attractions)
4. Mount Fuji aka Fujisan
5. Akahibara (Electronic district and anime central)
6. Ueno Park (Museums, sight seeing attractions, zoo, and park)
7. Imperial Palace (sight seeing attraction)
8. Harajuku and Roppongi Hills (shopping)
9. Tokyo Disney (although we couldnt go because of price we will make it up in HK)
10. Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (observation deck - arial view of the city and tour of the building)
P.S Make sure you have lots of cash because Japan is a cash economy. Approximately $80 to $120 per person a day is considered good. This will cover your eating expenses, small purchases such as snacks, drinks, and bus fair. Also that amount should cover your entry fees if you wanted to a see a show or enter an exhibit such as a museum. Most big department stores do accept credit cards but small boutiques or restaurants will not.
END OF JAPAN START OF KOREA THANKS FOR READING
After being in Japan for eight days there are some observations that need to be noted only because they are worth mentioning. So here it goes the Top 10 Observations and highlights
1. Japanese Girls: Japanese girls are extremely pretty. (About 75% of the girls would be considered model quality. If you go to the main department stores every sales associate is atleast a 7.5 or 8/10) What is considered pretty here is skinny, dyed hair, high heels, and ultimately fake eyelashes and foundation. Although you may think this is typical on a girl, let me tell you every Japanese girl wears fake eye lashes, has high heels, has dyed hair (only two colours: brown and gold) and dresses reasonably well. Its scary at times only because all the girls look alike. Make-up wise and fashion wise as well. Another thing to note: When you go into the department stores the Japanese sales associates (girls) will always greet you with a "mashi mashi" which means welcome or hello. When these girls say those two words, their voice is usaully a high pitched voice. It gets overwhelming at times but its very cute. If your in Japan make a note of this and see if you notice the trend.
2. White shirts: I dont know what it is but when you go to work it is understandable to dress business casual or a form of business attire when going to a workplace setting. However, in Japan between 7:00am and 9:00am and 4:00pm and 7:00pm the subway and streets will be flooded with men wearing white dress shirts. Literally only white will be seen on the backs of many Japanese men. It doesnt sound like a big observation but it is very surprising to literally see the entire streets flooded with men wearing only white shirts. Theres a reason why there is a colour pallete so that people can change it up and have a variety. People should look different but this isnt the case here in Japan, I guess white shirts is a requirement and a must. I found this observation to be funny and quite entertaining.
3. Nose Picking: Nose picking in public is a very common practice. It is frowned upon in the west and would be considered dirty. However, in Japan nose picking on subways and on the streets seems to be a very normal thing and no one ever thinks twice of it. Either they will take a glance and look away or just stare. The person normally doing the nose picking will just do their thing and act as though its a normal practice. Personally I dont care, but I just found this very surprising that people find it normal to do these type of things in public.
4. Etiquette: I love the etiquette in Japan. People here are so polite and follow an ancient tradition of bowing to their elders and seniors. There are two things I learned in Japan. When a sales associate leaves the department store to use the washroom or get lunch they will bow before leaving the store and when coming back they will bow prior to stepping foot on the department floor. Also, the customer is considered god so most associates will treat the customer as the number one priority. When entering the store they will greet you with a "mashi mashi" and bow to welcome you in and when you make a purchase they will confirm that the product you selected was indeed the correct item. For example; if you bought an xl shirt the associate will point to the size and make sure xl is the one you really wanted. Another example is when your purchase a food item they will open the box to show you the product inside the container to make sure that the food item is fresh and is indeed what you ordered. Afterwards they will pack the item 2 to 3 times with wrapping paper put it in a bag and bow before greeting you out of the store. This is something that I loved in Japan.
5. Food: Fresh ingredients is key in Japanese food. That is why the food here is always so delicious and awesome tasting. Although some places get quite expensive it is worth the dollar depending on what you are eating. For example; Sushi, gyoza, tempura, shabu shabu, and ton katsu. For some vegetarians beware because Japanese food consists of a lot of meat, normally pork and beef and usually has very limited vegetables. Bacon can be found in a lot of Japanese food.
6. Fashion: I mentioned this already, but Japan is the mecca of fashion. I have not been to Europe (london and italy considered high fashion countries - will be my next trip) but this country is definitely ahead of the fashion curve by 5 years lol. The styles here are very exquisite and flattering in so many ways. Who would of ever thought that a fishing hat on so many girls would be considered such a popular trend and yet look so beautifully worn. Also, harajuku styles.
7. Size: Barely anyone in Japan is fat or obese (sumo wrestlers only because they have to). Everyone is either short are very skinny (petite). It may be a genetic thing but regardless to find a large or even muscular person in Japan is very rare. Gyms are also hard to come by. Maybe gyms are not a popular thing there, hence the small size. Being big (fat or muscular) is deemed as not being attractive and skinny is what is attractive.
8. Glitter stars: These are men or boys who dress very metro a certain style to attract people to enter a strip bars, prostitution houses or club houses. Let me try to describe what they look like. Each glitter star will wear black boots, a black vest, black pants with a chain from the back pocket to the belt loop, a white shirt and have long dyed blond or gold hair (these people are sometimes called pimps but I dont think they are). These individuals are very well groomed and their main purpose is to invite people to those establishments I mentioned above. They will normally court girls because in Japan its normal for girls to be entertained by males either sexually or visually. Vise versa, Japanese girls can be seen wearing the typical fantasy outfits such as nurse, baseball player, maid or bunny to court males to enter those establishments but for men. Role playing is very common when it comes to sexual arousal. All this can be seen in the red light district. If you are interested in seeing the area go around 8:00pm and it is north of Shinjuku station.
9. No chairs: I dont know what it is but finding chairs to sit on is impossible. It is literally impossible to find chairs in a mall or department store. You can walk for 4 hours and never find a bench to rest your feet and by the end of the day your legs will hurt mainly because you never got to sit down. The only time you can sit while shopping is when you enter a diner to purchase food to eat. I believe the Japanese philosophy is to always keep going and never slow down. Shopping in Japan is very tiring. There is no such thing as a food court only a "food basement"
10. Garbage cans: Japan is a very clean country and they will do anything to keep it that way. Either by paying additional workers to clean the city or have some kind of technology that will dispose of the garbage from the streets. But one thing I noticed is that finding garbage cans is a difficult task. In Toronto you can honestly find a garbage can on almost every corner or side street. However, in Japan you can walk 5 miles and never find a garbage can to throw out your bottles or simply your used tissues. Its so strange. At times it gets fustrating because you would be walking in the mall with a bottle for 1 hour without finding a can to dispose of it. Take notice of this if you ever plan on hitting up Japan for your vacation.
