Day 7: Observations of Seoul, Part 2
Today was Sunday and I started to feel a little 몸살 (sick/fatigue) coming on so I thought that it would be better to rest up today than to push myself and get really sick later on. That was always my big fear, to get sick and not being able to go out when there was so much to see and do. I had been sight seeing for 6 days straight so far and my condition was still pretty good, I think better than it was in Tokyo by this time. I had some blisters on my toes, my legs were aching a little but that’s about it. My aunt gave me a Vita 500 (which is like a small vitamin C drink) and a 판피린 (which is like a drink for colds that comes in a small vial). As I didn’t end up going anywhere today, I thought I’d use this post to further write about my random observations of Seoul.
Before I arrived in Seoul, I expected it to be very much like Tokyo. I don’t know if it was because I stayed in Ginza but when I was on the streets and rode the subways around Tokyo, there was a very uniform appearance to everyone. Everyone looked very formal, pristine, sharp, and done-up with women using a lot of makeup. When I got to Seoul however, it felt very much like home, so much so that it felt like I was still in Toronto. I noticed people in Seoul kind of wore whatever they wanted and the dress code varied from informal tracksuits to tailored dress suits. There was a lot more variety and the general dress code just felt more relaxed overall. That’s not to say that people in Seoul didn’t care how they dressed. In fact, it felt contrary to that. When people were wearing casual clothes, it wasn’t just like they threw on anything that was lying around. It was a coordinated casual look like some effort had gone in to it. The popular casual look in Seoul was a plaid sport shirt, tight jeans/pants, and Converse like shoes. Younger women wore very short shorts with leggings. I was at Club Monaco the other day and if you were to walk into a Club Monaco in Toronto right now on this day, the clothes you would find would be similar to what people in Seoul were wearing when I went. I think I will buy some of those clothes now.^^
I noticed in Seoul that whatever it was that people were doing, it was important to look the part. Virtually all the cyclists I saw in Seoul were totally decked out in spandex shorts, jerseys, gloves, etc. like they belonged in the peloton of the Tour de France. I’m talking recreational cyclists too. In Toronto, it’s usually only the “roadies” that dress like that. Most cyclists wore face masks also and I’m not sure if this was because of the pollution or quality of the air. Walkers and hikers were also decked out in the appropriate wear. A lot of people in Seoul don’t like getting hit by the sun so I saw walkers wearing gloves and full visor protection to cover their faces. I didn’t see a lot of pocket sized cameras like mine being used by people in Seoul either other than by tourists. It seemed like the locals all used expensive DSLRs with tripods and such.
One of the things I noticed thus far was that the white collar working demographic seemed to be weighted towards middle-aged or older men. This was strictly based on people in suits and ties I saw walking around the city and on subways. I remember thinking aloud, “where are all the young office workers at?” When I travelled to the Gangnam and Jamsil districts later in my trip, I did see more younger people in suits, people more well dressed in general and more subway station advertisements for plastic surgery.
I felt like the beauty of Seoul was highlighted in such a way that it naturally drew people to want to go and spend their time outdoors. That’s kind of contrary to the fact that Seoul is one of the biggest gaming capitals of the world and would suggest people spend all their time indoors at PC 방’s. Whether it be beautiful parks, walking and cycling trails, mountains, the Hangang River, streams like Cheonggyecheon or the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, it always felt like there was something more beautiful to see or exciting to do than staying at home. The most important part was that it all felt accessible and didn’t require a lot of effort or travelling to experience. The reason why I think I saw a lot of couples in Seoul is because it just seemed like there were so many places to hang out and things to do together naturally. I think it helps that Seoul is pretty much built on top of mountains. It was this unique mix of natural beauty and landscape and architectural wonder that brought the mountains to the people and the people to the mountains. They say that Paris is the City of Love. I’ve never been to Paris before so I can’t attest to that but in my mind I would totally want to be in love in Seoul.^^
Young Japanese tourists were so easy spot and so very cute. They dressed a bit more eccentric with dyed hair and big eskimo like boots. I saw a lot around the Department Stores like Lotte and Shinsegae and in and around the various shopping areas like in Myeong-dong.
I mentioned subways in my first observation posts but I will mention it again. I thought that public subway transportation was phenomenal and on par with Tokyo. There was signage everywhere in English inside the stations showing the different lines and exits and transfers and such. Inside the train, announcements signaling the next station and which side the doors were opening were made in multiple languages including English and Japanese. While waiting for the train, they had signs that showed where the next train was along the route and how long it was going to take to get there. Located at certain stations, they had this thing called Digital Signage Service which was a large touch screen that had interactive maps and listed various services and sights across Seoul. I noticed that virtually all the subway stations I had gone to were equipped with double doors (the subway train and the platform each had their own set of doors that would open simultaneously). I don’t know if this was due to a high suicide rate or what not. Here are some clips I took while walking around some subway stations.
