Hello!
This is the Tawawa store manager.
(Tawawa is an online shop that sells succulents (mainly Echeveria) imported from Korea.)
After the travel restrictions due to COVID-19 were lifted, and right after tawawa's online shop went on a long summer break, in May 2023,
I visited a Korean succulent farm (Changhee Farm) for the first time,
and also wandered around Seoul to gather information on succulents and gardening shops I could visit while sightseeing in Seoul.
(There's also a blog post about it here: Part 1)
And this time,
I went to Korea from September 26th to 30th, 2023, to bring back the first batch of seedlings for sale after the long summer break! ^ ^
Last time, I packed in a lot of succulent information,
but this time, Korea was on holiday from September 28th,
so succulents only appear on the second day. ^^;
This time, it's information about sourcing succulents and Korean pots,
and also how to bring back succulents when you buy them in Korea.
Please bear with me if you like!
Now, here's a chronological account of "Succulent Journey Part 2, Day 1"!
┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ * ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ * ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ *┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈ ┈
On the 24th, two days before departing for Korea,
I was at the grape farm "Tsuchi to Mi" in Yamanashi Prefecture.
Last year, through a wonderful connection, I met "Tsuchi to Mi", and
during tawawa's summer vacation this year, I visited "Tsuchi to Mi" many times, including for personal reasons.
And then,
"Tsuchi to Mi" = all-you-can-eat Kyoho and Shine Muscat grapes.
Shine Muscat = Changhee Farm's succulents!!
(What is Changhee Farm? → A Korean succulent farm that creates original hybrid seedlings. The seedlings they produce are very cute, and many of them are famous in Japan. Among their original hybrid seedlings, there is also a variety named Shine Muscat.)
I want to sell succulent Shine Muscats at 'Tsuchi to Mi'!
My sudden idea was readily accepted,
and it was decided that I would sell succulents at the grape farm "Tsuchi to Mi" for two days on October 8th and 9th! ww
However, the heat didn't subside even in mid-September,
and I didn't want to damage the precious seedlings, so I decided to go to Korea myself to pick them up,
which led to this second visit to Korea.
Back to the story,
why was I at "Tsuchi to Mi" on the 24th? ...
Well, to pick up Shine Muscat (seedlings), the only souvenir I could think of was Shine Muscat (grapes)!
So, I personally harvested grapes for souvenirs from the Shine Muscat vineyard ♡︎
My personality is self-admittedly "easygoing."
I'm the type of person who believes things will work out somehow. w
I've traveled overseas and visited multiple countries many times,
but the first time I went through plant quarantine was when I brought back succulents from Korea the last time.
However, I had some vague information in my head from research at the time that while some plants and fruits cannot be brought in,
some can be brought in if they pass plant quarantine.
A quick search for "grapes Korea import" yielded no information,
so I concluded that it would probably be fine if I went to plant quarantine and got a quarantine certificate!
With that, I left my home at 9 PM on September 25th and headed for Haneda Airport.
The flight to Korea was at 2 AM on the 26th.
I didn't know how long plant quarantine would take,
so I left with plenty of time.
From here, I'll be sharing information about bringing Shine Muscat grapes from Japan to Korea for a while w
Inside the monorail heading to Haneda Airport w
Haneda Airport International Terminal (Terminal 3) is right on the departure floor after passing through the monorail ticket gate.
It's convenient~
Taking a picture here at the airport too.
I had looked up the location,
but I asked the information desk right in front of me for directions to the plant quarantine office.
It was supposed to be inside the airport, but they told me it was outside the airport.
Anyway, as I was told, 
Go down to the first floor, exit, and go straight to the left.
Beyond the airport building, I found the target CIQ building.
It was dark, so I had a bad feeling, but the gate was open, so I went to the main entrance.
It's closed after all...
I explained the situation to the security guard visible inside via the intercom next to the door, and
the kind security guard, who looked a bit puzzled, let me in.
