the most famous LABI Akihabara location! Labi have floors of electronic goods. you can find almost every electronic thing there. basically as long as you get out of the Akihabara station, you should be landing here. this post lack of pictures because all the pictures we secretly took on our compact camera got stolen. as in, the camera got stolen T_T. WUWUWUWUUWUWUWU. damn saddening. so many interesting things. =S. this is what you get for taking pictures of things you shouldn’t : KARMA.

GAMERS HUB! you can get all your hentai anime in blu-ray =D.

hentai comics. and hentai er.. pillow handphone accessory that costs RM40 for one. HAHAHA.

anime biscuits. biscuits are some really famous stuff in Japan. they have biscuits for EVERYTHING! disney characters, cute self made characters, and even hentai anime characters tsk tsk. but they are always super duper expensive T_T.

let’s move on to the NEX shop. this shop is an ADULT MEGA STORE. it sells.. all hentai movies, costumes, stuff… that you might see in the hentai movies so you can replicate the same situation. Japanese people are really open in adult stuff. but as much as I want to see, I am sad to tell you that girls can only enter 2-3floors of those 7-10floors hentai shops.

ADULT AMUSEMENT PARK. this place was awesome. we sneakily took a lot of pictures inside. but it’s all gone T_T. nevermind, let me explain what I saw..

firstly, the weirdest thing I saw which I really wanted to buy for my twin brother, Jeremy, (but so sorry it was over budget hahaha. costs like RM40bucks for a bottle that isn’t even big!) was some kind of weird jelly. edible. they had a whole range of it. gel-like, colourful and available in more than 10 different flavours. it’s to put at the you-know-where.

then, I saw something sick. it’s how you would start up your car with those two plugs and all. except you’re supposed to place those two electrical plugs on the girls tet tets and “shock” them. the illustration was AWFULLLL. it was this guy laughing looking like a hyena while the girl screams in pain. disgusting. I KNOW.

next, I also saw various ranges of the male’s organ. and those ding dongs are available in SO MANY SIZES. and my mom pointed at one that looks almost like a machine gun and said “those belong to the blacks” and then she pointed at.. I assume what supposed to be the normal size “these belong to asians” HAHAH. it was such an educational trip.

other’s are pretty normal. but because my mom and I are both females we can only excess 2 floors. (this place have 7 floors!) I peeked up to the 3rd floor and I saw A LOT A LOT A LOT OF UNIFORMS. and they.. shouldn’t be for humans. eventhough they are made human sized. because there are plenty of BLOW UP DOLLS (baloon dolls with a hole pocket on it’s private part T_T. damn sick pfft.) NEXT TO THOSE UNIFORMS. my eyes wouldn’t widen as much as that day. =S.

and well.. that’s it. other’s weren’t too different from what you might be able to find here. except fancier. but there were really tonnes of adult toys that I couldn’t figure out because it’s in Japanese and I am highly illiterate at it.

okay other than the fact that it has all kind of sick and unique toys, they sell a lot of electronics, phones, very adorable mini electronics, a lot of cameras, second hand cameras…. and they all come in 10 floors. so if your a tech wiz, you should really come here.

7 floors worth of sexy clothing/uniforms. now ain’t that mad.

they have so much they had to categorize them in levels. and bare in mind, each level is pretty spacious!

girls dressed in anime costumes that will run away or turn away whenever anybody tries to take pictures of them. hahah. but they kind of give out fliers for stores. =D. with full anime attire, can can skirts and wig.

I’d give this place 10 points for it’s worthyness of visiting. even if you don’t like Technology stuff/Animes/Adult toys, you should come and have your eyes widened up a little =P. it’s not something you can find anywhere else. it’s just available here in Japan. place with a great variety of naughty souvenirs .

Yokohama was in between Tokyo and Kamakura and I JUST HAD TO STOP BY. what’s awful about winter is that it gets dark early so when I was at Yokohama at about 5pm it was already dark. something like our 7.30 here.