Highlights must do top 10 from our experience
1. Tsukuji Fish Market (sushi)
2. Senjo-ji Temple and Asakusa Souvenir shops
3. Shibuya and Shinjuku (shopping and sight seeing attractions)
4. Mount Fuji aka Fujisan
5. Akahibara (Electronic district and anime central)
6. Ueno Park (Museums, sight seeing attractions, zoo, and park)
7. Imperial Palace (sight seeing attraction)
8. Harajuku and Roppongi Hills (shopping)
9. Tokyo Disney (although we couldnt go because of price we will make it up in HK)
10. Tokyo Metropolitan Government building (observation deck - arial view of the city and tour of the building)
P.S Make sure you have lots of cash because Japan is a cash economy. Approximately $80 to $120 per person a day is considered good. This will cover your eating expenses, small purchases such as snacks, drinks, and bus fair. Also that amount should cover your entry fees if you wanted to a see a show or enter an exhibit such as a museum. Most big department stores do accept credit cards but small boutiques or restaurants will not.
END OF JAPAN START OF KOREA THANKS FOR READING
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Day 8 - Last Day in Tokyo
So it was a sad day for us as it was the last day in Tokyo. We woke up early in the morning to fix up our luggages, pack up our souvenirs and got ready to check out. Our check out time was 10am and our flight into Seoul wasn't until 8pm so we had to store our luggage in the hotel luggage compartment. We made our way out of the hotel and towards the airport limosine bus service. The airport limo went to either the Narita or Haneda Airport. We were going to the domestic airport Haneda so we purchased our tickets which cost about 1700 Yen for the each of us. The lady told us it was an open ticket so we were able to go on any bus with the ticket. We were hoping that it would be reserved seating but it wasn't. We had to make sure we got there early to catch our 5pm bus.
Normally getting on busses is seen as a burden, however when you have reserved seating with some nice A/C, the bus ride is actually not that bad.
It was only 10am and our flight was later so we decided to walk around Shinjuku one last time. We stopped at the first restaurant we ever ate at on our first day in Tokyo (Curry House). It was super tasty cause this time we knew what to order.
Curry House is a popular Japanese food chain which serves pork or fish cutlet with their famous curry sauce on a bed of rice or a ball of lettuce. If there seems to be a bias in what is recommended please note that there is no bias, everything is honestly spoken and told. Therefore, I would recommend Curry House if you are hungry and are on a budget. The food is cheap and the portions are quite sizable.
After breakfast we were contemplating what to do. The fact that we've seen it all in the past, we decided to do all the things we enjoyed while we in Tokyo one last time. We also wanted to check out the Ueno Zoo during the week, but didn't get a chance because it closed at 4pm. So we figured we would check it out today. We made our way to Ueno Station and walked towards the zoo. We passed by a show in the park which was cool. The show had a varitey of performers each one specializing in a unique talent. One girl was flexible and balancing things on her feet and hands and this other girl was cutting things in half percisely with a whip. The other 2 acts consisted of a man who was able to transform his face with multiple masks. (Mask changer, these acts are quite common and I am sure you know what Im referring to) and the other act was a man who could balance his body a number of stacked chairs. When the show was over, everyone including the crowd watching the show, made their way to the zoo. The zoo was okay, I'd give it a 7/10. We saw tigers, bears, rhinos etc. It sucked because the main attraction at that zoo was Ling Ling the panda but it passed away a few years ago.
It was still early so we went to Asakusa again. I swear this was the 3rd or 4th time we were there! But we wanted to do some last minute souvenir shopping. This is a photo of the souvenir shops that line up all the way to the Senjo-ji temple.
We made our way to Shinjuku afterwards and walked around and decided to have a small meal before our flight. Time was ticking so we went to pick up our luggage, waited at the airport bus stop (which was soooooo packed by the way), took the hour bus ride to Haneda.
When we got to Haneda, it was small and we were in line getting our luggages scanned. Yep, you heard right we were getting our actual check-in luggages scanned. They have really strict but safe rules compared to Canada I must say. After checking in, we walked to the waiting area where we waited to board our plane to Seoul, South Korea!
Oh by the way, if you guys are reading the posts please post a comment or question that you would like to ask. It will give us an idea as to who is reading and feedback on our articles. Thanks
Normally getting on busses is seen as a burden, however when you have reserved seating with some nice A/C, the bus ride is actually not that bad.
It was only 10am and our flight was later so we decided to walk around Shinjuku one last time. We stopped at the first restaurant we ever ate at on our first day in Tokyo (Curry House). It was super tasty cause this time we knew what to order.
Curry House is a popular Japanese food chain which serves pork or fish cutlet with their famous curry sauce on a bed of rice or a ball of lettuce. If there seems to be a bias in what is recommended please note that there is no bias, everything is honestly spoken and told. Therefore, I would recommend Curry House if you are hungry and are on a budget. The food is cheap and the portions are quite sizable.
After breakfast we were contemplating what to do. The fact that we've seen it all in the past, we decided to do all the things we enjoyed while we in Tokyo one last time. We also wanted to check out the Ueno Zoo during the week, but didn't get a chance because it closed at 4pm. So we figured we would check it out today. We made our way to Ueno Station and walked towards the zoo. We passed by a show in the park which was cool. The show had a varitey of performers each one specializing in a unique talent. One girl was flexible and balancing things on her feet and hands and this other girl was cutting things in half percisely with a whip. The other 2 acts consisted of a man who was able to transform his face with multiple masks. (Mask changer, these acts are quite common and I am sure you know what Im referring to) and the other act was a man who could balance his body a number of stacked chairs. When the show was over, everyone including the crowd watching the show, made their way to the zoo. The zoo was okay, I'd give it a 7/10. We saw tigers, bears, rhinos etc. It sucked because the main attraction at that zoo was Ling Ling the panda but it passed away a few years ago.
It was still early so we went to Asakusa again. I swear this was the 3rd or 4th time we were there! But we wanted to do some last minute souvenir shopping. This is a photo of the souvenir shops that line up all the way to the Senjo-ji temple.
