Korea Travelogue (Part IV)

After finally joining the workforce life officially at the start of this year, I have been travelling non-stop after my probation period (possibly as a form of escape) and due to them all being short trips (~4 days) there was not enough depth or content to do a blogpost on each and every one of them. After 2 trips to Korea this year (May and June) for my 3rd Korea trip this year, my friend and I decided to do things a little differently.

We decided to do a 1 day stopover in Osaka instead of spending a full 4 days in Seoul.

OSAKA

住吉大社 Sumiyoshi Taisha 

I chose this Shrine because the photos reminded me so much of Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha, which I will never get over because of how magical it was. What I love about Osaka is that it is a bustling city (albeit not like Tokyo) but it is still a city, and yet it still has places like this, where you feel as if you have transcended into a totally different realm. The moment I stepped foot into the Shrine, I felt overwhelmed with a sense of calmness. Just standing on the bridge overlooking the lake and structures, I felt this huge sense of serenity. Makes me wonder how nice it would be if I could drop by places like this once in a while when the real world gets too stifling and overwhelming. 

難波八阪神社 Namba Yasaka Shrine

Before exploring the main area, we dropped by this small Shrine hidden away behind the busy streets. The significant lion head made it easy to spot and the convenient location would be really good for like a short unwind. 

道頓堀 Dotonbori / 心斎橋 Shinsaibashi

Thereafter we explored the Namba area, where it hones Osaka’s famous food street (Dontobori) and shopping street (Shinsaibashi). The streets at night with all the bright lights and never ending food stalls and shops will make you bubble with excitement. Japanese night life is truly a wonder, and the city never sleeps. There is a wide range of shops or things to do, from restaurants to 100 yen shops, to arcades and karaoke. 

SEOUL

익선동 Ikseon-dong

I found out about this new neighbourhood through Korean forums - it was being known as the new discovered Bukchon Hanok Village, which is famous for its traditional vibes infused with modern elements. This new neighbourhood is really very hard to find your way to, but once you find your way, it’s easy to spot as the alleys are laced with unique restaurants, cafes and shops filled with flowers, trinkets, vintage fashion and old-school candies.

We had lunch at this restaurant called 반주 Banjoo, which serves traditional Korean food with a light modern touch to it, spicing up the dishes just by giving it a little zest. We ordered the course menu for two and it came with two appetisers, a main rice dish, a stew as well as side dishes. The appetisers consisted of a salad with shell meat, which was super interesting and tasted healthy but flavourful, as well as beef japchae, that was so rich and tasted so homely. The rice dish was basically rice with Korean vegetables and some fish cod roe (something like a bibimbap), which went really well with the spicy chicken and potato stew. The whole meal was filled with numerous rich flavours and tasted so good and yet you feel so healthy as you eat because it was a very balanced meal filled with fresh, good ingredients. We weren’t up for it, but the restaurant is known for pairing their food with alcohol and nearly every table had makgeolli on their table, so do give it a try!

자판기 카페 Zapangi Cafe

This cafe was on my to-go list for a very long time (I mean a vending machine door concept? I had to go see how it looked like) and more than its aesthetic exterior and interior, their desserts are actually really good. We had their milk tea, which was not bad, decent milk tea, but their tin cakes were simple yet rich in flavour, and were soft and tasteful. A perfect place to have a cozy tea break with cute aesthetics, what’s more to say?

1st Tattoo Experience

I would say this was the main event of my trip this time as for a very very long time, I wanted to do a tattoo. I have a few I wanted to do, but I wanted my very first one to be dedicated to myself. I’ve been battling with depression ever since I was young and I think as I grew older, I stopped hoping it would go away and instead, taught myself to learn how to live with it. One of the worst, and most shameful part of myself would be the urge to inflict pain onto myself during my darkest moments, because it’s distracting and numbs you from everything else. And so I got this tattoo as a little reminder to myself that I am growing every single moment, and to never, never give up.