I just love how discipline all Japanese people are. they automatically form a line.

do bare in mind, Yokohama station and Minato Mirai (literally future port. it’s where the famous Ferris Wheel with the clock is) station is just ONE STOP AWAY. and even with one stop they will charge you the same amount if you go for 5 stops =(. so if you can walk, walk. save some money. haha. Japanese subways are deadly expensive.

men’s bar. at least I didn’t see any women there. but there were no chairs or stools. everyone was standing! and it was such a crowded little shop!

very expensive but delicious.. PUDDINGS!! how come they package their pudding so nicely! it’s so pretty!

Japanese shops are just so pretty. Korean ones too. <3. I’d give them 101% in decoration!

wanna buy RM40-RM80 (1000yen for just a little tray of sushi looking candies!) worth of CANDIES? =D. mad. they are selling its cuteness and creativity. if I ever receive one I think I’ll just put it on display until it rots. too beautiful to eat!

their tactic of luring you into the shop is always by displaying beautiful mock ups.

see what I mean? kekeke and somebody should tell them it’s Happy Hour, not Happy Our. =P.

the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. even Genting’s Olive (where at that time some Italian guy was the chef, should be very famous) might lose to.

the one on top, which costs abour RM16 is the best spaghetti I’ve ever eaten in my life. it was so perfect. the combination was soooo perfect. the noodles was perfect. the sauce is special. everything is good. and heck, it’s the cheapest pasta in that shop! even the more expensive one isn’t as good!

RM20 cakes. Pasta RM16, Cakes RM20?

it’s about 500yen ++ for one. and the pasta is around 400yen. but what can I say? it’s absolutely worth it.

and have you ever been told that strawberries in Japan are ESPECIALLY HUGE AND JUICY? =D.

one girl with two cakes. NYAM.

you stand to eat hehehehe.

because Japanese desserts look so good, it should never be missed because it (most of the time) tastes as good as it looks =D.

how did they make the macaroons so beautifully? going for 179yen for one! that’s.. RM7-8 for one. *faints* I rather just make it myself U_U.

is it because the flowers are beautiful,

or they way they display it is simply fabulous? or both?

hmm. both I guess. but they make small bouquet of flowers look so much more romantic than a 20roses bouquet you’d find in Malaysia.

for the same amount of money you’d pay for the flowers, getting the same amount of happiness, but not wasting too many flowers. awesome! maybe not to realistic girls haha.

cats are really fat in Japan. actually even the birds are fat. but I didn’t get to capture any T_T. there may be a lot of stray cats around. but I don’t think I saw any stray dogs. =/.

the building is so high you can’t actually see the top of it.

pretty awesome ain’t it? you’ll see this tall building on the way to the huge ferris wheel.

I really couldn’t see the top.

FINALLY THERE! the HUGE YOKOHAMA FERRIS WHEEL WITH A HUGE CLOCK ON IT (hugest in the world!). and Rainbow lights. it was raining cats and dogs and hence the blurness of the picture T_T.

I was so exhausted and the wind was blowing like mad. my umbrella flipped countless times and it was ultra difficult to take pictures.

but it was all worth it because the ferris wheel is really amazing. very huge. it’s like visiting the Eye of Japan! and it has Rainbow lights! I am not sure about when it changes but I guess the Rainbow lights will only come out once in half an hour? or an hour. so pick your time wise. =D.

if not it’ll just look like that. but unlucky for me all my pictures with the rainbow wheel was blur. I literally had more than 50pictures here alone and only a few wasn’t blur. thanks to the rain.

the famous Nippon Maru ship!

we left Yokohama at around 7.30 and still made it in time to Akihabara slightly before 8. I was bored. and I needed to visit more places. it was such a shame I wanted to visit Ikebukuro for the 2nd time which made me miss out on Ginza. but according to my mom who has been to Ginza before, she said it’s nothing more than a street of branded shops. =S. so I guess, it’s wiser if you go to places like Kamakura =D.