Photo courtesy of "Tokyo Shopping" on the site www.rei.org/JPN/Tokyo (Really wish we could post our own photos but this is the best we got so you can visualize)
We made our way to Shinjuku afterwards and walked around and decided to have a small meal before our flight. Time was ticking so we went to pick up our luggage, waited at the airport bus stop (which was soooooo packed by the way), took the hour bus ride to Haneda.
When we got to Haneda, it was small and we were in line getting our luggages scanned. Yep, you heard right we were getting our actual check-in luggages scanned. They have really strict but safe rules compared to Canada I must say. After checking in, we walked to the waiting area where we waited to board our plane to Seoul, South Korea!
Oh by the way, if you guys are reading the posts please post a comment or question that you would like to ask. It will give us an idea as to who is reading and feedback on our articles. Thanks
Monday, August 23, 2010
Day 7 - Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi
Fuji-san, aka. the highest mountain in Japan.
So Day 7, we wake up and head to Shinjuku Station. Our original plan was to go to Kyoto because we've heard it's beautiful there and worth the long train ride. However, our plans were stopped short because the cost to go to Kyoto one way was about 14,000 Yen. We were contemplating whether if it was worth it or not and figured it wasn't because at that time, it was already 10am and it was costly. Maybe if we purchased the special foreigner Japanese Rail pass at the time we booked our flights, it would've been worth it to travel to Kyoto because these passes cost about 240 Canadian, 10 days unlimited travel on the JR Lines.
We decided then and there that we would go to Mt. Fuji to check out the mountain since here in Tokyo, the clouds cover it at all times. We went to the Keio bus terminal to purchase our tickets. At this time, it was approximately 10am, and the attendant said the next available time was 1pm. We decided to take it. We killed some time at the mall by going to check out the food basements, shopping at Uniqlo (again) and we ate brunch at First Kitchen Convenience. When the time was near to board the bus, we went to buy snacks and headed to the bus terminal and entered the bus.
The ride to Mt. Fuji was long, approx 2 hours. We had 2 options. We could get dropped off at the Lake Kawaguchi Station, or at the Mt. Fuji 5th station. We decided on the station near the lake because we weren't planning to climb the mountain. It's an intense 5 hr hike upwards and a 3 hr descend. I'm sure people have trained hard to climb Mt. Fuji and the two of us well, we're not exactly the strongest hikers. We also both wore flip flops so it was a given we were just going to hang out at the lake.
So Day 7, we wake up and head to Shinjuku Station. Our original plan was to go to Kyoto because we've heard it's beautiful there and worth the long train ride. However, our plans were stopped short because the cost to go to Kyoto one way was about 14,000 Yen. We were contemplating whether if it was worth it or not and figured it wasn't because at that time, it was already 10am and it was costly. Maybe if we purchased the special foreigner Japanese Rail pass at the time we booked our flights, it would've been worth it to travel to Kyoto because these passes cost about 240 Canadian, 10 days unlimited travel on the JR Lines.
We decided then and there that we would go to Mt. Fuji to check out the mountain since here in Tokyo, the clouds cover it at all times. We went to the Keio bus terminal to purchase our tickets. At this time, it was approximately 10am, and the attendant said the next available time was 1pm. We decided to take it. We killed some time at the mall by going to check out the food basements, shopping at Uniqlo (again) and we ate brunch at First Kitchen Convenience. When the time was near to board the bus, we went to buy snacks and headed to the bus terminal and entered the bus.
The ride to Mt. Fuji was long, approx 2 hours. We had 2 options. We could get dropped off at the Lake Kawaguchi Station, or at the Mt. Fuji 5th station. We decided on the station near the lake because we weren't planning to climb the mountain. It's an intense 5 hr hike upwards and a 3 hr descend. I'm sure people have trained hard to climb Mt. Fuji and the two of us well, we're not exactly the strongest hikers. We also both wore flip flops so it was a given we were just going to hang out at the lake.
This is a photo of Lake Kawaguchi and Mt. Fuji seen on a clear day courtesy of a search on Google Images.
So when we arrived at the station, we were extremely disappointed as to how cloudy it was outside and the fact that Mt. Fuji was difficult to see behind all the clouds. However, there were other beautiful mountains nearby on the other side of the lake to make up for it. We pretty much walked around the Lake using the walking trails and crossed the bridge when it started to rumble thunder. We were worried that we would be rained on because we were so far from the station with no shelter. It rained a bit but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. We were also planning to ride up a cable car to get a better view of the mountain but unfortunately it was closed due to the thunder and light rain. We walked back to the station and decided that it was time to leave. This was around 4:30pm and even then, there were so many people wanting to go back. We sat in the cafe area at the station and Ray ordered a small rice bowl with horse meat. I was pretty against this and grossed out but Ray wanted to try. He said it was pretty good but I wouldn't have any of it.
Our bus was late 30 mins due to traffic and going back, it took us almost 3hrs because I'm guessing it was rush hour. After the long ride back to Shinjuku, we walked around the Red Light District again, since it's so lively in the evening and had a small supper at a self serve restaurant. It was a restaurant that felt like a cafeteria because you pick the food you wanted which consisted of soup, pasta or curry and a drink. You would ask the lady for the food, pay the cashier and go to a seat. We didn't really like this restaurant, it was mediocre.
Went back to the hotel and slept. Day 8, final day next.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Day 6 - Ueno and Roppongi
"It is said that green tea is ubiquitous in Japan. But did you know that besides being something of a national driink, it is also good for you? Green tea contains antioxidants twice as powerful as those in red wine; these help reduce high blood pressure, lower blood sugar, and fight cancer. A heightened immun system and lower cholesterol are other benefits attributed to this beverage." - Fodor
The morning of day 6 was quite average which consisted of waking up at 8am, getting dressed and ultimately heading down to the Family Mart to purchase our typical breakfast snacks. An egg sandwich, a green tea and some awesome Japanese chips. Normally we do not eat before getting breakfast but for some reason upon arriving in Japan our eating habits changed. We like to have our pre breakfast meal which then we have our breakfast which is then followed by lunch and another snack. It sounds like a lot of food and let me tell you it is. I guess the only reason why we eat so much is because our bodies is burning up twice as many calories considering we are walking all day in the blistering heat and sweating like a donkey. Regardless, I do not believe that eating double has made us fatter as a matter of fact I think we actually lost weight. Heat and walking is definitely not a good combination. After consuming our snacks we headed down to the metro station to purchase our tickets to make our way to Ueno station. I am not sure if I mentioned this already but there are two options when taking the metro transit you can either purchase a one way ticket which is about 160 yen or pay 700 yen I believe for an all day pass. If you are contemplating on travelling all day and using the transit system to do your travelling I would highly recommend purchasing the all day pass. Not only do you save a lot of money but you defintiely save on convienence time.
