Whatever images might come up when we think of Japan, Toyotas, Nikon cameras, Sony TVs and Sushi, the beautiful and mysterious Geishas should be included. When Monika said she wanted to go to Japan to see the Snow Monkeys, I immediately imagined going to spa and having a nice massage by a Geisha. Well, that idea was quickly blown out of the water.

The misconception of the Geisha image comes from the period of the Allied Occupation of Japan when “Geisha girls” were Japanese women who worked as prostitutes (not entertainers). They almost exclusively serviced American GIs stationed in the country who referred to them as “Geesha girls”, a mispronunciation. These women dressed in kimonos and imitated the look of a real Geisha. Many Americans unfamiliar with the Japanese culture could not tell the difference between legitimate geishas and these costumed performers. Shortly after their arrival in 1945, some occupying American GIs are said to have congregated in Ginza, a district of Cjuo in central Tokyo and shouted, “We want geesha girls! “We want geesha girls! Eventually, the term “geisha girl” became a general word for any female Japanese prostitute. This is largely responsible for the continuing misconception in the West that all geishas are engaged in prostitution.

A Geika (Geisha) is a highly respected traditional Japanese female entertainer

In fact, a Geisha (the correct name is actually “Geika”) is a highly respected traditional Japanese female entertainer who acts as a hostess and whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music, the traditional tea ceremony, dance, games and conversation, mainly to entertain male customers. She doesn’t do massages nor anything like it. A Geisha may gracefully flirt with her (often infatuated) guests but she will always remain in control of the hospitality. Over her years of apprenticeship as a Maiko she learns to adapt to different situations and personalities, mastering the art of the hostess. Modern Geishas still live in traditional okiya (Geisha houses) in areas called hanamachi or “flower towns”, particularly during their apprenticeship.

Years in training to master the art of a perfect Hostess

Presenting my personal Geisha (Monika). I thought about renting her out, but she couldn’t sing nor play cards in Japanese.

The Geishas’ dress, makeup and hairstyle are very complicated and highly stylized, and change as a Geisha moves through the stages of training, starting at a very early age. Simply applying the classic Geisha makeup can take over an hour before the multilayered kimonos are put on.

During festivities wearing Kimonos is popular in Japan

On the street, especially during festivals times like New Year, many young women either buy or rent beautiful kimonos and parade with their friends around the popular social centers but we actually saw women of all ages wearing kimonos on the Emperor’s birthday and at the beautiful Minazmiza theater’s Kabuki performance we attended Christmas Eve.

Monika decides to become a Geisha

To take the image to a personal level, Monika decided to become a Geisha, well, sort of. Of course, I had to become a Samurai too, well, sort of. They forgot to give me the sword. The professional makeover and outfitting took over an hour and the results were quite surprising. In the end, I seriously thought of renting Monika out but she couldn’t sing nor play cards in Japanese. Oh well. I was still hoping for a massage. That never happened either. We ate Sushi instead.

With The Turtle V safely on its way back to California, we had a little time to burn. One of the countries we had always been interested in visiting was Japan. Being so close to South Korea it was easy to take the overnight ferry to Osaka and the “bullet train” to Kyoto.

The Bullet Train

We give Japan thumbs up!

According to Wikipedia, Japanese are the sixth largest Asian American group in the US at roughly 1,304,286, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity. Southern California has the largest Japanese-American population in North America. Hard working and industrious, they are an integral part of our American culture. In their own country they form an exciting and totally unique culture, much different than we might have imagined just because they make Toyotas and Hondas.

Reputation has it that Japan is extremely expensive to travel in. Our current Lonely Planet guide suggested that if you don’t mind eating noodles once in a while and keep away from five-star hotels, Japan is not cheap but quite affordable.

Guesthouses in Kyoto

The first guesthouse we stayed at was very traditional, with the bathroom downstairs requiring careful negotiation of something close to a chicken ladder. Our room was covered with grass mats. No chair, no table, and the beds were rather thin futons, an interesting experience. Soon we would move to a western-style apartment. OK, so we’re soft.

We loved this cute drinking fountain at a local open market place.

