Hello!
This is the Tawawa store manager.
Here’s an account of the afternoon of the second day of my whirlwind succulent-hunting trip to Korea.
For more details, please see the Day 1 blog and the Day 2 morning blog ^ ^
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Monday, May 22, 2023, Afternoon
After visiting two flower markets in Seoul in the morning,
I arrived at the "Nambu Bus Terminal" to head to a suburban town a little further from Seoul, just like yesterday.
By the way, "Nambu Bus Terminal" is pronounced the same way in Korean. (← This will come in handy later!)
My destination is a succulent shop.
To get there, I will take two buses from Seoul: ① an intercity bus and ② a local bus.
First, I bought a ticket for ① the intercity bus at the bus terminal.
It was supposed to go smoothly, but I somehow managed to get it at the counter ^^;
There are also state-of-the-art ticket machines besides the counter, but
even when set to Japanese, English, or Chinese, lol,
I couldn't find the transfer bus stop name in the search results...
So I reluctantly went to the counter.
It's a local bus terminal where you don't see many tourists.
The lady at the counter said she couldn't speak English, so I used three apps (I'll introduce them later) to somehow show her the bus stop name written in Korean on my phone screen to tell her the transfer bus stop.
Payment was also a bit of a hassle.
My credit card issued outside of Korea didn't work (overseas credit cards worked fine in other places), and as I wrote in the Day 1 blog, my NAMANE card, which can be used as a transportation card, also didn't work (T-money cards do work), so I ended up using cash for the first time since arriving in Korea.
There's one more digit in the numbers than in Japan, so I was fumbling with the cash. lol
After finally buying the ticket, I was relieved and hungry.
Eating and drinking are prohibited on Korean buses.
By the way, I was allowed to bring plastic bottles on the bus, but I was told "no" when I tried to bring a plastic cup of coffee with a straw in it, and wasn't allowed on the bus. lol
I had about 20 minutes until the bus departed, so I decided to eat lunch at a food stall-like restaurant inside the terminal.
There were several restaurants, but only Korean menus ^^;
My only option was a restaurant with pictures on the menu. lol
I managed to sit at a table in front of the restaurant, but even though I could see pictures of the food, I couldn't read the menu names...
I guessed a fried rice-like picture and ordered a Korean dish I knew!
"Bibimbap" and then, with my expert finger, "1" ww
My guess was correct!
However, there were different types of bibimbap...
She asked me in Korean, but I understood absolutely nothing.
For now, I said "eun" (yes), and somehow completed my order.
Then I just prayed that it wouldn't be spicy, and watched her stir-fry it on the hot plate right in front of me. I actually can't eat spicy food. lol
Here's the lunch I finally got.
Not spicy at all!!!!
I finished eating quickly and headed to the bus.
Sorry for the irrelevant information, lol
I took a local bus similar to yesterday's, and after about 50 minutes,
I was able to get off at the transfer bus stop!
There's not a single photo.
I noticed that my phone's battery was at 30% on the bus, and when I eagerly tried to charge it with my mobile battery... the mobile battery's charge was also at 0...
So I decided to use the remaining phone battery for taking pictures and live streaming, and wrote down the name of the transfer bus stop and the name of the succulent shop's nearest bus stop in Korean in my notes. lol
I waited for the next local bus at the transfer bus stop, but it didn't come for a while.
A taxi happened to come by, so I took it to save my phone's battery. lol
An incredibly high-tech taxi!
From this experience, I showed the Korean address of the succulent shop, which I had noted on my phone, and arrived at the succulent shop without any problems ~
Payment with a Japanese credit card was also fine.
In the middle of rice paddies where planting had finished, a long greenhouse.
This is today's main event, Mihyang Danyuk.
Both inside and outside the shop were packed with succulents!!!
There's an archive of the LIVE video I streamed with a critically low battery on Instagram Reels, so please check it out if you like ♪
Here are photos of the inside and outside of the greenhouse, taken before the battery died, including things I learned after the video. ↓↓
Outside the greenhouse. These plastic pots are nice~
The plants below are Lovely Rose.
