Hello Kitty Cafe Archives

Buzzing with youthful activity all day and all night, Hongdae and Edae are two university neighborhoods that serve as great destinations when you’re looking for something more laidback.

Despite staying in Hongdae during our visit to Seoul, we didn’t spend a lot of time exploring the neighborhood. We had an hour or two everyday, but that’s not enough to see all the corners of the quirky neighborhood.

Hongdae is the collective term for the neighborhood surrounding Hongik University. Here, you’ll find all kinds of cafes, shops and restaurants. It’s actually a pretty good alternative to Myeongdong when you want to go shopping. However, it’s all the activities that make the place seem so alive. I thought it’s just every Saturday, but apparently it’s buzzing everyday with live bands and youth groups holding events.

On our fourth day, we went back to Hongdae after spending the morning at the Ihwa Mural Village. I was pretty excited because it was the first time I’d meet up with an online friend! [Read more…]

South Korea is the home of aegyo, BB Cream, KPOP, and a lot of themed cafes. The Hello Kitty Cafe is one of these themed cafes, and it has a couple of branches around the country. In my previous visit, we went to the Hello Kitty Cafe in Hyewa near Sungkyunkwan University. This time, my family and I opted to visit the one in Hongdae which was pretty near Trick Eye Museum.

Prior to the trip, Gian and Gabby didn’t want to visit the cafe because Hello Kitty. Haha. But Gianna really wanted to, and I promised that we’d visit the Hello Kitty Land in Malaysia, but we ended up going to Korea. So despite the two boys’ complaints, we trooped to the cafe for a quick coffee run. Gianna was ecstatic when she saw the cafe and wouldn’t enter as long as she hadn’t taken a picture.

Doesn’t the cafe look adorable even from outside? [Read more…]

Fall in Korea Day 4: Exploring Hongdae and Edae in Seoul

Seoul Day 3: Hello Kitty Cafe at Hongdae