Let’s go to Busan! Part 2

Are you ready to go shopping in Busan? Shopping in Busan means shopping for all that you might want to buy. Whether it be electronic goods, handicrafts or clothes that you want, you won't have to search for it for long because you’ve got everything here in Busan. There are world class shopping complexes where you have to spend more money than time; as well as street side stalls, where you have to spend more time than money! Busan has a wide range of shopping options, including department stores, duty free shops, discount outlets, and large markets.

Two suggestions for gifts to bring back home are Busan’s dinnerware and C1, Busan’s preferred soju / Cheonnyeonyaksok. Busan’s dinnerware is unique to the southern region only and there’s nothing like it in Seoul. So if you are a collector you have to get a set. If you bring home a bottle of Cheonnyeonyaksok (A Thousand Years), for your father’s birthday he’s going to love you more for it. You can also tell him that this Korean liquor was the chosen official drink for celebration toasts at the 2005 APEC summit held in Busan.

Want to buy authentic Korean souvenirs at reasonable prices? But then you have to be in Busan on a Sunday. At the Gudeok Cultural Market-place in Busan the activity is more channelled towards the arts and crafts. It is located in the Seomyeon area, in the area around the Gudeok Stadium, not what you would call a permanent market place but made up of stalls mainly, set up practically on the floor by the many vendors from round the country. The specialty of the Gudeok Cultural Market-place is that all the wares on display are traditional handicrafts and folk art. It is actually a weekly affair, opened only on Sundays. Among the other things that you can pick up at the Gudeok Cultural Market-place are pottery, ceramics, antiques, lacquer works and wood carvings. You can almost call the Gudeok Cultural Market-place an extra large budget souvenir shop. You will find quite a crowd at the place every Sunday bargaining and picking the wares of their choice. The Gudeok Cultural Market-place in Busan is a great place for souvenir hunting at reasonable prices.

Gukje Market in Busan is the equivalent of Namdaemun Market in Seoul. Not far from Jagalchi Market, Gukje Market leads to Bupyeong Market and Kkangtong Market through narrow alleyways. As you make your way through the little shops that line the narrow streets .you’ll find everything you could possibly need. Gukje Market and Bupyeong Market are great places to buy traditional Korean ware, traditional bedding, and hand-made crafts. If you’re looking for a hanbok, there are many Hanbok shops around here. The tiny stores in Kkangtong Market, can barely accommodate one customer. But one can find all sorts of imported goods here. Adding to the joy of shopping in these narrow streets are the culinary pleasures including red bean porridge, pumpkin porridge, and the famous Busan odeng (fish cake). All the three markets are located close to Jagalchi Market and the commercial area of Nampo-dong, making it a favorite destination for both locals and tourists.How to Get There: Take Subway Line 1 and get off at Nampo-dong station; then go out of exit 1. Take the street behind the PIFF Plaza

The Choryang Shopping Arcade for Foreigners, as the name suggests is the shopping area, which caters specially for the foreigners. You can find Chinese and Russians selling Chinese and Russian products here. It is a favourite haunt of foreigners, as here they can find all that they are unable to find in the other markets of Busan such as all the western-sized clothing, is available in this market. Lingerie, perfumes, cologne, dress materials are some of the things you can also get here. The shopkeepers speaking in a familiar language like Chinese, is bound to make you feel more comfortable and at ease. You can even use your American dollars because this is the only region in Busan to accept them. The Choryang Shopping Arcade for Foreigners is not an up market place if you are expecting it to be. In fact it is a very down market place. A bit of bargaining might work wonders if you just give it a try. However, it is advisable to do your shopping here before it gets dark.

The International Market is located across the street from the Jagalchi Market and is Busan’s largest marketplace. It is connected with various smaller markets such as the Bupyeong Market and the Kkangtong Market. Everything you need can probably be found at the International Market. The market is divided into sections such as the Bag Alleyway, Shoes Alleyway, and more. As the market’s name suggests, it sells a wide selection of imported food and various other imported goods. Main Products: Apparel, shoes, bags, food, industrial products and various living essentials. The International Market is a great place to try Korea’s delicious street food such as odeng, dumplings and twigim (fried foods.

Kolon Underground Shopping Arcade, first opened in 1988, and is located in the famous Nampo-dong area. It is an underground mall unlike big departmental stores. One can get a variety of stuff like shoes, boutique items, casual attire and cosmetics here. The Kolon Underground Mall is open from 10:30 am till 10:30 pm. The best way to reach Kolon Underground Shopping Arcade, is to take the subway Line no. 1 and to get off at Jagalchi or Nampo-dong. Kolon Shopping Mall is a part of the Busan International Market.