From Shinjuku Station, the travel time to Ueno is approximately 15 minutes. Ueno is a big tourist area with many things to do. The area is popular for its many temples and shrines, its enormous park as well as its many museums and sight seeing locations. Although we really wanted to see the temples and shrines we decided that it would be better to go see and experience a Japanese museum. Choosing which museum to go see was difficult only because each one had its special traits and unique attributes which differientiated it from the rest. After countless debates and discussions we decided to go to the National Science Museum. Upon arriving to the ticket booth, we were presented with two prices. One which was 600 yen gave us general admission the main attraction and the second price was an admission fee which was 1600 yen that gave us entry to the main attraction and to the mammal exhibit. We felt that buy paying the more expensive admission fee we would get a better bang for our buck. Little did we know!! We paid 3200 yen for the both of us and then headed our way to the exhibit. The first part of the exhibit was the mammal attraction. This part of the building displayed many types of acquatic animals, fossils of large whales, and various types of sea creatures. We were impressed by the display, however the only downside of it was that the entire exhibit was in Japanese. We had no idea what the signs were saying on top of that we had no clue as to what the description said about the artifacts. This made the exhibition quite sour, needless to say we had a good time seeing all the cool things this part of the exhibit had to offer.The best part was witnessing the skeletal remains of a 300 foot giant blue whale attatched to the ceiling. As soon as we took in what we could from this part of the exhibit we headed to the main attraction. Now, the main attraction was more fascinating only because there were english signs on top of that the articfacts displayed included various objects from different areas and times. For example, we got to see dinosaur remains, technology from the past as well as prehistoric artifacts. We spent an additional hour here soaking up as much as we could and afterwards we headed our way out.
Highlights of National Science Museum
1. Skeletal remains of a 300 foot blue whale
2. Interactive science area which educates you on electricity, chemical compounds, and weight distribution
3. Display on dinosaur fossils, extinct and endangered animals,
4. Display on Japanese technology and innovation
5. Display on astrologic findings
6.Lifesize display of a Japanese warplane included with the blueprints and designs
Negative aspects of National Science Museum
1. If you are not a Japanese local, you will find it difficult to read the signs. There are very few signs and descriptions that are translated in english
2. Quite expensive only because the Canadian dollar is still doing worse than the US dollar
3. Very full during the weekends with lots of kids
By the time we headed out of the National Science Museum it was already 2:30pm. We walked around Ueno to see what else the area had to offer which was a lot, too much in fact to take it all in one day. Ultimately, we decided to go into another museum the National Museum of Tokyo. This museum is defintely one you should come see whenever you are in Japan.
Where to begin? well first off I can say that the National Museum of Tokyo is one huge exhibit. In total there are five buildings which houses all the artifacts, from pottery, samurai swords, prehistoric armour, art, scripts, the lists goes on and on but the amount is vast. Unfortunately during our visit we were only able to see four out of the five building only because the 1968 Toyokan building was shut down due to renovations. However, the buildinig destined to open during 2012. So hint hint, 2012 if you are planning to see the museum sometime in the future.
To summarize what we saw I will list them in point form simply because it is simpler to read.
1. Chinese art: Calligraphy pieces from the 1400's, pottery, Paintings, weapons, make up boxes, and various trinkets
2. Indian art
3. Egyptian peices including a live preserved mummy, no pictures only the real deal (really fascinating)
4. Japanese art: Swords, weapons, paintings, kimonos, pottery, books, can't remember what else
5. Korean artifacts: bells, scripts, paintings, weapons, cannons, model figurines, and porcelan pottery
This is pretty much the jist of it but there is definitely a lot more. What I can say is that if you were to see any museums in Tokyo the National Museum of Tokyo is the one to see. The descriptions are in english and there is something for everyone, if paintings are not your thing, than you can check out the weaponary. Avoid the National science museum, I mean dont avoid it but if I were you I would try to spend the money elsewhere.
National Science Museum 6/10
National Museum of Tokyo 8.5/10
After exploring Ueno and the various museums we decided to go back to Asakusa. By the time we arrived, the vendors were beginning to close up shop. Regardless, we took one last look at the souvenirs shops and for all you special people who are special to us we wont mention any names but you will receive something special from this cool place. = )
We decided to check out the Roppongi area as well after Asakusa. We didn't want to let the day go to waste. We heard a lot about Roppongi, that it was a very nice area with lots of high fashion stores. This did not dissapoint. We were already coming into the area late so a lot of stores were either closing or about to close. We saw a lot of bars as well. One thing about this area as well, is that it is very Westernized. All the bars looked like "English Pubs" (one was actually called that). We also saw a lot of people of different ethnicities and we noticed that many restaurants were a mix of Japanese and Italian. We actually walked down a road in the Roppongi area and decided on an Italian restaurant. Despite all the amazing food we've been eating, we were still missing our favourite foods that we usually eat back home. The food was really good by the way :)
Then we went back to the hotel after dinner. End of day 6.
The morning of day 6 was quite average which consisted of waking up at 8am, getting dressed and ultimately heading down to the Family Mart to purchase our typical breakfast snacks. An egg sandwich, a green tea and some awesome Japanese chips. Normally we do not eat before getting breakfast but for some reason upon arriving in Japan our eating habits changed. We like to have our pre breakfast meal which then we have our breakfast which is then followed by lunch and another snack. It sounds like a lot of food and let me tell you it is. I guess the only reason why we eat so much is because our bodies is burning up twice as many calories considering we are walking all day in the blistering heat and sweating like a donkey. Regardless, I do not believe that eating double has made us fatter as a matter of fact I think we actually lost weight. Heat and walking is definitely not a good combination. After consuming our snacks we headed down to the metro station to purchase our tickets to make our way to Ueno station. I am not sure if I mentioned this already but there are two options when taking the metro transit you can either purchase a one way ticket which is about 160 yen or pay 700 yen I believe for an all day pass. If you are contemplating on travelling all day and using the transit system to do your travelling I would highly recommend purchasing the all day pass. Not only do you save a lot of money but you defintiely save on convienence time.
