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Posts tagged as “#comparison”

Famous Tourist Places in Korea: Seoul and Busan

Famous Tourist Places in Korea: Seoul and Busan

March 11, 2026

By Hyeonji

Have you ever planned to travel to Korea? Thanks to K-pop demon hunters, Netflix original animation, K-pop has become worldwide known now. Therefore, foreign tourists who travel to Korea also increase every year. For Korea traveler, Seoul and Busan are famous sights for them. Seoul is the capital of Korea, and Busan is the second capital next to Seoul. Both places are great places to travel since they are popular places for travelers. However, there are three differences in travel destinations between Seoul and Busan: traditional spots, shopping streets, and food.

First, Seoul and Busan have different traditional spots. Seoul has been the capital of Korea for around 600 years, since the Joseon dynasty. Also, the Joseon dynasty palace is located in the center of Seoul. The most famous palace is called Gyeongbokgung, where the kings work. Every person who wears a hanbok, a traditional Korean costume, can enter for free. Therefore, there are many hanbok shops near the street. On the other hand, Busan is famous for its old temple with beautiful ocean views. The name of the Temple is Yonggungsa, which means palace of dragon. As you know from the name, it is next to the ocean. Since Seoul is far from the ocean, ocean views make Yonggungsa more special in Busan.

Second, Seoul and Busan have different shopping streets. For foreigners, Myeong-dong is the most well-known shopping street. According to Visit Seoul Net, Myeong-dong was an ordinary residential area until Joseon Dynasty (Visit Seoul Net, 2023). However, after the Korean War, many high-rise buildings and department stores were built there, and Myeong-dong became the shopping center of Seoul. In Myeong-dong, there is everything that foreigners are looking for, such as cosmetics, clothes, and Idol goods. On the other hand, Gukje-market is a popular shopping place in Busan. Gukje means international since this market origin from exchanging international product from America, Japan, and China during the Korean war. The market is a little old, however, there are also shopping places for cosmetics and clothes.

Finally, food is different between Seoul and Busan. From old times, Seoul has been the gathering place where the greatest food is because of the dynasty. Therefore, there is no unique food of Seoul. However, you can try all over the country, the food you want in Seoul. Compared to Seoul, Busan has powerful features in food, which is seafood. Because Busan is near the ocean, there are lots of delicious and fresh sea food in Busan. Therefore, there are lots of raw fish and fish soup restaurants in Busan.

In conclusion, Seoul and Busan are both famous travel destinations for tourists. However, these cities also have different traditions, shopping streets, and food. Seoul has Gyeongbokgung, the palace of Joseon, and Busan have traditional temple called Yonggungsa. Also, the most famous shopping streets in Seoul is Myeong-dong, while Busan is famous for Gukje-market. And there are no unique foods since Seoul is a gathering place all over the country, compared to Busan, which is well known for sea foods. Like this, each travel destination has its advantage.

References

Visit Seoul Net. (2023, August 25). Myeongdong, Reclaiming Its Fame as the Hottest Tourist Spot. Visit Seoul Net. https://english.visitseoul.net/editorspicks/myeong-dong/ENNlwcnrh

Travel Destinations for College Students: Okinawa and Hokkaido

Travel Destinations for College Students: Okinawa and Hokkaido

March 11, 2026

By Sakiko

For university students, traveling is an important opportunity to get away from daily life and gain meaningful experience. Among popular travel destinations in Japan, Okinawa and Hokkaido are attracts attention. In this essay, I will compare Okinawa and Hokkaido from the perspective of climate and cost. Both Hokkaido and Okinawa are popular travel destination in Japan, yet the experience gained there are different.

First, in terms of climate, Okinawa is warm throughout the year and is especially popular in summer for its beaches and marine activities. Students can enjoy snorkeling, swimming and a relaxed tropical atmosphere. On the other hand, Hokkaido has clear seasonal changes. Summer is cool and comfortable, and students can see beautiful snow scenery and winter sports such as snowboarding in winter (Sapporo Tourism, n.d.). Students who want to feel tropical atmosphere may choose Okinawa is better, while those who prefer mild weather and outdoor activities may choose Hokkaido is better.

Second, in terms of cost, both Okinawa and Hokkaido usually need air travel, which can be a financial burden for university students. However, Okinawa has many low-cost carrier flights, making it easier for students to travel on a limited budget. On the other hand, Hokkaido is geographically large, so transportation costs can be high, but focusing on one city or area can help reduce costs. With careful planning, both destinations can be suitable for students with limited budget.

Third, in terms of travel experience, Okinawa and Hokkaido are very different. Okinawa is known for its beautiful ocean, Ryukyu culture, and tropical atmosphere. It is a good destination for those who want to spend time near the beautiful sea. On the other hand, Hokkaido has the best balance between city and nature. Also, it has many sightseeing spots. It is a good destination for those who want to focus on sightseeing and local cuisine.

Both Okinawa and Hokkaido each offer great experiences for university students, and the better destination depends on their interests and purpose. Choosing a travel destination that matches their interests and purpose can lead to a more satisfying travel experience for university students.

Reference

Sapporo Tourism. (n.d.). Enjoying the four seasons in Sapporo. https://www.sapporo.travel/info/about/season/

Differences Between Kagura and Noh

September 17, 2025
kagura masks

How is Kagura different from Noh?

Both noh and kagura are traditional performing arts of Japan, but they are different in many ways: philosophy, practitioners and government policies.

Shinto vs Buddhism

Generally speaking the themes of noh plays are centered around Buddhism while those of kagura around Shintonism. This is a general statement, because Japanese religious believes are a mixture of Buddhism and Shintonism. 

