Korean hanafuda

I frequently see Koreans playing games with Japanese hanafuda cards. Alcohol is always involved, usually large amounts of soju. According to Wikipedia, “in South Korea, the cards are called Hwatu (화투)” and “the name literally translates as battle of flowers.” Two of the most common Hwatu games are Go-stop (고스톱) and Seotda (섯다). Again, according to Wiki, “Hwatu is very commonly played in South Korea during special holidays such as the Lunar New Years, and also during the Korean holiday of Chuseok (추석).” I haven’t seen it limited to these occasions. It is hard to not go for a hike, take a bike ride, or just walk past a park in the neighborhood without seeing a group of Koreans playing. If only I could speak Korean; I could join in…

Posted on July 22nd, 2013 under Japan, Korea. Tags: beer, games, Gosapo Beach, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D600, people. Comments Off on Koreans playing hanafuda

May 18th National Cemetery

Last week I got on Bus 518, near the front gate of Chonnam National University (where the May 18, 1980 events began in Gwangju), and rode to the final resting place of many of the individuals who took part in the Gwangju Democratization Movement. This tower, to the left of center, is known as the May 18 People’s Uprising Memorial Tower (5·18민중항쟁추모탑).

Posted on July 21st, 2013 under Korea. Tags: clouds, gwangju, May 18 5.18, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600, skywatch. Comments Off on May 18th National Cemetery (국립 5.18 민주묘지)

Chonnam National University track

The track near the front gate of Chonnam National University isn’t used much during the day this time of year as the heat and humidity make outdoor exercise more work than fun. However, once the sun goes down, hundreds of people can be seen circling this track in the evenings. When I took this photo the sun was setting. A couple hours later there were probably three times as many people on the track.

Mudeungsan can be seen in the distance of today’s image.

Posted on July 20th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: chonnam national university, gwangju, Mount Mudeung National Park, Nikon 24mm f/2.8 AF-D nikkor lens, Nikon D600. Comments Off on CNU track (전남대학교)

German Bar – Gwangju alley at night

On the far left of today’s photo (2nd Floor) is the aforementioned German Bar.

Posted on July 19th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: beer, german bar, gwangju, night photography, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600. Comments Off on German Bar @ night

One of Gwangju’s many high-rise residential living spaces

Most of the 1.5 million people in Gwangju live in one of these places. There are hundreds of them throughout the city, most in the 15-20 story height range. They aren’t very pretty up close (this is one of the better looking ones), but from a distance, the city looks pretty cool because they are spread out a bit.

Posted on July 18th, 2013 under Korea. Tags: buildings, gwangju, Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 AF-S NIKKOR G ED N, Nikon D600, photomerge. Comments Off on Living in Gwangju