After a very short break from the project to stop back “home” in Ho Chi Minh City, I was back on the road in major city #54 Seoul, South Korea. Seoul is a massively sprawling metropolis mixing industry and urban atmosphere with old traditions and new trends. While some cities you can quickly explore, Seoul is just too big to truly explore all of in one visit. Luckily, though, it does have one of the more expansive and efficient metro systems around to help you fill your time with a variety of neighborhoods that not many cities could rival. While it receives comparisons to Tokyo, to the annoyance of many locals, Seoul brings a different culture and atmosphere the more you get a feel for it. It’s one of the most populated cities in the world, where you can find old markets and villages not far from trendy shopping streets and k-pop street performers. It’s a fun city to explore with your camera from day to night, and one that you’ll want to keep coming back to truly get to know.
So here are my first impressions of Seoul, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…
7 First Impressions of Seoul
(From a Street Photography Perspective)
1. Is Seoul like Tokyo?
This comparison can bring some heated debate. Some people take offense to it and feel they aren’t anything alike at all. One local even told me that they lose all respect for anyone that makes the comparison. Still, there’s no city I’ve been to where more people compared it to another city like they did when speaking about Seoul. So, being someone who has Tokyo in my top 5 favorite cities in the world, did I feel the comparison was warranted or not?
Well, they are still very different cities, but I’d be lying if I didn’t feel some strong similarities in atmosphere and things I saw. Sorry, I do understand why many people compare them. The colors, tones and character can give a very similar feeling. And a lot of the culture shock people get from Tokyo can be experienced and seen here too, but to a lesser degree, in my opinion.
They both have large hi-tech industries. They both have an endless variety of neighborhoods. They both have interesting and very unique young fashion scenes. They both have impressively extensive metro systems, which provide much more interest for street photography than most cities. They both have streets buzzing with life, an interesting food scene and a strong nightlife. And they both have things you probably won’t see anywhere else. Seoul feels slightly muted in many comparisons to Tokyo, but like any city would be. It’s not all the same, of course, but I’m not sure how anyone can deny there’s a feeling that can bring comparisons. The first day walking around, the colors of the buildings and signs, along with streets and greenery, gave me a very Tokyo feeling.
Still, I’d say the cities are much more similar in how they look than how they act or feel. The people and culture are very different. While friendly enough, it’s not to the extreme degree of friendliness and hospitality you feel in Tokyo (which is on a different level from most any city, anyway). So, overall, I’d never compare the cultures, but I would compare the look and interest.
2. Markets everywhere
Seoul is full of markets. Even for a city its size, markets are found everywhere. Some are street markets along alleys and along sidewalks, while many are large, covered inside markets. I’m not a huge fan of the covered market style that is extremely popular here, mostly due to the bad/dark lighting, but many will love the endless number of them to explore. Finding the outside street markets is more my style for exploring with my camera. Luckily in Seoul, there are so many different markets, you can’t complain, or have trouble finding one. I probably ran into more here than I have in any city yet.
It would take pages to list all of Seoul’s markets, but here’s a few of the more popular ones (and ones I found interesting):
- Namdaemun Market
- Dongdaemun Market
- Gwangjang Market
- Garak Market
- Noryangjin Fish Market
- Majang Meat Market
- Yeongdong Traditional Market
- Guro & Daerim Central Market (most local feel)
3. Cheongyecheon Stream provides a relaxing and interesting walk through the center
The Cheongyecheon Stream is over 10 kilometers long and runs right through downtown Seoul. The stream flows below street level with pathways along each side, making it a more serene walk below the city. The city spent $900 million back in 2005 to fix it up with small waterfalls, bridges and more. While the surrounding downtown streets are busy, it can be surprisingly quiet along the stream, as people come to relax and stroll. It has an interesting atmosphere within downtown. You’ll find business suits on their lunch break, couples enjoying some privacy, and others going for a walk. It likely won’t bring chaos and loads of interesting scenes, but it can bring some interest, while also bring a change of scene when you’re already downtown.