He advised me, "The office is on the third floor, but it's already closed, so you should call." So I did.
I explained the situation, saying, "I want to take Shine Muscat grapes to Korea, so I need a plant quarantine certificate."
・"Please wait for a callback while we look into it."
・"If a quarantine certificate is needed, we may not be able to issue it before your boarding time due to limited staff outside of business hours (at that point, there were more than 4 hours until my flight)."
・"If needed, quarantine is conducted at the CIQ building."
After being told this, I returned to the airport building and
waited on a bench on the first floor.
This was unexpected.
I thought it would be easy to bring them, but would I be unable to take them out because the quarantine certificate wouldn't be ready in time!? I felt a little anxious.
While waiting and wondering how I would eat the four bunches of Shine Muscat I brought if it didn't work out,
I received a call back, and they said,
"When bringing Shine Muscat grapes from Japan to Korea,
no special inspection or quarantine certificate is necessary."
Phew~
The first hurdle was cleared so easily!
However, this applies only to "bringing grapes from Japan to Korea."
Conditions differ for other countries, and for different types of fruits and vegetables, so please note:
・Please call the plant quarantine office to confirm 2 days before departure.
・If you need quarantine on the day of departure, please arrive at the quarantine office by 5 PM.
So, everyone, please be careful when taking plant seedlings, vegetables, or fruits overseas!
Also, other countries have different import restrictions, so please research thoroughly beforehand.
(If you bring prohibited items without checking, you might be fined!)
With no need for plant quarantine, I had some free time, so I wandered around Haneda Airport.
But, alas.
Most shops closed at 10 PM. w
Only Lawson was open.
While wandering, 
I found the export quarantine counter! 
Next to the counter was an intercom for inquiries about plant import/export!
For more detailed information on plant import/export, please see here →Plant Quarantine Station
With nothing else to see,
I quietly waited while charging my smartphone.
Last time, I had an incident where my phone battery died while visiting a local succulent shop, so this time I brought two smartphones and a mobile battery that can fully charge an iPhone four times.
And since I also brought my PC and its charging equipment,
my backpack was bursting at the seams.
Last time I went to Korea, I flew with ANA and used Gimpo Airport, which is smaller and closer to downtown Seoul.
This time, I'm using Peach Aviation, flying to and from Incheon Airport, which is famous as a hub airport.
The reason I chose Peach was partly because I was able to buy a ticket for the dates I wanted,
but I also jumped at the condition that, like other airlines, one checked bag is free,
and you can check up to 5 bags per person (about 3000 yen per bag).
However, as expected of an LCC,
the carry-on luggage size and weight restrictions are strict:
2 items per person, totaling up to 7 kg.
My bulging backpack was already almost 6 kg, and then there were the Shine Muscats...
The check-in counter opened just before midnight.
Theドキドキ (heart-pounding) weight check showed 8.3 kg for my backpack and Shine Muscat grapes. w
As suggested online, I held the heavy items in my hand and re-weighed, getting 7.8 kg.
It was approved, fortunately!
However, I was cautioned, "Please be careful next time. And don't buy anything after this." ^^;
And to the ground staff who saw the Shine Muscat grapes,
"I can't judge here, but you might be told that you can't bring Shine Muscat grapes through security screening after this," I was told repeatedly. ^^;
Now, to the security check, the last hurdle in Japan!
Security check,ドキドキ (heart pounding).
...
I passed through without anything being said.
Then, I quickly completed immigration procedures,
and headed to the floor with the boarding gates. w
It was 0:15.
An hour and a half until the plane's boarding time.
Just as I was thinking of browsing the duty-free shops,
It was inventory day, so all the 24-hour convenience stores were closed. ww
So, more waiting.
What's more, there was no food court around my boarding gate,
only vending machines for drinks and snacks.
Boarding began on schedule, 
Seeing off by the handsome Ohtani-kun, I boarded the plane.
