Tomorrow I will set off on a journey that will take me back to a place that is very special to me. I am going back to Matsumoto, Japan. It has been almost two years to the date since I left my home in the mountains. For me, this isn't just another vacation, it is a journey back to a place that I consider my second home. Some may wonder how I can call it my second home when I live in Seoul and love it here, but the truth is that Matsumoto is a place that is very special in my heart. Having grown up wishing to visit Japan and see what I had heard about from friends, and read about in books, Matsumoto was the first place that I truly experienced everything I had wanted to and more. It was the first time I had truly lived alone, explored new places, learned a new language, met the girl of my dreams, and made wonderful memories that I still think about on an almost daily basis. I loved how I could set out from my house and find new and interesting things around each corner; crystal clear streams, apple orchards, temples and shrines hidden away in the mountains, green rice fields, winding alleys, and people that had gave me a welcoming smile.
I am very happy that Soojeong and I will be able to go back to where we first met and enjoy the things we used to do. Simple days of going on walks, watching movies and talking until late at night, having drinks with friends, and just enjoying life. We are both excited to see some of our old friends and attend the city's biggest festival of the year. I really don't know where life will take me after this year and to be honest, I am not really that worried about it. All I know is that in the future I want to marry Soojeong and travel the world together. No matter where we go and what we end up doing, Matsumoto will always be special to us, and I know that this will not be our last trip there.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
The Long and Winding Road
Soojeong knows that I love the countryside. Being from a small town full of trees, I sometimes find myself craving the smell of a field and large, open (sparsely populated) places. She told me that we were going to take a day trip somewhere outside of Seoul, but wouldn't tell me directly where we were going. We took the train from Seoul and stopped and lunch in a city about 30 minutes away. The town looked really nice and the lunch was good, but that wasn't the last leg of our journey, so we continued on. We caught another train and headed further away from Seoul. The journey to about an hour and a half, but we made it to where she had planned; Kim Yu-Jeong Station.
Kim Yu-Jeong is one of the most celebrated authors in Korean history. The countryside station that is named after him is the only station in all of Korea named after a famous person. When we stepped off that train, the smell of country grasses filled my noise. I had found heaven! The countryside in Korea is very beautiful and green. There are a lot of flowers and scenic views everywhere. We walked from the station to Kim Yu-Jeong's house that has been converted to a museum. It is actually a replica built from his nephew's memory of what it was like. Kim Yu-Jeong wrote about the people of that country town, and many of his famous stories are based of people and places that he actually saw in day to day life. The museum and house were very interesting.
After walking around the museum, we decided that we wanted to walk to Chuncheon, which was a hop, skip, and a jump away. That is what we thought anyway..I was so happy that Soojeong came up with the idea and was all about walking there. Pshh..on the map it just looked like a forty-minute deal at most. Well, we found the highway and just like the kids in Stand By Me, we set off to find what we were looking for. The scenery was great, and the people few and far between. I don't think we walked past a single person on the road walking like us. Forty minutes ended up being a two hour walk to the next station, but regardless of how long it took, or how hot it was, it was a fun day trip that I will not forget.
We hopped another train back to Seoul for a little bit of window shopping and then dinner. It felt good to eat dinner knowing that I had completed my journey and come back without any problems. Soojeong and I plan to head that way again to explore and maybe go rafting down some of the rivers. Our good friend Mars is from Chuncheon, which was our final destination. Time to go back and explore his home city and surrounding mountains.
Kim Yu-Jeong is one of the most celebrated authors in Korean history. The countryside station that is named after him is the only station in all of Korea named after a famous person. When we stepped off that train, the smell of country grasses filled my noise. I had found heaven! The countryside in Korea is very beautiful and green. There are a lot of flowers and scenic views everywhere. We walked from the station to Kim Yu-Jeong's house that has been converted to a museum. It is actually a replica built from his nephew's memory of what it was like. Kim Yu-Jeong wrote about the people of that country town, and many of his famous stories are based of people and places that he actually saw in day to day life. The museum and house were very interesting.
After walking around the museum, we decided that we wanted to walk to Chuncheon, which was a hop, skip, and a jump away. That is what we thought anyway..I was so happy that Soojeong came up with the idea and was all about walking there. Pshh..on the map it just looked like a forty-minute deal at most. Well, we found the highway and just like the kids in Stand By Me, we set off to find what we were looking for. The scenery was great, and the people few and far between. I don't think we walked past a single person on the road walking like us. Forty minutes ended up being a two hour walk to the next station, but regardless of how long it took, or how hot it was, it was a fun day trip that I will not forget.
We hopped another train back to Seoul for a little bit of window shopping and then dinner. It felt good to eat dinner knowing that I had completed my journey and come back without any problems. Soojeong and I plan to head that way again to explore and maybe go rafting down some of the rivers. Our good friend Mars is from Chuncheon, which was our final destination. Time to go back and explore his home city and surrounding mountains.
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