   

Seomyeon & Daehyeon Underground Shopping District, Busan is one of the largest and most popular underground shopping center in Busan. This underground shopping center stretches from the Seomyeon subway station to the Judis Taehwa Shopping Mall and has numerous shops selling diverse goods. Seomyeon & Daehyeon Underground Shopping District, Busan is located right on the Seomyeon Street, which is a very busy street because of the Seomyeon Jct, where subway Line No. 1 meets Line No.2, and through which one third of urban bus lines pass.

Seomyeon & Daehyeon Underground Shopping District is no less than any other developed shopping mall. This underground shopping center has quite a few numbers of shops offering different types of lucrative items on sale. The shops in this underground shopping center has a huge selection of branded products including trendy and fashionable clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, cosmetics, perfumes and jewellery. Other items include electronic goods, handicrafts, home appliances, and necessary items of daily use. Goods sold in the Seomyeon & Daehyeon Underground Shopping District, Busan not only belong to popular international brands but also are of superior quality. And the prices of the goods sold here are not very expensive. Varying between low to medium price the goods are very much within the reach of middle class people.

The Seomyeon & Daehyeon Underground Shopping District, Busan also has cheap restaurants and cafes serving different types of delicacies.

For trendy and unique clothes and accessories for the younger generation, then head for Pusan University. The area, which extends from the subway station to the gate of Pusan University, consists of two sections.
First, brand shops or brand discount stores selling items at 30% to 90% discount are located on both sides of the street at the first intersection of the front of the university. Here, you can find clothes designed by major Korean fashion shops at affordable prices.
One block further in the direction of the subway station, you will find more mainstream clothing and fashion items at various stores that sell low to medium priced goods. Many shops sell their own clothing designs and accessories. Wander through the narrow alleys and you will be sure to find fashion items to express your personality at a reasonable price. Also, between 3 pm and 4 pm street vendors appear, selling a wide selection of accessories.
How to Get There: Take Subway Line 1 to Pusan University Station, and go out of Exit 1

If you are brand conscious then Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, is the place for you to shop in. but don't worry about the price because you will get a discount of 20% to 30% for sure. This place is very popular amongst the younger crowd of Busan, who are fond of fashionable clothing and accessories. This region is one of the most hip and happening spots of the city, with all the fashion wear streets and the multiplexes to entertain you while shopping. There are about one thousand shops in the market from where you can pick and choose what you want. However, the shopping in Nampo-dong and Gwangbok-dong is totally different from other local markets. Here, the streets are clean and well-organized with famous, upscale designer brands. It is considered the leading fashion street of Busan. Nampo-dong is also the site of PIFF Plaza, the venue for the Busan International Film Festival. Brand names are not hard to find in the crowd of stalls. Apart from dresses and clothing, you can also find accessories and perfumes. There is one special facility in the Gwangbok-ro Fashion Street, Busan that is the underground shopping arcade. This has been incorporated to make the shopping experience, comfortable during the winter and rainy seasons.

How to Get There: Take Subway Line 1 to Nampo-dong Station; then go out of Exit 2

Department stores, in comparison to other shopping facilities, generally are large stores, which stock a wide selection of different brand names all under one roof. I shall skip

the department stores and the duty free shops as I’m sure you already know what they are like especially the Lotte department stores chain. However I would like to mention two department stores in Busan, the newly opened The Centum City branch of Shinsegae Department Store and the Busan Department Store

   

The Centum City branch of the Shinsegae Department Store, which opened in March of 2009 in the Haeundae-gu district, is Korea’s largest department store and twice the size of most department stores in Seoul. This department store covers 18 floors and two-thirds of the building is devoted to shopping. Other facilities include leisure facilities such as spas, an indoor ice-skating rink, a movie theater, gallery, sports center, and more. The Centum City branch has been receiving much deserved attention as the ultimate one –stop destination for leisure and shopping. I think that the Centum City branch deserves special mention because “it was recently listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest department store” as quoted in the JoongAng Ilbo dated July 08, 2009

One of the many tempting shopping destinations in the city is the Busan Department Store. It is home to the big global brands and is mainly an up market place to shop in, centrally located in the city and is a shopper's haven. The Busan Department Store houses a good number of other shops within its premises that specialize in the sale of certain goods. Among these specialty stores are folk art centers. So you can pick up a lot of reasonable and authentic handicrafts from the Busan Department Store. The Busan Department Store is open from 09:00 – 20:00 daily except for the 1st and 3rd Sundays of each month when they are closed.

 

Migliore is one of Korea’s most famous shopping malls and has branches in the major shopping areas of Myeong-dong and Dongdaemun in Seoul, and also in the Seomyeon region of Busan. The Busan branch is a great place to pick up original designs by Korea’s young designers. As well as fashions, it stocks accessories and cosmetics all at reasonable prices. The Busan Migliore also includes leisure facilities such as a movie theater, fitness club, restaurants & buffet, large arcade, and much more.

