South Korea Pt 4 – A Dash of Romance at Nami Island, South Korea

Question: do you have to be a koreanovela/Endless Love series/Hallyu Wave fan to be able to appreciate the beauty that is Nami Island (or, as they more formally call it, Naminara Republic)? No. But if you know a bit of Winter Sonata, you’d appreciate it more. If you don’t, you still won’t be able to deny that this place is all about romance. (Warning: this post is going to be “image-heavier” than usual, so apologies in advance.)

So how does one get to the paradise that is Nami Island?

After a quick breakfast of yummy pastries and some green tea latte at Tous Les Jours, we took the train at Myeongdong Station, Line 4 to Dongdaemun History and Culture Park Station, Line 4, and then to Wangshimni Station, Line 2. From there, we transferred at Sangbong Station (Jungang Line) until we finally arrived at the Gapyeong Station. (We had about more than a couple of copies of this “map” of the Metro Lines, complete with writings. Very handy.)

The train ride was quite long. I actually even dozed off for a bit, then we arrived at the final stop, Gapyeong Station. The place looked empty, right? It felt as though we’re the only ones going to Nami Island. Look, the taxi stand below is empty of people except us. We then took a short cab ride to the wharf, where the ferry that will take us to Nami Island is docked.

Then we arrived at the “dock” and we saw rows and rows of tour buses already parked. SHEESH. There was even a queue already at the Immigration area. Yes. Immigration. Since Nami Island is like a “make-believe” country all its own, so in order to get there, you have to go through Immigration, pay “Visa” fee (essentially the ticket), and get your Visa. That Visa will be your boarding pass to get on the ferry.

There was quite a crowd already. We were on the first trip to Nami Island that day. The ferry ride took around 5-10 minutes (I wasn’t really paying attention because IT WAS FREEZING. Understand that this was late March, so we caught the tail end of winter and spring has not quite started.)

Don’t be fooled by the no-crowd look of some photos. We were just clever enough (or, at least I think we were) to make sure we were far from the (maddening) crowd. On the ferry, you have the option of going below deck, or on the deck. It was hella cold, but hey, we’re there to soak in as much of the Nami Island experience as we can, so we stayed on deck! Shivering cold and all.

Oh look! Philippines and Japan, side by side!

Arrival at Nami. Waiting on the shore, right beside the Nami Wharf, is the statue of a lady. It’s called the “Namimaid”.

So we wanted to steer clear of the crowd. While they took the main entrance, we decided to go in reverse. So we went the other way. Aside from a couple, we were the only ones who took this route, so we practically had the place to ourselves.

Look at the leaves of the trees. You immediately know that you are smack dab in the middle of winter and spring.

We passed by smaller gardens and sections. This is one of those that stood in my memory, the Cheongyeongwon Garden, a memorial garden dedicated to Lee Min Cheon, the mother of Minn Byeong-do (the founder of Nami Island).

After some more leisurely walking, we followed a path that led to that iconic scene in Winter Sonata, where the first kiss  happened.

There were a number of signs with photos from the drama. So nostalgic, seeing these images more than a decade after actually watching the drama. *sigh*

The snowmen. I was a bit disappointed with all the graffiti on the table and the snowmen themselves.

So, according to the sign, the bench is exactly the one used during filming of the scenes, and was preserved to this day. The snowmen, however, were installed later on for tourism purposes.

By this time, it was already past 11am. We saw groups of ahjummas settling down a few meters away from the First Kiss site for their lunch.

Channeling Arashi~ Take note which color I stood on. Yay~! (This was actually a dry pool, right beside the rest rooms. Haha!)

We actually had to wait for a couple to finish taking photos in this heart statue. I even went so far as to offer to take a photo of them using their phone just so they’d be done already and we can have our turn. Yes. Self-serving. Pretty much.

We also hung out a bit at this wide amphitheater. And rolled around on the stage while abusing the Self-Timer function of our cameras. Yes, rolling around. With dust and dirt. So our clothes were… yeah, dusty and dirty.

As we walked on, we saw the crowd getting thicker. We’re finally getting to the area where most of the people are, on their way to where the three of us started our Nami Island tour.

This giant statue are of “Junggang and Hwangha”, symbolizing maternal love. The breasts represent the Yangtze River and the Yellow River, the two major rivers of China. This was made by sculptor Yu Qing Cheng, and it is meant to convey the maternal nature of the earth, but in a playful manner. Yes, naughty, naughty, indeed.

Now we come to another iconic and very Winter Sonata site: the Metasequoia Lane. Basically, it is a road lined with Metasequoia trees. It is also the road where Junsang and Yoojin from the drama used to walk together.

The queue was also quite long to have pictures taken with the statue of Junsang and Yoojin. 🙂 But we eventually had our turn.

It’s already past noon, and we’re beginning to feel hungry. So we pounced on this place at the Souvenir Shop.

It was nothing spectacular, although I liked the red bean added to it. (Who am I kidding, I love anything with red beans!)

We then proceeded inside the Souvenir Shop, bought some ref magnets (for my Mom, coz that’s what she specifically asks everytime I go anywhere) and other stuff. But there’s also an alcove, a “Winter Sonata shrine”, if you will. The walls are filled with photos related to the drama.

Outside, there’s this giant “poster” of the drama.

We started heading towards the exit, and we passed by these cute stone snowmen warming themselves by the fire. 🙂 So cute.

More than just the site of Winter Sonata scenes, however, there is a lot more to Nami Island. It’s got a rich history, with representations strategically placed here and there. There are even miniature houses, just like this one.

And I did tell you we did this tour in reverse, right? So we ended it at the sign that says “Welcome to Nami Island”. Haha!

The crowds are still pouring in when we left. Phew.

All in all, I must say that Nami Island is a must-see when you find yourself in Seoul. Devote at least half a day (although I felt there are still a lot more to have explored. Darn time constraints.) It definitely is a romantic place, which explains why we found couples and pairs coming in droves. And this was on a Monday morning, too, so either they are their own bosses, they are unemployed, or they were playing hooky. 🙂

More on my South Korea experience in my next post. See ya then!