Busan's Jagalchi Fish Market

Oh, Jagalchi Market. I feel like I've had the pleasure of visiting several fish markets since I studied abroad in Hong Kong in 2013. But the Jagalchi Fish Market was something else.

Fish on ice in outdoor stalls, octopus in tanks in the giant multi-floor fish market complex, tables set out for dining on the freshest abalone you could possibly buy. It's a cornucopia of fish deliciousness.

Inspired by this scene from Oldboy, Alex and I decided to go for a special dish. Raw, wriggling, (basically still alive) octopus sashimi. It felt weird, sort of like it wanted to climb back up after we chewed it. One tentacle squeezed my tongue really hard.

I recorded our first bites in the video below.

All in all, an exciting experience. 6/10, but would eat again.

Busan's Culture Village Gamcheon

In the spirit of Valentine's Day coming up, I thought I'd dig up some long overdue photos from South Korea, the most romantic place on Earth.

Back in August, Alex and I took a ferry over to Busan in South Korea. I had been looking forward to visiting Korea for ages, yet nothing could have prepared me for how special Busan actually was. The food was amazing, the people were so kind (and fashionable to boot), and there was tons to see and do!

I think one of my favorite sites we made our way to was the Gamcheon Culture Village. Alex had described it as a "lego town," colorful and mismatched, like patchwork. To me, it felt like a giant artist's playground, with a mural on every wall and kooky sculptures behind every corner.

The Petit Prince and his little fox friend looking out over the village are a famous photo stop.

Amazing, isn't it? Now, if you're hungry after all that art, here's a tasty morsel you can buy from street vendors standing around.



This is a Korean stuffed pancake, written in roman letters as hotteok. It was possibly one of the most delicious things I had ever eaten, stuffed with seeds and honey and brown sugar. We liked it so much that when we returned to Japan, we found a shop that sells hotteok there and had one for a breakfast treat one day. おいしい！

New Year's Omikuji (2015 vs. 2016)

Every year, when New Year's day rolls around, some of my coworkers and I get to skip work for an hour (shhh!) to pray at the shrine for a good New Year's blessing. Since I'm now a seasoned veteran of this tradition (two years running, baby), I thought I could have a little retrospective of my New Year's shrine photos. Ready to time warp with me?

First, we have the lovely 2015 experience where I have shortish blonde hair and a blue bow. Haruka and Takashi (pictured below) taught me the proper way to wash my hands, clap and bow to get the best possible blessings for a good year. 

We also took a fortune (omikuji) from a little box to see how our year would turn out. Haruka, Takashi and I all pulled bad ones, so we threw them into a flaming pit. It was great! 

The flaming pit where bad fortunes go...

Afterwards, I ate a giant grilled squid. I remember it being pretty so-so, it was covered in some sort of soy sauce glaze. Classic Japanese festival fare!

Grilled Squid and I: The Chewy Saga

Fast forward to 2016 shrine visit, which was just as much fun. As we walked up the long steps to reach the shrine for prayer time, we ran into several of my tiniest students. They all screamed "hello how are you?" and Haruka remarked that in Kadogawa I am now a very famous person. 

This year, when we pulled our fortunes, I actually received the best one you can get-- daikichi, which basically means "best luck." I felt pretty excited about it. 

2016 Omikuji Fortune Selfie (featuring a devastated Takashi)

Haruka received chuukichi, sort of like a "medium luck," while Takashi was stuck with kichi. Just "regular luck." They were both very disappointed, so we cheered ourselves up with a fish shaped snack called taiyaki.

The festival food stands outside the shrine

Taiyaki-- the folks in my office love the chocolate flavored one.

Always a good time at the shrine. Here's hoping my 2016 is as good as my fortune predicted! 

And let's hope that Haruka and Takashi's 2016 is much better than their fortunes predicted... "Regular luck" might as well be no luck at all. Poor, poor Takashi.

Winter Travels Pt. 3: Jiufen Fun

Hey folks! Long time, no posts! As usual, the wintertime fatigue has caught up to me (as it always seems to during this time of year) and honestly I've just been a bit lazy lately. Well, no more! Here's another set of photos from our Taiwan adventure.

After our Maokong trip (on a gondola floating through the sky over the city to a tiny tea town), I assumed we had seen the coolest parts of Taiwan and that we would spend the rest of our trip being hopelessly disappointed. I thought if we'd already done ALL THAT in just one day, what else could Taipei possibly have to offer?

Apparently, so much more. In fact, so much more that I needed to make three separate blog posts, just so I could include all my favorite photos. You're welcome!

The next day we made our way to Jiufen, a small mining town in the mountains about an hour outside of Taipei by bus. Sure, it sounds quaint and mystical, however, it's known as a huge tourist attraction. In fact, take a good hard look at these photos. If you're familiar with Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, you may have seen Jiufen before. According to the internet and all the folks I chatted with on the bus, apparently, Jiufen's downtown area was the inspiration for the spirit town in the film.

I felt a little bit like I was Chihiro, even if the streets were incredibly crowded with other tourists (who also probably felt like they were in the film).

On the bus to Jiufen, we met some new friends, Mu and Meng, who were from Taiwan and Mainland China respectively. They had both studied abroad in Finland for years (so their english was flawless), and they offered to be our unofficial tour guides around town.

Our first stop was this tiny stand that sells a traditional Taiwanese dessert. Balls of gnocchi-like sweet potato, black sesame and matcha in a ginger soup with adzuki beans mixed in kept our hands warm in the slightly cold winter air.

Next we took a trip to the famous Jiufen (spelled Jioufen below) Teahouse. This was absolutely my favorite spot of the whole trip. It felt like walking into a Beauty and the Beast fairytale, but I got to drink tea and look out over an amazing mountain view.

After finishing up in Jiufen, Meng and Mu told us about this amazing night market in Keelung, another hour bus ride away. Since we had no plans for the evening (and we were always up for an adventure), we decided to accompany them and see another city in Taiwan.

Meng trying "Frog Eggs," a drink that actually has nothing to do with frogs or eggs. Taiwan has incredible food. It's cheap and flavourful, and super fun to try as many dishes as you can fit into your stomach!

I had some shu mai (pictured below) which reminded me of the ones I would eat back when I was studying in Hong Kong.

Bien swo was another dish recommended to us by Mu. It was sort of a mochi noodle-y situation. I have no idea what was in it, but LET ME TELL YOU, it was great. I feel like when you're traveling it's always best to just order what the locals are getting, and don't ask too many questions.

Finally, we were all sleepy and full from our day of eating and exploring. Mu and Meng said goodbye at the train station, but I was just so glad to have been able to get to know such interesting people. They were excellent company, and Jiufen wasn't half bad either.

Check out the next installment to see what the gang and I did for Christmas in Taiwan!