missing korea : January 18 2025

we are here in ikebukuro, the land of sunshine. (it just happened that there is a mall in ikebukuro called sunshine city, nothing more really.) but really look at that, today was a sunshiny day. it has been a while really.

we passed by animate, a major hub for anime, games, and everything digital. today, there happened to be a very long queue outside the building. it was for the opportunity to take pictures of these 5 guys, your online boyfriends. yes, this was for an online game. apparently, many people were into virtual boyfriends now.

hongdae pocha

this unassuming little entrance just across animate was the portal to korea. this little door leading downstairs was the little haven to hongdae.

the entrance was filled with different flavors of soju, that clear alcoholic drink. designed in a heart, koreans must really love their alcohol.

inside was the typical circular tables and stools, very reminiscent of korean dining. this is the korean version of izakaya, not really for formal dining but more designated for drinking. we came here for the food though, drinking at lunch time was just a bit weird.

and the food is finally here! we had all you can eat samgyupsal, fried or grilled pork to be wrapped in lettuce and mixed with other flavorings. of course you can directly eat the cooked meat on its own, but i guess it is better to wrap it in vegetables at least. that all you can eat meal was for 90 minutes and costs 2000 yen or around 13 us dollars.

as an ender, we had shrimp cheese chijimi or korean pancakes. in korea though, they call this dish pajeon. i'm just not sure how that happened but yes it is the same dish.

it is best if you come here for a drink! the food goes well with alcohol.

i just had to take a picture of this light too. so so dramatic.

pokemon center

since we are here in ikebukuro, might as well take a short trip to the pokemon center. they had this very pretty painting on display. and of course plushies all around. my pokemon addiction was satiated for a bit.

oden festival

this had nothing to do with me missing korea but later that night, i came to ueno for a short walk. i saw this man in full costume, seemed to be stretching. will he be performing? there was a stage a few meters ahead but i was still not sure what the event was. the curious me had to go and check it out.

it was an oden festival, a japanese comfort food usually served in the winter. it is not really a specific food, but more like the way how it was prepared. oden can be any type of food which was boiled in this flavored broth. apparently, different parts of japan had different types of oden and they all came in here for this festival. japanese sake or rice wine was also on display, and they were also from different parts of japan. japane really knows how to deal with the cold. some good warm food and sake combination will make you forget the cold for sure. and there were so many people in there. it is the most non-foreign crowd i have ever seen in a festival in ueno park. it was cold that day so i can't really blame them as well.

that is all for now folks.

as always, AMPING KANUNAY!

_{all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified}

^{all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra}

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

18/01/2025

18164

Chasing Pokemons, Daily Activity, Photowalking, Walking

Height 168.0 cm		Weight 71.3 kg		Body Fat %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm