What to See, Eat and Do in Korea (and Beyond)
Located inside Canal City Hakata (a huge shopping and entertainment complex in Fukuoka), Pokémon Center Fukuoka just reopened in June with a full makeover and Latias and Latios front and center. Latias and Latios were chosen as the Fukuoka’s mascots for their connection to Kyushu, the island where Fukuoka is located and the real-world inspiration for the Hoenn region in the Pokemon games.
Right now the Seoul Regional Tourism Center is hosting a free “Local Trip Thu-Fri-Sat” program. The feel is “travel-without-leaving-Seoul” so you get a taste of countryside or coastal region culture (depending on the theme) while staying in the city.
Studio Dragon is holding a special “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” pop-up right in here in Seoul! Located in the second-floor basement (B2) of The Hyundai Seoul, this pop-up up brings the tasty world to “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty” to ours. I’m not going to lie, the pop-up is small, what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in really cute official merch. They have everything from posters, stickers, and embroidered bookmarks to scrunchies, hoodies and even Ji-yeong’s bag, gabangi!
Beer first flowed into Korea during the Japanese occupation. In the early 1930s, Japanese companies established breweries here, mainly to supply beer to settlers and officials. At the time, beer was seen as an upscale, imported-style drink, pretty much reserved for the elite or special occasions. By 1933, Yeongdeungpo became home to two of Korea’s major breweries, which later evolved into OB (Oriental Brewery) and Hite Brewery.
Mullae Art Village is a unique, industrial neighborhood full of metal workers, workshops, art galleries, and artist collectives. It might sound like an eclectic mix (and it is), but it’s an amazing place to visit.
The COEX Aquarium has officially reopened as the Sea Life COEX, Seoul Aquarium. But it’s not just a name change, it’s a full blown glow-up! There are now 14 themed zones packed with over 650 species and more than 20,000 marine creatures, ranging from Amazonian ecosystems to shark kingdoms.
We’ve found the most beautiful view of Seoul and you can only get it from the top of this gigantic helium balloon in the middle of the city. SEOULDAL (서울달), is a mash-up of “Seoul” and dal (moon in Korean) and it’s a giant moon-shaped helium balloon that takes you 130 meters into the air for an unbeatable aerial view of the Han River and Seoul’s gorgeous skyline.
This week, a friend invited me a visit a gallery exhibition open to the public but only by reservation and with very limited entry. It literally sold out in a day, and for good reason. It was held at Sunhyewon (선혜원).
While the structure was built in the late-sixties, it was only converted into a cultural space this year and renamed Sunhyewon which translates to “bestow wisdom”. Before then it was the private resident of Chey Jong-gun (최종건), the founder of the SK Group, one of the largest conglomerates in Korea. Yes, friends, Sunhyewon was the former home of the chairman of a chaebol.
CJ the Kitchen has 2-hour cooking classes, fully in English, where you can learn the ins-and-outs of Korean recipes in a top-tier kitchen.
Welcome to autumn in Korea! You’ve made it through the hot, wet summer of 2025 and it’s all blue skies… at least once the temperature cools down and the humidity drops a bit lower. We might still have a bit of lingering summer heat, but September is the start of one of Korea’s most beautiful seasons.
“Bon Appetit,Your Majesty” just launched on Netflix and we just launched our react and review video podcast for K-dramas!
Our first K-drama? “Bon Appetit, Your Majesty”, obviously!
Dazaifu is a small, quiet city on the outskirts of Fukuoka, that’s absolutely perfect for a day trip. Just a 30-minute train ride from Fukuoka (if you plan your train transfers right), Dazaifu is a charming old town that served as Kyushu’s political and diplomatic hub back in the day and I simply had to see it for myself.