From Shinjuku Station, the travel time to Ueno is approximately 15 minutes. Ueno is a big tourist area with many things to do. The area is popular for its many temples and shrines, its enormous park as well as its many museums and sight seeing locations. Although we really wanted to see the temples and shrines we decided that it would be better to go see and experience a Japanese museum. Choosing which museum to go see was difficult only because each one had its special traits and unique attributes which differientiated it from the rest. After countless debates and discussions we decided to go to the National Science Museum. Upon arriving to the ticket booth, we were presented with two prices. One which was 600 yen gave us general admission the main attraction and the second price was an admission fee which was 1600 yen that gave us entry to the main attraction and to the mammal exhibit. We felt that buy paying the more expensive admission fee we would get a better bang for our buck. Little did we know!! We paid 3200 yen for the both of us and then headed our way to the exhibit. The first part of the exhibit was the mammal attraction. This part of the building displayed many types of acquatic animals, fossils of large whales, and various types of sea creatures. We were impressed by the display, however the only downside of it was that the entire exhibit was in Japanese. We had no idea what the signs were saying on top of that we had no clue as to what the description said about the artifacts. This made the exhibition quite sour, needless to say we had a good time seeing all the cool things this part of the exhibit had to offer.The best part was witnessing the skeletal remains of a 300 foot giant blue whale attatched to the ceiling. As soon as we took in what we could from this part of the exhibit we headed to the main attraction. Now, the main attraction was more fascinating only because there were english signs on top of that the articfacts displayed included various objects from different areas and times. For example, we got to see dinosaur remains, technology from the past as well as prehistoric artifacts. We spent an additional hour here soaking up as much as we could and afterwards we headed our way out.
Highlights of National Science Museum
1. Skeletal remains of a 300 foot blue whale
2. Interactive science area which educates you on electricity, chemical compounds, and weight distribution
3. Display on dinosaur fossils, extinct and endangered animals,
4. Display on Japanese technology and innovation
5. Display on astrologic findings
6.Lifesize display of a Japanese warplane included with the blueprints and designs
Negative aspects of National Science Museum
1. If you are not a Japanese local, you will find it difficult to read the signs. There are very few signs and descriptions that are translated in english
2. Quite expensive only because the Canadian dollar is still doing worse than the US dollar
3. Very full during the weekends with lots of kids
By the time we headed out of the National Science Museum it was already 2:30pm. We walked around Ueno to see what else the area had to offer which was a lot, too much in fact to take it all in one day. Ultimately, we decided to go into another museum the National Museum of Tokyo. This museum is defintely one you should come see whenever you are in Japan.
Where to begin? well first off I can say that the National Museum of Tokyo is one huge exhibit. In total there are five buildings which houses all the artifacts, from pottery, samurai swords, prehistoric armour, art, scripts, the lists goes on and on but the amount is vast. Unfortunately during our visit we were only able to see four out of the five building only because the 1968 Toyokan building was shut down due to renovations. However, the buildinig destined to open during 2012. So hint hint, 2012 if you are planning to see the museum sometime in the future.
To summarize what we saw I will list them in point form simply because it is simpler to read.
1. Chinese art: Calligraphy pieces from the 1400's, pottery, Paintings, weapons, make up boxes, and various trinkets
2. Indian art
3. Egyptian peices including a live preserved mummy, no pictures only the real deal (really fascinating)
4. Japanese art: Swords, weapons, paintings, kimonos, pottery, books, can't remember what else
5. Korean artifacts: bells, scripts, paintings, weapons, cannons, model figurines, and porcelan pottery
This is pretty much the jist of it but there is definitely a lot more. What I can say is that if you were to see any museums in Tokyo the National Museum of Tokyo is the one to see. The descriptions are in english and there is something for everyone, if paintings are not your thing, than you can check out the weaponary. Avoid the National science museum, I mean dont avoid it but if I were you I would try to spend the money elsewhere.
National Science Museum 6/10
National Museum of Tokyo 8.5/10
After exploring Ueno and the various museums we decided to go back to Asakusa. By the time we arrived, the vendors were beginning to close up shop. Regardless, we took one last look at the souvenirs shops and for all you special people who are special to us we wont mention any names but you will receive something special from this cool place. = )
We decided to check out the Roppongi area as well after Asakusa. We didn't want to let the day go to waste. We heard a lot about Roppongi, that it was a very nice area with lots of high fashion stores. This did not dissapoint. We were already coming into the area late so a lot of stores were either closing or about to close. We saw a lot of bars as well. One thing about this area as well, is that it is very Westernized. All the bars looked like "English Pubs" (one was actually called that). We also saw a lot of people of different ethnicities and we noticed that many restaurants were a mix of Japanese and Italian. We actually walked down a road in the Roppongi area and decided on an Italian restaurant. Despite all the amazing food we've been eating, we were still missing our favourite foods that we usually eat back home. The food was really good by the way :)
Then we went back to the hotel after dinner. End of day 6.
Day 5
"Insert Catch Phrase Here"
So we started out early again this morning. It seems like every morning we've woken up around 7 or 8am depending what we do the night before. We decided to check out Harajuku today. This was a Monday which we knew it wouldn't have been as exciting as a Sunday because that's when all the girls dress up in their crazy outfits and fix their hair like what we believe a Harajuku girl would look like.
This is an image taken by our friend Brian who checked out Harajuku last month. We're sad we missed out on this but we were able to see what Harajuku had to offer regardless.
