If there’s one country’s food that has taken off on a global scale this past decade, it’s Korean food. Second only to kpop music, the cuisine of South Korea is one of the nation’s biggest draws, and rightly so. Korean food is varied, indulgent, experimental, and exciting. And when you visit South Korea, what to …
While many may associate Busan with Haeundae beach, delectable fish cake, and Haedong Yonggungsa temple, there just so happens to be another spot in Busan no less amazing than these aforementioned spots! That is Bosu-dong Book Street. While many things in Korea focus on the newest, the latest, the most luxurious, the name brand, and …
Seoul is an exciting and electric metropolis of incredible food, a vibrant music scene, and some of the best bars in East Asia. But it’s also surrounded on every side by mountains, islands, traditional villages, and beautiful historic sites. All of which are easy day trips from Seoul. Take a look at this list of …
Seoul is a wonderfully unusual city. It’s one of the world’s most popular capital cities; a place of colourful music, a lively bar scene, fantastic spicy foods, and passionate people. And yet, despite its popularity, it’s easy to get around. Seoul isn’t big, not compared to neighbouring cities like Tokyo and Shanghai. You can see …
In so many ways, the women of East Asian literature are the prominent voices of their cultures today. In Japan and Korea especially, those writers who have the greatest clarity of mind and creative spirits are insightful, fascinating, and imaginative women. Women who speak for the sidelined and the unrepresented, women who show us our …
Here is, perhaps, a new kind of frightening. We’re living in a new golden age of horror films right now, and, if Hye-young Pyun’s books are any indication, a parallel golden age of horror writing as well. The modern master of American horror, Stephen King, famously delineated three kinds of ‘scary’: Gross-out: something bloody or …
While there are no shortages of traditional and cultural heritage districts in Seoul that are alive and well, there’s nothing that captures the spark of modern life in Seoul today like Myeongdong. Myeongdong is where Seoul’s blood pumps the fasts. Myeongdong shopping is the best shopping in Seoul; and there’s no hotel like a Myeongdong …
Hongdae takes its name from the nearby Hongik University (with the Korean word for ‘university’ being ‘daehag’ so ‘Hongdae’ simply being the first hald of each word smooshed together). The area of Hongdae, Seoul itself is considered by many to be the modern hub of the city. It’s not the place to go for traditional …
Gwanghwamun Square is one of the coolest, most historic, artistic, and beautiful parts of Seoul. It’s where you’ll find the epic statues of King Sejong and General Yi Sun-sin, as well as the Sejong Center and the grand Gyeongbokgung Palace. Just outside of Gwanghwamun Square is also the Bukcheon Hanok Village, where you can rent …
At Books and Bao, we both love tattoos and are fierce tattoo collectors. And while that has caused some problems while traveling (mainly in the onsen in Japan) there’s nothing we love more than scoping out a talented artist on our travels. Here are some of our favourite studios and tattoo artists in South Korea. …
