Korea succulent tour ~ 3rd day ~

June 23, 2023

Hello!

This is the manager of Tawawa.

It's been a while, but here's a look at day 3 of our whirlwind succulent-hunting trip to Korea.

For more details on how the trip came about, please see the Day 1 blog post ^ ^

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Tuesday, May 23, 2023

It's finally day 3 of my 4-day trip to Korea.

Even though I was out and about until midnight the day before, this day was also packed with activities.

There's information about succulents and succulent-related items, and also just general tourist information lol

I have a feeling this will be a long travelogue, but I hope you'll stick with me!

In the morning, I made quick visits to two flower markets in Seoul and a town that's recently become popular with locals.

9 AM. First up, the first flower market.

Namdaemun Daedo Flower Wholesale Market

・Korean name: 남대문대도꽃종합상가
(Namdaemun Daedo Kkot Jonghap Sangga)

・Address: 서울특별시 중구 남창동 49-1, E동 3F
(49-1 Namchang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul, E-dong 3F)

・Nearest station: Subway Line 4, Hoehyeon Station, Exit 5, 1-2 minute walk

Namdaemun Market, famous as a tourist destination.

The easiest way to find the building where the flower market is located is to

Find Exit 5 of Hoehyeon Station,

Turn right after exiting Exit 5 and walk about 100 meters.

The flower market is in this building.

To the 3rd floor.

It's smaller than the Express Bus Terminal Flower Market I went to the morning before, but it's recommended for those who want to see a few small items, gardening goods, and general merchandise while sightseeing with limited time.

My phone is fully charged today, so I'll be posting lots of photos!

Rows of cut flower shops.

Potted plant shops too.

There were also a few succulents!

Fancy artificial flowers, and

dried flowers too.

From my observation, about a third of the market was fresh flowers like cut flowers, a third was artificial and dried flowers, and the remaining third was shops selling general merchandise, pots, and other flower-related items.

Marine-themed goods packed into a small space.

A shop specializing in ornaments.

Miniature dishes,

and miniature furniture shops.

If you look closely...

There was also a succulent shelf lol

Small items that could be put in pots,

and ornaments that could be used for gardening, etc.

Even cute cacti like this lol

It has nothing to do with succulents or gardening anymore, but it's a cute cactus I'd like to get as a souvenir lol

There were also a few plant pots.

In addition, there were dishes, basket bags, vases, and more.

Namdaemun Daedo Flower Wholesale Market, with various shops crowded together.

There were so many general merchandise stores that I wanted to take my time looking around!!

Next, I'll move to Jongno Flower Market, the last of the four flower markets in Seoul.

From Hoehyeon Station, the nearest station to Namdaemun Flower Market, to Dongdaemun Station, the nearest station to Jongno Flower Market, it's a direct ride on Subway Line 4.

Jongno Flower Market (Chongno Flower Market)

・Korean name: 종로꽃시장 (Jongno Kkot Sijang)

・Address: 서울특별시 종로구 종로6가, 일대

(Area around Jongno 6-ga, Jongno-gu, Seoul)

Nearest station: Subway Line 4, Dongdaemun Station, Exit 10, 3-minute walk

Arrive at Dongdaemun Station, exit from Exit 10, and go straight.

After exiting the exit and walking about 100 meters, you'll immediately notice plants lined up along the right side of the road.

The market opens around 10 AM, so be careful if you go too early, as not all shops will be open ☻︎

I also did a LIVE broadcast at this flower market and saved the footage as a reel, so please check out Tawawa's Instagram if you'd like ◎

Among the four flower markets in Seoul, Jongno Flower Market is where the most succulents are sold.

The other three were indoor flower markets, but this one is outdoors.

Sorry for the poor visibility due to my shadow lol

They are sold extensively on the road... from the sidewalk lol

Cars are normally driving on this road ^^;

Succulents packed around the shops.

The sidewalk side is shaded, so there are shops on the sidewalk side too, but most of the succulent shops are on the road side.

Succulents for 2,000 won (about 220 yen) lined up on the road.

The succulents on the shelves are a bit more expensive.

Caudiciforms, African plants, and various other succulents are densely packed into the small shop space.

There seem to be some hidden gems among the affordable seedlings ♡︎

In addition to succulents, this market also has

vegetable seedlings, and

shops selling flower and tree seedlings.