PS : ACTUALLY.. if you’re not too much of a fan of Ferris Wheels with rainbow lights, with the largest clock in the world attached to it; this place is nothing too special. but the restaurants here are really famous I think? because you can see queues outside many shops at the mall linked to Yokohama station so I reckon the food here are amazing. of course, restaurants in many places in Tokyo are packed too. but then none of them have queues like those in Yokohama. especially when it ain’t even dinner time yet.

one of the few famous things I’ve known before actually planning to travel to Tokyo was this. the Asahi Beer Building. or, in a cheeky way named the golden poop. (황금똥! ㅋㅋㅋㅋ. 유진의 아빠 세 엄마 하나 봤어요?)

it’s so famous because it’s the only picture my friend whom returned from Tokyo showed me when I was still in secondary school.

anyhow, these 3 buildings are a perfect combination. especially with the golden poop! =3.  the blue skies compliment the buildings so perfectly, this is a spot not to be missed if you were going to visit Asakusa Temple. because it’s just a few footsteps away. DON’T BE LAZY.

guess what’s this!

beautiful dragon yes.

but

the

truth

is.

it’s

the

bottom

of

the

TangLong in Asakusa Temple. detailed or what? always bend down to see the hidden things yo =P.

carts! I remember it was quite expensive for poor Malaysians like us T_T.

but no doubt, good experience. I’ve been on one before in China. but then the one in China wasn’t exactly a cart. it was some bamboo carriage which needs 2 people to carry. and we were going UP the mountain. so if they slipped and throw me down. that’s it.

SAMURAI CART PUSHER!! damn samurai right?! with the hitler moustache and all.. and.. the robe.

KIMONO LADIES! I love how Kimino’s are, colourful and traditionally beautiful except that it totally hides boobs. pfft.

so actually coming out from Asakusa Temple, turn left and go straight. you won’t get lost. the golden poop is too special to not notice. =D. like about 3minutes walk away.

then TADA!!! you’ll be there. but actually the best view to take pictures of the giant golden poop is at the bridge, where at that time was FILLED with people at the prime photo spot.

THERE’S AN EAGLE THERE!! yes I purposely posed there just to have a picture with an eagle probably 1km away from me.

mom was in love with the flowers. are you?

MORE FLOWERS! I don’t know how they manage to plant so much flowers in such a neat way! and it’s like this everywhere. don’t you just love Japan. =3. awesome people with awesome brains and love for the nature.

awesome place to take pictures!

I went to Asakusa on the last day of my trip. Asakusa was the most touristy spot I’ve been so far in Tokyo, but it wasn’t disappointing at all. it’s worth the visit. very worth.

just in case you were wondering, I stayed in Hotel Horidome Villa which is located near the Kanda JR Station. but you might wanna google map everything and DRAW your own map if you are keen on walking from Kanda Station because it’s about 1km+ far. but if you arrive/depart not on some odd hours, you can directly take a private line to Kodenmacho.

NOTE : JR-LINE IS ALWAYS CHEAPER. much cheaper. but pretty limited.

Kanda is pretty much of a business district with no attractions on walking distance. but what I love about staying there is that Yoshinoya (beef bowl fast food shop), Starbucks and McD is rather near. AND, it’s only a few stops away from the hustling and bustling towns like Akihabara, Tsukiji, Ueno, Asakusa and the list goes on. very central IMO. (definitely worth the price. small rooms, but they designed it in a way that you won’t feel it.)

what a perfect picture. blue skies, awesome lighting.. and.. closed eyes. T_T.

everything in Japan relates to Sakura.

Japan is a modern city yes. but you shouldn’t expect too much on the subways. take note that they were built like 30 years ago and they couldn’t possibly close a station just to renovate it when they cater thousands of people every minute.

if you were to compare the length of the train in Malaysia to Japan, it’s like comparing an ant to a centipede. even so, you’d probably have to squeeze your tiny body in the swarm of people during the peak hours.

I saw some people posting about how some girls got molested on public transports in Japan, but I felt it’s quite unlikely to happen. rest assured as they have women and children only carriages during those rush hours (till 9am) =D.

