Traveling Korea/ Japan 2014

Long ago I promised an informative blog with travel links and tips that I spent many days of my life hunting down, translating, calling and sorting conflicting data to travel between South Korea and Japan.

The first thing that I did to really help me was make a spreadsheet with all the information from the various sources. This is a link to that and the picture below gives you a sample.

While I was traveling between Korea and Japan there were some smartphone apps that were extremely helpful. They are also all free!!! I tried lots of different apps and these were my favorite.


Currency ~ Most of the time I didn't need to use a conversion app, but this one would retain the numbers that I'd looked up even once I left an internet source. Most other apps would try to refresh and therefore lose the data I'd previously had. This app came in most handy when someone tried to rip me off and I could show them that I knew what they should be giving me.


Korean Builder ~ My favorite Korean language app. There are the general categories you can click on but you can also start typing (in English) and optional phrases and words in romanticized letters and in Hangul will appear so you can show someone the sentence or word even if you can't say it. It also has the option to use honorific, formal or polite forms. It is a free app so there aren't all the words you'll look up but there are plenty enough to get your point across and you can also update to a full version. This app also does not require internet access which in Korea isn't a huge problem, but nice to know none the less.


Korean Flashcards ~ A nice app for a few of those basics. You can choose whether you see romanticized letter or Hangul or both. And since no internet is required it's also an easy app to use when you're desperate to communicate.


Learn Korean Numbers ~ My favorite Korean numbers app. Korean numbers are tricky because there's two different sets and they use each set for different things and both for telling time, so it's important to be able to reference both quickly. Most apps only have the Sino-Korean set. This app is free and you can practice the numbers as well as practice telling time in the app. Super helpful!


Maps With Me ~ This app lets you download maps of a specific city or country to your phone so you don't have to have a wi-fi connection to see where you are. This app was really really really helpful in Japan where wi-fi is scarce and never free.


Subway ~ This is the number one app for using the subway system in Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Daejeon and Gwangju. The system is super easy to maneuver anyway with color coded number systems posted everywhere below as well as above ground. I travel a little bit and Seoul is an easy place to get around. I did not have the opportunity to use this app outside of Seoul so I can't comment on its effective in the other cities. However, this app is a must have as you can pull up the subway map with romanticized stop names so you can figure out where you are if you don't read or speak Hangul. You do have the option to use it in Hangul as well as Japanese too. The app gives you the fastest route to and from where you'd like to go and timetables for departures. I can't say enough about how good this app is!


Talking Translator ~ One of the translator apps I liked using but it does require an internet connection. It gives you options to hear the translated word or phrase, keeps your history and will even give you daily words in a language of your choice.


Translate ~ Of course Google translate is also a go to translator option but beware to only use it for basic sentences and words because it doesn't translate larger sentences correctly at all. I'm being very serious and have had ample experience when I first moved to Korea and couldn't speak a word, nor could my neighbors speak a word of English. Hours were spent trying to communicate through translator apps and Google doesn't work with anything remotely complex. Talking Translator often did better with longer sentences than Google.


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Walt Disney World 05/2014

It's hard to believe but it's true. Before this month I'd never been to any theme park in my life, and definitely not anything as spectacular as a Disney theme park.

When my adopted dad found out about this rather astonishing fact he told me that whenever I was free he would make my dream come true and take me to a Disney park! It only took a few years before I had an entire free week in the United States, but it finally happened.

I WENT TO WALT DISNEY WORLD FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!!!

I didn't exactly grow up on Disney so some of the parks nostalgia was lost on me, but the charm and excitement and childlike inspiration wasn't lost. I spent five days from open until close walking every corner, eating every treat, riding every ride, and smiling the entire time.

Somehow I managed only to gain a couple pounds, avoid a sun burn and just achieve a nice tan, and fill a memory bank of fun to overflowing!

My adopted dad and I drove from near Nashville all the way to Orlando (in two days) and stayed outside the park in a super nice apartment just 4 miles away. It was so nice to have a kitchen and separate bedrooms and we were so close to the park it was amazingly easy to waltz right in every morning.