Korea’s large supermarkets are where you can find all the daily living essentials that you might need on your trip, such as groceries, clothes, accessories, and more. Busan’s Home plus is in a building as large as a department store, but has prices almost as low as the marketplace. I love supermarkets and I always shop for food which I can keep in the hotel fridge like fruits, bread, biscuits and tidbits. The prices are cheap and they open till very late in the night.

The Seomyeon branch of Home plus is two floors high, and stocks a large variety of merchandise, including groceries, a discount clothing area, accessories, beauty products, consumer electronics, cosmetics, and living essentials. The Seomyeon branch is located near Buam station on subway line 2, and so is easily accessible.
● Public Transportation: Exit #4, Buam station, Busan subway line 2; 10~15mins walk from the station
● Department Store Hours: 10:00am ~ 12:00am

   

The Haeundae branch of Home plus is located near Haeundae Beach. This branch contains a large grocery store, a food court, various other convenience facilities, and stocks around 100 different brands of clothing.
● Public Transportation: Exit #1, Dongbaek station, Busan subway line 2; 3mins walk from the station
● Store Hours:10:00am ~ 12:00am

So, you think you can find your way around the shopping districts in Busan now? What I’m afraid of is that you might run out of money before you run out of shops to visit. So go slow, survey the shops first and buy where it’s cheapest. Don’t be like my friend who bought first and regretted it when she saw the so much cheaper price elsewhere.

Like I promised I’ll tell you now about some of Busan’s many other festivals. I think I already mentioned two in my last post, the Haeundae Sand Festival and the Busan International Rock Festival.

What festival comes to mind immediately when Busan/Pusan is mentioned? Of course it has to be the Pusan International Film Festival or PIFF. The Pusan International Film Festival is an annual event held every year, usually during mid-October here in Busan. It is regarded as one of the major film festivals of Asia. The festival was first started in the year 1996. One of the major aims of Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), is to introduce the latest films and the debut directors, especially from the Third World countries.

In a film festival different types of film are showcased in a single or multiple movie theaters or screening venues. Usually films of recent times are shown. But then depending upon the theme of the film festival, it can include international releases of major importance and even those films which are made at distinguished and recognized film industries outside of the host country. In some cases the theme of the film festival can be on a specific genre of film such as animation and gay or lesbian films. The annual Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), showcases over 200 films from all over the world.. And the movies are showcased on huge outdoor screens This year the PIFF will be held from 8^th October until 16^th October. So those of you movie buffs, there’s still time to catch it.

For those of you car enthusiasts this next festival should be your cup of tea. A popular event in Busan is the Busan International Motor Show which is a biennial event. This year there will be no show and the next one will only be held in May 2010. It will be an eleven-day celebration of all-things vehicular. The exposition's theme this time is "Automobile - Harmony of Human, Nature and Technology."

The Busan International Motor Show, takes place at BEXCO, biennially, between April and May. It is an international motor show comprising of many high-class events. It is held at the Busan Exhibition and Conference Center (BEXCO). Those who are passionate about driving and riding will be able to watch different exhibits of the future's motor technology in Busan International Motor Show.

BEXCO is situated in Busan and it is the industrial and logistics hub of North- East Asia. The global business and tourism is brought together at one place by BEXCO which is a new convention and exhibition center. The BEXCO complex consists of one basement and seven ground floors. The exhibition hall of BEXCO is as big as the size of three soccer fields put together.

I’d like to end here by telling you about the Cherry Blossom Tree Festival. Usually we connect Cherry Blossoms with Japan but here in Busan, Korea, the Cherry Blossoms are just as beautiful. The Cherry Blossom trees appear as beautiful clouds from a distance, whereas the beauty of single blossoms can be enjoyed at a closer distance.

Cherry Blossom Tree Festival, Busan is celebrated during the month of April at Gwangalli Beach. A big festival encompasses the Namcheon cherry blossom complex, Gwangalli beach, and Millakdong, the sushi town. Traditional Korean games like archery and Sirum which is Korean wrestling similar to the Sumo of Japan will be enjoyed by all attending the Cherry Blossom Tree Festival. There are about 20 different kinds of events to be enjoyed such as the cherry blossom festival, live fish festival, folk festival, culture and art festival and more. Visitors will also get a chance to participate in different kinds of contests such as singing and drawing competition for children.

Exhibitions are a part and parcel of Cherry Blossom Tree Festival, which includes a market for Korean traditional food, Korean agricultural and special products. You can also get a view of the popular cherry blossom together with their pictures. Cherry Blossom Tree Festival, not only attracts its native people but even people from all over the country. It is like a representative spring festival of Busan. You can indulge yourself in many different activities such as taking a stroll under the cherry blossom trees, with the sea as a backdrop. The hundreds of sushi restaurants in the area are close by to serve you when you feel hungry. The magnificent view of the beach or a cultural art performance at the Gwangalli Cafe Street can add enjoyment to your stay in Busan during the Cherry Blossom Tree Festival.