4. Love the villages
Mixed into the sprawling modern metropolis, Seoul contains small, older villages still mixed in. Some are built on the mountain side, giving them even more character and views. Ihwa Mural Village is one of those villages, which takes you along a nice little wallside hike up Seoul’s Mt. Naksan to get there. In an effort to revitalized this old village, artists painted murals along its steep, winding streets. This also ended up bringing crowds of tourists after being featured in a movie. Some of the murals have been painted over, but it’s still an interesting place to check out for a change of scene in the city. I didn’t even really care about the murals, but more enjoyed the old Korean village atmosphere and city views.
Another village I’d recommend isn’t on a mountain, but it’s one of the oldest neighborhoods in Seoul. Seochon Village is near Gyeongbokgung Palace so you’ll probably be in the area at some point, anyway. There’s a lot of Korean charm here and plenty of alleys and streets to explore. If you really enjoy this part of Seoul, you’ll find more villages by just continuing on toward Mt. Inwang. Seoul couldn’t be further from a village, but it’s nice to have the option to experience that atmosphere with your camera, while staying in the city.
5. Myeongdong’s chaotic shopping center
In a city full of shopping destinations, Myeong-dong remains its most popular. The area is also a hub of commerce and banking in the center of the city, but is most known for its mix of retail stores, street stalls, restaurants, cafes, street food and people walking in every direction among the crowded pedestrian streets. Among the retail outlets, clothing and Korean cosmetics bring the most shoppers. Its not only popular with the locals, but also with international crowd, as it can feel touristy. For some, it might be too messy and crowded, but it does supply guaranteed activity at all times. With plenty of streets to explore, you can spend a good amount of time here too. While I’m not the biggest fan of crowded streets of people moving in all directions, it does have some areas where people hang out. And it provides a very much Seoul atmosphere with a good amount of K-pop character.
6. Itaewon for nightlife and drunk scenes
Itaewon is a popular district in Seoul, especially with expats and foreigners. It’s gritty and contains one of the city’s popular red light districts, but it’s all still safe and friendly. In addition to some of the grittier side, there’s plenty of nice restaurants, bars, clubs and shops. It’s a good area to explore with many pedestrian friendly streets and some of the better food in the city. There’s an international feeling here, including a nearby army base, and plenty of activity throughout the day, and night.
Itaewon is especially popular for its nightlife. So on a street photography recommendation, I spent a whole night here shooting the streets and watching the drunken debauchery. There’s a lot going on here throughout the night and the streets are still busy up until the first metro ride in the morning. It definitely contains interest, especially during those last couple hours when people are done with the bars and are just stumbling together out on the street. That first metro ride can contain some interest too. I wouldn’t do it every night, but it was worth a night to see the neon lights and night scene in Seoul.
7. Huge city, but great metro system
When it comes to population, Seoul has over 10 million people, but when it comes to size, it’s even bigger. By some measurements, Seoul is considered the second largest city area in the world at over 230 square miles. This means you’re never going to see at all, but it also means it can be a little daunting even trying to see a variety of it. I was trying to explore and photograph as many interesting areas as I could, as usual, but it takes some planning here. You can’t just step outside and walk around. Since they’re likely to be far apart, you need to decide on one or two areas to give your time for the day. Luckily, Seoul’s metro system is great so it helps as much as possible. I used it more than just about any city I’ve been. Still, it can only do so much when many places are 40+ minutes apart. So prepare for the travel and distance when planning out your day of street photography.
It takes time to really experience and capture much of what Seoul has to offer, but the positive of that is how many places it does provide for street photography. In the end, I packed my time here well and was lucky to have amazing weather throughout. Below are just some of the areas spread around Seoul that I was able to give some time with my camera and enjoyed:
- Hongdae
- Sinchon
- Sincheon
- Itaewon
- Seochon Village
- Bukchon Village
- Insadong
- Myeongdong
- Gyeongnidan
- Gangnam
- Ihwa Mural Village
- Gwanghwamun Square
- Cheongyecheon Stream
- Dongdaemun
- Namdaemun
- Gwangjang Market
If any of you have been to Seoul before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Seoul, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.
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