While the public transportation system was excellent, traffic congestion often made it slower than walking. The other option was the uncountable number of taxicabs, mostly black and polished as if they were going to a car show. The drivers wore snappy hats, white gloves, coat and tie, and looked more like private limousine drivers.

Minamiza Theater

We attended the beautiful Minamiza theater for the opening Kabuki performance of the season. Many of the actors were very famous throughout Japan.

On Christmas Eve we treated ourselves to the opening of the Kabuki season of the popular Minamiza Theater. While the costumes and actors were, ahhh—, interesting, everything was in Japanese so I think I may have missed parts of the four-hour performance. Quite surprisingly, during the lengthy intermission, most people popped out their little lunch boxes and chopsticks and enjoyed dinner right in their seats.

 Geisha District

Strolling through the dark streets of the Geisha District after the performance, (more about that later), we always felt totally safe. The nighttime colors of fountains and canals were beautiful.

Coming to the End of a Great Adventure is always a little sad. We headed south toward the megapolis of Busan. With a growing population of 3.6 million, we had no reason to drive into the city center, and in any case, we probably would not have found a parking place for The Turtle V. Aside from being the only city in the World with an United Nations Cemetery (see South Korea Blog 2), perhaps the most interesting claim to fame in the records of Busan is that on October 2, 1274, Kublai Khan, the grandson of Genghis Khan and the head of the Mongol Yuan dynasty, felt that Japan would be easy to subdue. With over 20,000 Mongol troops on board 900 ships sailing out of Busan Bay, the attempt to conquer Japan was a failure.

One last night in The Turtle V in South Korea

The tiny fishing harbor offered us a peaceful view on this final morning while drinking coffee.

We continued west to the Port of Masan from where our expedition truck would be loaded for its journey home to the Port of Long Beach, California. We spent our last night in The Turtle V camped on a wharf in a small fishing village overlooking the glassy waters of the East Sea. In the morning, fishermen were busy hauling in their catch and tending the numerous abalone beds in the bay. By parking in front of a small café we had Internet connections. This morning we tackled the job of preparing the truck for its homeward voyage. It basically involves removing anything that can be easily stolen like our PIAA auxiliary driving lights and the front Total Vision camera. The cab was emptied of easily pilfered items and all doors were double locked except the driver’s side.

Propane Tanks

It’s Christmas time in South Korea.

Propane tanks were turned off and the propane compartment was double locked. We had learned from discussions with customs agents that many ports and shipping companies require propane bottles to be emptied and purged. However these pertain primarily to those big visible tanks mounted on the outside of motor homes and trailers. Our twin Manchester tanks are locked in a vented compartment so the question never even arises.

Busan, Chinese Quarter

Playful art in Busan.

Dropping the truck off and double-checking all the paperwork was a pretty quick process set up days before by Wendy Choi, Aero International Co., Ltd. (wendy@aerointl.kr). Suddenly we were tourists on foot. Fortunately Korea has excellent transportation systems so it was a quick ride back to Busan where we would spend a couple of nights in a cute hotel in the Chinese Quarter, waiting to make absolutely sure there were no problems with shipping. This gave us time to do some last minute shopping, wander around town like real tourists and sample some more of Korea’s interesting cuisine. We still resisted the overpriced snow crabs.

The End of a Great Adventure, almost!

A farewell photo just in case the ship sinks.

With confirmation that the TARAGO freighter of the Wallenius Wilhemsen shipping line was headed east toward California, we hopped on the Panstar ferry for the overnight trip to Osaka, Japan, a country that had long been on Monika’s bucket list. If we didn’t do anything else, we had to see Kyoto and the Snow Monkeys.

A Snapshot of Modern Busan

Markets. Yes, we’re market junkies, and we’ve seen some pretty interesting markets in the last couple of years, but really, the people in China and Mongolia and now in Korea, well, they eat things we really don’t have names for. Of course they have the regular stuff like chicken, beef & pork and vegetables. And then the rather unusual things like dog meat. (We couldn’t tell whether it was an Irish Setter or a Golden Lab.) Actually, the primary breed raised in dog farms for meat consumption is the Nureongi and differs from those breeds raised for domestic pets. There is a large and vocal group of Korean people that are against the practice of eating dog meat but BBC claims that 8,500 tons of dog meat are consumed per year, with another 93,600 tons used to produce a medicinal tonic called Gaesoju.