Anyways, so we started out early, not too early but it was around 9am when we entered Shinjuku Station and made our way to the Menji-Jingumae 'Harajuku' Station. When we exited, all we saw were a line of stores along the street. We were glad to see this because majority of the time, all we've seen were department stores. The only downside is that the stores were still closed because it was early and most places opened at 10 or 11am. So we decided to walk down the street a bit to see what else was around and we walked all the way to Shibuya which we checked out the night before. We were feeling a little hungry because we didn't get a chance to grab breakfast in Shinjuku so we decided to just eat in the Shibuya area while waiting for the stores to open in Harajuku. We picked a ramen noodle restaurant. The waitress gave us an English menu so we could order and we each ordered a bowl of ramen. Ray had a spicy one and I had regular (I hope by now people reading this know that there's 2 people blogging to avoid the confusion haha). I thought it was good but Ray didn't really enjoy it because it didn't have a lot of meat in it. It basically had cabbage, beansprouts and bacon. I don't know if Ray mentioned this in any of the other blogs or if I have, but I swear they cook everything with bacon. The first soup I had in Tokyo was just broth with boiled bacon. I ate rice the next day and the only meat in it was bacon. There are photos of grilled bacon / thicker pieces of this meat all over Tokyo. Those who know me especially my close friends know that I am not a fan of pork so eating this made me a little sick. Anyhow, I felt that the ramen was good in terms of the noodle itself and I was glad I was finally eating VEGETABLES because everything I've had so far was just meat and rice, but the flavour just wasn't there.
We made our way down Shibuya and stopped at Uniqlo, which is a pretty popular place in Tokyo in terms of clothing store. There's one in every department store and we've seen quite a few on the streets. It's basically a mix of H&M and American Apparel to me. I already bought a few things from there but decided to stop there to get some gifts. After Uniqlo it was time to go back to Harajuku so we walked back the other direction. We stopped at many shops along the way back and came across the UT store which is basically a Uniqlo that sold the same items but also some limited edition items you could say. They had a whole wall of shirts in little containers which we thought were pretty cool. The shirts were designed by different artists and various popular anime series. We continued our way in the Harajuku area and to keep things to a minimum, we saw stores such at Kitson, Forever 21, H&M, Zara, Topshop, Edwin Jeans etc. We also came across a wicked looking mall called Ometsando Hills which had a very unique structure to it. The floors are all on a 25 degree angle and lead upwards in a rectangular shape. I wish I had photos to show you guys what I mean but we forgot our usb cable for the camera. This mall was one of those high end brand malls that had stores such as Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, D&G etc. It was a "Holt Renfrew" in a mall basically.
After Ometsando Hills, we stopped at Kiddyland which was a huge toy store with everything you could imagine. A whole floor each dedicated to Lego, Snoopy, Anime etc. For some reason, Toy Story seems to be very popular there as well. There was nothing left in Kiddyland so we made our way to the flea market in Harajuku which was similar to all the other outdoor markets we've been to but nothing that quite caught our eye. Of course it was another hot and scorching day, so we left Harajuku and went back to Shinjuku. After a bit of rest at the hotel we went out to Shinjuku again to the Red Light District which will mention about later. We came across two models doing a photoshoot which was wicked.
Alrighty, Day 6 coming up.
So we started out early again this morning. It seems like every morning we've woken up around 7 or 8am depending what we do the night before. We decided to check out Harajuku today. This was a Monday which we knew it wouldn't have been as exciting as a Sunday because that's when all the girls dress up in their crazy outfits and fix their hair like what we believe a Harajuku girl would look like.
Anyways, so we started out early, not too early but it was around 9am when we entered Shinjuku Station and made our way to the Menji-Jingumae 'Harajuku' Station. When we exited, all we saw were a line of stores along the street. We were glad to see this because majority of the time, all we've seen were department stores. The only downside is that the stores were still closed because it was early and most places opened at 10 or 11am. So we decided to walk down the street a bit to see what else was around and we walked all the way to Shibuya which we checked out the night before. We were feeling a little hungry because we didn't get a chance to grab breakfast in Shinjuku so we decided to just eat in the Shibuya area while waiting for the stores to open in Harajuku. We picked a ramen noodle restaurant. The waitress gave us an English menu so we could order and we each ordered a bowl of ramen. Ray had a spicy one and I had regular (I hope by now people reading this know that there's 2 people blogging to avoid the confusion haha). I thought it was good but Ray didn't really enjoy it because it didn't have a lot of meat in it. It basically had cabbage, beansprouts and bacon. I don't know if Ray mentioned this in any of the other blogs or if I have, but I swear they cook everything with bacon. The first soup I had in Tokyo was just broth with boiled bacon. I ate rice the next day and the only meat in it was bacon. There are photos of grilled bacon / thicker pieces of this meat all over Tokyo. Those who know me especially my close friends know that I am not a fan of pork so eating this made me a little sick. Anyhow, I felt that the ramen was good in terms of the noodle itself and I was glad I was finally eating VEGETABLES because everything I've had so far was just meat and rice, but the flavour just wasn't there.
We made our way down Shibuya and stopped at Uniqlo, which is a pretty popular place in Tokyo in terms of clothing store. There's one in every department store and we've seen quite a few on the streets. It's basically a mix of H&M and American Apparel to me. I already bought a few things from there but decided to stop there to get some gifts. After Uniqlo it was time to go back to Harajuku so we walked back the other direction. We stopped at many shops along the way back and came across the UT store which is basically a Uniqlo that sold the same items but also some limited edition items you could say. They had a whole wall of shirts in little containers which we thought were pretty cool. The shirts were designed by different artists and various popular anime series. We continued our way in the Harajuku area and to keep things to a minimum, we saw stores such at Kitson, Forever 21, H&M, Zara, Topshop, Edwin Jeans etc. We also came across a wicked looking mall called Ometsando Hills which had a very unique structure to it. The floors are all on a 25 degree angle and lead upwards in a rectangular shape. I wish I had photos to show you guys what I mean but we forgot our usb cable for the camera. This mall was one of those high end brand malls that had stores such as Vivienne Westwood, Galliano, D&G etc. It was a "Holt Renfrew" in a mall basically.
After Ometsando Hills, we stopped at Kiddyland which was a huge toy store with everything you could imagine. A whole floor each dedicated to Lego, Snoopy, Anime etc. For some reason, Toy Story seems to be very popular there as well. There was nothing left in Kiddyland so we made our way to the flea market in Harajuku which was similar to all the other outdoor markets we've been to but nothing that quite caught our eye. Of course it was another hot and scorching day, so we left Harajuku and went back to Shinjuku. After a bit of rest at the hotel we went out to Shinjuku again to the Red Light District which will mention about later. We came across two models doing a photoshoot which was wicked.