Shinto is the Japanese native religion where the concept is “kami” is treated divine. Shinto is translated into “the ways of gods and goddesses.” Shinto is characterized with rituals performed at shrines, but there is no holy books like Bible. “Kami” is omnipresence, existing in trees, rocks, rivers, buildings, even in a toilet. Its focus is on being clean, healthy and harmonious with others and nature.

Buddhism is imported from China in 6th century. It is a philosophy of saving people from negative emotions to attain enlightenment as well as a promise of going to the utopia after death by being a good person.

The two religions had different focuses, so they complemented each other and were intertwined. Both shrines and temples were built in same sites and Japanese are not particular about the differences of the two religions. They get married in the Shinto style and die in the Buddhist style.

However, there are times when either of them was more influential. 

Since Buddhism was imported to Japan in 6th century, Buddhism had played a more important role in Japanese politics until the end of Samurai rule. In 15th century, samurai lords started to play noh whose stories are based on Buddhism.  Samurai lords found Buddhism suitable to they way of life. Samurai lords valued discipline, self-discipline and acceptance of death, because they were warriors who face life and death. The teaching of Buddhism values loyalty, honors, and sacrifice.

Priests vs Samurai

Priests had been the main practitioners of kagura until late 19th century when Samurai rule ended and the modern Japanese government began. Kagura rituals consists of two parts: rituals and plays. Rituals are somewhat boring repetition of simple moves: walking clockwise and unclowise, bowing and raising hands upward, etc. However, plays are stories performed for the audience where actors play characters and tell stories. Both rituals and plays were performed Shinto priests and regular people were not allowed to do them because they were sacred. In late 19th century, the new modern Meiji government banned the priests from dancing kagura. Commoners who liked dancing became new practioners of kagura.

Practitioners of noh has more variety than kagura. At the beginning regular people danced noh, but the art of dancing was more sophisticated by  a noh star whose name is Zeami. In 14th century, he played and wrote stories and developed theories of noh. He was employed by Great General of Ashikaga Shogunate. Since noh’s philosophy is Buddhism, noh became an art for samurai. Famous samurai lords such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu practiced noh. In 16th century when Tokugawa Shogunate ruled Japan, all the local lords learned noh as an academic subject while they stayed in Edo. Samurai lords patronized professional actors and they built noh stages at temples. Noh education united Japanese local lords, teaching standard Japanese language. During Edo period there were no major wars across Japan and peace continued. Samurai became more refined and developed the taste of zen philosophy. While playing noh by themselves, samurai lords were also patrons of professional actors.  In the late 19th century Edo Shogunate, the last samurai government, ended, so did the tradition of samurai dancing noh. Professional noh actors moved to Tokyo after losing their patrons.

Restriction vs Support

After the collapse of the feudal samurai government, kagura was banned twice by the governments. The modern Meiji government found kagura would get in way to modernization of Japan. The main event of kagura rituals is receiving oracles from gods, where a man in a state of trance acts as a messenger of gods to predict if the harvest is good or bad. Such Shamanic rituals might be viewed “backward” and “primitive” from the European perspective. This was not what the new modern Japanese government wanted to construct for their new identity. Japan should be viewed as a modern rational nation. 

Another reason why kagura was banned is related to the policy of national Shinto. Shinto had developed into a mixture of Buddhism and a variety of regional believes for 1000 years without any written official documents, it was difficult to control its rituals. The new government sought to reorganize shrines and rituals by placing the Imperial Family as the head of Shinto as a way to govern the whole nation under the rule of the new centralized government in Tokyo.

The other restriction on kagura happened at the end of World War II in 1945. General MacArther of GHQ occupied Japan when it surrendered. General MacArther issued “Shinto Directives” because he thought Shinto was the driving force of  the Japanese militant mindset. Shinto Directives included kagura performances. During the war kagura performances were used as a propaganda to incite the will to fight.

Contrary to this unfortunate treatment of kagura, noh received more positive treatment by the government. Noh actors had received salaries from samurai lords for 300 years during Edo period, but they all lost their jobs in the late 19th century.  The actors were demoted to the status of commoners. Some of them started farming and business, but others started theater business called “kan-jin-noh.” It is a noh show to collect donation from audience to raise money for renovating temples and shrines. Noh companies charged audience admission fees. Soon the audience of noh expanded to commoners. Former samurai lords and aristocrats held noh events inviting Imperial family members. A new noh stage was built in one of the residences of the Imperial family. Mother of Meiji Emperor lived in the residence and she was a fan of noh.  In 1881, an organization was formed by Iwakura Tomomi, a renounced politician from an aristocratic family, to protect the tradition of noh, and another noh theater was built in Tokyo. At the theater students practiced dance and singing.

Iwakura Tomomi played an important role to support the tradition of noh. He was the leader of Iwakura Mission. He lead 107 young leaders of Japan to visit United States and European countries. They exposed themselves to advanced technologies until they return to Japan in 1973. They saw an opera performance in a theater where king and queen among the audience. Kume Kunitake, a historian who was in Iwakura Mission, wrote that noh was similar to opera as the most refined form of plays. 

Summary of Difference between Kagura and Noh

Both kagura and noh are traditional performing arts that have long history. In general, kagura is based on Shinto and practiced by Shinto priests. It was not actively supported by the governments. Noh, on the other hand, is based on Buddhism and practiced by samurai. It was more actively supported by the government. However, both kagura and noh are intertwined and it is difficult to clearly separate the two traditions.

Real Reporter Online
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