KYOTO: The outdoor museum of Japan

Day 1

Our first day in Japan we arrived at Kansai Airport around 4:30 pm and proceeded to the Japan Rail center where we set up our Rail Passes and reserved tickets to Kyoto. About an hour later we arrived at Kyoto Central Train Station where we caught a taxi to eastern Kyoto, the main traditional district, where our hostel was located. Although taxis in Japan are notoriously over-priced, the cost of the ride split between the two of us was not bad.

We were staying in Khaosan Kyoto Theater Hostel which was located next to a large covered shopping arcade and within walking distance of Nishiki Market and the Gion area. The hostel itself was clean and comfortable, if very hostel-y. The staff gave us several maps including a bus map with instructions on how to get to famous landmarks from the hostel. This proved a huge help and we were able to take buses all over the city with ease. We also purchased a day-long bus pass to avoid constantly buying tickets (the pass also pays for itself if you ride at least four buses that day).

Our first night we stuck close to the hostel, exploring the shopping arcade and stopping for a ramen dinner which was delicious. I never knew what ramen could be until I tasted ramen in Japan.

Day 2

Fulbrighters at Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

As it turned out, our trip overlapped with some other Fulbrighters just for our second day in Kyoto so we met up with them at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Southern Kyoto. To get there we took the city bus to Central Station and then used our rail passes to take the JR line to the Fushimi Inari stop.

Fushimi Inari is home to the iconic 'thousand orange torii gates' which lead up Mt. Inari. We did some hiking there and enjoyed the bright sunlight after days of cloudy winter skies in Korea. Fushimi Inari is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the god of rice. The shrine was covered in fox statues large and small, which I later learned are considered the messengers of the rice god.

In the afternoon we all traveled back to central Kyoto where we walked around Nishiki market. This was a lot of fun — all kinds of fabrics, handmade crafts and jewelry, street foods like fried rice-cake, souvenirs and the delicate plastic food replicas which are ubiquitous and astounding in Japan. Finally our friends departed to catch a train to Tokyo.

We decided to finish our evening by walking over to the neighborhood of Gion, known as the home of traditional tea houses where Geisha entertain their wealthy customers. We did see a couple Geisha on their way to jobs as we walked through the evening streets, but out of respect we didn't take any pictures. We had read before that as Japan becomes more touristy Geishas have had more and more trouble getting around mobs of foreign photographers on their way to work.

Although the wooden buildings in Gion were beautiful they had a private closed up kind of feel. As we walked I preferred the bright open feeling of Yasaka Shrine and Kodaiji Temple which we happened to wander into.

Yasaka Shrine, Kyoto

Gion Tea House, Kyoto 

Streets of Gion

Kodaiji Temple, Kyoto

Back into the swell

Day 3

We started the next day at Kinkakuji, the famous golden pavilion in Northern Kyoto. It was a dribbley, gray day in Kyoto, but we were able to catch a bus and the rain held off during our tour. From there we caught another bus over to the Philosopher's path, a riverside trail that stretches through the dense temple area of Kyoto.

By this time we had gotten used to the Japanese system where you get on at the side door of the trolley or bus and take a ticket. When you exit, you leave through the front door and pay the fare based on where you got on (the ticket you picked up before). It's a pretty efficient system for distance based paying with cash.

We were able to walk along the Philosopher's path all the way to Heian Shrine and from there took a bus to the Higashiyama district, a series of narrow streets leading up the mountain to Kiyomizudera which overlooks Kyoto. By the end of the day we were very temple-ed out and tired from all our walking. Kyoto was beautiful, but if I went again I would try to break things up more by interspersing the temple viewing with other excursions.

Kinkakuji Pavilion, Kyoto

Students outside Ginkakuji Temple. For some reason the Japanese uniforms looked very old fashioned to me. 

The Philosopher's Path

Spotted on the Philosopher's Path: philosopher cats sleeping the day away

Higashiyama Streets

Stone Buddhas at Kiyomizudera

FAMILY

I haven't checked in for quite a while and part of the reason behind this is that my family came to visit me in Korea. I was beyond thrilled and spent the better half of this semester masterminding a highly detailed 10 day itinerary for their trip.

I met them in Seoul on a Friday night and we stayed there until Sunday when we traveled to Gumi (my host city). In Seoul I mostly stuck to my favorite places — the National Museum, Insadong, Hongdae — but we also tried out a few new things. Best new discovery: the National Gugak Center (국립 국악원, gukrip gugakwon) has 1 hour live concerts of traditional Korean music every Saturday at 3pm. The best part? The tickets cost as little as 10,000 won. We saw court music, scholars music, a contemporary jazz piece composed for the Korean bamboo flute and an energetic drum dance. The only downside? No pictures allowed. 

Galbi (grilled marinated beef) dinner with my family and host family!
From left to right: My dad, host mom, Chaerin (host sister), Saeran (host sister), host aunt, host cousin, my brother, me, my mom, host grandma, host cousin

 We stayed in Gumi just two days as my family met my host family — a wonderful experience — and visited some of my classes. My students had to make questions for my parents. I can't decide which wins first prize: "Do you have a gun?" or "You're handsome, aren't you?" (directed to my father).