Various heaps of brined seafood were ready for customers.

There were plenty of grains of all kinds including various types of rice. Spices galore in case you want to make your own kimchi. There was even one lady selling fresh pressed sesame seed oil.

So after the chicken, the dog meat and the pork you get to the fish market. Amazing in a word. We’re pretty familiar with fish but there were a lot that we had never seen before. Dried fish, salted fish, fresh fish, cooked fish, snails, clams, mussels, and that’s not to mention squid. It was squid season and trawlers went out at night with long strings of high-powered lights that attract the squid.

December is Squid Season

Big squid! Thousands, no, maybe hundreds of thousands of squid. What do you do with a hundred thousand fresh squid? Calamari? Spread them out on the cement pads. Keep them doused with fresh seawater so they don’t die on you, and package them up quickly to get to the market. We were not really sure where they went but obviously, some people in Korea and other countries really must like fresh squid.

We have absolutely no idea what this delicacy was nor how it’s eaten.

It was afternoon by the time we finished being amazed at all the fish and clams and other critters. Food stands were selling all sorts of deep-fried fish. That’s when we spotted the huge tanks full of King Crab or Snow Crab, basically the same thing. Grab one for lunch we thought? We took a closer look and picked out a nice fat specimen from the live fish tanks. We’ve seen Alaskan King Crab legs in the local supermarket in California at an astounding $18 a pound, so we figured here in Korea, with the tanks packed with thousands of them, they might be a little cheaper. Not! The crab we picked out and had weighed would set us back about $132. Of course for that price they cook it, prepare it for you and give you the tools to open up the legs. It’s served with a variety of small dishes including the famous kimchi. We sort of choked at the price and went looking for something more reasonable. The next time I see Alaskan King Crab legs in the supermarket for less than $18 a pound I’ll buy a few and think it’s cheap.

The Clock is ticking

The clock was ticking down so we headed to Busan and the port Masan from where The Turtle V would be loaded onto a “Ro-Ro” and shipped back to California. We still had packing and preparations to do; taking off all the lights and anything else that might be stolen in transit, perhaps an unnecessary precaution. Our truck would not fit in a container. A “Ro-Ro” (Roll-on, Roll-off) is simply a giant oceangoing ferry/freighter. No passengers allowed. With a couple of weeks to spend before The Turtle V would be arriving in Long Beach, we headed for Japan. Kyoto and the Snow Monkeys! More on that soon.

If there is one thing that makes travel in foreign countries exciting it’s the food, and Korea has some of the most interesting dishes we had experienced in the 22 countries we crossed to this point. We always like to taste local cuisine. In Korea it’s easy. Just walking down the street, restaurants had their menus posted outside. Now at first glance, most of the things in the pictures did not look particularly appetizing to our eyes. In some cases they looked more like bait than food.

How to order food in a South Korean restaurant?

Point at a photo.

Finding a menu that was tempting, (we couldn’t read a word of it), we went inside and were graciously seated at a table. Being unaccustomed to sitting on the floor with our legs crossed, we sometimes opted for a restaurant with chairs and tables. We pointed on the menu to the photo of the dish we thought looked good and from there it went to the kitchen. Everything was scrupulously clean.

The waiter brought a large wok and a propane heating plate. He then prepared the dish stirring and mixing all the spices and ingredients together.

Once we ordered a grilled mackerel. It came accompanied by a variety of small dishes and a plate of Kimchi. Kimchi is a national Korean dish consisting of fermented Chinese cabbage, chili peppers, vegetables, garlic, ginger, and a salted fish sauce. Health Magazine has cited Kimchi as one of the world’s five “healthiest foods”, with the claim that it is rich in vitamins, aids digestion, and may even prevent cancer. We tried several versions but never found one that we really liked. It’s an acquired taste.

