Seoul has some amazing hidden treasures, but many of these hidden treasures have been deliberate in an attempt to boost one thing or another. One such place, which is one of my favorites, is Cartoon Street. It is called in Korean, Zaemiro, meaning "street of fun".

The street was meant to bring back "Manhwa", the Korean word for cartoons, comic strips, comic books, and graphic novels. In Korea, the cartoon culture is different from other places and almost not recognizable. I grew up watching Hannah Barbera and Flintstones, but in Korea, it seems there was an alternative cartoon culture, that I may never connect to - but I truly appreciate it and can sense the nostalgia.

Supposedly, this road started in 2013, by Seoul's city government to promote the "imaginative industry" and boost tourism and the local economy.


The street connects Namsan Mountain and Myeong-dong. The entrance of the street begins as a tiny alley found between Exits 2 and 3 of Myeongdong Station, along subway line No. 4, at a fork in the road by the Pacific Hotel. From here, you see a really adorable picture, and then continue on to an unassuming alley.

The street is also host to many events. In February 2014, individual cartoonists were invited every Saturday to Zaemirang to spend time with their fans and draw pictures while a "Cartoon Concert" of indie bands performed. The "Cartoon Street Festival" in November 2014 featured cartoon stories, a costume play photo tour of cartoon clubs, and Korean traditional dress and games.  At the end of the street, you will finally come out on the main road and see the Animation Center. Before that, you will come across a random Elvis store.


I tried to check what was happening there, but the door was locked. It was odd, because finding Elvis in Korea is so unusual, especially as I am exploring a particularly Korean pop culture. Anyways, from there, I see the Seoul Animation Center - Here is the image from outside!


Its an old but colorful building, and was established by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 1999. The center is quite functional and runs an information desk, offers educational programs, holds events to support new talents and productions, and hosts diverse events and exhibitions. Once you go inside, there is a lot to do, from dress up to animation gallery to VR games. The gallery is upstairs and worth a look.
 

I’m fairly certain no one has made a theme park inside a cave, but if you're in Korea, you get these weird experiences. The cave, besides being wonderfully cool for the summers, has some cool LED installations and sights, things you wouldn’t necessarily think would go together.



From there you take the path to the right and go down into a performance area where you see projection mapping. Along the way, you see some LED art displays in different locations throughout the cave.

One of the more flocked artefacts in the cave is the golden statue of Aisha in which, as the legend says, touching the golden coins sitting in her hand will grant you prosperity and happiness in the future. This is the reason why a lot of tourists line up to see if it would work.




Then you come to stairs leading further into the cave.  I was hoping that we’d go down and not have to come back up, but you do have to come back up. At the bottom of the steps is the time tunnel exhibit.




As you make your way back up the steps you come to an art exhibit.  It’s a great place to stop and catch your breath before you tackle the last set of steps. You can also peer down into the underground lake.


And then you come to the Wine Cave portion of the cave!  The Wine Cave has many types of Korean wines for sale and they also hold a Wine festival.

The last stretch of the cave takes you through a small museum, and then you return back.

This entire trip will take around 1-2 hours in total transit and 3-4 hours in the caves, so likely in total, you could do this in half a day!

This place is certainly not for the faint of heart. The smell (some may call it aroma, but I beg to differ) of fish, kimchi, random animals, ginseng in bottles all are kind of creepy, like entering some laboratory. The last stop was to this amazing museum, called the Seoul Yangnyeongsi Herb Medicine Museum, a block or so down the road. The building looks gorgeous from the outside, the wood and paper windows make for a great photo op.

One of the first things I love to do in a new place is try street food. I don't know about you but I have a habit of snacking, and preferably, I can replace these snacks with entire meals. In South Korea, I've been lucky to try some really quirky and interesting things. Of course, read my post on Gwangjang market to get to see more food pictures.

Tteokbokki