If I haven’t already talked to you about it, my trip was excellent. A few things came to mind that I wanted to jot down. So if you’ve never been to Japan, or Korea, and wondered what’s cool, what’s not, read on. This is all obviously just based on my completely subjective anecdotal observations.

The food

Japan: Honestly, I couldn’t get really into Japanese food. Admittedly, I’m not a seafood fan which does reduce the eating opportunities, but Japanese food just tasted a little bland to me. My favorite place I found was a curry shop off the Komagone stop in Tokyo that had curry spiciness in 10 different levels. But you could only try level 6 and above if you successfully ate the level 5 spiciness curry. I went for the level 4 curry. It was indeed pretty darn spicy. I might’ve struggled with level 5. I’m really curious about the level 10 spiciness. I did appreciate the food in the convenience stores though. It’s nothing great, but it tastes better and is probably healthier than the hot dogs and stuff you find in the convenience stores here (although there doesn’t seem to be any live food preparation like at a Wawa).

Korea: There’s plenty of Korean food I don’t eat… like any sort of shellfish, or the staple kimchi, but I’m a much bigger fan of Korean food in general. Just seems tastier, and has an appropriate amount of spiciness. I also think there’s a little more variety with Korean food compared to Japanese food. Additionally, eateries are all over the place in Korea and generally really cheap. I’d say you could eat in Korea, on average, for half the cost compared to Japan. On the down side, I was sad to see that the pojangmachas have pretty much become extinct. Apparently there’s been some new regulations against scattering out on the sidewalks. This is probably a good thing for public order. But a sad day for culture and general drunkenness.

The scenery

Really, there’s no contest here. IMO, there’s almost nothing to see in Korea. I’ve spent a couple months there in the past and been to a good number of the major tourist areas: the various spots in Seoul, Gyeongju, Jeju Island, Nami Island, and none of them compare to the stuff you can see in Japan. Japan obviously has Kyoto, which is the most beautiful city I’ve seen and a place you can probably get lost in for a month, but even in concrete jungles like Tokyo, there’s spots you can get away and experience a totally different vibe. Not to mention all little farm towns, and smaller cities in between. There’s something to see just about everywhere. Korea also falls victim to the widespread infection of the ugliest apartment towers I’ve ever seen. Purely functional, no aesthetic. Sort of like the people pods in the Matrix.

After seeing Japan, I’ve become convinced that prominent space for public parks (and not golf courses) are necessary to be a truly healthy, cosmopolitan city. And they need to be centrally located. Think like Rittenhouse Square, but about 20 times bigger. I know we have Fairmount Park, but it is too damn far out of the way.

The fashion

Japanese fashion looks a lot more interesting and has more unique niches compared to Korean fashion. Korean fashion is fairly similar to US fashion, maybe a little more unisex style with the guys fashion, and all that exists in Japan too, but they have many more extreme fashion niches (think Harajuku) that you’d be hard pressed to find in Korea. Also, everything in Japan is super cute, so girls’ fashion is more eye appealing better. And unlike the boring, conservative, business casual skirts that are so popular in the US, there’s no skirt too short, fluffy or frilly for the Japanese (skirts should taper out not in!). Some women do wear pants and jeans, but I’d put the pants vs. skirt split at 50/50 in Japan, whereas it’s like 85/15 in Korea and 90/10 in the US. This is a war that can be won.

On the plus side for both Japan and Korea, I wear a medium there vs. a small or X-small in the US. So I can wear whatever I find vs. here where I end up buying everything online. Man, I should’ve bought more clothes while I was out there. Pricewise, it’s probably equivalent to what’s in Philly. Although blazers can be found much cheaper. I’m looking forward to the event that I can wear the white blazer I bought.

English

You may be surprised to learn that the Japanese are terrible at English. I’m not just talking about pronunciation, but they just flat out don’t understand (or at least claim to). I know they study English in school up through high school, but apparently no one’s paying attention. I’d say on average 8 of the 10 people I met spoke no English. The other two might have spoken it, but at a very basic level. On a whole, I can count on one hand the number of people I encountered who spoke “good” English. On the other hand, people in Korea are generally surprisingly good at English (especially the younger people). This is because not only do they study English in school, but many of them also receive private English tutoring. Yeah, that’s one of the benefits of being the Israel of Asia.

