The Bukchon hanok village is a popular tourist destination in Seoul. Located in an elevated area between the Gyeongbok and Changdeok Palaces, it has some obvious old-world appeal. Hanoks are traditional Korean houses. Since the vast majority of people in Seoul live in apartments, hanoks (or houses in general) are uncommon in this area. (True hanoks aren't common in other parts of South Korea, but I have seen many modernized versions of them in less urban areas. Waegwan had many, and several traditional as well.) As Seoul was rapidly expanding in the past, many of the old-style homes were torn down to make way for the new high rises. While this brought great wealth to the ones selling their property, most of the traditional culture was lost. The Bukchon village is a preservation area of sorts. Many of the hanoks are hotels or restaurants, though some are actual residences. I wandered around the area for a couple of hours to see what I could see. Having spent almost two years living and traveling the more rural parts of South Korea, this wasn't as exciting to me. However, if Seoul is your main reference point for Korea, this is a great place to visit to get an idea of non-Seoul life. In the area are numerous cultural experience programs; I didn't look into any of them. The tourist information office, a short walk from the subway exit, had English guide maps and English speaking staff that were helpful. The area is also close by Insa-dong, one of my favorite shopping areas in Seoul.
After wandering around, I stepped into a coffee cafe to warm up and relax for a bit. It was called 4M (also forum) and it was awesome! They had a beanbag area set up for lounging, tables and chairs of course, and adirondack chairs facing the floor to ceiling windows. I sat in these comfy chairs and enjoyed my drink!
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| Cozy! |