Back at our table, in a few minutes the waiter brought a large wok and a propane heating plate. He then prepared the dish stirring and mixing all the spices and ingredients together. By now it looked nothing like the photo we pointed to, but it smelled great and tasted even better. The aroma of seaweed, ginger and chilies was enticing. If it was a soup type dish they gave us spoons. Otherwise we were stuck with chopsticks. I (Gary) would probably raise a smile from the waiter if I brought in my own fork but it’s not a bad idea.

Sampling tempting Street Food

Our new friend Nam Hee-Jong, the Traditional National Guardsman, offered to show us Andong’s market and then he invited us to a fabulous traditional luncheon. We were so fortunate. He spoke excellent English and was able to answer our many questions.

For just a snack, the streets were teeming with fast food stands. We found everything from French fried sweet potatoes to hot dogs on a stick to something like an omelet cooked in a seaweed broth. There were some unique desserts like “Strowberry Amond” or “Bapple Cinnamon” Waffles. Never mind the funny spelling. For dessert, the little custard-filled puffballs were delicious.

Soju – the popular Korean alcoholic drink

We visited the nationally famous Soju distillery in Andong to taste their 90 proof wine. It costs more than 20 times the price of the similar Soju we could find in every little corner grocery store.

By far the most popular Korean alcoholic drink is Soju. There are many different varieties from a light rice wine to vodka-like liquor. We did visit the nationally famous Soju distillery in Andong that produces a version using traditional methods and typically running 90 to 100 proof. With its government protection/regulation seal, it commands more than 20 times the price of the light Soju every little corner grocery store sells. Feeling a little homesick, we found an occasional bottle of California wine in the popular chain of “7-Eleven” stores. (There are 7,064 7-Eleven stores in South Korea).

Since we do most of our own cooking, we headed for the open market. After all, that’s where the food comes from. More on that in the next blog.

A light dusting of snow left no doubt that winter was on the way. Our Espar Airtronic heater kept the camper warm and toasty. We waved goodbye to the mask carvings outside Hahoe Village and proceeded to the nearby city of Andong to visit the Andong Folk Museum to learn more about the region’s unique traditional and cultural history. We found a fabulous collection of over 7000 artifacts and several displays with life-size figures that really gave us a great feeling of how people dressed as they performed the tasks of their traditional lives such as funeral rites and weddings.

Andong Folk Museum

Adjacent to the parking lot for the museum there was another display of old traditional homes. When the Andong Dam was created in 1976, the resulting lake would have submerged many cultural relics. Instead of leaving them to an underwater grave, the buildings and historical artifacts were moved to the museum’s outdoor space to create a park and the Andong Folk Village. Unlike the Folk Village of Hahoe, these homes were just on display. No one lived in them.

The Yechon Bow of Korea

Nam Hee-Jong demonstrates his Yechon bow. He is a member of the Traditional Military Honor Guard.

Walking back to the parking lot where we had camped for the night, we stopped to watch a gentleman practicing his archery. After letting us try a few shots ourselves with the unique Korean bow, strung a little lighter for tourists, Nam Hee-Jong demonstrated how easy it was to hit the bull’s-eye every time.

We learned that there are three main kinds of bows used in archery in the United States and Europe: the re-curve bow, the compound bow, and the straight bow. To these we can add the Yechon bow of Korea. The keratin bows made in Yechon have long been standard for hunting, archery, and we might presume, for battle. Unlike most present bows that are made of wood and fiberglass, the artisans in Yechon during the Joseon Dynasty developed advanced techniques to make bows from a combination of wood, animal horns and tendons. In the final stage, the craftsmen grafted the bow with the thin inner bark of the white cherry tree. The core of the bow consisted of several layers of wood and horn that had been laminated. Fish air bladders were used as glue. Three kinds of wood, (bamboo, oak, mulberry), and cattle tendons were produced locally. Water buffalo horns were imported.

The Traditional Military Honor Guard

Nam Hee-Jong was a master in the sword discipline.

In talking with Nam Hee-Jong we discovered that he was a member of the Traditional Military Honor Guard who protects the president and performs official duties. This sector of the Korean military practices four disciplines: bow & arrow, various swords, fist & kick and riding horses. He offered to show us some of his talents. The swords he twirled as he leaped and danced in the demonstration courtyard were razor sharp.

