It has been a busy time. I’ll gradually try to get you caught up. Last week I went to South Korea with three friends (one American and two Japanese). We had a wonderful time traveling in Seoul, Gyeongju, and Busan. There is a ferry that travels between Shimonoseki and Busan daily.

Places we went in Seoul: Namdaemun Market (one of the oldest tradition markets in Korea), Yoido Full Gospel Church (the largest church in the world with over 750,000 members), Hangang River, Changdeokgung Palace (built in 1405), Insa-dong Street (known for traditional goods), Seoul Tower.

Seoul Tower was hands down the most memorable. It is in the middle of a park. Thinking that since it was in the middle it should be about the same walking distance from any side, Lena and I decided to use a different subway stop than the one recommended. We soon discovered why you don’t want to go the way we did. We climbed stairs for over 45 minutes to get to the base of the tower! (The recommended way you take a bus to the base.) We definitely got our aerobic workout that night. We got to the top of the tower and just sat for about 10 minutes to let the sweat dry and our heart rates return to semi-normal speeds. The view from the top was beautiful with the lights illuminating the city. On the windows it has distances to cities around the world. We were 190 km from North Korea and about 10,000 km from Denver, Colorado.

Gyeongju: Poseokjeong pavilion (a circular stone water course, where kings would drink at banquets in the 5th century), Royal tombs (buried with goods, a layer of rock, layers of dirt that turns into rounded grassy mounds), Bulguksa temple (from 528), Folk craft village (watching people make pottery and brass-wares), gardens and parks with 23 tombs, an astronomical observatory from 634, Imhaejeon palace and Anapji pond, and the Gyeongju National Museum.

I loved walking through the parks, enjoying the flowers, looking at the mounds, etc. After being in Seoul it was nice to see a little more country and space.

Busan: Beaches, markets, and Mt. Geumjeongsan Fortress.

My favorite part was taking a cable car up to the fortress area. We had to do some hiking to get to the walls and guard towers to see them. This area has been fortified since the 5th century but the present walls were built in 1703. During Japanese invasions much of it was destroyed, but there are still certain areas where you can see parts of the original walls.

In the context of world cultures, Korea is pretty similar to Japan. Of course, this is probably due to the many times Japan invaded Korea. They took many of the arts and brought them to Japan.

Art and buildings: They are very similar. Old buildings in Korea have similar structures but are painted with reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues.

Food: The food has flavor! Japanese food is bland and Korean food has some spice. It's not as spicy as Indian food, but similar to Mexican spiciness (not flavor). They eat with metal chopsticks.

Driving: In Korea they drive on the right side of the road. In Japan they drive on the left.

Military: Japan only has an army for defense purposes. In Korea they have a regular army and all males have to serve for two years. I saw lots of guys in uniform. And policemen were actually carrying handguns as well. (It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.)

Cost: Everything is affordable! It was wonderful:)

People: The main difference that I could see was people. They are bigger, taller, wear colors and bright things, many people have glasses, etc. I felt pretty normal. In Japan, I usually feel big. I think it would be easier to "blend in" and be a foreigner in Korea vs. Japan. Style, size and haircuts are similar and you can get lots of foreign foods easily. They are also a lot more affectionate. It was very common to see friends holding hands, especially girls and mother/daughter pairs. It was refreshing to see.

It was fun to see another place and culture. It is also nice to be back in Japan where I can say more than thank you:)