After 2 AM, we took off for Korea~. Pitch black.
As expected of an LCC cabin.
Distributed on the flight,
Arrival Card (left) and Traveler's Declaration Form (right)
The arrival card is mandatory, but the traveler's declaration form is not necessary if you have nothing to declare.
There were several announcements before and during the flight predicting turbulence, but
We arrived safely in Korea with almost no turbulence.
It was pitch black and raining (; ; )
Incheon Airport is vast.
After a long walk from the plane,
I took the shuttle train to immigration.
Gimpo Airport, being smaller, had less walking, which was better...
It was still before 5 AM.
Immigration went smoothly,
followed by baggage claim and customs.
In Korea, Blackpink welcomed me~
Speaking of which, there's also a succulent called Blackpink, isn't there? w
It would be interesting to collect succulents named after idols, as I see quite a few. ww
For customs, if you have nothing to declare, you can just pass through.
Since I was carrying Shine Muscat grapes, I went to customs.
Following the signs to customs,
I was told to "go to counter 15" and moved there.
Sitting at counter 15 was a woman of South American? Northern European? descent.
Thinking she looked stern, I told her I had brought Shine Muscat grapes,
and she immediately and sharply said, "No grapes!" I flinched.
When asked, "Where are you from?" I replied, "Japan."
Even after explaining what I had confirmed in Japan, she adamantly insisted, "No fruit!"
My heart was pounding.
Then a kind-looking man appeared.
When asked, "Where are you from?" and I answered, "Japan,"
He casually, with a kind face, said,
"It's fine."
God!
According to the man, only grapes from Japan are allowed.
Apparently, the woman didn't know that.
Anyway, thank goodness! ! !
And so, I successfully brought grapes into Korea ♡︎
First, I'll take care of errands at the airport. ↓↓
・Cash advance with a credit card.
→Failed every time... I gave up w (Apparently, it might not work with some credit card types...)
・Charge transportation fees to my tawawa-logo-emblazoned NAMANE card, which I made last time.
→In the arrival lobby (1st floor), among the 4-5 CU convenience stores, the CU stores at both ends of the 1st floor have NAMANE card machines.
(For more on NAMANE cards, please see the previous blog post)
・Ask at the information desk where to buy cardboard boxes and go check it out.
→Cardboard boxes for the pots I plan to buy and the succulents I'll bring back later.
In Japan, you can buy them at hardware stores, but
I saw information that they're hard to buy in Korea, so
I researched if I could buy them at the airport, as expected.
I decided to go to the luggage packing/storage shop on the 3rd floor of the departure lobby, which opens at 7 AM.
As a result, they did sell cardboard boxes.
It was a relief to know I could buy cardboard boxes there if I couldn't find them in the city.
・Check the operating hours of the Plant Quarantine Station
→Operating hours are from 9 AM to 6 PM (I'll explain in more detail in the Day 4 article!)
After running errands and exploring the airport to kill time, 
I ate breakfast and waited until 7 AM when the shop where I could buy cardboard boxes opened.
...It was terrible!
I ordered seolleongtang, but
it had no flavor at all, so much so that I wondered if I had lost my sense of taste! w
I realized later that I could have asked for salt separately to adjust the seasoning myself. w
After finishing the shocking meal, it was finally 7 o'clock.
After checking the cardboard boxes,
I took a bus to the hotel to drop off my luggage first.
From Incheon Airport to downtown Seoul, you can take a train, bus, or taxi,
but the bus is convenient in Seoul, which has a well-developed bus network!
By the way, the bus route from Gimpo Airport to near hotels in downtown Seoul is currently suspended.
Instead, you can easily go to the city center by subway.
Although bus tickets can be bought from a vending machine,
I headed to the ticket counter with a person.
I told the staff at the counter the name of the hotel I was staying at, and they searched for a bus for me.