Alrighty, Day 6 coming up.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Day 4
Koneechewa from Japan!! After 3 days in Japan we were really starting to get the hang of the transit system and the go to places within the city. Although, there was still a big learning process, we were beginning to adapt well to the tokyolites lifestyle. Here are my favorite Japanese words. Beer = birru, apple pie = appuru pai and ice cream = aisukuriimu. They sound very similar to the English translation but with the ru at the end. That's what you call awesomeness. Although we didn't explore shinjuku during the first three days while in japan, we saved the shinjuku sight seeing for day four. One thing which you need to know about japan is that many of the stores and malls are owned by large conglomerates and major corporations. that is why most of the buildings have the advertised names on the store front. For example Keio mall, which is a big department store will pretty much have it's name advertised on all the 7 floors of the mall including most of the merchandise being sold.
The first thing which we did while in shinjuku was hit all the stores and malls this part of city had to offer. If your a girl, omg!! Let me tell you, You guys would be heaven, fashion here is like a Mecca, every style and type of style you ever dreamed off is presented here like chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream. It just so tasty and also looks damn good. Not only are the Stores updated with the latest fashion trends but the girls and people here are very well dressed. I thought Toronto was pretty fashionable, but japan is like 5 light years ahead of the curve. Almost every person is sported with the latest lv bag, Vivienne Westwood clothes and Uniqlo styles. So jealous! Even guys here are dressed well. No homo. After observing the many malls and stores we stopped at a Japanese restaurant to get some food. To be more precise we ate sushi. If you don't know how to speak Japanese all you need to do is point at the menu with the picture of the food you want. Most likely the waiter or waitress will get the idea. Food is awesome and so good. Worth every penny. ( I'll stop here because my phone is dying but illl continue it).
Okay to continue the blog...I remember now. We didn't just stop at any restaurant to eat sushi. We wanted the real deal and travelled to the Tsukiji Fish Market area to have sushi. We wanted to go to this restaurant that was recommended in one of our books on Japan called Edogen Hontin, and we were given the instructions however it was hard to find because the address was like 4-5-1 something. We figured it out because on the street map there were these sections with numbers on it and we figured that it was block 4, building number 5 section 1. It led us into this alleyway which looked a bit sketchy only because it wasn't very busy like most alleyways that had street vendors and mini market places but only a few quiet storefronts. Anyhow, we asked this man performing construction nearby to help us out and eventually we learned that the restaurant was being renovated for 8 days and would be opened on Aug 20, aka the day we were leaving. We left the area and decided to venture out and find a new restaurant since near the fish market, there are tons of restaurants to offer the same fresh sushi. Since it was Sunday, the fish market was closed but many restaurants in the area remained open. We went to a street vendor on the main street and pointed to the photos and we were presented with our meal. It was good, but not as great as the restaurant we went to the first time we went to the fish market. The street vendor provided us with smaller pieces of fish and the taste just wasn't as amazing. You could say it was average.
After our meal, we decided to go to Akahibara which is called the Electric District. It is known as a place to go if you are an electronics fanatic. It pretty much lived up to it's fame because as soon as we stepped out of the subway station, all we saw in front of us was a huge department store dedicated to selling electronics. I can't remember the store name right now, it started with a Y. Something like Yobashi but I'm sure I'm missing a few letters in that name. Anyway, there were 7 floors of pure electronics and anything remotely related to electronics. USBs, Memory Sticks, Computers, IPad, anything you name it was there. It was quite the site. We didn't walk out of the store with any electronics but some souvenir shirts that store had inside.
We walked along the streets after we left the store even though it was extremely hot and humid, and we came across another street market under the bridge. It was like a huge street market that sold shoes, clothes, dvds etc. It also had a good amount of restaurants inside. We walked around the market and came out with nothing. We went into the nearby department store called Matzazuya I believe. We walked into the food basement to look at all the interesting and exotic foods and came across a tea shop. We heard numerous great things about the taste of Japanese teas so we bought the number two best selling tea which had a mixture of great things. If you're wondering, the number 1 best selling was green tea, which we had enough of.
We exited the department store and felt that it was enough exploring of this area and made our way to Shibuya. We wanted to see the famous Shibuya crossing and all I can say is that it was pretty insane to see the amount of people make their way from one end to another. We walked around the Shibuya area which consisted of a lot of stores, people, music and department stores. It was one of those extremely hot days once again so after a long night walking in Shibuya we went back to Shinjuku and got ready for the next day.
Another funny note: We always came across a different area each time we were in one area not knowing where we were. So some days when we planned to go to a "new" area, it was actually the same area that we already came across or was close to it.
The first thing which we did while in shinjuku was hit all the stores and malls this part of city had to offer. If your a girl, omg!! Let me tell you, You guys would be heaven, fashion here is like a Mecca, every style and type of style you ever dreamed off is presented here like chocolate syrup on vanilla ice cream. It just so tasty and also looks damn good. Not only are the Stores updated with the latest fashion trends but the girls and people here are very well dressed. I thought Toronto was pretty fashionable, but japan is like 5 light years ahead of the curve. Almost every person is sported with the latest lv bag, Vivienne Westwood clothes and Uniqlo styles. So jealous! Even guys here are dressed well. No homo. After observing the many malls and stores we stopped at a Japanese restaurant to get some food. To be more precise we ate sushi. If you don't know how to speak Japanese all you need to do is point at the menu with the picture of the food you want. Most likely the waiter or waitress will get the idea. Food is awesome and so good. Worth every penny. ( I'll stop here because my phone is dying but illl continue it).
Okay to continue the blog...I remember now. We didn't just stop at any restaurant to eat sushi. We wanted the real deal and travelled to the Tsukiji Fish Market area to have sushi. We wanted to go to this restaurant that was recommended in one of our books on Japan called Edogen Hontin, and we were given the instructions however it was hard to find because the address was like 4-5-1 something. We figured it out because on the street map there were these sections with numbers on it and we figured that it was block 4, building number 5 section 1. It led us into this alleyway which looked a bit sketchy only because it wasn't very busy like most alleyways that had street vendors and mini market places but only a few quiet storefronts. Anyhow, we asked this man performing construction nearby to help us out and eventually we learned that the restaurant was being renovated for 8 days and would be opened on Aug 20, aka the day we were leaving. We left the area and decided to venture out and find a new restaurant since near the fish market, there are tons of restaurants to offer the same fresh sushi. Since it was Sunday, the fish market was closed but many restaurants in the area remained open. We went to a street vendor on the main street and pointed to the photos and we were presented with our meal. It was good, but not as great as the restaurant we went to the first time we went to the fish market. The street vendor provided us with smaller pieces of fish and the taste just wasn't as amazing. You could say it was average.