Japanese uncles are very helpful in taking pictures. they would even ask you if you need help in taking pictures. you can kind of say, Japanese men’s best friends are cameras. you can see old men wandering around with their DSLR during their free time.

and this uncle actually asked if we needed help to take pictures! so nice of him. they love making friends =D. they make growing old seem so fun!

FINALLY. near the temple. this is actually part of the shops linking to the Asakusa Temple.

on the way, you’d see the famous radio tower.

TADA!! Asakusa Temple is soooo easy to recognize as there’ll be a big RED lantern with many people buzzing around.

we took like 10 shots + to get ONE shot with less people =S.

heck, it ain’t even like some peak season!

and the row of shops which will attract you to spend all your money. so, remember to come here on the LAST day to avoid overspending.

every lot sells something special. be it food, clothes, souvenirs….

they are all attractive. and the price? even more attractive.

I look like a China girl here. well, my ancestors were from China. hahaha.

AHH! KIDS YUKATA! so adorable!

side alleys! (and you might just find something special there)

after a long stroll, finally, the temple.

what?! I got cheated too. I totally forgotten I was going to a Temple when I was busy enjoying myself munching on all those yummy food. did I tell you that I brought back half a suitcase worth of FOOD? =D.

is it me or does it looks very similar to the first entrance. big red lantern, except, taller and wider.

and the view of the long row of shops from the OTHER end.

I love blue skies.

initially I was very disappointed with the winter weather as it is actually my first time travelling on winter with my DSLR. note that the camera battery dies 50% faster so pack a few. don’t have any? BUY. it’ll wreck your trip if you travel halfway and the battery goes off.

super cute bunch of elementary school kids! they were doing a survey on foreigners and in exchange they’ll give out an origami. how cute <3.

when it gets too sunny, flash is pretty useful haha (SO BRING EXTRA BATTERIES!!!)

actually, you kind of feel the smoke with both your hands and quickly brush it over your face. that’s how everybody did it D=.

drinkable.

the ancient art. how come the humans are bigger than the buildings >=(.

quite nice actually hahaha. reminds me of Japan Life. =P.

pottery products have never seemed so precious until I saw these. like 4000yen for one. that’s around RM150! HOLYCOWWW.

pretty but not practical. if only my house was more empty. I could display them at the corner of my room.

if you missed Akihabara, you’d still find stuff they sell there here. not the complete range but at least a portion of it =D.

wanted one so badly. but they were so expensive. and my mom bought one from her N-years ago visit.

take it from me, just get the Tokyo Bananas. or those biscuits. those SOFT confectionery tastes completely artificial. kids might like it but I HATED IT. wasted my money. lucky I only bought 2 small boxes.

MORE SOUVENIRS!! very overpriced. =S. if you come from the US it might still be alright.

awesome snack.

I just love this picture. look at him! so concentrated!

these are already considered reasonably priced in Japan. =S.

300yen = RM12.

while my Korean friend was complaining there’s no clouds in winter, SEE!!! there is.

surprisingly, 50% of the people there were Japs!

sorry for the excessive peace signs. if you have a mom like mine. you’d understand. she won’t help you snap a picture unless you look happy. and her happy = peace sign. uh huh ._________.

no idea what this is. mini monument?

I wonder why did they fence the statue up like that =S. preventing it from the birds?

best angle to photograph someone with the attraction, says a Japanese uncle =D.

he even took my camera all the way just to take a picture of this!

now, guess that this is? =D

completely artistic.

it’s actually these. shoes.

here’s how it looks like from far =P.

crowd spotted. so I shall explore!

kids are just made to be loved.

potato confectioneries! potato tart, potato in apple.

AND POTATO COATED IN A THICK LAYER OF HEATED SUGAR.

there’s a picture of me eating it literally stuffing the whole thing into my mouth but it’s too rude to show. teehee.

MORE SHOPPING!!!

shaded shopping.

THE FAMOUS RED BEAN FISH CAKE! I’ve always seen it in anime’s and dramas. so I went ahead to get it! and to my surprise more older people favour this.