The first day we went to The Magic Kingdom. I'd seen some Disney movies obviously, but since I had never been to a Disney park I had no idea that the castle in the movie opening was actually real! It was beyond believable when I walked in and realized I was in a whole new world. As I walked and walked I couldn't believe how big and how real everything was.

 My adopted dad had been there before and so he took charge, steering me first this way and then that; taking me on Space Mountain and Buzz Light Year and every ride in the park it seemed. We stopped for churros and for Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwiches. We stopped for pictures and pictures and still more pictures. The park was so big I was lost for a while. All I knew was that I walked and walked and kept on walking that first day. The ride my adopted dad most wanted to do was Splash Mountain, so we got a fast pass that afternoon and headed over to the ride. It's a cute ride with the Brer Rabbit theme throughout and I did enjoy it although it is not my favorite ride. When we finally got home that evening, I collapsed into bed with the biggest smile on my face. I was getting to experience what it's like to be a kid at Walt Disney World...well, a big one at least :)

Bet you can't guess who won?!?!

Inside the ride on Thunder Mountain!

Prophetic I do hope!

We took a nice relaxing break on the old steam boat Liberty Belle.

Enjoying our (my first) Mickey Mouse ice cream sandwich!

The sign declares it a cruise out front...the lights were pretty :)

Such a long long wait for Space Mountain...all of a whopping 10 minutes! Barely had time to take a picture of the "line".

The second day we went to Hollywood Studios. I rode the Tower of Terror a couple of times and enjoyed swallowing my stomach and being suspended in the air for a second as the ride fell away! Hollywood Studios has the best and newest rides apparently though because even with fast pass it was nigh to impossible to get a ride on Toy Story and the Rockin Roller Coaster. We did manage later that evening and really enjoyed both. I like the Toy Story ride better than the Buzz Light Year one, but the line issue at Toy Story turned my loyalty toward the latter. Rockin Roller Coaster was fun and we did that ride numerous times over the next couple of days. Other than those rides, there wasn't much of interest at this park. I preferred the magicalness of the Magic Kingdom sets to the replicas of major cities in Hollywood Studios. And compared to my first day in Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios was puny. After a long half day, we went home, showered, ate some dinner, and returned for Fantasmic. The story line was rather odd, as it tried to mesh together all the Disney movies to create a half hour story, but the lights and water sequences were nice.

All the screams made me inquisitive to find out what all the fun was to be had!

Getting ready for my Star Wars Tour all decked out in my 3D glasses B-)

Being me ;-p

The Rockin Roller Coaster entry complete with car, guitar and bigger guitar lol

The big boat at the end of Fantasmic with all the Disney characters dancing around.

On board for the Toy Story ride. My worst selfie of the trip, but one of my favorite rides :-)

The third park we chose to visit was Epcot. I have to say, upon entering I wasn't all that excited. It didn't carry the same feel as the other parks had and the rides weren't as fun for me and the activities were all indoors where it was freezing! It was however, flower season, so I enjoyed seeing all the topiary designs and landscaping creations that were done to the Disney extreme.

The topiary Mickey Apprentice.

What do you see? I see an exclamation point landing in a red puddle!

All the beautiful flowers. I stopped so many times just to marvel and awe over all of them.

 After roaming the first circle area for a while, we decided to head to the international circle. Both of us being world travelers, we looked at all the destinations in a different light but had an enjoyable enough time we walked around that circle at least five times. Finally we decided to eat lunch in Japan. I was very nervous having just returned from Japan that the food wouldn't be similar at all, but Americanized Japanese. I was so wrong. The shrimp tempura I'd had in Japan was rivaled by the shrimp tempura at Walt Disney World. The flavors were intoxicating and the shrimp was extra large and they gave me two instead of just one in the bowl. The noodles were not too soft and not too hard. In fact, my adopted dad and I loved the soba noodles so much that we returned to Japan for lunch the following three days! And each day we ate the exact same dish. Now if that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is!!!

