So this is going to be a long-ish post about Korea.

First of all, I have to say that my experiences in Seoul are completely different from anything I’ve experienced in Japan. Here’s bullet list of some of the differences:

In Japan, people wait calmly in strait lines to enter the train. In Seoul, people crowd and push and shove around the doors to the train and all rush in together when the they finally open.
Seoul has a greater variety of western shops and restaurants. This is probably due to the vast numbers of foreigners there.
As I stated before, there are so many foreigners in Seoul. Its crazy. It kinda takes away some of the mystique of the city, but at the same time, makes it much easier to get around and find familiar things.
In Japan, the people are patient, quiet, disciplined, and nice. In Seoul, they’re… well… not. They’re rude, impatient, pushy, and loud.
In Japan, the air is pretty clear, even in big cities like Tokyo. In Seoul, there’s a yellow haze much like that of LA.

Okay, I’m tired of the whole bullet list thing already. Seoul is amazing and terrible all at the same time. Its dirty, loud, and most of the people suck. That’s not to say it’s all bad though. It’s obviously a tourist hub. Because of this, nearly everyone can speak Korean (obviously), English, Japanese, and Chinese, or any combination of those languages. This made it much easier to get around than it was when I first came to Japan.
The food in Korea is amazing, especially for those who like spicy foods. While Japan is the home of wonderful things like sushi and yakitori (meat on a stick), most foods here tend to be rather bland with wasabi being the main exception. It was refreshing to add some spice to my diet.

There are some wonderful sights in Seoul, and there’s always something to do. The shopping is really good, and everything is very cheap. For example, I got a high quality cashmere wool pea coat in Seoul for about $100. A similar coat (lower quality) costs about four times that here. Not everything is decent quality though. There are countless knock offs all over the city, so you really have to look around to find the good stuff. I just lucked into finding this particular shop when I was walking to dinner.

All in all, I had a good time in Seoul. I don’t see it as a place that I could ever live, but it is a lot of fun to visit. Pics in the Gallery =)