SO MANY CHOICES! so tempted to try the chocolate and the cheese one but I wanted to try its original taste so…

this is totally the GG face. I like this fishayyyyy! =D.

this lantern cake tastes just like.. some egg cake. but very delicious! <3. just remember, DO NOT GO FOR ARTIFICIAL LOOKING STUFF. go munch up their traditional food!

what did I say about DisneySea being a total fab place for photography?

it summed up to 1k pictures from a day. mad? not to mention I wasted 2 hours queuing up for rides. which were a total waste of time because it.. wasn’t good. at all. I heard from my friends studying in Japan that Tower of Terror is worth it though. =D.

welcome to Venice! I liked this part the most. but I didn’t have enough time to walk through it all. but basically there’s a mad mad mad queue just for getting on the boat. =S. great thing is that it’s totally Venice feeling because they hired people who would sing and also row the boat.

phenomenal view. I’ll give 100 stars to whomever who designed the whole place. absolutely fab.

FAB! <3.

 

they didn’t only hire people who can sing. but they also hired HOT GUYS! *salivates* and they’d greet each other when their boats passes by.

beautiful city they built T_T. even though it ain’t too big; the place. but it’s really breath taking.

 

rare picture with mommy!

but going in winter, you’d have to take your pictures fast, because it’ll get dark very quickly T_T.

my mom’s a poser queen. everybody should know that if they’ve read my Singapore posts.

but she HAD TO force her daughter to be like her even though her daughter didn’t inherit her genes.

well, here’s my shot. *shy*.

this is more like my style heh. though a little boring. =D.

I really wanted to spend my whole day at this spot T_T. it’s so pretty.

met this cosplayer with 3 HUGE DISNEYSEA TEDDIES. mad. MADDD. I wonder if she’s a worker there. 1 teddy that huge = RM400. uh huh. wait, I think the RM400 ones ain’t even THAT big.

it’s this big. but they are so cute and fluffy! T_T.

they had to pay attention to every single detail in DisneySea. and because of that, they are super fab.

more teddy bears!

LOOK! I met my favourite GOOFY!! I used to like Goofy so much that I goof like him haha. I like to imitate his goofy talks =P.

completely unaware of who he is and what he does but he ass banged me. sounds utterly wrong D=. LOOKS EVEN MORE WRONG.

and later I got it. he meant, we shall both as bang. D=.

here are some girls with super adorable clothes! more reasons to love Japan. there are more hot guys compared to girls in Japan, I swear. hate to say this, but MORE THAN KOREA TOOOO.  but most of them looked so macho I don’t dare to take their picture T_T.

another town. very Mediterranean. and very pretty as well T_T. look at those details!!

it was winter so it wasn’t supposed to have flowers. there weren’t actually any places with lots of flowers in Tokyo at that time but they somehow made it happen! and allll over. <3.

they have ze best popcorn. mine’s black pepper popcorn. who knew that black pepper and popcorn could ever make such a good combination?! there were strawberry popcorn and chocolate popcorn too!

my

the only place with pink Sakura’s!!! it was so satisfying. I could just look at them all day.

aren’t they beautiful?

next, ARIEL’S TOWN! under the sea~ under the sea~

this area is more for the kids though. hence the colours. haha.

Japanese people are really friendly. they asked me if I could help them take a picture and I asked them if I could take a picture with them! =D.

strawberry popcorn.

let’s travel to Alibabaland.

it’s Morocco! or Turkey or something D=. ALIBABALAND.

ALIBABA GO ROUND! behind.

konichiwa. watashiwa japanesegirl-des. *chokes*

meow.

look at that magic carpet ride queue! tsk tsk. queues in there are really unbearable =S.

walking towards Aladdin’s home. =D.

once again, THE DETAILS ARE FAB!!

it would be nice bouncing on those cloth shades like how Aladdin did. heh.

got lost looking for Aladdin’s home so I gave up.

I think there are rides here too but closed at that time =S.

wonder why my pictures in this post are so edited/overexposed/underexposed? =/.

because this is how it’s REALLY like.

