(Day 1) Nagoya Seoul (Kimpo) Kyongbokgung Palace, The National Folk Museum, Namdaemun Market, Myeong-dong [Hotel Lotte] (Day 2) In Sa Dong, Tomdaemun Market, Walker Hill, Myeong-dong [Hotel Lotte] (Day 3) Lotte World, Lotte World Folk Museum, Namsan, Myeong-dong [Hotel Lotte] (Day 4) Deoksugung Palace, Royal Museum, Shopping (around Myeong-dong) Seoul(Kimpo) Nagoya

Hi, how are you ?
At the middle of November, Takako and I visited Seoul.

Main street of Seoul

It had been 15 years since I visited this city last time. Seoul was changed very greatly. I was surprised to saw beautiful wide streets and high-rise buildings. In the Central Seoul, we have very few chance to find a tile-roofing traditional Korean private house now.
Seoul is the Capital of South Korea and is a city of incredible contrasts with a large population, 11milions. Its economic and cultural conditions has grown as a modern metropolis, since the Korean War (1950-53) broke out. Seoul now filled with high-rise buildings, 12-lane boulevards, elevated highways, and various urban problems to match, but old royal places, temples, stone gates, and pagodas are well preserved as marvelous cultural properties.
To be convenient for our sightseeing, we stayed at the hotel (Hotel Lotte) in the center of the city which is near Myeong-dong where the busiest street in Seoul. And we

Takako with a bonze styled barker at Myeong-dong

started our sightseeing from the center point of Seoul looking for old Korea that I saw once. As my wife visited Korea the first time, I wanted to show her not only new Korea but old customs and cultures of this country.

[Myeong-dong]
Myeong-dong is a first-rate shopping and entertainment area. It is noted for its eating, drinking, and entertainment establishments, frequented by crowds of all ages. In the Myeong-dong area are five major department stores staffed by clerks who generally speak English or Japanese with some degree of proficiency. In the department stores, all prices are set. Many of the city's top stores Subway Line the narrow alleys of Myeong-dong.Major fashion designers have boutiques here and foreign brand-name products and shoe stores can be found in abundance. In addition to its shops,

Hiro with a cowboy in the main street of Myeong-dong

Myeong-dong contains a variety of financial institutions such as banks and stock and investment companies.
I like Myeong-dong, and I love likable peoples in Myeong-dong. As you see in the pictures they delighted us very much. I visited here every day during our stay.
If you want to find a place to try many different kinds of foods, Myeong-dong is the best place where you can enjoy a variety of cuisine. It is easy to encounter the restaurant where you can try Korean traditional dishes, and also the street stands that sell various snacks.
Korean food is an exotic and spicy experience, based around such distinctive tastes as garlic, ginger, soy sauce, red pepper and green onion. Amongst the possibilities are such famous dishes as pulgoki, better known as eKorean barbecue', or kimchi, the piquant vegetable dish that finds its way into most menus.

Meat is served after clip-clip with scissors and tongs

Among Korean dishes, I like Galbi (Barbecued Beef Ribs) best. At the Galbi restaurant, they serve dishes after cutting meat small with scissors and tongs. I was very interested in the manner. I suppose they cut every long foods. When I eat noodles a waitress cut it with scissors and tongs too.

[Kyongbokgung Palace]
The first day of our trip, we visited Kyongbokgung Palace on our way to the hotel. When we stepped in the palace yard, luckily we met a newly-married couple who wore traditional Korean clothes and taking a commemoration picture. I took their picture for our memory. They said it is very popular to hold a wedding ceremony at the old palace.
Kyongbokgung Palace was built in 1395 by King T'aejo

A bride and groom at the old loyal palace

the founder of the Choson Dynasty as the primary residence for the royal family. Among the five palaces in Seoul, it is the largest and most beautiful in architectural style. Elegant pavilions such as Kyonghoeru and Hyangwonjong, other refined wooden and stone structures such as Kunjongjon Hall, and the ten storyied Stone Pagoda of Kyongch'onsa Temple displays a unique charm and beauty of Korean architecture. The National Folk Museum, opened in 1975, is located next to the palace and shows the religious rituals, housing, household tools and implements, food, and social dynamics of traditional Korean life.

[Namdaemun Market]
Namdaemun Market is one of my favorite place, and every time I visit Seoul, I am walking around the market looking for a uncommon item.
Namdaemun Market is named after

Boiled pig's head at the Namdaemun Market

Namdaemun(formally Sungnyemun Gate),Korea's National Treasure. The gate and the market are only a short distance from Myeong-dong and are conveniently accessible from the major hotels. The market is popular among local residents and tourists alike for its bargains in everything from clothes to flowers and foodstuffs. They believe that everything from a toothpick to mammoth teeth is available here. All 10,172 shops in the market offer almost everything ranging from clothes, accessories, vessels, ginseng, stationary, and imported goods. Of these, hot items are eye glasses and children's clothes. Its crowded streets are Subway Lined with tiny shops which sell virtually every product imaginable.
This time I found boiled pig's heads. I do not know how to eat them. If you know how, please let me know.

A traditional Korean tea house

[Insa Dong]
I like Korean tea and an atmosphere of the tea house, and I wanted my wife try it. Once there was many traditional Korean tea house all around in Seoul. But in these days we can not find them in modernized streets at all. Luckily I found in a Guide Book there are some in the Insa Dong area.
After our breakfast at the hotel we went to Insa Dong on foot. There was a lot of traditional tea shops in the street of the Insa Dong. We enjoyed Korean tea at the one of old Korean tea house.
In Korea, popular teas are insam-cha (ginseng tea), nok-cha (green tea), saenggang-cha (citron tea), taechu-cha (jujube tea), yulmu-cha (allay tea), omiija-cha (five-taste tea from the fruit of Schisandra chinensis),

Hiro and Takako at the tea house

kugija-cha (Chinese matrimony vine tea), and so forth.
Grain tea like bori-cha (roast barley tea), oksusu-cha (roast corn tea), and kyeolmyeongja-cha are served cold at home instead of clear water.
I like aroma and flavor of insam-cha best. It seems Takako liked saenggang-cha.

[Lotte World]
The third day of our trip, we spent all day long at Lotte World. We enjoyed this fantastic world like a little boy and girl.

Go " Lotte World "

'Lotte World Adventure'
Lotte World Adventure,recorded in the Guinness Book of Records as the biggest indoor theme park in the world,guide us through a wo

Lotte World

rld of dream and adventures.
There are character shops and scenery from world-famous street with delicacies from all over the world.
Here, I bought two Lotty (the character doll of Lotte World) for my granddaughters.
'Magic Island'
Magic Island, the world of dreams and romance in the middle of refreshing lake. Magic Island, the world of dreams and romance in the middle of refreshing lake. The rides that decorate the lake and the various entertainment programs guide us to a world of magic, fantasy and adventure.
'Lotte World Folk Museum'
Lotte World Folk Museum displays the Korean people's evolution in such a way that visiters can easily learn all about the history and culture of Koreans.
Various exhibition techniques

Lotte Folk Museum

such as the diorama technique, miniature village, image room section with its animated models are enployed in order to help the visitor understand and have interest in the exhibition.

When we left Lotte World, already it was dark. As I wanted to see a night view of Seoul, on our way to Myeong-dong, we dropped in Namsan.
Namsan is a granite mountain located south of Namdaemun in the heart of the city. From the Seoul Tower on the mountain's summit, we can take in a panoramic view of the city. It was very beautiful. Then we went to Myeong-dong for our last evening meal.
It was very enjoyable four days. When I visit Seoul next time, I would like to visit a suburbs of this city looking for new discovery.