The novel “Three Kingdoms,” based on Chinese history, is a particularly popular theme in the three East Asian countries of Korea, China, and Japan. In China, it naturally enjoys popularity as it’s their own history, while in Japan, it gained popularity as the company “KOEI” developed games set in the Three Kingdoms. In Korea, too, “Three Kingdoms” is a popular ...
Living in the bustling modern society, encountering pure literary works is not easy. During middle and high school years, exposure to pure literature works is natural for educational purposes. However, as adults, finding time to engage with pure literary works becomes challenging. At some point, reading novels starts to feel like a “luxury” due to time constraints. Nevertheless, by chance, ...
While the subtitle of the book is “Perfectly Organized World History in 3 Hours,” in reality, it’s challenging to completely organize world history in just one book. This is because the world we live in has accumulated a long history, and understanding the history of a single region alone takes a considerable amount of time. However, if you at least ...
On the final morning of our family trip to the Kansai region in Japan, we visited Osaka Castle. Osaka Castle was a place I had explored in detail during my solo trip to Osaka and Kyoto in 2018. Back then, I vividly remember diligently using the Osaka Amazing Pass to make the most of our travels. However, this time, we ...
The phrase “A nation without a memory of history has no future” is well-known to us, although its origin remains unknown. Indeed, history repeats itself, and the past continually recurs. Therefore, studying history is important. It allows us to develop the insight needed to choose the right alternatives in similar situations by learning from past mistakes. “Is History Inherently Boring?” ...
There is a famous saying, “A nation that forgets its history has no future.” While the origin of this quote is unknown, it underscores the importance of being interested in the records and traces of the past. As history often repeats itself, understanding it allows us to predict the future to some extent. Moreover, by delving into history, we can ...
The history board game “Scholars with Swords,” set against the backdrop of the Imjin War, is a game created by Park Sang-jun, operated by the “Play History Classroom.” Based on the Japanese invasion of Korea during the Imjin War of the Joseon Dynasty, this board game has a feel similar to a kind of war simulation. “The Internal and External ...
South Korea and Japan are often referred to as “close yet distant countries.” Geographically close and sharing cultural similarities, they can also feel psychologically distant from each other. In that sense, one might consider South Korea and Japan to be countries that are truly close yet distant. Author “Hanmin” delves into the comparison of these two close yet distant countries ...
Hosaka Yuji is currently serving as a professor at. Sejong University’s College of Ocean Humanities. He graduated from the University of Tokyo and. completed his master’s and doctoral degrees at Korea’s Korea University. In 2003, he naturalized as a citizen of the Republic of Korea. He is now well known as an expert in Korean-Japanese relations. Despite being Japanese, Hosaka ...
Bukchon Hanok Village stands as one of the prominent tourist destinations in the heart of Seoul. Situated east of Gyeongbokgung Palace, it’s conveniently located for visitors exploring the palace grounds. Moreover, its proximity to Insadong to the south enhances its accessibility to major attractions in Seoul. Bukchon Hanok Village boasts numerous hanok (traditional Korean houses) so densely packed that it’s ...
If you exit Kyoto Station, pass by Kyoto Tower, and head a bit further north, you’ll come across Higashi Honganji Temple (東本願寺), one of the prominent temples in Kyoto known for its impressive scale. The main gate, “Amidado” (阿弥陀堂), and “Goeido” (御影堂) are particularly famous. Among them, Goeido, reconstructed in 1895 after being lost in a fire, stands out for ...
Incheon Chinatown aptly earns its reputation as a small China within Korea. It encapsulates the history of overseas Chinese, who arrived in Korea after the opening of Incheon’s port. Within Chinatown, a well-organized venue awaits those interested in the history of Incheon and its Chinese residents—the ‘Korea-China Cultural Center, Incheon Overseas Chinese History Museum.’ Situated at the entrance of Chinatown, ...