There are also a few plant pots.

However, if you pick up what you think is a Korean pot, it will have "Made in Vietnam" or similar engraved on it. Cheaper pots are not Korean pots, so please check when purchasing ◎

The street flower market is about 250 meters long.

If you want to see succulents while sightseeing in Seoul, this is the place to go!

It's still just past 10 AM.

From here, it's a whirlwind tour of Seoul, with various random stops lol
There's hardly any succulent information! Occasionally, a pot might appear. Lol
I'd be happy if you'd join me! ♡︎

Next, to a town in Seoul that a Korean lady recommended as a recent popular spot!

I've arrived at

Ikseon-dong(Ikseon-dong).

The nearest station is Subway Line 5,Jongno 3-ga Station, Exit 6 (Exit 4).

In an area of about 150 square meters, traditional Korean houses called hanok(hanok) stand side by side, housing stylish restaurants, cafes, and general stores.

Outside Exit 6 of Jongno 3-ga Station on Subway Line 5.

Exit this exit and go straight along the main road,

After about 100 meters, turn right and head towards the building with the pink hot spring mark, and you'll find yourself in

The Ikseon-dong(Ikseon-dong) area spreads out before your eyes.

Retro buildings and stylish shops line a small alley.

Apparel shops, and

(Be careful as counterfeit products are also sold!)

Smartphone accessories I saw everywhere in Seoul.

It's a handle that attaches to the back of a smartphone.

Is it popular now? There's also a self-photo studio.

Retro streets, and

the buildings are also photo spots.

Various shops are lined up, but

the most common are food and drink establishments.

In the window of a traditional house restaurant/cafe?

Succulents were lined up ♡︎

A lovely street.

Found in front of a general store.

If you look closely, they're real.

They are the size of a thumbnail.
Smaller than a 1-inch pot (3 cm), perhaps a 0.5-inch pot??

Strolling down the street, past stylish cafes,

round and round,

back and forth.

My whirlwind tour of Ikseon-dong(Ikseon-dong) was over in 20 minutes lol
It's such a small area, so it's a recommended tourist spot!

Next, I moved a bit to Yongsan to meet a Japanese friend who had moved to Korea in April.

Yongsan has the large shopping mall "I'Park Mall" directly connected to the station, so it's also recommended for shopping!

Nearest station: Subway Line 1, Yongsan Station

　　　　　Subway Line 4, Sinyongsan Station

Lunch at a buckwheat noodle restaurant in I'Park Mall, popular with locals.

I ordered it without kimchi topping lol

By the way, here's the menu. It's only in Korean, but

if you use a translation app,

You can see it like this ◎

After filling my stomach, I skipped shopping this time and moved from Yongsan to the Hannam-dong area.

Hannam-dong is an area where embassies are concentrated, and there are many high-sense shops everywhere.

It's a fun area for walking around! (Sorry, no photos lol)

The purpose of coming to Hannam-dong was this outlet store for high-end Korean tableware sold in department stores and elsewhere.

From traditional styles to

modern and cute ones.

Next, I headed to Itaewon, a name that's been frequently heard in Japan recently.

Hannam-dong is within walking distance, so we headed to the central area near Itaewon Station, which is up a hill.

The road from Hannam-dong to Itaewon is full of stylish buildings.

Just walking around is enjoyable.

My eyes are still drawn to anything plant-related lol

Itaewon, a town of hills.

Sorry for the back of the building lol

We came to the Korean branch of D&DEPARTMENT, a Japanese brand.

For more about D&DEPARTMENT, click here.

Although a Japanese brand, this shop is a partnership with "MILLIMETER MILLIGRAM," a design company that develops original Korean stationery and stores.

So many stylish furniture and general goods ♡︎

The plates are cute too.

There were also plant pots lol

It has proper drainage holes, but it's thick, wow!

Found a craft room chair in Seoul‼︎ lol

After that, we wandered around Itaewon.
We got a feel for the atmosphere of Itaewon and that was the end of our Itaewon sightseeing.

Next, we headed to a certain cafe.

After deciding to go to Korea, I happened to find it while browsing Instagram for information,

and I decided that if I was going on a succulent trip, I definitely wanted to go to this cafe!