On the flip side, the romanization of the Japanese language is consistent and is pretty close to the native pronunciation. But the romanization of Korean doesn’t make sense to me a lot of times. I think that at least 30% of the time, the romanization sounds significantly different from the actual Korean pronunciation. To the point where if someone read the English to me, and I read the actual Korean, I’d think they were talking about completely different things.

Subways

Subways in Japan and Korea are so much better than anything I’ve rode in the states (especially SEPTA). The disparity is depressing. The Japanese and Korean subways are super clean, fast and punctual. They’re relatively cheap, and the fare system is easy to understand. The trains themselves are modern, clean and useful. You hear the original language then the English translation. There’s also LCD screens showing you where you are, what the next stops are, and how long it takes to get there. Japan gets the nod, because all of its subway stations, even the little crappy ones, have coin lockers for usage. They’re a little harder to find in the Korean subways.

On the downside, I thought crowded SEPTA buses were crowded, but then I got caught in a Japanese human tidal wave one morning, where literally everyone files in to the train and it becomes one massive gelatinous mosh pit. No one holds on to anything (because they can’t), and everyone just sways in unison. Then when the train stops, everyone pushes their way out. I ended up crowd surfing out at one stop against my will and having to scramble back into the train. But I only noticed this during rush hour though, so it’s avoidable.

The Japanese have the art of looking busy in a train down to a T. Cell phones, Nintendo DS, PSPs, iPods, sleeping. You won’t see one person not doing one of those things. In fact, after 7pm, about 50% of the people on the train will probably be nodding off.

Presentation

The Japanese attention to detail in the way they present things is unparalleled. From the way food is arranged on a plate (they can make hamburgers look like king’s feasts), to the fine stitching and patterns on a gothic lolita dress, to the way the trees, bridges and waterways are laid out in a garden, everything looks remarkable.

The girls

Well…I think the Japanese look pretty similar to the Koreans and vice versa (although the Koreans will vehemently tell you otherwise, and maybe the Japanese will too)… Korean girls I think have slightly rounder faces. Japanese girls, I swear had slightly higher pitched, cuter voices. They are also a little shorter and skinnier than Korean girls (who are on the low end of the BMI scale themselves). Actually, Koreans in general (guys included) seem to be bigger than the Japanese. Most of the Japanese people were built like me. But in Korea, the people are a little bit taller, and a little bit thicker. But anyway, back to what I was talking about. +1 to the Japanese, because cute skirts > any type of clothing with pant legs. +1 to the Koreans, because I can understand what they say (illiteracy is not sexy). +1 to the Japanese, because 90% of them were shorter than me. +1 to the Koreans, because the cutest girl I met was Korean. So… what was I talking about again? Oh yeah, I know what’s up. I’m going to take the diplomatic route and say something generic like, “everyone’s a winner.” Uh huh.

Pedestrians, Bikers and Cars

Korea: Lots of pedestrians, lots of cars, few bikers

Japan: Lots of pedestrians, fewer cars, lots of bikers

In Japan, everyone obeys traffic lights. In Kyoto, I noticed crowds of people waiting for the green walking man symbol on streets that were literally 5 feet wide. I could’ve jumped across the street. But yet they waited until that light turned green. Also, this is remarkable, but the bikers, who are actually all over the place (and include grandmas, people in business suits, and just about anyone from any demographic), actually will stop and yield for pedestrians (they also obey the traffic signals). A society where biker doesn’t equate to dumb asshole. I never thought I would seen the day. But it was awesome. Also of note: 99% of the bikes in Japan look like they came right out of the 60′s. I don’t know if that’s the style. They all look like the old Schwinn bikes. And they’re all made by companies I had no clue made bikes: Hummer? Bridgestone? I had no clue.

Traffic in Korea sucks. I’m sure traffic in Japan can suck too, but traffic in Korea is perpetually bad. The problem is, you can get around in Japan easily without a car. But it’s a lot harder in Korea (in terms of getting from city to city). And in Korea, in addition to backups on major roads, every side street is a two way road, with parking on both sides… except the streets are only about 15 feet wide. So 9 times out of 10, you’ll be driving down the road and someone will pull in ahead of you, driving the opposite way, and one of you will have to either pull off to the side or get in reverse, so the other can get by first. This has been the case since forever. They really need to regulate this better.

