Category Archives: Korea

If Only The Korean War Could Be Solved Like This

Posted on August 27, 2012 by

Recently, Keith over at Seoulistic did a nice write-up about how South Koreans deal with the constant threats and rhetoric from North Korea. In short, it’s no big deal (unlike American news reports), and is regularly ignored. Anyhow, at the … Continue reading →

Posted in Korea, Music | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

What is Arirang?

Posted on August 16, 2012 by

The term Arirang (아리랑) is something I often hear in reference to Korean culture, but for a long time I wasn’t sure what it was. Finally, I did some research and it turns out to be a very famous folk-song: … Continue reading →

Posted in Korea, Music | Leave a comment

Understanding Korean Age

Posted on July 22, 2012 by

I first learned about this years ago when I lived in Ireland. My wife and I were friends with a Korean family that was also working in Ireland, and their kids were similar age to my daughter. My daughter was … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Korea, Travel | 5 Comments

Common Sense Tips for Riding Trains in Korea and Japan

Posted on July 15, 2012 by

Keith Kim over at Seoulistic did a really great post about etiquette on Korean trains. If you visit or live in Korea I highly recommend it. Also, here’s another nice blog post from a New Zealand person living in Korea … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Korea, Travel | 13 Comments

Korean Ramen Party, part two

Posted on July 2, 2012 by

Continuing my “research” into Korean ramyeon, here’s part two: 스낵면 (seunaek myeon) by Oddugi (오뚜기): Taste – 3 Spiciness – 2 Presentation – 4 Packaging – 2 Special notes: As the name suggests, this was intended more as a quick … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking, Korea | Tagged | 2 Comments

A Brief History of Confucianism in Korea

Posted on June 28, 2012 by

Not too long ago I posted and article about Neo-Confucianism in Edo Period Japan (1600-1868). Very exciting stuff, I assure you. This article is to balance things out with a look at the same time period in Korea and how … Continue reading →

Posted in Confucius, Korea, Religion | 2 Comments

Why Get A Tattoo?

Posted on June 19, 2012 by

We’ve all thought about it. Maybe we did get one. I haven’t, but I have thought about. I wanted something cool and “Buddhist-looking”, like the nembutsu (南無阿弥陀仏) or something, but I never got one. While joking with my sister online, … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Japan, Korea, Religion, Travel, Zen | Tagged | 8 Comments

Going Native: a short story

Posted on June 14, 2012 by

Recently, I got a comment from a gentleman named “TimeTales” who mentioned he is turning 70 years old and would soon retire from blogging. I enjoy his posts about reminiscing over his time in the Korean War, so I wanted … Continue reading →

Posted in Japan, Korea, Language, Vietnam | Leave a comment

Hand Gestures and Physical Contact in Korea

Posted on June 5, 2012 by

Keith Kim, former teacher at KoreanClass101.com and recently launched a new site dedicated to life in Korea, social tips, etc at Seoulistic.com. For folks wanting to learn more about Korea, this is a nice complement to TTMIK, which focuses on … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Hosso, Japan, Korea, Travel | 5 Comments

Korea’s Lotus Lantern Festival

Posted on May 17, 2012 by

Previously while blogging about the Buddha’s Birthday in Japan, I stated that the celebration in Korea had already passed. Turns out I was way off (oops). The Buddha’s birthday or seokga tansinil (석가탄신일) is May 28 this year in accordance … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddhism, Korea, Religion, Travel | 4 Comments