Apartment Tour

2009-03-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

I think a good place to start with this blog is a tour of our apartment. Given that I haven't seen many apartments in Korea yet I can only draw generalizations from what I've seen so far in how they compare to Japanese apartments. Generally, Japan uses sliding doors that can partition a single room place into multiple rooms in an attempt to make efficient use of a small space and perhaps to cling to traditional Japan (shouji). Also, Japanese apartments, even though quite small and efficient, devote a disproportionate amount of square footage to bathing (many have a room separate from the sink room and "toilet room" that has a shower and a bathtub).

Korea on the other hand has seemed to completely favor a modern design with a few peculiarities: closets, cabinets and ceilings that are not built flush with the wall maximizing dust build up and minimizing efficient use of space. Also, the washing machine is built in where an oven should be. And, the living room, bed room and balcony are huge for Asian standards, but the shower is almost too small to bend down in to pick up the occasional dropped soap. But, all in all, Alex (my girlfriend) and I are happy with the place. Here it is:

One thing that Japan and Korea have in common is an entryway where you take off your shoes and put them in a shoe closet. Did you spot our sneaker sized pup, Sophia?

The kitchen. And yes, that's a washing machine under the stove, not an oven.

The living room. Something Korean apartments have over Japanese is big windows and therefore lots of natural light.

Living room again. Decorating was never a priority when I lived alone in Japan. Alex has a good eye for it...and the pup completes the color scheme.

Our view from the living room.

Our balcony is enormous even for western standards. It nearly doubles our square footage.

Here's a pseudo-panoramic view from our balcony.

And finally, the bedroom. There's Alex toiling away while I take pictures...Thanks to Alex for almost all the pics except the one of her cleaning. Also thanks to her for the squeaky clean floors.

From Gaijin to Weiguk

2009-03-24T21:30:00.000-07:00

I spent two years as a gaijin in Nihon (about a year of which is blogged about here) and now it is time to be a weiguk in Hanguk. In addition to this being any old Asian travel blog with the necessary pictures of mountainous landscapes, old Buddhist temples, interesting food and tiny apartments, this blog will also be a platform for comparing Japan and South Korea as experienced by a foreigner.

Weiguk in Hanguk

Apartment Tour

From Gaijin to Weiguk