This was the other favorite :) The deliciously tasty shrimp tempura rivaling its authentic Japanese competitor I just had a few months prior. YUM

The other thing I really loved in Epcot were the singers in the American Hall. 15 minutes before every show they come out and sing a cappella for the guests arriving. Being a musician I can't help but critique slightly. However, the more I critiqued, the more outstanding they became. Their phrasing and musicianship, their faces and exuberance, their pitch and range, it was all terrific. I loved it so much I went and saw them twice and took a video to listen to again in my home. If they had a cd I would buy it and I wish they had their own show instead of just a fifteen minute blurb before the video. Still, I'll take what I can get!

The Liberty Singers at the American Showcase. One of my absolute favorite parts of the entire park!

The fourth day we rested (sort of). Both of us were tired from the epically long days of strenuous and tiring fast walks around the parks to get to everything we possibly could. We slept in (all of one hour later), and then wouldn't you know it, we went walking, at the outlet malls. At least we weren't speed walking though. We leisurely made our way around a couple outlet mall complexes and browsed through multiple stores. I came away with my second pair of jeans and some socks. (Yeah, I know, I am a big shopper!) After walking all late morning and early afternoon we headed home. Sitting on the couch I couldn't imagine doing nothing from 3:00 until bedtime so I started browsing some pamphlets for other activities in the Orlando area. I found a couple of options and my adopted dad and I agreed on an air boat ride. It was my first (see a trend?) air boat ride ever and I was thrilled to be out on the water, even if it was just a tiny six person boat. The wind was in my hair until we got out in the bayou and started hunting for alligators in the swamp. We saw a couple mama alligators and several little babies swimming around. We got pretty close too. It was cool! Then at the end of our tour the guide drove us onto a sand bank and jumped into the calf deep water to take all of our pictures. Guess who jumped in after him?!  The water felt soooo good and the sand under my feet was the softest ever. It was so refreshing and I stayed out there as long as I could until we had to leave again. And of course, after everyone else saw that I jumped in they all did too...just need a trendsetter right? After the air boat ride and the gator hunt it was dinner and bed time so we could be ready for a big day at the fourth park.

All of us on the airboat.

Father and daughter just, you know, hanging out wading around in the Everglades...

It's a baby!!!

And we found mama...

The fifth day (fourth day at WDW) we decided to try our luck with the Toy Story ride in the morning. Even though we were there when the gates opened and practically ran straight there the line was already over an hour and there were no fast passes available. So instead we settled on a couple rides of the Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster and I got a tasty treat of a jalapeno pretzel :-p  After lunch...guess where...at Japan in Epcot, we headed to our last park we hadn't been to, Animal Kingdom. I'd been to a safari park in San Diego and really enjoyed it so I was excited for this day. I wasn't disappointed. I saw all the animals on the safari, and also on the nature walks. I enjoyed the rides too, especially the river rapids ride. I went twice and had so much fun that I wanted to come back the next day and do it again!

Ready for a safari ride :)

Beautifully relaxing on a nice summer's day.

Fruit bats dancing around. Love their brightly colored wings.

This is one big dude!

Silently looking out over his territory.

Rhinoceros crossing ahead!

A tower of giraffes...literally lol

Lunch time..at least for the zebras.

Our last day we returned to Magic Kingdom again to reride Buzz Light Year another 4 times (I won't mention who won ;-p )  and return to Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. With the fast pass situation we ended up only doing the Buzz Light Year ride and then heading to Epcot where we met up with a friend and his son for lunch in, you guessed it...Japan! After lunch the four of us wandered from fountain to fountain as my friend's little boy played in the water. Mid afternoon we parted ways and my adopted dad and I headed back to Magic Kingdom for some Splash Mountain fun. After riding that and Thunder Mountain again we headed across to Animal Kingdom for my last request, to ride the rapids two more times! These two times I didn't get nearly as soaked as the other days rides, but it was still fun and I think I know what my favorite ride is ;-)  Next time I might have to hit the water park!~

This was truly a magical time and this picture perfectly depicts the insane lack of fun, errrrr, good times (for those in fear of my use of the f*n word) at Disney World!!!!

It was an amazing adventure to say the least. I can't wait to return and experience it all over again!

