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 | Seoul Local Customs | Tips 1 - 10 of 173 |  |
 | |  |  | Ceremonies & Holidays: Seoul's Yunjungno Cherry Blossom Festival. | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
The spring bloom begins with the yellow dogwood blossoms of ``sansuyu,'' and the white-pinkish flowers of the plum tree, or ``maehwa.''It continues with dazzling cherry blossoms appearing on roadsides and parks, while large, red camellia blossoms poking out amid glossy green leaves in the backyards sustain the spring tide. Now, as early bloomers are already showing off their seductive blossoms and others are about to burst out, people are beating the trails of the stone walled villages at foot of Mt. Chiri or driving along tourist-packed country roads to absorb the sights and smells of spring. This happens in Seoul too. Thousands and thousands of Seoulites all come out of their houses and stroll along Yunjungno which is along side the Han River in Yeouido. The Yunjungno is seven kilometers long and is lined with 1,400 cherry trees ranging in age from 3 to 35 years old. Every year in time for the cherry blossoms, the city holds its Cherry Blossom Festival, and the 23-hectare Yeouido Park provides a haven for nature enthusiasts in the midst of the concrete jungle. It really is a must see, and a great reprieve from the cold grey Seoul Winter. Transportation: Yeouinaru Station or Yeouido Station, Seoul Subway Line 5Seat Bus - 631, 720, 1002, 1008, 703, 718, etc.Regular Bus - 3, 9, 30, 30-1, 48, 70, 77, 119, 123-1, etc Leave a Comment
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Cass Beer is one of the local beers found on tap in South Korea. Along with Hite and OB, these are all very cheap, and believe it or not, but very tasty. Getting a tall glass of cold Cass will only run you about W3000. Very cheap considering club prices in the rest of the world. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Customs & Oddities: The Asian Style Toilet | Tip Rating: | | | | |
If you have read my other pages, you have probably seen this already, if not, pay attention. It just may save your life! For the uninitiated, the Asian style toilet is supposed to be more sanitary than the western ones. However they are a little confusing to the savages from the west. So, here is a little primer on the privies of the far east. Most importantly, bring toilet paper and towels with you as they are not always provided in public facilities! The other thing to remember is that some places charge for use of their facilities, so bring change otherwise you may be on the outside looking in. This is especially true in Japan, not so much in Korea, although some places do. First thing to know, the front of the toilet is the raised curved part below the tank in the picture here. You stand with legs on either side of the basin and drop your pants around your knees. Next, you squat over the basin, and go about business, making sure to keep your balance while you do. The next part is the trickiest, to flush the paper or not. There is some debate over this. Many Asian style toilets will have a small trash can next to them with a plastic bag in them, I have been told this is where you place the soiled paper. But I have also seen ones that don't have this little can. If that is the case, I have assumed that it is ok to flush the toilet paper there. I am waiting for someone with more experience to correct me on this, so far none have. If you are in some places in Asia, there may be a pair of slippers outside the door. This is so you don't dirty your own shoes, or in case you are in your socks. If you are at the home of a person who has an Asian style toilet, don't be afraid to ask them how to use one, it is not uncommon, and you won't lose face for doing so. For further instruction, see the web page linked below for general instructions. Lastly, public toilets are very hard to find in Korea. The key word to know is Hwajongshil. Most of the locals can point you in the right direction from there. Leave a Comment Website: http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~AD8Y-HYS/movie.htm
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| | | | Customs & Oddities: Hangul: The Korean Script. | Tip Rating: | | | | |
