Seoul Sights and Tokyo Lights

Last weekend Andrew, one of my closest friends, came to visit and spend a week with Alan and me.  We met him in Seoul on Friday night and spent the weekend there.

We started bright and early Saturday morning with a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)-the border between North and South Korea.  Despite the name, it's the most heavily guarded border in the world and being there is a slightly surreal experience that gets your nerves going. We started at the Joint Security Area (JSA) where you get to see ROK (South) and KPA (North) soldiers stand face to face.

Blue buildings of the DMZ belong to the South.  Tan buildings belong to the North.
The three ROK soldiers in the picture are purposely stationed this way.  Two of the soldiers stand partially behind the building to both make a smaller target and to allow them to covertly gesture to their comrades if needed.  The third soldier in the middle is the commanding officer of the other two.  

KPA Soldier

You're not allowed in any way to communicate, gesture to, or point at the North Korean soldiers and you have to sign a waiver that states the tour company holds no responsibility if you're killed or injured if hostilities break out.

Surrounded by North Korea on three sides

North Korean Observatory

After witnessing and feeling the nearly tangible tension at the front of the JSA, you're taken to one of the ROK buildings that is surrounded by North Korea on three sides.  From there, you can see a KPS observatory, the Bridge of No Return, and even Kijongdong (Propaganda City).

Propaganda City is an uninhabited city that was created by North Korea to look as though people were living there.  The buildings are hollow and the windows empty.  A skeleton crew of workers does routine maintenance to keep the appearance of habitation.  Before signing the agreement to stop, they would broadcast propaganda loudly enough to be heard from the South.  They emphasized the goodness of North Korea and its leader and encouraged South Koreans to defect to the North.  

 The next stop in the JSA was the Bridge of No Return.  At the end of the Korean War, POW's were lined up at this bridge and told they could cross into the country of their choosing.  But once they crossed, they could never return.  Hence the name.

"Immigration stamps" to enter North Korea

"On" the train to North Korea

After touring the JSA, you're taken to Dorasan Station.  There is a railway that connects North and South Korea and used to be active.  Dorasan was the last stop in South Korea before crossing into the North.  You can no longer cross into the North via Dorasan, but you can visit the station.  For a small fee, you can get "tickets" to Pyeongyang (the capital of North Korea).

Near Dorasan Station is the Dora Observatory.  You're supposed to be able to see pretty far in North Korea.  Unfortunately for us, it was foggy.  Really foggy.

 The Third Infiltration Tunnel, however, was pretty cool to see.  Since 1974, four tunnels have been found that are believed to have been dug by the North for a military invasion.  We got to go down into the third tunnel that was found in 1978 following a tip from a Northern defector.  It was really deep under the ground and the air was really musty.  You could go all the way up to the first barricade set up by the South to prevent its use.

That wrapped up our DMZ tour.  We booked through the Koridoor tour company and I'd say it was well worth the money we paid.  I wish the Observatory hadn't been a bust, but the rest of the tour went really well.






Our next Seoul adventure was at the Coex Aquarium.  It's located inside the enormous Coex mall and was really neat.  They had all sorts of exhibits with aquatic animals (and even non-aquatic animals) from all over the world.

The next day consisted of a trip to Gyeongbokgung

Palace and Seoul Tower.  The palace is always cool to see, but none of the original buildings after being razed to the ground twice by the Japanese.  Since then, a little over a third of the buildings have been reconstructed.  

Seoul Tower

At the end of the day, we caught the sunset at Seoul Tower.  

Futons to sleep on

This week was the Lunar New Year in Korea.  Which meant that I had a four day weekend.  So Andrew, Alan, and I hopped on a plane to explore Tokyo for a few days.  The trip was awesome.

We stayed at a ryokan (Homeikan Ryokan), a type of traditional Japanese inn that features futons on the floor for beds and bathhouses to bathe in.  I thought it was a very nice place to stay with a really nice private bath and the blankets they had were gloriously comfortable.

Ladies in kimonos

Our first Tokyo adventure was at the Sensoji Temple.  There were people dressed up in traditional Japanese garb (kimonos for the ladies) and you were able to experience a bit of the Buddhist religion.  There was a hand-washing station where you drank a small amount of the water and poured a bit on your hands and a giant incense bowl where you could light your own incense stick.

Buddhist service

When we got there, there was a Buddhist service going.


They also had fortunes available.  For a small fee (100 yen), you shook a box full of sticks until one came out.  The number on the stick corresponded to a drawer containing your fortune in it.
My fortune turned out well as did Andrew's.  It said whatever I lost, I was going to find, sick people in my life would get well, my job was going well, and that I'd be happy in my marriage.  Alan's however, said the complete opposite.  Guess he's got a rough year ahead of him.  And we might have a problem if I think our marriage is going splendidly but he thinks it's awful.  XD

Menu at a snack place

Exploring the city, it's interesting to see how anime and cute things in general are such a big part of the culture.

"Don't rush onto the trains"

Gates to the temple grounds

The next day, we spent some time at another temple.  The Meji Temple.  While the scenery at Sensoji Temple was beautiful, the grounds here were a bit more down to earth and nature-esque.

That evening, we caught the sunset at the Government Building Observation Deck.  The sun was setting behind Mt. Fuji and it was a beautiful sight to behold.  It made the volcano look as though it were on fire.

Shibuya Crossing as seen from Starbucks

That night, we stopped at the Shibuya Starbucks for a bit to watch the Shibuya Crossing.  It is said to be one of the busiest crossings in the world and it's a pretty good place for people watching.  

Saturday, we headed out to see the Imperial Palace Grounds.  You can't actually see the palace since the royal family still lives there, but the parks and gardens are beautiful for a nice walk and good conversation.

There were even flowers in bloom.  In January.

We went to AquaCity for a late lunch where we got to see the "Goddess of Liberty".  A replica of its American counterpart.  And you could see Tokyo Tower in the distance.  A replica of its French counterpart.

We tried Japanese ramen for lunch.  And after having American, Korean, and Japanese ramen, I'm going to go ahead and say that Korean is definitely my favorite.  American ramen is skimpy and Japanese ramen is really really oily.  At least mine was.  But Korean ramen is really good.  Yep, definitely my favorite.  

There's a giant, life-size gundam in Tokyo.  It's awesome.  I can't imagine these guys straight out of an anime duking it out in the middle of a city.  He was two stories tall.  

Not only does Tokyo have life sized gundams, they have pokemon centers too.  

On our last morning before our flights home, we strolled through the Ueno Zoo.  It's a small zoo, but it was really nice since most of the animals were visible even when sleeping.  And while we were there, most of them were up and moving.  

Overall, this trip has been a great experience.  I've really appreciated the good company and conversations with a close friend and my husband and the chance to see and explore new places with the two of them.