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Do Min-Joon is waiting for you in Petite France
We were in the Gapyeong Tour Bus after having come from Nami Island. The tour guide was telling us all about our next stop. “Do you know who Do Min-Joon is? Because Do Min-Joon is waiting for you!” Oh...
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What does the Garden of Morning Calm look like in the afternoon?
Here’s how we described the Garden of Morning Calm upon seeing it: “This is a place our mothers would love.” We loved it too, of course, but in seeing all the flora, we also felt somewhat nostalgic...
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From Gwanghamun Square to Gyeongbokgung
Sure — the pen is mightier than the sword. But to keep the Joseon dynasty strong and glorious, both pen and sword had to be wielded by its greatest people. Gwanghwamun Square features two large...
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Changdeokgung and Changgyeonggung (Hint: Visit the Secret Garden!)
Changdeokgung, built in the 1400s, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like Gyeongbokgung, Changdeokgung was also burnt down during the 1592 Japanese invasion — not by the Japanese, but by citizens angry...
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Why Insa-dong should be your base in Seoul
This is probably Old Me talking — I could pull all-nighters in college, but now, in my early 30s, I’m finding it more difficult to stay up beyond 10 PM — but I have mentioned before that you should...
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We (unintentionally) gatecrashed a wedding in Unhyeongung
On our fourth day in Seoul, we slept for as long as we could and took our time with breakfast. Our goal was to visit nearby areas — the Jongmyo Shrine, Unhyeongung, the War Memorial, and whichever...
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A Morning in Uji City
Just a little ways off Kyoto is a small city called Uji, whose claim to fame is its green tea. I couldn’t have tea, so I had soft serve matcha ice cream instead! More than the green tea, though, Uji...
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Visiting Mt. Yoshino and its endless cherry trees
In Yoshino By the mountains, the flowering Cherry blossoms: Simply for snow I did mistake them! Ki no Tomonori, from the Kokin Wakashū (c. 905) Of course I use “endless” in hyperbole, but looking at...
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An open letter to my one-year-old, on the occasion of his first trip abroad
My dearest M, I’d been looking forward to our trip to Singapore for about a year. I’d pictured nineteen-month-old you seeing up close all those animals you’d only seen in your picture books — the...
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