Seoul was a place that I had modest expectations for going in, but those expectations ended up being far exceeded. The people, the food, the art, the food, the architecture, the food, the style, and oh yeah, did I mention the food? All of it was just a blast to experience. If I had to choose, I feel I still enjoy Japan more, it’s more my speed, but Seoul was really fun.

I guess the difference between Tokyo and Seoul would be like the difference between London/Paris and Amsterdam. Sure Tokyo has a stigma for being a city that promotes “weird stuff”, but to me Seoul was definitely the more funky, looser of the two. One thing that I really noticed was the style of Seoul’s art culture was distinctly non-Anime, as if when defining their visual style they started with “Rule 1: Don’t look Japanese.” Much of it genuinely felt more modern and Northern-European with a light layer of “Kawaii” tones than it did Japanese or some of the styles I’ve seen from China.

That said, I’m not at all suggesting that they’re just adopting European styles: It is through and through a genuinely Asian culture and it packs all of the energy and intensity that I never felt in Europe. NYC is probably the closest I’ve experienced that feeling outside of Asia, so it’s probably down to the number of people living so close together. Either way, the whole trip was a wonderful experience and each opportunity I get to be out here just makes me more eager to go back again.