All the way from Akune: April 2010

Hello all and spring greetings from Akune. I was surprised today when I went out on a bike ride to find that I was perspiring; I haven’t produced a bead of sweat since September 2009. Although the sakura (cherry blossoms) around Akune have already bloomed and fallen, they now blanket the streets and sidewalks, doorways and storefronts reminding us that spring is upon us as well as all the new beginnings that come with it.

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of hosting my cousin Elie in my humble apartment. Elie has been in Japan for nearly six months volunteering at various agricultural cooperatives across the country gaining valuable experience at home-stays and on the road. Before coming to Akune Eli had been working hard harvesting sugar cane in Tokunoshima, one of the most southern islands of Kagoshima prefecture. When I spotted Elie getting off the ferry that had just taken him 15 hours up to Kagoshima’s new port, he waved at me with bleary eyes, a scruffy face and a big smile.

The night before going to pick Elie up the Captain had called me to his house to sit around the fire and talk about life, which we did, for a prolonged time and articulately. I mentioned that Elie was coming into to Kagoshima tomorrow and the Captain insisted on driving to receive him. Who could say no? Once we picked Elie up from his ferry he and I sat in the back of the Captain’s car, both relieved to see family and talk in our native tongue. The rest of our day was unexpectedly eventful and included among other things a visit to Iso-teien, which is a residence of the Shimazu daimyo. The most well known Shimazu is inarguably Shimazu Nariakira, who, among other heavy hitters from the Satsuma region, spearheaded the Meiji Restoration and consequently the modernization of Japan. In other words, the Shimazu residence was outstanding. My favourite aspects of the residence were the attention to small details such as nail head covers and the sleeping quarters, which apparently had special thermal tatami (jealous).

Shortly after Elie’s visit to Akune the 2009 school year came to an end and spring break 2010 finally arrived. I decided to pass on Cancun for a number of reasons-the distance, the money and my phobia of wet white T-shirts-and booked a flight to South Korea to see a good friend from my days at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto. I was surprised at how inexpensive the tickets to Seoul were from Fukuoka and later realized that an international flight to Seoul was cheaper than going to Tokyo.

There are few feelings that measure up to exiting customs and having a friend or family member waiting for you at the airport. I was so happy to see my old friend Kay standing there waving me down. It had been almost three years since we had last seen each other so we spent the next week reminiscing about Ritsumeikan and catching up on our current endeavours, and of course enjoying the best sights and sounds of Seoul.

Kay lives in a town called Suji. Suji is approximately thirty minutes south of Seoul by bus, a ridiculously cheap and efficient bus. Kay’s neighbourhood, like most neighbourhoods I would find, was packed with restaurants, grocery stores, churches and apartment buildings. Having studied some about the curiously abundant presence of Christianity in Korea I wasn’t surprised to see so many places of worship. However, I was taken aback by the endless, towering apartment buildings. That was probably what accounted for the eternal stream of pedestrian and automobile traffic (Korea drives on the right side of the road, FYI).

Over the next week, Kay, my superhero-esque tour guide, and I went to a number of places around Seoul. But before putting on our walking shoes and hitting the streets we were treated to a daily-breakfast fit for Korean kings. Kay’s Mother is a phenomenal cook and was kind enough to cater to our schedule, let alone our meals. I was in awe at the vibrant colours and smell of the food and was invigorated by the bold tastes that differ so much from Japanese cuisine. I thought I was in foody heaven until one day after breakfast Kay’s Mother, who speaks very little English, said to me, “Kimchi. Let’s make.” Yes, it’s true; I had the pleasure of receiving the eclectic knowledge of homemade kimchi. Like all homemade treasures (latkes, matzoh ball soup etc.), each house has its own special recipe for kimchi, and each is respectively the best recipe, no questions. I would disclose the recipe, but I am afraid it would be a huge disservice to my dear host family, the Kims. I will say this, though, like all good things, kimchi takes time, a little hard work and love (anchovy sauce and tons of chili flakes).

Out of the numerous places I saw throughout my stay in S. Korea I thoroughly enjoyed the Korean Folk Village and Namdaemun Market. The Folk village was a gigantic complex with more than 260 structures built in the architectural style of the Chosun Dynasty (1392-1910). Part of the village showcased a number of traditional games and activities that made the whole experience much more hands on than I was expecting. We were also lucky enough to see a couple of live performances. I later learned that the traditional dance we saw featured a dance that was performed at harvest festivals, conveying the message of hope for another bountiful year of agricultural wealth. We also saw a tight rope performance done by a very charismatic elder gentleman, though I understood not one word he said.

Namdeamun Market sits right in the heart of Seoul’s largest and most frantic neighbourhood, Myeong Dung (a place that is similar to Tokyo’s Harajuku, swarming with fashionable young people and exchanged students). Half of the market was a maze of identical stores selling poorly made fake merchandise. I was tempted to by the Coach wallet with the Louis Vuitton design on it, but I reminded myself, it’s good to want things and proceeded to the food market. My nose was instantly attacked by the smell of an authentic outdoor market. This was what I had been looking forward to. I always thought that an open-air market was the doorway to a countries soul. I was like a kid in a candy store, but instead of candy I was drooling over the dried fish, chili flakes, vegetables I had never seen before and vast assortments of kimchi.

When touring the crowded streets of Myeong Dong, the restored palaces surrounded by skyscrapers in downtown Seoul or driving through the countryside, I noticed a presence of historical international influence that still remained. I am not speaking of influence from the United States, France or China, but from Japan. It has been nearly seventy-five years since the end of Japan’s occupation of Korea and I was constantly reminded of the profound affect Japan had on Korean society. When touring the palaces in downtown Seoul, the information pamphlets never failed to mention how the Japanese forces destroyed most of the buildings only to erect their own British colonial style residences in their place. Walking through the restored grounds of Gyeongbokgung Palace and its brightly coloured structures was almost as surreal as exiting its gates back onto the surging streets of Seoul.

It was my first time in S. Korea and I was a bit overwhelmed at the sheer size of Seoul. Having just come from Akune, which has a population almost one thousand times smaller than that of Seoul, I found myself overwhelmed by the stimulus of the big city environment. At times I got tunnel vision and had no choice but to stare straight ahead at the back of my friends head or take a picture of the delicious meal that was in front of me. Luckily, however, over the week that I spent in S. Korea I was able to grasp a general feel for Seoul and its surrounding areas. This experience reminds me of a Japanese proverb that is very pertinent to travelers:

鹿を逐う者は山を見ず (shikawo oumonowa yamawomizu)

The one who pursues the deer loses sight of the mountain.

Until next time.

Elie and I at IsoTeien