A YouTuber happened to be there, but this is right after entering the store.
Sorry for the photo from behind the register, where I was hiding, lol
The plants for sale are displayed as they were brought in from the farm, in the front of the store and in front of the shop.
Korean pots are also sold there.
Cute. But the price is not cute >_<
Although there are only a few left, the pots currently (6/7) on sale at tawawa's online shop were bought at this succulent shop.
A greenhouse approximately 10 meters wide and 140 meters long.
Not the entire greenhouse is a succulent shop; the front part has plants and pots for sale.
These are probably also for sale? Succulent pots on succulent pots ♡︎
And the back of the greenhouse was a space rented out to individual succulent enthusiasts, a system unique to Korea?
From here are photos of the individual collector's zone ↓↓
It seems that it was possible to purchase them depending on negotiations, but the beauty was more like a pot collection than a plant collection!
I was really drawn to the pot collection at the very front ♡︎
Another shot from a different angle.
I took these photos quickly before my battery died ^^;
Sorry for the blurry images!!
Here it is again ♡︎
Unfortunately, my battery died here...
Now, this shop, not only does it have a wonderful quantity and variety of plants for sale, and even just looking at the collections in the rental spaces is healing, but it actually only accepts individual customers who are residents of Korea.
If you absolutely want to visit on a trip to Korea, please contact tawawa. We were told that there might be room for negotiation if a Japanese retailer contacts them!
However, it takes about an hour and a half by bus from Seoul ^^;
This vast greenhouse was run by a lovely woman in her twenties and her mother, just the two of them.
The young woman used a smartphone app smoothly, so communication was not a problem.
I leisurely chose pots and purchased the last two Black Sabbath seedlings I had been looking for, and left the succulent farm with the carefully packed pots and seedlings in both arms.
By the way, according to the purchasing manager, "The price of Black Sabbath is going up" and "Air Magic Farm, which created Black Sabbath, doesn't even have Black Sabbath" (＞_＜).
To everyone still hoping for Black Sabbath to arrive, please wait...
Now, to return to Seoul.
I walked about 5 minutes from the shop to the bus stop, then took a local bus to the bus stop where I would transfer to an intercity bus.
The transfer bus stop was just like any other bus stop, with no landmarks, and unlike the buses in Seoul, the local bus had no English announcements, so before my phone battery died, I showed the driver the name of the transfer bus stop I had written down in Korean and conveyed with gestures, 'Please tell me when to get off here!' lol
I successfully got off at the transfer bus stop.
Thank goodness!
Before long, an intercity bus arrived.
This time, I confidently told the driver "Nambu Bus Terminal!" and touched my NAMANE card to complete the payment.
With that, it was confirmed that I could safely return to Seoul. I was relieved, lol
By the way.
I get severe motion sickness.
I get sick on Japanese buses too, but I got sick immediately on Korean buses, lol
I'm sorry to say this, but it seems many drivers drive roughly.
Not just buses.
I only rode intercity buses twice, but sudden braking, honking, and not slowing down on bumpy roads... seemed normal.
Well then.
Even with motion sickness, I safely returned to Seoul in the evening ^ ^
From here on, it's completely unrelated to succulents, just a bonus travelogue, lol
After deciding on this trip, I contacted a Korean friend living in Seoul whom I hadn't seen in 10 years, and we made plans to meet that night.
I rushed back to the hotel and quickly charged my phone and mobile battery, lol
Our reunion after 10 years took place at "Starfield COEXMALL," a huge mall in the Gangnam area.
Nearest stations: Samseong Station (Subway Line 2), Bongeunsa Station (Subway Line 9)
From Samseong Station on Line 2, head towards exits 5 and 6, and it's directly connected to the mall.
This mall has about 300 stores, a cinema, and an aquarium, and there are also casinos and department stores nearby.
I read that in guidebooks and such, but without looking at any stores,
I enjoyed a 10-year reunion conversation, and for now, decided to go get dinner before the stores closed.
