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Kate Wu

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In Hokkaido

The Most Romantic Snow Festival

Otaku Snow Festival 小樽雪祭

What makes Hokkaido winter festival interesting is that there are so many sites to visit. And they are all unique and charming in a different way. The Sapporo Odori Park is the main site featuring over a hundred snow sculptures, the Susukino Site specilizes in ice sculptures, and the Tsudome Site is suitable for families. Otaru is more spiritual than commercial, many snow and ice objects built round town features love, couples, and starlight. Otaru is one of my favorite cities in Hokkaido that I almost always visit every time I travel there. It is only around 35 minutes away by train from Sapporo, making it possible to go for a day trip. The main attractions are within walking distance: the fish market, a charming old harbor port with a beautiful canal, and historic buildings. Very easy to work around. During the low season, the area offers a quaint atmosphere. The annual Otaru Snow Light Path event is held every year around the same time as the Sapporo Snow Festival so that visitors can go to both places at the same time. In 2016, the event…

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In Hokkaido

Snow Festival for Families

Little snowmen at Tsudome Site 扎幌雪祭小雪人

Want to bring your young children to experience snow without having to travel miles away from Sapporo city center? For families with young children, Tsudome Snow Festival is the place to be. It’s not far from Sapporo downtown. This site features snow slides,  snow sculptures that you can touch, climb and take photos with. All suitable for adults and children. It’s a fun place for families with children for a quick few hours trip. If you need a place to get warm and snack, go inside the dome where you can rest and buy food and drinks. Some indoor children facilities are available as well. The 2016 Tsudome Snow Festival will open from Feb 5 to 18.  The venue is not far from the Sapporo city centre. Simply take the Toho subway line, get off at Sakaeachi station and walk for 10 minutes. Or you may take shuttle bus that run between Odori Site/Sapporo Station and Tsudome site (200 Yen one way. It runs every 15 to 30 minutes). Please note that it only opens from 09:00 to 17:00 during the festival. …

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In Hokkaido

Ice Festival in Red-light District

Susukino Ice Festival

The second venue of Sapporo Snow Festival takes place in Susukino, a busy business area that turns into a red-light district after hour. It is an extension from Odori Park where you may simply walk there (about 10 minutes) or take a train to the Susukino Station. Featuring delicate ice sculptures and ice bars, the Susukino Site is also called Susukino Ice Festival. It is relatively small in scale, stretching only 3 city blocks. It takes about half an hour to walk around and take quick pictures. The good thing about this site is that there are so many shops, bars and restaurants that you can easily take a warm break any time. There are 5,000 night clubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in Susukino area. So it is easy to find something to eat after visiting the site. The bad thing is that the buildings and shops are so close that you will always capture some logos and billboards in your pictures. In 2016, the Susukino Site will open from Feb 5 to 11. The light will be on from sunset to 11pm (till…

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In Hokkaido

First Stop of Sapporo Snow Festival: Odori Park

Sapporo Snow Festival in Odori Park 日本北海道扎幌大通公園雪祭

Arriving Sapporo, the Odori Park is the definitely the first stop of the Snow Festival because it is right in the city centre, only 10 minutes walk from Sapporo JR station. Since 1950, Sapporo has been holding a week long snow festival every year. There are three main sites in Sapporo: Odori Park, Susukino Site and Tsu Dome Site. The Odori Park is the largest in scale, stretching 12 city blocks over 1.5 kilometres long. The snow festival in Hokkaido is a big event in Japan, attracting over 2 million visitors every year, many of them locals. I have been to the Snow Festival in Hokkaido a couple of times. I really enjoyed it. In 2016, the event will be held from February 5 to 11. Be prepared for a few hours walk in an open space. So keep warm. The ground may be slippery. 札

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In Korea

World’s Largest Amorphous Architectural Structure

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul 首爾東大門設計廣場

Designed by a renowned award-winning architect Zaha Hadid, Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is the world’s largest three-dimensional amorphous architectural structure with 45,133 external aluminium panels that are all different in size, curve and pattern. Zaha Hadid, or should be called Dame Zaha Hadid, DBE is an Iraqi-British architect who was the first woman recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2004. With a design concept of “Metonymic Landscape” and reminiscent of flowing water, DDP adopts a fluid design with curved walls and a free-form shape. This beautiful three-dimensional amorphous structure employs an innovative design approach called Building Information Modeling (BIM) as well as mega-trusses and a space frame to minimize the use of columns and create a massive open space. It is spectacular on the outside and breath-taking inside.