That’s it for now…
Before I arrived in Seoul, I expected it to be very much like Tokyo. I don’t know if it was because I stayed in Ginza but when I was on the streets and rode the subways around Tokyo, there was a very uniform appearance to everyone. Everyone looked very formal, pristine, sharp, and done-up with women using a lot of makeup. When I got to Seoul however, it felt very much like home, so much so that it felt like I was still in Toronto. I noticed people in Seoul kind of wore whatever they wanted and the dress code varied from informal tracksuits to tailored dress suits. There was a lot more variety and the general dress code just felt more relaxed overall. That’s not to say that people in Seoul didn’t care how they dressed. In fact, it felt contrary to that. When people were wearing casual clothes, it wasn’t just like they threw on anything that was lying around. It was a coordinated casual look like some effort had gone in to it. The popular casual look in Seoul was a plaid sport shirt, tight jeans/pants, and Converse like shoes. Younger women wore very short shorts with leggings. I was at Club Monaco the other day and if you were to walk into a Club Monaco in Toronto right now on this day, the clothes you would find would be similar to what people in Seoul were wearing when I went. I think I will buy some of those clothes now.^^
I noticed in Seoul that whatever it was that people were doing, it was important to look the part. Virtually all the cyclists I saw in Seoul were totally decked out in spandex shorts, jerseys, gloves, etc. like they belonged in the peloton of the Tour de France. I’m talking recreational cyclists too. In Toronto, it’s usually only the “roadies” that dress like that. Most cyclists wore face masks also and I’m not sure if this was because of the pollution or quality of the air. Walkers and hikers were also decked out in the appropriate wear. A lot of people in Seoul don’t like getting hit by the sun so I saw walkers wearing gloves and full visor protection to cover their faces. I didn’t see a lot of pocket sized cameras like mine being used by people in Seoul either other than by tourists. It seemed like the locals all used expensive DSLRs with tripods and such.
One of the things I noticed thus far was that the white collar working demographic seemed to be weighted towards middle-aged or older men. This was strictly based on people in suits and ties I saw walking around the city and on subways. I remember thinking aloud, “where are all the young office workers at?” When I travelled to the Gangnam and Jamsil districts later in my trip, I did see more younger people in suits, people more well dressed in general and more subway station advertisements for plastic surgery.
I felt like the beauty of Seoul was highlighted in such a way that it naturally drew people to want to go and spend their time outdoors. That’s kind of contrary to the fact that Seoul is one of the biggest gaming capitals of the world and would suggest people spend all their time indoors at PC 방’s. Whether it be beautiful parks, walking and cycling trails, mountains, the Hangang River, streams like Cheonggyecheon or the Moonlight Rainbow Fountain, it always felt like there was something more beautiful to see or exciting to do than staying at home. The most important part was that it all felt accessible and didn’t require a lot of effort or travelling to experience. The reason why I think I saw a lot of couples in Seoul is because it just seemed like there were so many places to hang out and things to do together naturally. I think it helps that Seoul is pretty much built on top of mountains. It was this unique mix of natural beauty and landscape and architectural wonder that brought the mountains to the people and the people to the mountains. They say that Paris is the City of Love. I’ve never been to Paris before so I can’t attest to that but in my mind I would totally want to be in love in Seoul.^^
Young Japanese tourists were so easy spot and so very cute. They dressed a bit more eccentric with dyed hair and big eskimo like boots. I saw a lot around the Department Stores like Lotte and Shinsegae and in and around the various shopping areas like in Myeong-dong.
I mentioned subways in my first observation posts but I will mention it again. I thought that public subway transportation was phenomenal and on par with Tokyo. There was signage everywhere in English inside the stations showing the different lines and exits and transfers and such. Inside the train, announcements signaling the next station and which side the doors were opening were made in multiple languages including English and Japanese. While waiting for the train, they had signs that showed where the next train was along the route and how long it was going to take to get there. Located at certain stations, they had this thing called Digital Signage Service which was a large touch screen that had interactive maps and listed various services and sights across Seoul. I noticed that virtually all the subway stations I had gone to were equipped with double doors (the subway train and the platform each had their own set of doors that would open simultaneously). I don’t know if this was due to a high suicide rate or what not. Here are some clips I took while walking around some subway stations.
That’s it for now…
Comments
Post a Comment