Seoul is an increasingly popular and increasingly cheap getaway for residents of Japan.
All the major airports and many of the provincial airports have flights to Incheon Airport, just outside Seoul, including
Hiroshima.
Just over an hour's flying time away, Seoul offers great food, cheap prices and a vibrant atmosphere.
You can also reach Busan by hydrofoil or ferry from Hakata.
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旧ソウル駅
The former Seoul Station building is one of the few remaining colonial buildings left in the Korean capital.
The brick structure is actually closed now, having been replaced in 2004 with the completion of the new
Seoul Station. The adjacent glass structure houses the tracks for the new KTX bullet train and has the feel of an airport.
The former Seoul Station was designed by Tokyo Imperial University professor Tsukamoto Yasushi. Tsukamoto was a student of Tatsuno Kingo, the designer of
Tokyo Station.
And, in contrast to the new efficient station building, it is comfortable and good looking.
The elegant building was completed in 1925 while Korea was under Japanese occupation. Based on it design and feel, it bears a close resemblance to Tokyo Station.
It is a three-story structure, which had a restaurant on the second floor and a waiting room on the third.
The building is scheduled to be renovated beginning in April, 2009. In June of the following year, the "Seoul Station Cultural Center" is scheduled to open its doors.
The former Seoul Station was designated in August of 1981 as a cultural property--and as such will not meet the fate of many other Japanese colonial era buildings: the wrecking ball.
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ヨン様
Bae Yong Joon, or more commonly known as Yon-sama to his fans in Japan, is the Korean mega-star who makes middle-aged Japanese women dizzy with desire.
He featured in several films and television drams in Korea prior to making it big in Japan. His big break came with "Winter Sonata," in 2002, a maudlin drama which had as much as 20% of Japan tuned in.
This set off Yon-Sama mania--and the ensuing Korea Wave. Every month seemed to bring a new male or female mega-star, each better looking than the previous one. All Japanese DVD stores now have whole aisles devoted to Korean dramas.
In 2004, when Bae visited Japan at the height of the hysteria some 5,000 screaming fans were waiting for him at Narita Airport. In order to keep the hormonally enraged women in line, 350 police officers and 70 anti-riot cops were posted to the airport.
In Seoul recently, our hopes of bumping into Yon-sama were realized.
On the final day, in the subway station, there he was.
As handsome as ever, a billboard pitch man for Global Pioneer.
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한국고속철도
The Korea Train eXpress (KTX) is South Korea's high-speed rail system, operated by Korail and connecting the capital Seoul to
Busan via Daejeon and Daegu and Yongsan Station in Seoul to Gwangju and Mokpo.
The KTX train is based on the French TGV model and has a top speed of 350 km/h, though 300 km/h is the normal operating speed for safety reasons.
The KTX service between Seoul and Busan began in 2004 and the journey time is now 2 hours and 40 minutes and will be reduced further when the high-speed track is completed between Daegu and Busan in 2010.
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ソウルのコスプレィー
On a weekend trip to
Seoul, many things were surprising.
First was the sheer pace of change. The city has changed enormously in the few years since we were last there.
The old still can speak Japanese--useful to someone who can only speak English and Japanese and is very lost--and the city still has the night markets and great street stalls with wonderful food.
Among other changes were the number of modern buildings, the
Chonggyechon River, and young people.
Outside of Yongsan Station, which has both subway connections and is a stop on the new high speed KTX rail, many young women and men were dressed in Japanese cosplay fashion.
They happily posed for photos, completely in character.
The costumes ranged from "traditional" (see above right) to a more "modern" look (see below).
The costumed were gathered on the steps in front of the I-Park Department Store, which is part of the station complex. Though they did not appear to speak Japanese--we communicated in simple English--their love of things Japanese was evident.
How times change.
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