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In Korea

Need a Luggage this Size to Travel?

Travel luggage at DDP 東大門設計廣場的超大行李箱

Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is the newest and most iconic landmark of the Korean design industry. In addition to the art halls, the whole area inside out are filled with interesting designer products and display. I remember seeing an international brand creating a special design road show to enhance it brand awareness and uplift its artistic image. In light of the vast space at DDP, this article will focus on the outdoor display of designer art work. I will write more about other areas in separate posts.

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In Korea

Glow-in-the-dark Romantic Rose Garden

Sparkling roses in the sky

The LED Rose Garden at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul was a major attraction since last autumn. The 25,550 LED roses were set up as one of the exhibition to celebrate the first anniversary of DDP, encouraging continued support by the local communities to this new landmark of design and creativity. The 25,550 roses are also symbolic to the 70th anniversary of the South Korea Independence Day (70 years  x 365 days = 25,550). Meaningful, thoughtful and beautiful!  Beauty is one of the key elements in art and design. The white roses are well made and the glow at night using LED lights have created a vast starlight field of roses. Each rose is planted independently on a real grass field. You don’t see any messy electric wires on the ground. The rose garden is set up on a slope, enabling visitors to get good view in every angle. Well thought out and excellent execution! All roses are lit up from 6pm to 10pm every day, attracting many couples, families as well as tourists to take a walk and capture the…

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In Chuncheon

Finding Love, Stars and the Little Prince

Petite France in Korea 韓國小法國村

Petite France in the countryside of Seoul has become very famous after the popular Korea television drama series “My Love from the Star” was filmed in the park. Similar to the story of Little Prince who came to the earth and longing to go back to his left behind rose, the main character of “My Love from the Star” came to the earth 400 years ago and was due to go back to his planet when he fell in love with an actress. The romantic episode was filmed in the park! Locating near Namiseon Island and the Garden of Morning Calm, Petite France is one of the attractions in between around Gapyeong and Cheongpyeong area. The theme park was built as a French cultural village and a youth training centre (it was originally a youth training site). “Flowers, stars, and the Little Prince” encapsulate the theme of the park but I think that these three elements are one – the Little Prince story if you are familiar with it. That’s because I didn’t see many flowers in the park, the Little Prince paintings and…

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In Korea

“We Got Married” Cafe in Seoul

Miss Lee cafe is a must if you are a Korean TV drama fan. The second season of the Korean reality show “We Got Married” was filmed in the Insadong branch, one of the three Miss Lee Cafes in Seoul. As you can tell just from the name of the show, this coffee shop was where the actor and actress dated. Like many other film locations, this coffee shop has become famous after the show was broadcasted. Well, there is always a reason why it was chosen as a film location to begin with. The interior decoration and the atmosphere of Miss Lee cafe is indeed nice and sweet. Before I stopped by, I have not seen any of the TV show nor done much research about the coffee shop. I only remember seeing the logo somewhere in a guide book. It was time to have lunch. So I looked at the menu and decided to give it a try. The restaurant is not that small. There is an outdoor sitting area and there are quite a few tables inside. The main feature is the…

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In Taipei

The Gold in Pumpkin Mountain

Many tourists go to Taipei will visit the popular Jiufeng where a famous movie was filmed a long time ago. Tourists like to visit Jiufeng for unique scenery of concentration of small houses built on the hill with small alleys and stairs connecting each other. And it’s a place for the gold-digging dream back in the glorious gold mining period. Not that many people know that Jinguashi was a even bigger mining site that left abandoned. Jinguashi literally means “golden gourd rock” in Chinese.  Local people named the area according to the pumpkin shape of the gold mines. Taiwanese call pumpkin “Jingua”. Now, you may complete the picture of the good old days of gold mining industry in Taiwan by visiting the Gold Museum in Ruifang district. Opened in November 2004, the Gold Museum is designed to be a Eco-Museum, retaining the historic and cultural assets, encouraging participation of the community, and showcase the history of precious metal mining industry. The Gold Museum is not a confined space with walls and gates. It covers a large area on the hill side where the gold mining industry took…

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