Asia
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Tokyo’s Fukagawa Fudo Temple Fire Ritual
Fukagawa Fudo Temple | A Buddhist temple where the monks perform a fire ritual to give strength to the god of justice, a menacing, protective deity. The experience of Fukagawa Fudo Temple is…
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36 Hours on Jeju Island: Korea’s Island of the Gods
First things first: 36 hours isn't enough time on Jeju Island. There's so much to do that you need at least a week - from hiking a crater and exploring an erotic sculpture park to…
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Going to the JSA and DMZ in Korea
Last weekend I explored the JSA and DMZ in Korea, a strip of land in-between two countries that have technically been at war for more than 60 years. There is so much to…
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The Badass Jeju Mermaids of Korea
In Jeju, there are more fisherwomen than fishermen, a very rare occurrence anywhere in the world, truly unique to Jeju. They’re called the Jeju Mermaids, or haenyeo in the local Korean dialect. …
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Jeju Loveland: Where Eroticism and Art Meet
Jeju Loveland: It all started during the 70's when the island was a popular destination for newlyweds, most of which were in arranged marriages. The recently hitched usually had no sexual knowledge or…
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The Dragon Temple: Exploring Daewonsa Temple
Daewonsa Dragon Temple is one of the most unique and aesthetically fascinating temple I’ve seen in Korea (second to Tapsa Temple). The grounds are separated into two levels, the lower hall at the…
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24 Hours in Pohang: What to See
When I told some folks I was going to Pohang on my Korean road trip, they asked me why. Why would I go to Pohang, it’s just an industrial city, nothing special about…
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Ultimate Korea Road Trip: Get Out of Seoul
I had a few days off thanks to Buddha's birthday and decided to wander outside of Seoul on an epic Korea Road Trip, making my way far south, a little east, then west,…
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Tapsa Temple and the Stone Pagodas
Tapsa Temple is nestled in the mountains surrounded by stone pagodas that were built by a Buddhist hermit over the course of 30 years. In 1885, Yi Gap Yong, a 25-year-old Buddhist hermit,…
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24 Hours in Gyeongju: A Museum Without Walls
For almost 1,000 years (57 BC to 935 AD) it was the capital of Silla, an ancient kingdom that ruled most of Korean Peninsula. During the height of the Silla kingdom, Gyeongju was…