Faster than the eye could even follow, he sliced off sections of very tough 2” bamboo, spinning around to whisk off a second or third piece. We could easily imagine that in a real battle these swords could lop off a man’s arm or head in an instant. He also demonstrated a different kind of blade called a “pole weapon”. It too was as sharp as a razor but weighing some 20 pounds. We watched as he impressively twirled around, clipping off pieces of the bamboo, sometimes catching the cut sections in midair and slicing them in half again.

Moonshine Bridge

As an Asian dusk spread across the sky we strolled over the Wolryeong (Moonshine) Bridge, the longest wooded bridge in Korea.

Back on the modern highways we were still adjusting to the polite drivers and European-style tunnels and tollgates. Only the occasional memorial grave markers near villages where neat rice fields spread out toward a blue East Sea (Sea of Japan) and the bilingual road signs reminded us where we were. Passing a Starbucks or a Baskin Robbins ice-cream parlor would bring a smile, but no feeling of homesickness. While South Korea boasts the highest Internet speed in the world, some of their wiring did make us wonder.

You better use this one. ET might be lurking in the cave!

Without a doubt, South Korea has more clean public toilets than any other country in the world, including United States and Western Europe. In London for example, I can’t tell you the number of cups of coffee we ordered at cafés just to use the restroom. In South Korea, public bathrooms are everywhere, and we don’t mean the dirty slit trenches we found in China. We’re talking about real ultramodern toilets. Some even had heated toilet seats, a feature you could get used to. Others had the modern butt washers and warm air dryers. Some played classical music as you entered. Yeah really! Others had special seats to strap your child in while you did your business or a miniature toilet or urinal for little kids. Sometimes you could push a button to play a rushing water sound so the person next to you wouldn’t be bothered by your, well you know what it means. It served to remind us that we were back in “civilization”.

Without a doubt, South Korea has more clean public toilets than any other country in the world, including United States and Western Europe. In London for example, I can’t tell you the number of cups of coffee we ordered at cafés just to use the restroom. In South Korea, public bathrooms are everywhere, and we don’t mean the dirty slit trenches we found in China. We’re talking about real ultramodern toilets. Some even had heated toilet seats, a feature you could get used to. Others had the modern butt washers and warm air dryers. Some played classical music as you entered. Yeah really! Others had special seats to strap your child in while you did your business or a miniature toilet or urinal for little kids. Sometimes you could push a button to play a rushing water sound so the person next to you wouldn’t be bothered by your, well you know what it means. It served to remind us that we were back in “civilization”.

A 12th Century Mask Dance Drama

Jung, the fallen monk is one of the characters in this 12th century play.

Before we left the historic Folk Village of Hahoe, we had to take time to see the famous Mask Dance Drama called Hahoe Pyolshin-Gut Tal-nori, handed down by lower-class people since the middle of the 12^th century. Village rituals were performed to appease the local goddess and drive away the evil spirits or to ensure much happiness and a good harvest for the village.

During the Summer, the play is held in an outdoor amphitheater but being December, we were sitting on the floor of a small auditorium. Tal-nori is one of four parts of the Pyolshin-Gut drama and portrays the conflicting relationship between Yangban (ruling class) and Sangmin (ruled class).

Testicles anyone?

To everone’s amusement, the old widow Halmi wanted to sell the audience the dead bull’s testicles.

This dance is made up of 6 episodes with a satirical story of a nobleman, a fallen Buddhist monk and it delineates the joys and sorrows of the ruled people. Musicians play native instruments and singers narrate the dance. In its essence, it allows the commoners of the village to poke fun at their superiors without repercussions since, after all, it is just a play.

Even though the performance was in Korean, it was pretty easy to follow the rather entertaining story. Of course we missed the many punch lines locals were laughing about. Originally 11 masks, only 10 have withstood the passing of time.

Monika’s favorite was Imae, the happy-go-lucky simple minded fool.

When the performance was over and the masks were removed we recognized several gentlemen we had previously met at the rice straw sewing work party. One turned out to be the famous woodcarver Mr. Kim Jong-Heung of the village. (See South Korea Blog 5.)