Oh, the conversation was in Japanese, lol
(Photo borrowed from HP)
We couldn't stop talking and forgot to take pictures, but there was an Instagram-worthy spot in the middle of COEX Mall.
A giant bookshelf soaring two stories high in an atrium,the "Starfield Library."
It houses 50,000 books, and while they can't be borrowed, you can read them on the spot.
The restaurant for dinner tonight is located up the escalator in the photo above to the first floor, then out and to the right.
Restaurant name: Gwanghwamun Seokgalbi
It's on the first floor of Airport Plaza inside COEX Mall.
Menu for one person (probably)
This is the menu for multiple people. (Probably)
It seems to be more creative Korean cuisine than traditional.
The order was left up to them.
This was dinner tonight ♡︎
Galbi set. It was served already grilled and just needed to be warmed on the hot plate in the middle.
After it warmed up, the staff cut it for us.
Yukhoe~~~~!
I was so moved by yukhoe after such a long time.
(※Please be careful with raw meat!)
I didn't have the courage to eat yukhoe by myself, even at a restaurant listed in a guidebook, so I'm grateful to my friend ☆
The small side dishes (반찬/banchan) also had a gentle flavor, unlike ordinary restaurants.
Even I, who can't handle spicy food (second time I've mentioned it lol), enjoyed them!
You wrap the meat and vegetables in a tortilla-like skin and dip it in a sauce with onions.
Delicious!!
A very satisfying dinner.
By the way, for the umpteenth time:
As you know, Korean food uses many ingredients that cause bad breath, such as garlic, raw green onions, chives, and onions.
However, there are no breath care products like those commonly sold in Japan.
If you are sensitive to bad breath, I recommend bringing some from Japan!
Well, our stomachs were full.
But we, two women of a good age, still had more to talk about, so we moved to a quieter place.
Luxurious!!
My friend is an older sister about 10 years my senior. She works as an office lady in Seoul.
She showed me a side of Seoul that was quite beyond my usual experience, and we parted ways after making plans to meet again the next night.
It was around 11 PM.
I still had a little energy left, so I decided to make one more stop before returning to the hotel.
From luxury to an area that felt so local, it was as if I'd suddenly changed countries, lol
I arrived in Dongdaemun, a night district.
I came here hoping to find some wholesale pot shops or something, but
Most of it was clothes. Or fashion accessories.
And there were many vendors carrying plastic bags filled with what buyers had bought.
I didn't know how to buy anything when I entered the stores, lol
It looks like trash at first glance, but there are many plastic bags in front of the store.
And, large buildings are tightly packed with small shops.
I later learned that shops where general public can buy and shops specializing in retail are mixed, and the items in plastic bags are probably sample products.
Many shops have unusually large computers for their small size, and they receive orders from buyers both domestically and internationally. I also saw several people live streaming in front of their shops.
It just looks like trash, but this is probably also a sample or product to be delivered somewhere.
Somehow, a scene that makes you think, "This is Asia." lol
I heard Japanese! When I followed the sound, it led me to a store where three floors of the building were entirely dedicated to accessories.
Almost all customers were Japanese.
As you can see, there were many accessories and fashion goods sold across three floors of the building.
What I realized during this trip, and also heard in the news, was that
"prices in Korea have risen quite a lot."
I walked around Dongdaemun for about three hours, looking at various clothes and goods, but my conclusion was that "Japan is cheaper" lol
I'm sorry I don't have any useful information, as I'm not very fashion-savvy, lol
The older Korean woman recommended 'Cheil Pyeonghwa Market' as a good place to buy clothes in Dongdaemun.
It was 3 AM. Dongdaemun was still bustling, but I was exhausted from walking, so I ended my second day and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Thank you all for reading this far and sticking with me for so long!
I look forward to sharing Day 3 with you as well!!
Please find the Korean Succulent Journey series below.
- Korean Succulent Journey ~Day 1~
- Korean Succulent Journey ~Day 2 - Morning~
- Korean Succulent Journey ~Day 2 - Afternoon~ ← You are here
- Korean Succulent Journey ~Day 3~
- Korean Succulent Journey ~Day 4 (Final Day)~