This time, I'm staying at
Toyoko Inn Gangnam, located in the Gangnam district in southern Seoul,
about a 5-minute walk from Gangnam Station.
It's about an 80-minute ride on bus 6009 from Incheon Airport.
Bus ticket.
No specific time, the fare is 1700 won.
The bus stop was right behind the ticket counter, at stop 4A-3.
Bus 6009 runs 3-4 times an hour,
Toyoko Inn Gangnam is the 7th stop, Wooseong Apartment.
It's the bus stop I'm pointing to w
(Actually, the announcement I heard wasn't Wooseong, but it was some kind of apartment ww)
When boarding the bus, you tell them your destination stop and entrust your luggage to them, receiving a baggage claim ticket.
Spacious interior.
Seats are arranged as two on one side of the aisle and one on the other.
Seats with footrests and leg rests, fully reclining.
In-car announcements were also available in Japanese.
Departing at 7:35 AM.
Expected to arrive in about 1 hour and 20 minutes, but...
Heavy traffic started halfway through.
I finally arrived at 9:40 AM. w
But thanks to that, I was able to sleep! w
The hotel is a short walk back down the road the bus came from after getting off at the bus stop.
Toyoko Inn Gangnam.
Hotel check-in is from 4 PM, but
I left my luggage and headed to Icheon.
What is Icheon? ...From "Konest," full of Korean travel information.
Icheon is known as a city of ceramics and rice. Over 380 kilns still produce ceramics, and the Icheon Ceramic Festival held every spring is popular with tourists. Also, Icheon rice has been popular as a brand rice since the Joseon Dynasty, when the king praised it and it was presented to him every year.
That's what it says.
You can get to Icheon by bus or subway, but
the roads were heavily congested, so I decided to take the subway.
From the hotel, I walked about 5 minutes to Gangnam Station.
It was unfortunately raining.
The road from the hotel to the station was a wide street lined with buildings.
There were many cafes, restaurants, and office buildings.
Last time I stayed, it was hard to find a place to eat breakfast around the hotel,
but here it seems I won't have any trouble!
(More details about Gangnam later)
Exit 5 is the closest station exit to the hotel.
Upon entering the station, an underground shopping area unfolded.
From Gangnam Station, take the Shinbundang Line and transfer at
Pangyo Station.
From Pangyo Station, take the Gyeonggang Line and get off at Sindundoyechon Station, one stop before Icheon Station.
Finally, we're on the ground. LOL
Head for Exit 1,
When you go down the stairs, there's a bus stop right in front of you.
There seem to be several areas in Icheon called "pottery villages" where pottery kilns are gathered.
The pottery village I'm aiming for this time is Sagimakgol Pottery Village.
Take bus 240 from Sindundoyechon Station for about 10 minutes.
Since it was my first time there, I made sure to get the very front seat,
showed the driver a map of where I wanted to go,
and intently watched the names of the next bus stops displayed on the traffic card reader. LOL
Since I can't read Korean, I desperately compared the characters, and
somehow, I managed to get off at Saeum 2-dong. Dongyechon bus stop.
When I got off the bus,
The entrance to Sagimakgol Pottery Village was right in front of me. LOL
First, I headed to the Korean pot shop visible to the left across the crosswalk, opposite this entrance!
I saw heaven! LOL
Shop name: Jagiya
(For some reason, the Naver Map app translates it as "Honey")
Even in the rain, the pots outside were left as they were!
Since taking photos was allowed,
First, I took a bunch of soothing photos. LOL
A spacious store, the size of two shops.
I took my time looking around and chose as many pots as I could carry by hand. LOL
Even so, it was still a whole cardboard box worth of items ^^;
I decided to give up on seeing Sagimakgol Pottery Village today,
and when I told them, "I want to go to one more place in Icheon, so I'd like to leave my luggage at your shop,"
The incredibly kind shop owner drove me and my cardboard box to my second destination, about 10 minutes away.