After our meal, we decided to go to Akahibara which is called the Electric District. It is known as a place to go if you are an electronics fanatic. It pretty much lived up to it's fame because as soon as we stepped out of the subway station, all we saw in front of us was a huge department store dedicated to selling electronics. I can't remember the store name right now, it started with a Y. Something like Yobashi but I'm sure I'm missing a few letters in that name. Anyway, there were 7 floors of pure electronics and anything remotely related to electronics. USBs, Memory Sticks, Computers, IPad, anything you name it was there. It was quite the site. We didn't walk out of the store with any electronics but some souvenir shirts that store had inside.
We walked along the streets after we left the store even though it was extremely hot and humid, and we came across another street market under the bridge. It was like a huge street market that sold shoes, clothes, dvds etc. It also had a good amount of restaurants inside. We walked around the market and came out with nothing. We went into the nearby department store called Matzazuya I believe. We walked into the food basement to look at all the interesting and exotic foods and came across a tea shop. We heard numerous great things about the taste of Japanese teas so we bought the number two best selling tea which had a mixture of great things. If you're wondering, the number 1 best selling was green tea, which we had enough of.
We exited the department store and felt that it was enough exploring of this area and made our way to Shibuya. We wanted to see the famous Shibuya crossing and all I can say is that it was pretty insane to see the amount of people make their way from one end to another. We walked around the Shibuya area which consisted of a lot of stores, people, music and department stores. It was one of those extremely hot days once again so after a long night walking in Shibuya we went back to Shinjuku and got ready for the next day.
Another funny note: We always came across a different area each time we were in one area not knowing where we were. So some days when we planned to go to a "new" area, it was actually the same area that we already came across or was close to it.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Shinjuku Washington Hotel
Before I begin blogging about day 4 I just want to give a quick mention of our room at the Shinjuku Washington Hotel. The room was booked one month prior from departing out of Toronto simply because August is high season which meant that hotel rates during this time would be extremely expensive. If anyone ever wants to book a room in central Tokyo at a discounted rate use the site which I used. http://www.planettokyo.com/ this site definitely has some really good rates in some good locations. The website is safe and is legit. I paid approximately $80 CDN per night which is really good considering we got a room in central Shinjuku (downtown pretty much). WARNING! Although you are getting a good bang for your buck, do not be surprised if you are given a budget room. What is a budget room you ask? It is pretty much a room with a small bed, a small desk, closet and a 15 inch monitor that only has 8 channels with no english speaking channels to choose from. The only source of entertainment is for you to purchase a VOD (Video on Demand) card for 1000 Yen which allows to you watch english movies such as Forest Gump, The Green Mile etc. Also, a budget room will give you a washroom which is literally the size of a closet. To put it in retrospect, the size is pretty much the arms length of your outstretched arms from one end to the next. There isnt much room to do anything other than the required activities. Aside from the all the negative aspects of the room, youll soon enjoy it and find it reasonably cozy.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Day 3 Continued - Asakusa & Imperial Palace
So after the fish market, we made our way to Asakusa where the famous Senjo-ji temple is located. We heard on our first days here, that this was the number 1 place to buy our souvenirs and that it was a really big tourist attraction. When we exited Asakusa Station, we walked a bit and saw a tourist information site. We entered the site and grabbed some maps around the area. The volunteer told us that walking down the lane with all the vendors would take about 20mins before we reached the temple. Keep in mind, we went here on a Saturday so it was super packed! We walked down one of the lanes where all the vendors were lined up and made a turn, and found ourselves at another department store. We went into the food basement (there are tons of food basements, practically one in every dept store) where they sell teas, sweets, pastries, fried foods, sushi etc. We purchased some Japanese tea for our families and exited the mall. We found our way back to the lane and walked further where we realized we were walking in the wrong lane all this time. We found the actually line up of vendors where it was packed with food and souvenirs of all sorts. Many of the stores were selling the same keychains, lighters, lanterns, keepsakes, swords, posters etc. It was quite exciting to shop down the lane. We each purchased a few things for our friends, as well as octupus balls! I've been waiting for the day that I would eat octupus balls in Japan! We finally reached the front of the temple where people were lighting incense and drowning the smell of insense on them. People were fanning the incense towards them for luck. We then went to "check our fortunes." If it was a bad one, we would tie it on a string and let the fortune blow away. One of us got the bad fortune but believe me, I drowned myself in the incense as well. We went into the temple and despite the crowd of people it was quite beautiful and peaceful looking. The monks inside were meditating and everyone else was throwing money into the "collection bin" and praying behind the screens.
We exited the temple and we found ourselves watching a show involving a monkey. It was a really smart monkey because it understood Japanese (obviously) and it had a variety of awesome tricks. It was almost like a little person! Time was ticking and we decided to make our way to the Imperial Palace. This is also a famous touristy spot. It's a huge garden which consists of many trees and relics from the 1590 castle built by Ieyasu Tokugawa. This was his castle that had many guard houses etc. We made our way around the area which took quite a long time. This day was also one of the hottest days I've felt while being in Tokyo so I was quite exhausted after the walk. Never wear jeans in the Summer!
After the Imperial Palace we made our way back to the hotel. It was still early but from all the events earlier in the day our naps turned into a deep sleep!
Day 4 coming up - Shibuya and Shinjuku
We exited the temple and we found ourselves watching a show involving a monkey. It was a really smart monkey because it understood Japanese (obviously) and it had a variety of awesome tricks. It was almost like a little person! Time was ticking and we decided to make our way to the Imperial Palace. This is also a famous touristy spot. It's a huge garden which consists of many trees and relics from the 1590 castle built by Ieyasu Tokugawa. This was his castle that had many guard houses etc. We made our way around the area which took quite a long time. This day was also one of the hottest days I've felt while being in Tokyo so I was quite exhausted after the walk. Never wear jeans in the Summer!
After the Imperial Palace we made our way back to the hotel. It was still early but from all the events earlier in the day our naps turned into a deep sleep!
Day 4 coming up - Shibuya and Shinjuku
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