Despite having studied abroad in South Korea this year and being there again this month, I just can't get enough of Korea so I went to a Koreatown in Japan. Just kidding. I went to Koreatown because it interested me and I wanted to check it out. I was curious.
I don't write a lot so I'll just link you to these two pages, which offer some great information:
Tsuruhashi, Osaka's Korea Town
Korea Town, Osaka, Japan: About
Please read :)
Osaka's Koreatown is basically a maze of alleys and narrow passageways, lined with shops that usually sell clothing or food. There are a couple shops featuring shoes, handbags, hanbok, cosmetics, and K-Pop merchandise, and there are Korean restaurants as well. I also saw pictures of K-Pop idols in random places and lots of kimchi.
Supposedly this is Japan's largest Koreatown, despite being small... Honestly, it doesn't have all that much to offer. It's kind of hidden away too.
Another thing I noticed is the lack of
hangeul, the Korean alphabet. I say this because it's not what I would expect. When I visit Chinatowns in the U.S. and Canada, for example, there is Chinese writing everywhere.
Perhaps it's because I was there relatively early in the day, but many stores and restaurants weren't open yet when I was there.
Korean barbecue! It tasted great.