Since we couldn't understand each other, the car ride was silent.
During that time, I was wondering how I would walk around my next destination with a cardboard box weighing about 15 kilograms. LOL
I quickly arrived at Ye's Park (Yes Park).
【What is Ye's Park?】...From "Konest," a treasure trove of Korean travel information.
It was created in 2015 on a 400,000 square meter site in Sindun-myeon, Icheon-si, as a place for potters to work.In addition to traditional pottery, many works that interpret various materials in a modern way can also be seen.
What you see in the gloomy, rainy weather is the symbol of this Ye's Park.
I'm not sure about 400,000 square meters, but
Ye's Park is a village with spacious,
single-family houses with gardens lined up like a new residential area.
There are about 300 shops, including pottery, crafts, art, workshops, and cafes,
and 170 potters and their families
live there.
In other words, it's really spacious! LOL
The owner who drove me here parked in front of a convenience store,
and it seemed he was telling me with gestures and Korean
that it would be fine to leave the cardboard box with the pots at the convenience store.
First, I thanked the owner and got out of the car.
When I tried to enter the convenience store, I saw a sturdy lock on the door,
so I thought it wasn't open and wandered around looking for another entrance.
Seeing me like that, the owner got out of the car and
negotiated with the convenience store lady for me. LOL
The convenience store lady was also very kind.
She readily said, "You can leave it on the table in the eat-in space." ♡︎
It was almost impossible to walk around with such heavy cardboard boxes in the rain,
so I was very grateful!!!
Anyway, I didn't even know where to start looking. LOL
Looking around,
I've seen this on Instagram!
Actually, the reason I found out about Icheon, a city famous for pottery,
was on the last day of my previous trip to Korea, the fourth day.
I visited a succulent plant shop near Gaehwa Station, next to Gimpo Airport,
and also got to see a shop that was preparing to open in the same block,
selling caudex plants and African plants.
There, I was impressed not only by the plants, but also
by the pots they were planted in.
And that's how I learned about the city of Icheon.
After returning to Japan, I did some research and
checked Instagram.
Cute...
The traditional pots at the previous store were also lovely, but
I also like simple pots.
However, it would be a hassle if I bought something here, so
I decided to go look at other stores first. LOL
If I saw planters in front of a shop, I'd go one way,
then the other.
However, more than half of the shops were closed.
Or, they looked closed but were actually open. LOL
Since it was open, I said "Annyeonghaseyo~" and went in,
but the staff never came out even when I was looking at the products. LOL
As I was wandering around, I found another shop I had checked on Instagram!
Cute. But, I don't know if they are display items or items for sale...
And I could see pots being made in the back of the shop.
After looking closely,
I left the shop and wandered around the village again, going this way and that.
Even so, in this vast village, I didn't see any other shoppers besides me. LOL
I wandered around for a bit, but there were too many shops,
and I couldn't tell where the endless street ended.
It was raining, and with so much luggage, I couldn't possibly make it back to the hotel, so
I decided to rethink my strategy and come back later!
For now, I went back to the first shop and bought only as many pots as I could manage to take home.
I asked if they could ship to the airport, just in case,
but it was impossible after all ^^;
I'm back at the convenience store.
Two cardboard boxes.
I was hungry and they were holding my luggage for me, so
I decided to have a late lunch in the convenience store's eat-in space.
Just like in Japan, Korean convenience stores also had bento boxes!
I bought a bento box, but
I couldn't read the microwave display, so I couldn't use it. LOL
The kind convenience store lady quickly warmed it up for me,
Time to eat!
My first convenience store bento.
It tasted pretty good!
I leisurely ate in the eat-in space.
Although I occasionally take taxis in Japan,
I haven't used ride-sharing apps yet.
In Korea, I couldn't understand the language, and since it's a foreign country,
I tried using a ride-sharing app for the first time, Kakao Taxi, to call a taxi and rode it!
