Korea’s San Francisco

The train whisked by block housing high-rises and pockets of heavy industry between lush forested hills and rice paddies, during my 2-hour ride to Busan.While the South Korean landscape is quite similar to Japan’s, Korea seemed to have more open space, and far more tall buildings. Of course Japan has skyscrapers, and blocky, minimalist apartment complexes sprawl out from its major cities for kilometers. Still, one of the things that surprised me most when I arrived in Japan was that it’s really not that built up (because of earthquakes?)—even Shizuoka’s tallest structures top out at just over 20 stories. But in Korea, apartment buildings easily clearing 20-30 stories stood in squared-off clumps in seemingly the middle of nowhere. I suppose the country (which is more dense than Japan) keeps its green space when residents are crammed into skyscrapers (and I’m not saying this is a bad idea).

And to conclude my ill-informed compare/contrast session: Busan actually was a lot like San Francisco! I’d read that the cities were strikingly similar in climate, topography, and “cosmopolitan atmosphere”—and Busan indeed had a sparking bay spanned by bridges, fishing boats and fish markets, and an upscale shopping district with all the typical brands.

I had to walk a few blocks to transfer between train lines...

Then I walked into the train station to hear Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugartown” playing on the soundsystem. After my second train ride, I stepped out of Busan Station and…now that’s weird:

On my way to Busan Tower:

Exploring the water's edge:

The fish market was bordered by a dried fish market...and further on, a strip of herb shops.

After a full day of wandering, I took an evening express train all the way up to Seoul.