A Fistful of Shrimp: More Korean Chow

While my Korean adventures are over for now, a recent trip to Chinatown in Yokohama provided me with some more snacks imported from South Korea. You see, there's a store in Chinatown selling lots of K-Pop goods, plus a handful of Korean munchies.

 First are these shrimp-flavored corn snacks. Like the Ghana chocolate and shrimp snacks I showed yesterday, the shrimp (prawn) flavor is very mild. Without chocolate, it's more obvious, but these were tasty and I finished the bag pretty fast. Yes, I got them on sale for only 50 yen.

 Also on sale for 50 yen was this bag of tteokbokki. It has Japanese characters in addition to Korean, so it's probably a bit milder than the original Korean versions to suit the Japanese palate.

 They had a bit of spice of course, but they're coated in a sweet glaze to make them very easy to eat. Again, they were very enjoyable and I finished the bag fast.

 Speaking of tteokbokki, there is an instant version available. I picked this up in in Korea, but waited a month or two before eating it for lunch. Preparation is simple - remove the fish cakes and sauce from their packages, put them back in the container and toss it in the microwave for two minutes.

There isn't quite enough sauce included for full flavor, but there is enough to coat all the fish cakes and add appropriate flavor. You can see the little fork they included to eat the tteokbokki with, too! It's not enough for a meal, but it works as a nice snack. Given the ease of finding this snack fresh on the street at a lower price, I wouldn't eat this regularly. But I bought it as a "souvenir" to bring back and enjoy later in Japan, and it served its purpose nicely.

My First KBO Game at Mokdong Baseball Stadium, Seoul, Korea

 My flight arrived at Incheon Airport in the early afternoon on my second visit, and I hurried my way to the train, making my way to Mokdong Stadium. The last leg of my trip involved a several-minute walk, where I passed this pavilion.

 Finally, a stadium! Let's watch baseball. The weather was miserable so crowds were light despite being a Sunday game.

 You can't walk all the way around the stadium, as the seating only extends to the bullpens behind left field and right field. It's a small, pleasant park.

 Here's the view from the outfield and the bullpen.

 Most people were hidden up under the covering behind home plate.

 Seating at home plate is pretty nice, and there's a bit of a skyline behind the outfield. Granted, it's just standard housing, but it's something.

 The Nexen Heroes play here, and with three teams in Seoul they are the least-popular. The game was fun, though, despite not seeing any cheerleaders here (or at any of the KBO games I attended). I could totally see myself having season tickets with the Heroes, as the feel here was like a minor league game - relaxed but still with a good level of play.

In the end the game was pretty close - after giving up two runs early, the Eagles pitchers settled down and they nearly came back in the bottom of the ninth.

View Larger Map 

Mokdong Baseball Stadium is pretty easy to get to; take Subway Line 5 to Omokgyo Station, and take exit 3 or 4. Walk straight north; the road will join with a larger road to the right (don't go into the tennis complex) and you'll reach the baseball stadium after a long block's walk.

Dongdaemun Gate and Dongdaemun's Markets, Seoul, Korea

 Dongdaemun is most known for its markets, with several buildings packed with store after store selling clothing, traditional goods, and souvenirs.

 A recently opened building adjacent to the station has a museum.

 The gate itself is nice, too - but neglected by tourists who are more focused on getting bargains! I couldn't get a good photo of it, but there is a bit of the original city wall near the gate.

 The clothing markets are certainly the biggest draw to the area, and shops are scattered among a few large buildings.

 The best thing to do is just pick a building and go in.

 You'll see plenty of the latest fashions for men and women, boys and girls. I didn't find anything that matched my style, so I didn't compare prices, but it looks like some clothing can be found in several different stores.

 In addition to clothing, you can buy shoes, luggage, souvenirs, and household goods.

 There are a couple souvenir stores in each market and a store or two selling hanbok, the traditional Korean costume. I also saw some stores selling Korean bedding.

 From shoes to kitchenware and plates, you can probably get all your shopping done here. I don't really understand why someone would pay $100-200 or more for a plane ticket to Korea just to buy cheap clothing, and other than the traditional Korean goods I didn't see anything that I couldn't buy in Japan or the US. I'll take the adventure of the flea markets myself. But for those living in Korea or visiting and looking to do some shopping as well, this is the place to be.

The best thing to do is get to Dongdaemun Station exit 8 or Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station exit 14, and go into a mall. Some of the buildings are a bit sparse, but the upper floors seemed to hold the most interesting goods, like the wrapped-for-delivery Korean bedding above.

Lotte World Folk Museum: The Best Part of My visit to Lotte World

 Lotte World was a disappointment due to way too many rides being closed on the one visit I was able to make. However, one part of the park was quite nice: the Folk Museum. It's free with a Daily Passport to Lotte World. It's a bit out of the way from the rest of the park, so follow the signs and just keep going.

 After showing your ticket and passing the guards, you can start your chronological lesson.

 The museum starts before the dawn of man, with a bit on dinosaurs, before getting to hunter-gatherers.

 The museum has lots of dioramas to help get a feel for how life was.

 This is a model of the Number Three Tomb in Anak. The museum is broken up into rooms based on general time periods and dynasties. The main areas are: Prehistoric, Three Kingdoms, Goryeo, Model Village, and Play Yard, which is a stage area with occasional performances and reenactments.

 There are plenty of artifacts and models.

 English signage throughout helps understand the scenes, which show daily life and culture in a much more visual way than the national folk museum at Gyeongbokgung. Both museums combined together (actual artifacts plus visual displays) really complete the picture.

 The clothing is pretty impressive. I wonder how hard it is to walk in a hat like the one the guy is wearing.

 One very large room has a series of scenes that combine to make a full city, including a royal palace.

The museum moves into the 20th century with a street scene.

 You can peer in the windows of the shops before finishing with an exhibit on Korean foods.

For 10,000 won ($10) you can have your photo taken in traditional costumes; there's also a restaurant and gift shop here.

If Lotte World's thrill rides had been open, this would have been a pleasant addition to my day. But without those, it helped make a bad situation a little better.

The Folk Museum is open 9:30-20:00; last admission is at 19:00. With a Daily Passport to Lotte World, admission is free, otherwise adult tickets are 5000 won ($5). The museum is accessed from Lotte World itself or in the mall on an upper floor from Jamsil Station Exit 4 (Lines 2 and 8).