Busan night view, Haeundae beach, our first night

After Tuesday I was free for the week so we traveled to Busan, a nearby coastal city and also the second largest city in Korea. We stayed at Haeundae Beach, a popular tourist area, and took the City Tour Bus around to other landmarks like Taejongdae, Jagalchi Market and BIFF Square. If you've been to Busan, but haven't taken the City Tour I encourage you to do so. These double-decker buses (varying in quality from brand-new open-air to enclosed express bus style) will take you to every landmark in the city on a continuous figure-eight. For only 10,000 won you can get on and off as many times as you want, anywhere in the city all day. A great way to see a lot without struggling through a lot of subway or bus connections. 

Busan continued to drizzle, but we made the best of it

The other highlight of Busan has to be Spaland. We went to Spaland on the 7th day of our travels when everyone was starting to get grimy and correspondingly annoyed. I love jimjilbangs and have been to a couple that match Spaland for number of different relaxation rooms, saunas, and baths, but while including all these things, Spaland is far and away the most beautiful jimjilbang I have ever been to. The only drawback is the time limit of 4 hours (which can be extended to 6 if you spend at least 10,000 won inside the spa). I was a bit nervous how my family would feel about the totally naked baths (gender segregated of course), but they all loved it. In fact later in the trip whenever we were feeling tired, someone would always say, "Why don't we go to a jimjilbang?

Cheomseongdae, a Silla dynasty observatory, Gyeongju

After Busan we traveled on to Gyeongju, a much smaller town which is nonetheless a huge tourist destination for its multitude of historical landmarks. I'm not sure what we might have done if it rained, but thankfully the weather held out and we went walking, bicycling and hiking everyday there. We were staying in a traditional (hanok) style guesthouse and the cozy atmosphere was just right for the end of our trip. Almost too cozy as at first we couldn't even find the place. It wasn't until we took a taxi, walked in the rain with our suitcases and were picked up by a kind Korean man that we managed to find the place. In fact, I just asked this man for directions on the street because he looked friendly, but he took us into his stationary store where he read our map with a magnifying glass and then offered to drive us there in his car. Although it wasn't a situation you want to deal with when traveling I'm really glad my family got to see how kind Koreans can be. 

Bicycling in Gyeongju 

Visiting the remains of a fortress, burned by invaders

Hiking Namsan, known for numerous buddhist statues and cliff carvings

Since it was my birthday right before they arrived, my family brought my present with them — a new digital camera. My old camera was falling apart and the new one has some very cool functions including a hybrid video/photo mode. I used this hybrid mode to film some highlights from our trip and put them together to make the video below. Hope you enjoy it!

GYEONGJU: CITY OF TOMBS

Two weekends ago I traveled to the city of Gyeongju for Fulbright's Fall Conference. The conference began Friday evening and ended with a closing dinner on Sunday night. Though the conference's main intent is for Fulbrighters to check in with cultural adjustment and share teaching trials and triumphs, its secondary role is to introduce us foreigners to the historical treasures of Gyeongju, the capital of the Silla dynasty. It is a city filled with giant hill-like tombs, ancient temples and palace grounds. The group spent all of Sunday on a bus tour of the city and saw less than half of its historical sites. Most impressive to me were the great tombs of kings and officials which sit beautifully preserved and alien-like around the city. Since my friend Sophia and I are not too far from Gyeongju we stayed later on Monday exploring the city center by bicycle (rented for only 10,000 Won for the day). It felt like the last beautiful day of fall, sunny and warm, but with an undeniable crispness on the breeze.

View of the lake outside our hotel. Gyeongju is one of those places most lovely in the fall.

Tombs of Gyeongju.

I found the simple tombs strangely beautiful and compelling.

Famous Hwangnam Bread Bakery, stumbled upon by mistake as we toured the city.

Piled stones at a temple. Reminded me of the stones piled on Jewish tombs in Poland.

The golden Buddha of Bulguksa Temple.

Entering Anapji Pond,  playground of the Silla kingdom.

Ready to bicycle, by Gyeongju's river.

Through city fields.

And such a beautiful sky.

Taken from the bicycle seat.

JINJU LANTERN FESTIVAL

Spreading the love at the Jinju Lantern Festival.

Monday to Wednesday at Shinpyeong Middle School this week were devoted to midterm exams. However, since I don't have to proctor or grade any exams this actually meant three days of freedom. Monday was spent recovering from Seoul. Tuesday I packed my bag again and set off to Jinju, a town 2 hours south of Gumi and host to a famous lantern festival. Though there are other lantern festivals in Korea this one stands out as both beautiful and historical; while under siege by the Japanese the people of Jinju placed lanterns in the river to prevent the Japanese from secretly fording the river at night.

The bus ride was, again, perfect for reading and on arrival in Jinju I easily met up with two other friends, Sophia and David. We got a late lunch at a local restaurant, delicious seafood kalguksu (a type of noodle soup) and a hot bibimbap which is a Jinju specialty. Then we wandered over the Jinju castle grounds which were full of lanterns depicting military battles, daily life in old Korea, animals and plants. There were so, so many I'm sure we only saw about half. Walking through the grounds it was like walking through a brightly lit picture book or a still movie.