(Local buses connect Ye's Park with subway stations and bus terminals.)
The app was available in Japanese, which was quite convenient!
(However, you can't search for destination addresses in Japanese, so a Korean address is essential.
Alternatively, you can select the destination on the map.)
It was also about a 10-minute drive from Ye's Park to Sindundoyechon Station.
I arrived at the station in no time,
and from there, I finally made my way back to the hotel in Seoul with two cardboard boxes.
After transferring subways, I safely made it back to Gangnam Station near the hotel.
Now, from here, I managed to get through the long underground shopping area.
Midway through the underground shopping area, to try the taste of Korean Shine Muscat,
I bought two bunches of Shine Muscat (about 1100 yen!!) at a fruit store,
which added even more to my luggage. LOL
Exiting the underground shopping area, I went above ground.
Giving up on using an umbrella, I walked to the hotel in the light rain!
I somehow arrived safely.
All the front desk staff are Korean, but they speak Japanese perfectly.
Checking in is easy because I can ask in Japanese~
Single room.
It looks exactly like a Toyoko Inn room in Japan.
You can also watch NHK on TV.
The Korean Shine Muscat I just bought.
It looks delicious.
Into the fridge for now.
A short break while charging my phone.
I was almost overcome with sleep, but
I went out again to have dinner and run some errands.
At the hotel front desk,
I showed them a photo of a cardboard box and asked where I could buy one.
They told me, "You can buy it at Daiso."
I was half-skeptical, but since there's a Daiso near Gangnam Station, I went to check it out.
The Korean Daiso has a different logo color and shape than the Japanese Daiso.
And the products aren't all 100 yen. LOL
The prices vary depending on the product, starting from 1000₩ (110 yen).
From what I saw, many items seemed to be around 3000₩.
The fact that they have a wide range of products is the same as in Japan,
and they sell daily necessities like toothbrushes, as well as underwear and T-shirts, so
I thought I wouldn't have any trouble even if I forgot to bring various things from Japan!
However, regarding the main topic of cardboard boxes,
they only had small ones, size 60 ^^;
It was already 5:30 PM.
I gave up on finding a cardboard box today
and switched to exploring the area around Gangnam Station.
Buildings lined both sides of a wide, straight road.
Office buildings, shops like Daiso, and restaurants such as cafes stretched on and on.
And many people were turning into the streets next to the large buildings.
Following them, I found many restaurants behind the buildings.
It felt like Shinjuku in Japan, but the length of the main street and the number of restaurants and other establishments were even greater than Shinjuku. It was a very urban area.
Also, there were subway stations along the main street, but buses ran in multiple lines on the main street.
Gangnam was a business district, a shopping district, a restaurant district, and a key transportation hub for buses connecting Seoul with its suburbs.
Overwhelmed by the crowds,
I looked for a place where I could eat alone and where many local Koreans were dining,
Dinner decided for today.
However, the menu only had Korean and no pictures ^^;
I looked around and checked what everyone else was eating.
I typed "I want the noodles everyone else is eating" into a translation app,
showed it to the staff, and pointed to someone else's noodles to complete my order. LOL
The noodles that came out were these ↓
Looks delicious~
But, I had no idea what I had ordered. LOL
I translated the Korean menu using a translation app.
When I checked with the staff, it was the kalguksu at the top. LOL
It was delicious, just as it looked!
I wasn't sure what made it spicy, even though it looked lightly seasoned,
but I enjoyed it thoroughly despite the discomfort.
After stopping by a supermarket and a convenience store near the hotel, I returned to the hotel, and my long day finally ended.
I had left home at 9 PM the day before and only slept on the bus from the airport.
To prepare for the next day, I quickly got into bed~
Please find the "Korea Succulent Plant Tour" series below.
- Korea Succulent Plant Tour Vol. 2 - Day 1 ← You are here
- Korea Succulent Plant Tour Vol. 2 - Day 2 (Morning)