One of the coolest things about this country is its script, Hangul. Could you imagine if Korea still used only Hanja (chinese script), oh life would be difficult. Anyway some guff: Hangul script is attributed to King Sejeong (the fourth King of the Lee/Choson Dynasty). And by decree it became the 'Script of Korea' in 1440. But because of the Yang Bang (Noble) class the script was only adopted by the lower or common classes. The noble classes continued to take those long winded chinese confucianist exams, and learn chinese calligraphy, and poetry etc ad nauseum. Perhaps You could say I am too egalitarian for my own good, but this was done to reinforce the chasm between noble and common, Just like the use of French and Latin in Medieval England. What is amazing about the Hangul script (called Choson Muntcha in North Korea) is that it is soooooo easy to learn and use. It contains only 24 letters (14 consonants and 10 vowels) so learning it is easy. It is used like the Latin alphabet, with letters in combination. And what is more, it is phonetic. So how the word is written EXACTLY how the word is pronounced (an Improvement on the latin alphabet). It is is possible to learn this alphabet in a week, and once you can read hangul, have the battle is won.... You can navigate, find the toilet, read the menu, and begin to learn the Korean language (Hankuk Mal) word by word on your own.. NOW HOW COOL IS THAT. Oh By the way, The Korean people still use Chinese characters too.. :o( (Its called Hanja). Because some words descend directly from the yangbang (noble) class, some of these words can be interchanged some can't. For instance the common word for 'Person' is 'Saram' (a Korean word) but if you write in using the Chinese (Hanja) character the same word is said 'In'.. which is distinctly korean pronunciation, but it is used similarly in Japan and China. ie. 'In' Korean and 'Rin' Mandarin. Hmmmmm! Leave a Comment
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| | | | Eating & Drinking: Bowing and Kim-Chi in Korea | Tip Rating: | | | | |
It's more polite to bow than to shake hands in Korea it seems. Well, given the recent SARS scare, it's more germ-friendly to nod than to pass your snot to an unsuspecting chap, right? Courtesy aside, there's no need to worry about this, there was never a single SARS case in Korea as this is a GARLIC-LOVING country. I don't think it's possible for these people to get SARS or for Dracula to go near them as they get loads of anti-oxidents everyday by eating kim-chi. Now if you have not tasted this delightful pickle before, try it in Korea. Go for the cabbage as a starter. The rich, alchoholic and spicy taste of garlic and chilli will overwhelm your senses. How do they pack in the punch? Well, traditionally, this pickle is fermented in earthern pots and buried in winter grounds. Of course, there are now more advanced methods of making this pickle otherwise you'll have Korean treasure maps all over the place. Other than plain ol' cabbage, you can find kim-chied cockles, fish roe, cucumber and other exotic creatures you won't dream of eating. Try it, it just doesn't taste the same elsewhere. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Ceremonies & Holidays: Lotus Lanterns hung for Budha's Birthday. | Tip Rating: | | | | |
In Korea, lotus lanterns are a major focus of one of the most important yearly events called Buddha's Birthday. Celebrated on the 8th day of the 4th lunar month every year. The picture, taken at Choggye Sa Temple shows an array of hung lanterns. Many of these Lanterns features a prayer, and/or has someone's name fastened with string. These name tags, blow in the breeze and form a wave with each gust. There are so many lanterns, the tags form a waving sea. It really is great to see. Anyone who wants to can "buy" a lantern and write anything he or she likes on it. A donation is given to the temple. Buddhists believe that the more people give, the more generous people are, the happier people are. Choggyesa is the largest Buddhist temple in Seoul. Home of the Choggye Buddhists, the 4th largest Korean Buddist sect. So there you go. Cheap vegetarian food here to. Especially the Kamja Jeon (Potato Pancake).. YUMYUM! :o) Some guff: Unique to Korea, lotus lanterns consist of the symbols of the lotus flower and a candle. The lotus, a common symbol in Buddhism, represents the process of shedding ignorance (darkness, growing towards the light from the mud) to attain wisdom (light, the opening of the flower in the sunlight). Making lanterns in the shape of lotuses renacts the aspiration of everyone for wisdom. The candle inside symbolizes the attainment of wisdom. These kinds of laterns first showed up during the Korean Shilla Dynasty, around the year 551ad. So quite a while ago. Leave a Comment
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