But now it's back to the real world as they say, although my "real" world varies greatly I think from that of others. Tomorrow it's off to Atlanta to see a potential pianist before soaring away to Seattle for this year's Northwest Folklife Festival. Hope to see you all there!

Seoul to Japan to Seoul - Tokyo

The last two days of Japan were reserved for the enormous city of Tokyo. Just picking a neighborhood to stay was daunting. Do you pick a traditional neighborhood, a party neighborhood, a centrally located neighborhood, a touristy neighborhood? Tokyo has them all and even multiples. And since Tokyo is so huge, the neighborhoods are fairly spread out so it's a fairly big deal if you don't want to hotel hop every night.

The neighborhood I chose was Shinjuku. It's a party neighborhood that is located in the northwestern part of Tokyo and also is very close to the world's busiest subway station in Shinjuju.

Much time was spent wandering around through markets, getting lost on the winding streets and window shopping at interesting stores. But one of the things I really enjoyed was visiting one of the popular cat cafes. You pay a fee for the time you spend and can also buy coffee or tea and desserts as well as cat treats to lure the cats to you since it is only allowed to pet the cats, not pick them up or hang on to them. There were two floors in the cat cafe that we visited. After getting a badge, you removed your shoes and washed your hands before walking into the cat room. There are lots of different kinds of cats and lots of toys to play with them as well as couches to relax and drink your coffee while you watch the kitties.

 

There are two towers in Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower and the Tokyo Sky Tree. The Sky Tree is listed as the world's tallest tower. It's used as a broadcasting tower but with obvious tourist attractions on a few of the higher floors as well as a plethora of shopping opportunities surrounding the base. I visited the tower at night and it was indeed breathtaking. The sparkling city lights of Tokyo stretched as far as I could see in every single direction I looked. It was jaw dropping gorgeous, really. Photography is quite difficult due to the bar placement around the windows and the interior light reflections at night though.





I sampled sushi, soup, dumplings, fish dishes, bakery delicacies, and amazing handmade ramen. The food was superb and I miss it intensely.

         

Japan was a truly amazing country and someday it would be fantastic to return and see more of the islands and countryside and also see it during cherry blossom season. But until then, the memories I made are wonderful and lasting. I hope you enjoyed my tales and pictures. This was the send off I received at the airport...fitting don't you think?  :)

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I've already begun another travel adventure; not for work mostly, but for play. Watch for a new entry soon detailing the beginning of my most recent trips!

Seoul to Japan to Seoul - Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto

The next two days of my journey were spent in the three cities of Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. They are all very near each other so it was easy and quick to get from one to the other.

I arrived in Kobe late morning after a train ride from Hiroshima. For lunch my friend had his heart set on sampling the world famous Kobe beef so we headed to a nearby restaurant.

Since it was lunch time the price was more reasonable and it included a salad, soup, veggies, ice cream, coffee, and the steak of course. Breaking my vegetarian diet to sample this potentially once in my lifetime opportunity meal, I was wowed! Ethically speaking there are a couple sides to the Kobe beef issue, although none of the urban legends are confirmed. I personally didn't go out into the hillside and see the cow treatment for myself, but knowing there are only around 3000 head of this beef, that doesn't leave near as much measure for the overcrowded facility treatment that is so commonplace in America.

So leaving behind the ethics debate, I'll move on to the taste agreement. For sure, Kobe beef is the best tasting meat I've ever eaten. It nearly obliterates from memory all other steaks previously enjoyed. The belief that steak needs sauce or dips or rubs or added flavor is inaccurate in regards to Kobe beef. There was nothing but sea salt sprinkled on as the chef began grilling the steak on a hibachi grill right in front of my eyes. Then, after getting a few bites ready, he offered me the first bite instructing that I not place it in more salt or pepper or sauce, but just eat it completely natural. My taste buds exploded and an involuntary "oh wow" escaped from my lips. I expected it to be good but my expectations were shattered with the flavor and melting meat in my mouth.