The dancing cranes were by far my favorite.

David, myself and Sophia in front of the castle.

We had to walk up a hill to get to the castle and on the way back down we took another path which led us through the love tunnel. Literally, there is no other name for it. We stopped here to write our wishes on a ribbon, hoping all the good feelings in the love tunnel will help them come true.

My wish for this year.

After passing through the love tunnel we met up with another friend, John, who actually lives in Jinju. Together we sat down on the hill to watch the fireworks. The lanterns were amazing but they were nothing to the fireworks. The show began with five or six orange and white birds flying up into the night. They coasted so gracefully so that they almost seemed to be kites, but then each bird shot flames from its wings and sped off. This was the signal for the big fireworks and while these were standard fireworks they were stunning in their proximity. We were sitting just above of the river and when the first circle of light exploded everyone jumped. Then a waterfall of sparks began to flow off the sides of each bridge like a golden river. Soon more and more large fireworks were exploding in the sky and each spark seemed like it was about to run right up and kiss you. We could feel the ashes falling on us and I swear I saw someone showered in still-live sparklers. But with all this the noise as well. I feel as if this was the closest I will ever get to watching a star explode. Amazing. After it ended each one of us was stunned silent for a moment.

We were all getting hungry at this point and decided to cross the river in search of food. We quickly found more than we could handle in the giant marketplace, but were able to enjoy two more beautiful lantern tunnels on our way. In the end we sat at one of the food tents, talked and rested until we were about asleep on our feet. The night ended with my first stay at a love motel. 60,000 won for a two bed hotel room? I'll take it.

Windmill lantern, reminds me of the Netherlands.

View from the bridge. Not the best quality, but you can get the idea.

Lantern tunnel — these lanterns were all made (I think) by local children as each one was unique in design and skill level.

Me and 'The Kiss' lantern.

Giant dragon lantern.

This Friday is my first day back at school in a week, but it doesn't feel as if I was gone. I'm more surprised that it is October already. With midterms behind us and a new month ahead I want to take this weekend to map out some rigorous and exciting lesson plans for the rest of the semester. Especially as the weather starts to get chillier, sitting down with a hot drink and a large pile of work sounds more and more inviting.

SEOUL WEEKEND: PART II

Saturday evening I met my friend Yumin who I hadn't seen since studying in the Netherlands my junior year of college. While in the Netherlands we had a close group of friends and while I had seen my other Korean friends, Hyunji and Chul, already since coming to Korea I had missed Yumin. Visiting her was actually the main reason for my coming to Seoul this weekend and I stayed over Saturday night with her family at their apartment in Seoul. We were so happy to talk again and nothing had really changed. We got along as if we had left Leiden only a month ago. In fact now we have even more in common since Yumin is also a middle school English teacher. We were able to reminisce about our time abroad as well as commiserate over our students. Her parents were so kind and very curious how the Fulbright program works and how I am finding Korea. Each parent expressed their interest in a different way; Yumin's mother, by cooking a delicious meal and asking me many questions in Korean for Yumin to translate, and Yumin's father, by telling me, in English, about his favorite action movies. They were so sweet and when Yumin and I left in the morning insisted I wear a scarf to protect my neck from the cold as well as that I come back to visit again soon. I really hope to. Though I love Gumi I wish I could see my friends in Seoul more often.

Since I hadn't explored any of the palaces in Seoul yet — having only looked at the outside — Yumin and I headed back to Gyeongbok to explore. We started at the Seoul Museum of Palaces which was free and contained collections of ornaments, furniture, paintings and instruments mostly from the Joseon Dynasty (the dynasty preceding Japanese annexation in the early 1900s). There was also some history of the dynasties, but being mostly in Korean it was largely lost on me.

Myself in front of the first pavilion in Gyeongbok.

As we began to explore Gyeongbok itself I realized that the grounds are enormous. Every time I thought we had walked through the final archway I would catch sight of another arch in the distance. It just happened that the re-enactment was taking place again as we entered the grounds and this time Yumin and I were able to see the procession up close. It was exciting to see re-creations of some of the banners and items of state we had seen in the museum being used in the pageant.

After walking, and walking, and walking, Yumin and I stopped on a bench to eat the seongpyeon her mother sent with us. Seongpyeon is a traditional crescent shaped rice cake filled with sugar and sesame. The ones Yumin's mother sent us were handmade with pine needles in the dough giving them a green color. Delicious.

Yumin with seongpyeon.

Afterwards we walked a bit more, explored the National Folk Museum which is attached to the palace grounds, and took some more pictures.

Yumin and I next to the lily pond.

The final part of our day was spent back in Samcheon where we ate hoddok (a delicious pancake filled with brown sugar), kimbap (like sushi minus the fish), and then went to a cafe to chat until it got dark. At 7:20 I caught my train back to Gumi, but not without a little regret to be leaving such an exciting city and good friends behind. However, after such a busy weekend, spending Monday lounging around the house reading Persuasion was exactly what I needed.