Our projects – Asia

We flew to Tokyo directly by LOT airlines – the flight time was approximately 10 hours. Since the flight was delayed (the plane was being repaired at the Warsaw airport, which, by the way, took place before our eyes!), after landing we immediately went for lunch – Italian flavors for the morning, so that our stomachs wouldn’t be shocked after the trip 😉. We spent our first evening in Tokyo at the Gonpachi Nishiazabu restaurant, which is a must-see – fans of Quentin Tarantino’s work will recognize the unique wooden interiors from the memorable scenes of the Kill Bill movie that were filmed here. The next two days were devoted to getting to know Tokyo itself and the city of Nikko, the third historic center of Japan, after the former capitals of Kyoto and Nara, located 140 km from Tokyo. In Nikko, we visited the Shinto temple complex of Tosho-gu, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999. The second evening in Tokyo was spent on a spontaneous trip to the famous Golden Gai in the Shinjuku district – this tangle of narrow streets with tiny izakaya bars that can accommodate literally a few customers is one of the most atmospheric places for an evening in this city. In Tokyo, we decided to explore the city all day and travel by subway, which arouses our European curiosity. There was also the Shibuja district with the famous intersection, the Asakusa Kannon temple and the atmospheric Nakamise shopping street. At the end of the day and our stay in Japan, we sailed on a traditional Yakatabune boat on Tokyo Bay. We had karaoke, sushi, sashimi and tempura – it couldn’t be more traditional!

Thus, we said goodbye to Tokyo and moved to Seoul – 2.5 hours of flight and the plane’s wheels touched the tarmac of Gimpo airport. We spent three full days in South Korea. We all agreed about the grilled meat dishes and we didn’t expect such an amount of delicious coffee! And extreme order, especially in public places. We visited Gyeongbokgung Palace with a beautiful artistic changing of the guard, learned all about ginseng, walked the atmospheric Insadong street and, of course, bought famous Korean cosmetics and funny socks wholesale at Myeongdong. The highlight of the program was, of course, the visit to the DMZ. This is always the most interesting aspect of a visit to Korea. The zone separating South Korea from North Korea, established in 1953, is 4 km wide and 238 km long. Even though its name says “demilitarized,” it is actually the most fortified and armed border in the world. Listening to and understanding the historical intricacies of this region of the world, enhanced by visiting a border site, was an amazing experience. After these emotions, we spent the evening on a cruise on the Han River – with music and a light show.

The last day in South Korea was devoted to traveling. The first stop was Suwon and the walls of Hwaseong Fortress, one of the most important monuments in South Korea, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Few of the original elements have survived from the fortress itself, but the stories were rich and, quite by accident, we learned how apartments for rent or sale are marked in Korea – namely, a balloon is released over them and can be seen from a distance. We spent the second part of the day in Yongin, where the traditional buildings of a Korean village have been recreated and various shows are held, in our language – an open-air museum. The last farewell evening must have been special. Therefore, the plan was that our great Polish group would turn into an even better but… Korean group for one night 😊 And so we went for a traditional dinner at JinJinbara with a typical Korean menu consisting of a trifle – thirteen (!!!) dishes 27 people with European features but dressed in colorful local hanbok costumes. We were almost unrecognizable 😉. All good things usually come to an end and that left us with a transfer to the Seoul-Incheon airport (one of the busiest in the world), a 10.5-hour flight and we welcomed Warsaw