    

Unfortunately, you can't get Kobe beef in America. You'll have to go to Japan. All the people claiming it elsewhere are making false claims. Ask them for the 10 digit code that proves what cow it came from if you want to verify it's authenticity and you'll find they don't have one for you. Some restaurants import the same cattle but from other prefectures. It's not actually Kobe beef but it's really close. You'll pay a pretty penny though, so beware. If you want to experience the true thing, just go to Japan. The country is worth the visit and the Kobe beef is one of the extreme highlights along the journey.

After lunch it was time to explore the nearby woodlands. I hiked up through several small waterfalls, around a dam, up some giant sized steep stairs, and then strolled along a rather steep incline that wove its way through the Herb Gardens. Since it was winter time, not much was blooming but things were planted and the ground was being taken care of quite meticulously. It was still very beautiful. At the top there was a very handy and welcoming cable car ride to the bottom where it was time to jump the train to Osaka for dinner.



 

Osaka has an entertainment district called Dotombori. It's a canal street that's super lit up with so many lights it's distracting. It's also crowded so moving along can be slightly difficult, even if it's a weekday evening. There was a recommended old fashioned noodle house in the Lonely Planet guide book so off I went for some udon. (Udon is a type of thick wheat flour noodle of Japanese cuisine. Udon is often served hot as a noodle soup in its simplest form, as kake udon, in a mildly flavored broth called kakejiru, which is made of dashi, soy sauce and mirin ~ thanks Wikipedia) This was by far the best udon I've ever had before and since. The noodles were perfect and the broth was delectable! I had a tempura prawn in mine and with the flavors of the broth soaked into it, that prawn was the most delicious prawn I've ever had in my life! I could have had two bowls of that soup!

 

But the night was young, so after a light dinner it was off to explore and hunt down some sake!  The first bar was a hole in the wall, straight out of a movie scene, packed with locals, nice looking bar...that didn't serve any sake. So instead (I wasn't going to waste the trip, right?) I enjoyed some nice port wine as an after dinner beverage.



Now the need for dessert got much stronger and it was time to taste the famous waffles advertised and eaten for every meal in every restaurant it seems. It wasn't hard to find an open cafe with some waffles served with ice cream, chocolate sauce and a banana, YUM!



After dessert it was back to the mission of sake hunting. It is now extremely apparent that the Japanese don't drink sake like the Koreans drink soju. Both are the local famous beverage, but the Japanese merely export it because many bars don't even offer it and you rarely see the locals drinking it (this was my experience anyway).

After much hunting, I finally found a bar that had sake plus a lot of character! I mean, a lot of character. And the owner surely put his character into the bar because he was sooo thrilled to see Americans. My friend and I were ushered upstairs along some crazy narrow stairs (the kind where you have to use the right foot on the corresponding stair to walk up them) into a small room with silver Sharpie writing everywhere. There was a little sink and a little bathroom and just a few very small tables. He brought us some free food and a nice sake gift set. Then as we went to leave the bar he offered to take our picture and thanked us a million times for visiting.

   

It was late by then and time to head to bed before a big day in Kyoto the next day. Osaka sure was fun and full of life. Someday I'd love to go back!

My favorite artsy picture of the Dotombori Canal featuring the ever popular bicycles and sparkling lights!

Kyoto is known as one of the most beautiful cities in Japan and in the late spring/summer and maybe even fall I could see the possibility, but during the winter... it just wasn't charming for me.

Still, there were many many many many (did I mention there were many?) temples and castles and other various religious monuments to go see. My friend wanted to go see the Golden Palace first so we did. Here's the picture.

 

Yes, it's gold. Would I bother going all the way there to see it? No, the Notre Dame dome in South Bend is just as big and more sparkly if gold is your thing, and there are many other more fascinating historical monuments elsewhere around the world.

Kyoto was where the hot pot meal was had. It was all you could eat for 2 hours and it was very delicious! Definitely still a huge fan of hot pot!

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Geisha's are a popular sight in Kyoto and in the Gion district you can see them walking home every evening.

These girls were even nice enough to take a picture with us.

All in all, it was a fun and fast couple of days. In Kyoto was were I stayed in a Ryokan, the traditional Japanese housing. There are tatami mats on the floor with some cushions and blankets and that's about it. It was actually super soft and comfy. Ryokan stay, check :) Next it's off to Tokyo!