The name of the shop is,

Banana Tree

Korean name: 바나나트리

Address: 서울특별시 성동구 서울숲길 ４７

(47 Seoulsup-gil, Seongdong-gu)

Closed: Mondays

Business hours: (Tuesday-Friday) 11:30 ~ 17:00, (Saturday-Sunday) 12:00 ~ 18:00

Nearest station: Subway Line 2, Ttukseom Station, Exit 8, about a 5-minute walk

The entrance of the store. The landmark is a large sunflower.

Inside the store. A fusion of pop and natural.

This, which looks like an interior decoration, is...

This store's specialty!
And I came all this way to eat this too ♡︎

An unglazed pot familiar to succulent lovers.

Artificial flowers are planted in it lol

Actually...

Inside is a cake with banana, cream, chocolate, and sponge lol

The container is a real unglazed pot lol

It was a subtly sweet cake.

By the way, taking the unglazed pot home was allowed for a fee lol

I heard the cakes vary by day!

After recovering my energy with sweets, I strolled around the area where Banana Tree Cafe is located until my evening appointment,

Seongsu-dong

I went for a walk.

It seems Seongsu-dong is currently the most recommended town for young people in Seoul!

At first glance, it looks like a neighborhood with ordinary buildings,

But there are many stylish cafes and general stores.

I enjoyed window shopping around☻︎

It's still continuing lol

Next, I met up with a Korean older sister living in Seoul (who can speak Japanese!) whom I had met the day before, had dinner, and enjoyed my last night in Seoul♪

As soon as we met, my older sister laughed at me.

I bought snacks for souvenirs at a convenience store in Seongsu-dong, but I had forgotten to put my eco-bag (I heard that even bags to put purchases in are not sold in Korea) in my bag. When I asked for a bag at the convenience store checkout, I was able to buy this yellow-green bag without any problem, so I didn't care about the bag's pattern, put my purchased snacks in it, and took the subway to Express Bus Terminal Station, famous for its underground shopping mall.

Then, I was surprised when I heard the truth about this bag.

Apparently, the bag mentioned above is a garbage bag. It's a bag for putting out trash...

It seems I was boldly riding the subway with a garbage bag. How embarrassing!!

As expected, they don't even sell shopping bags for purchases in Korea, so please be careful ^^;

Pulling myself together,

For dinner, we came to the restaurant floor on the 11th floor of Shinsegae Department Store, adjacent to Express Bus Terminal Station.

Sorry for the chopstick wrapper, I forgot to take a picture of the store's exterior lol

Today, too, I requested Korean food and was taken here.

Dinner for the day was grilled mackerel set meal and stone pot bibimbap (with miso soup set)!

This is for two people...

Even one set meal is a lot, but it seems to be customary in Korea to order one meal per person, so we got a set meal and a single dish, but it was a lot! lol (It's okay for children to share, I heard~)

This is my third time in Korea, but it's the first time I've eaten dried fish as Korean food!

Come to think of it,

At Namdaemun Market, which I visited that morning, dried fish was sold like this.

The Korean way of eating it is a little different from Japan. You take the grilled dried fish,

and eat it with this sauce.

It's incredibly delicious!!!!

The fish itself is the same as Japanese grilled mackerel, but dipping it in the sauce made it refreshing? and even more delicious.

The sauce is apparently wasabi soy sauce, but unlike the Japanese version, it didn't have the pungent spiciness of wasabi or the strong saltiness of soy sauce, so...??? but I highly recommend it for when you want something refreshing to eat in Korea!

After finishing our meal, the Korean sister and I headed not to the underground shopping mall "GotoMall" spreading beneath Express Bus Terminal Station, but

to the bank of the Han River, a large river flowing through Seoul.

After exiting Express Bus Terminal Station and walking straight north for about 10 minutes through the recently developed area of luxury high-rise apartments,

we arrived at Banpo Hangang Park on the bank of the large river.

It's a park with a large lawn and well-maintained paths for cycling.

Many people were chatting and having evening picnics.

From Banpo Hangang Park, you can see Banpo Bridge, a large bridge spanning the Han River.

And from Banpo Bridge, we saw a show where a large amount of water from a fountain was illuminated with seven colors of light, and the water and colors moved to music!

Banpo Bridge Moonlight Rainbow Fountain