Sid Visits Japan and Korea
A work trip to Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shenzen afforded a small amount of free time to see some sights in some of those cities. Here's a collection of photos from mid-work outings.
A work trip to Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing and Shenzen afforded a small amount of free time to see some sights in some of those cities. Here's a collection of photos from mid-work outings.
My first full day in Shibuya, I Woke up to some city views from my hotel window. I took a late evening walk, with my colleague Carena, to Shinjuku to see the streets filled with restaurants and Bars. We also spotted Godzilla who makes his fiery presence known every hour.
The combined power of Jet lag and the Sun rising at 5 am, meant a walk to Meiji Jingu - a shinto shrine near Shibuya - was a good idea to avoid the crowds. The park and the shrine itself were serene and quiet and I could take it all in before the day really began.
Ammar (another colleague) wanted to check out the Toyosu fish market, instead of the popular-for-tourists Tsukiji market. While seeing the Yuna auction from behind glass was interesting, and the vegetable and general goods market were interesting, I think we both agreed that Toyosu was not quite as interesting as Tsukigi could have been. Next time...
Sensō-ji was receommended to me by Kavitha and a couple of other colleages as worth a Visit. The 3rd early morning day was spent wandering the grounds of this Buddhist temple. I got to see, hear and experience the monks chanting their morning prayers, but respected the no-photos signs posted there. The place was definitly lacking all the hustle and fun from all the shops that had not opened yet, but it was a good outing nonetheless.
Having chosen to spend the weekend in Seoul, I decided to spend the day visiting some touristy highlights. I started the day in Gyeongbokgung Palace, taking in the palace grounds and watching all the people dressed up in traditional clothing. The early afternoon was spend walking the streets of the nearby Bukchon Hanok Village, filled with cute traditional houses. I got to enjoy some tea and snacks in a beautiful tea-house. In the late afternoon, I walked all the way to the Cheonggyecheon stream, via the Insadong Culture Street, and ended the day being invited to a sunset picnic dinner with some colleages by the Banpo bridge, and got to experience the Moonlight Rainbow Fountains off the bridge.
I got invited on a hike for Sunday, and we ended up climbing Bukhansan mountain to the top of Baegundae - the tallest peak in the city of Seoul. We spent the whole day hiking and enjoyed the warm weather, great views and some fun company.
With lightning travel and meetings in Beijing and Shenzen, we didnt get a lot of time to do much else. Here's a couple of random but interesting photos from my time there.