Chubbiness in Korea is on the rise

In both Japan and Korea, I can count the number of obese people I saw on one hand (or maybe two). But I was a little disappointed at how many chubby younger people I saw in Korea compared to when I was there last (2002). Obesity doesn’t seem to be a problem, but chubbiness seems to be on the rise. I didn’t notice this as much in Japan, which is remarkable because 1 out of every 3 stores there is a bakery, ice cream store, or cafe.

Shopping

Japan has a million stores, but only 5 different kinds: the major, international department store, the bakery/ice cream store/cafe, the cultural tchotchke shop, the convenience store, the restaurant. And I’m pretty sure all the culture tchotchke shops engage in price fixing, because they all sell the same stuff at the same exact prices. Somewhere out there there’s a yakuza boss running the tchotchke racket.

Korea has less international department stores (although more Korean-centric department stores), less bakery/ice cream store/cafes, very few cultural tchotchke shops, and fewer convenience stores, but about 20x the number of restaurants. It’s always been this way. Like I mentioned, good food is plentiful and cheap. Outside of the restaurants, shopping can be a little intimidating in Korea, because you can haggle just about everywhere. If you pay the price on the tag, you’ve probably paid too much.

Cleanliness

It amazes me that Japan is as clean as it is, because it can be a challenge to even find a trash can. The only surefire places you’ll find one are outside convenience stores and on subway platforms. Otherwise… get used to carrying around your trash. Meanwhile, the other day I saw someone on Broad Street throw a banana peel on the ground when he walked right by a trash can. I considered pushing him in front of oncoming traffic for a second.

Korea is also pretty clean, most definitely cleaner than Philly or New York, but not quite as clean as Japan. The massive amounts of smog from the car traffic really hurts. On the plus side, it’s a little easier to find trash cans in Korea.

So in terms of cleanliness rankings it goes like this:

• Kyoto
• Any Japanese city not named Tokyo
• A Japanese farmhouse
• Tokyo
• Any Korean city not named Seoul
• Any Japanese public restroom not in Tokyo
• Seoul
• My house
• Rittenhouse Square
• Any Korean public restroom
• Any Tokyo public restroom
• Times Square
• The rest of Philadelphia
• Mr. Hanky
• Any SEPTA station

Bathrooms

Well, the public bathrooms in Japan are clean like I mentioned, but one thing I hated was that paper towel dispensers or air dryers were about as rare as trash cans. It was really annoying. And surprisingly unhygenic for a society where 15% of the people walk around with masks on their faces. But on the bright side, public restrooms were very plentiful, which meant I got to traverse subways that didn’t smell like piss. Meanwhile, in Korea, dryers and paper towels were plentiful, although public restrooms themselves are slightly less prevalent.

On the other hand, “Japanese” or “Korean” style toilets gross me out (you’ll see distinctions between “American” style toilets and “Japanese” style toilets). They’re basically flushable holes in the ground. I suppose they might be more sanitary since your butt wouldn’t touch anything, but I tried to not even look at them.

Showers

In Japan and Korea, the bathroom itself is a shower. There might be a tub, and there might be a shower curtain separating the toilet from the shower, but you’d consider it to be one unified item.

I used to be bothered by this, but now I think that it’s not a bad idea. Especially because there’s a drain for the shower, but there’s also a drain on the floor of the bathroom. What’s the big deal about that? Well, after having to clean my bathroom for the past several years, I think it’d be much easier (and more effective) if I didn’t have to bother wiping anything and rather just hose everything down and just let all the water drain out. I’ll have to keep this in mind for the future.

Pigeons

In case you were wondering (and why wouldn’t you), the pigeons in Japan and Korea look just like the pigeons in the US. If anything, they use their wings a little more, but they’re still the same lazy birds.

Final verdict

Both places are cool places to visit. But if you had to pick one to visit, you should visit Japan, just because there’s so much more to see (I probably saw only 1/2 of what I wanted, and didn’t even venture down to the southern or northern areas).