ACRABAH!

mom told me to sit on the camel but I was afraid I might break it. (.____________.)

the shore! now don’t this look like the U.S.?

the HOOGAHOOGALAND! and the hooga hooga roller coaster.

and that hooga hooga mayan pyramid building looks very fab at night <3.

lets proceed to COWBOYLAND!

another beautiful spot.

it was so cold. and we were so hungry so we just settled our tummies while avoiding those mad strong wind in this cowboy hut.

okay, a little too big to be called a hut. haha.

I like how they serve different food according to the theme of the place. and in this place, they serve Mexican food. the pita was soooooooo good. and for the tiniest slice of pita I’ve ever had. it costs RM30+. =S.

there were plenty of fresh bouncy prawns though. the prawns were literally bouncing!

TITANICLAND! that ship is a restaurant by the way. huge restaurant.

look at the wind! girls (and guys), a tip for you will be.. REMEMBER TO BRING VASELINE LIP BALM. it helps tremendously. I didn’t bring lip balm for my Japan trip and I my lips were cracking so bad. my skin too T_T. those cold and DRY wind were awful.

night view for the Mediterranean town. <3.

u see those 3 arches? there’s where they drop your.. elevator from.

I must get back to DisneySea one day JUST TO RIDE ON THIS RIDE. do not repeat my mistake. as you arrive, HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THE TOWER OF TERROR and GET YOUR EXPRESS PASS. because after 2pm you won’t be able to use them anymore.

HAHA THOSE MICKEYS ARE SO CUTE!

one of these costs around RM40. I have that Arial one. but I lost it. NOOOOOOO. T________T.

maybe because the Japanese Yen is really high. everybody shopped as if it was some big sale T___T. but for me, I thought I was walking through some luxurious shops. RM50 for a box of biscuits is too much for me. I’d rather have Famous Amos T_T.

boxes like those. I tried them before. they are really good. but for that few, they are really not too worth it IMO.

now THIS is worth it. hehehehehe. I always let go of my goal on saving more money when it comes to hair accessories.

well.. maybe not on mini hair accessories. which aren’t for the hair.

the bigger hair accessory. that actually fits. hehe =P.

awwwwww. one day I’ll come here with my other half and I’ll make him buy me these! >=(.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA.

this was some total epic picture.

my mom and I were literally gawking at this super matching couple whom looked really adorable. the guy had that band on his neck so it would look like a bow tie and a tiny sequined bow on his hair. the girl had a very adorable minnie mouse cape on her. they both look SO PERFECT; handsome and gorgeous. my mom insisted I go ask them for a picture. but I think it’s very rude because they’re dating T_T. so.. I pretended to take a picture and hence this picture. HEHEHEH.

awesome stalker.

and after we took this picture I pulled my mom and marched out of the shop quickly. =P.

every art on the wall’s so perfect.

and the 9pm fireworks! wasn’t as good as I expected but it was good. =D.

my lesson : never expect too much.

PS : RAWR I SHOULD’VE QUEUED UP FOR THE TOWER OF TERROR. I gave it up for this. pfft.

I kid about those Alibabaland and Ariel’s town alright. hahaha. so these are what they are really called. =).

looks small. but isn’t small AT ALL.

HAVE FUN! ^^.

I wouldn’t call myself a pro, but I definitely am pretty good in saving $$. so as you read, you’d probably wanna jot down some notes .

HOTELS/GUESTHOUSES :
it’s always better to book earlier online. 3 months in advance would be cool.

and the website that would be handy will be www.booking.com. the greatest advantage..? it’s not only for Korea. but basically for EVERYWHERE around the globe.

if you’re looking forward to live in guesthouses, I would recommend you to google or search through tripadvisor to read about the comments.

normally, guesthouses in Korea are clean but aren’t exactly too comfortable and are also very very small. I stayed in Namsan Guesthouse which costs me 45,000won per night for a double.

FOOD :
a city filled with glorious food, you’d probably have to get used to the healthy kimchi. what happens would be.. you’d probably stop yourself at a beautiful restaurant with prices even more beautiful.