The Yangban (aristocrat) mask is believed to represent the highest artistic value of the Hahoe masks and has become a popular symbol throughout this part of South Korea. We even saw it on the signs for public restrooms, which, brings up an interesting subject, see our our next blog.

We waved goodbye to the mask carvings outside the parking lot of the Folk Village of Hahoe.

PS. Check out this website for more information on the Hahoe Mask Dance Performance. http://hahoemask.co.kr/board/index.php?doc=english/html/hahoe01.htm

The greeting committees entering the Hahoe Folk Village area.

Driving into the Hahoe Folk village visitor parking area where we would camp for a couple of nights, we noticed some interesting woodcarvings and Korean style “totem poles”.

Mr. Kim Jong-heung had just finished this carving.

We later met the artist, Mr. Kim Jong-heung, who, as it turns out, is quite famous, having presented his works to Queen Elizabeth II on her 73^rd birthday and even to both Presidents Bush.

Throughout Hahoe you stumble upon a variety of interesting wood sculptures. We do not know if Mr. Kim Jong-heung created them all but many seemed to have his subtle creative touches.

He invited us for tea and oven roasted sweet potatoes in his shop. After meeting his family and seeing his many carvings he kindly presented us with the token gift, a smaller version of his large totem poles more suitable for packing in our truck. 

Mr. Kim Jong-heung carefully selected a special carving for us to take home to California.

Adjacent to the visitors’ parking lot we also discovered a fabulous mask museum. The masks were not only from Korea but from all around the world.

Many of the houses in Hahoe had rice straw thatched roofs.

While traveling through South Korea we were constantly reminded of just how modern this country is. Sometimes it was hard to find anything that would be ancient or historic, so we were delighted to stumble upon the Hahoe Folk Village. Located near Andong, Gyeongsangbuk-do, it was established in the 16^th century during the Joseon Dynasty. It has been a one-clan community (the Ryu family) since that time. The village maintains old architectural styles that have been lost elsewhere because of rapid modernization and development in South Korea. Aristocratic tile-roofed residences and thatched-roof servants’ homes allowed us to step back in time. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Rice Straw Thatched Roofs   

Locals were using an interesting rice straw stitching machine to create long rolls of roofing materials.

One of the more interesting things about Hahoe village was the extensive use of rice straw for many of the roofs. Rice is one of the main food crops here, but it seemed almost as important for the continued use of the thatched roofs which must be redone periodically. Once the rice has been harvested, the straw is gathered and stacked in the fields to dry. As we walked around the village through the narrow dirt streets we happened upon a group of men using an interesting sewing machine to gather the rice straw into bundles. As friendly as Koreans are, they invited us to join them for their midday meal and get a closer look at how they were preparing the straw for later use.

And more Kimchi Production

Sort of a mixture of fermented cabbage, chilies and fish, kimchi is stored in clay pots. No Korean meal is complete without kimchi.

Peeking into open doors of private homes, however a private home can be when it’s part of UNESCO world heritage site, we were fascinated by some of the old traditions. Persimmons, cabbage and chilies were being dried and preparations were under way for making kimchi, a staple dish in Korea. We stopped by one dry goods store where they were selling an interesting snack, sort of like an egg omelet or crape on a stick cooked in a seaweed broth and basted with a soy sauce. It was quite tasty on this chilly day.

The Goddess Samsin resides in the 600-year old Zelkova Tree

Monika wrote her wish to the Goddess Samsin who resides in the 600-year old Zelkova Tree behind her.

The Nakdong River flows around Hahoe in an S shape, which gave the village its name: “ha” means river and “hoe” means turning around. Some say, it resembles a lotus flower floating on water. On the highest point in town we found the 600-year old zelkova tree. The Goddess Samsin who resides in the tree is said be in charge of pregnancy and prosperity. You can make a wish by writing it on a small piece of the paper and then when the paper is burned on January 15th, your wish will come true. We asked for a safe trip to Japan and back to California, and time to celebrate Gary’s birthday in Mexico. More on that later.