So Wednesday had to be an early wake-up call in order to catch the KTX bullet train from Seoul Station to Busan Station (in the far southeast tip of South Korea). Seoul Station can look quite calm in the mornings. I'm lucky enough to live within walking distance of Seoul Station, so I soaked it all in.
Above: Seoul Station's KTX tracks in the early morning.
Above: Seoul Station sign.
Moving through the Korean countryside at 300 km/h is something else. Seoul can be quite ugly but it can get quite peaceful once you get away from it. This was no exception. Compared to Seoul, the rest of Korea seems relatively pleasant to look at.
Just under 3 hours, I arrived in Busan. Busan is the southernmost major city on the Korean peninsula and the second largest city in the country.
Above: Busan Station.
Compared to Seoul Station, which is more of a metal and concrete structure with little in terms of aesthetic pleasure, Busan Station seems to at least make an attempt to look visually pleasing. However, its outside is more impressive than the inside. The inside is rather claustrophobic, in a huge contrast with its spacious outdoor plaza.
Above: The spacious outdoor plaza of Busan Station.
I had a few hours to kill in Busan, so I wandered around for food. On the way, I came across the second "Chinatown" I've seen in Korea.
Above: The Busan "Chinatown."
But interestingly, the place was more Russian than Chinese. I actually saw a lot of Russians there, and the signs in "Chinatown" reflect this reality.
Above: Not many Chinese signs in Chinatown, but many Russian ones.
After eating a quick lunch, I made my way to the Busan International Ferry Terminal, which isn't too far from Busan Station. Due to immigration and check-in procedures, I had to arrive a bit earlier for the ferry than I did for the KTX.
Above: Busan International Ferry Terminal's waiting room.
Above: Cargo containers at Busan International Ferry Terminal.
Above: Busan to Fukuoka, only 2 hours and 55 minutes. Why not just say 3 hours?
Above: Other destinations from Busan.
Immigration went quite smoothly, except the departures immigration officer actually asked me two questions. Since the expiry date for my visa is only a few months away, she had to ask me if I intend to return to Korea, and also whether my trip was for pleasure or business (ie. renewing my visa in Fukuoka). It wasn't a big deal.
One interesting thing is that they X-ray your bags and metal-scan you like at an airport. I've never had this done for a ferry before, but I guess it makes sense since it's an international crossing and all. And just like that, we were off.
Above: Good bye for now, Korea.
The ferry ride was on a Japanese vessel called the Beetle, and took a little longer than advertised but was nowhere near as choppy and bumpy as people have said. I wonder if it's because those people weren't used to hydrofoil ferries. I took one between Hong Kong and Macau and it is a bit jarring for the first time. But the second time is no big deal.
However, you still have to watch for hazards. Like whales.
Above: Beware of the whales.
Above: Just in case you forget.
After a long time of seeing nothing but the waters of the Tsushima Strait (which is between Korea and Japan, and separates the East China Sea from the Sea of Japan), I finally caught my first glimpse of Fukuoka, Japan.
Above: Well. Konichiwa, Japan!
I had heard that Japanese immigration can be a little anal at Fukuoka. I was advised beforehand to have the address of the hostel where I was staying and have proof of my intent to eventually leave Japan (such as a return ticket). They are especially wary of people with passports from English-speaking countries due to a problem they allegedly have with illegal English teachers entering the country.
And indeed, the immigration officer did ask some questions but it was mostly set up to see if you're being truthful, such as asking what level of school you teach and gauging the manner in which you answer.
One thing that is different about Japanese immigration is that all foreigners are required to have their fingerprints scanned and photo taken. It wasn't as big a deal as I thought.
By the time I got through, nighttime was dawning on Fukuoka. I quickly made my way to the hostel to check in and put my things down. It was a bit weird navigating around because I was so used to reading signs in Korean but now everything was in Japanese.
Above: Apparently the Japanese people really hate Machi, whoever he is.
I was getting hungry, so I set out to find some food. I headed towards the big mall I had heard about, Canal City Hakata.
Above: Canal City Hakata, an outdoor mall in Fukuoka with a canal running right down the middle of it.
It was a big more upscale than I expected, so I exited the mall and searched elsewhere. I eventually settled for udon, which Fukuoka is famous for.
Above: A view of the menu items.
Above: The prices were higher than in Korea, but if you consider that 100 yen is about 1 dollar and that tipping isn't customary in Japan, the prices are about en par with Canada.
Above: I eventually settled on this. Nom nom nom. Hadn't had good tempura for a long time.
After dinner, it was raining and things were closing, so I headed back to the hostel. One great thing in Japan is that unlike Korea, the plugs run at 100 V (Korea uses 220 V) and most North American plugs with two prongs can fit in Japanese plugs and run with no problems. (North America uses 120 V, which is close enough to 100 V.) No need to worry about blowing out appliances.
Above: This is a little familiar looking to North Americans.
As it was after hours, I wandered around and looked at the brochures and maps at the reception desk. I came across a map of Japan and it has something that might make Koreans a little upset.
Above: The island east of the line is disputed territory, claimed passionately by Koreans (who call it "Dokdo") and also claimed by the Japanese (who call it "Takeshima"). This issue is a very touchy topic among Koreans, who consider the islands their territory alone.
After a long day, I finally crashed and went to bed.
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Coming next:
- Insane weekend: To Hiroshima and Fukuoka (photos): Day 2
- Insane weekend: To Fukuoka (photos): Day 3
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