I’ll have to say, it’s not so advisable. it’s awesome if you could find decent looking restaurants serving typical Korean food like Kimchi Jjigae (kimchi stew), Bibimbap (mixed rice), Dalggalbi (marinated chicken) just to name a few.

price ranges from 4000won-6000won usually. but if you REALLY want to save more. you should find Kimbab Kingdom (a kimbab fast food chain) and order takeaway kimbab (seaweed rolls) which are usually 1500won for take away. ramen would cost around the same too. so no point eating it there when you could get them here.

there’s also an 8000won BBQ buffet in Sinchon! read my post here.

as for my muslim friends : Halal restaurants are really expensive and I also heard that it sucks. so just become a vegan for a few days =S. there are plenty of vegan stores! and is very delicious too according to what I heard!

TRANSPORT :
T MONEY CARD is a MUST BUY. it’s like our Touch and Go. sold in various forms and it can usually be found at all convenience stores or at the subway itself. you can use it for subways and buses; saving you at least 100won per trip.

the most precious thing being overseas would be TIME. so having this, it really saves you A LOT OF TIME.

buses in Korea are pretty complicating as it’s in Korean most of the time so it’s either you learn how to read Korean/print out Korean alphabets if not, just take the subway where English is widely used for the convenience of foreigners.

LANGUAGE BARRIER :
so far, I’ve walked around alone countless times even in Japan where I know nothing about their language. it isn’t that scary, really.

normally, Koreans do not speak English AT ALL. they might understand simple English better when typed though. so for your own safety, it’s a MUST to carry the address of where you’re staying where ever you go. as for shopping in places where prices are not stated, do bring a calculator or so for them to key the prices in for you.

here’s a list of words you SHOULD memorise as a form of respect to them :
Hello : an-nyeong ha-se-yo
Thank You : gam-sa-ham-ni-da
How much? : ol-ma-ye-yo?
Bye : bbai-bbai << they’d understand =).
Yes : ne/ye
No : a-ni-yo
Toilet : hwa-jang-sil (incredulously important)
Left : when-jjok
Right : o-reun-jjok
Straight : i-jjok

TOILET :
speaking about toilets, there are very very very little public toilets in outdoor shopping areas. so just go to any fast food store, head up to the 2nd floor(where it usually is) and use their toilet. any building is fine =). so the best is that you settle your business at the subways. =D.

ETIQUETTES :
you’d probably already know the usual Asian etiquette of not wearing shoes into homes, never eat before an elder etc. but in Korea, there are really a few where you have to pay attention to.

DO NOT :
1. wear shorts which are quite short (esp when it ain’t summer), you’d find people talking about you around =S.
2. take your own sweet time in taking pictures. always do it fast. taking more than a few shots and the ajumma’s (aunties) will start to grumble.
3. you hold your chopsticks with your right hand. but you also hold your spoon with your right hand. get what I mean?
4. share food in commercialised places like Itaewon, Insadong etc. (means order a set for every person) they might probably slam your food onto the table and spoil your mood.
5. order one person’s BBQ meat because the usual minimum is TWO person.
6. pour your own drink if you’re not alone.
7. drink facing somebody elder. always turn to the side.
8. take photographs of artsy stuff which are for sale. do it secretly =X.
9. laugh at a Korean’s English. they are pretty sensitive on that. always respect them as they are trying very hard.

practice some Korean phrases as they’d be very happy to hear you speak their language =D.

SEASONS :
Summer (June-Aug) – a lot of cheap shopping for summer clothes! incredulously hot and it rains quite often so please carry an umbrella with you
Autumn (Sept-Nov) – peak season for the pretty autumn maple leaves will usually be at late October to mid November. no summer clothes for sale. best season for photography. seldom rains. pretty cold.
Winter (Dec-Feb) – snows. skiing is the best activity. beautiful but very cold. many spots might not be available. not recommended for the old.
Spring (Mar-May) – good season for photography. awesome season to visit Jeju Island. Sakura Season on early April. not too hot. just right =).

I’ll answer (and add them into this post) any questions you have so please leave it on the comment box =D.

please proceed to my Travel page to view the other topics on Korea. =)