If you’ve ever taken the bus from Gyeongju to Daegu, you might’ve caught a fleeting glimpse of a giant golden Buddha off in the mountains to the north. No, this isn’t some apparition induced by sleep deprivation or soju poisoning. This huge Buddha actually overlooks Manbulsa (만불사), or literally “Temple of Ten-thousand Buddhas,” nestled at [...]
Browsing the archives for the architecture tag
1 Sep 10
6 Aug 10
Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. [...]
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Posted in Arts & crafts, Bomun-dong, Buddhist culture, Downtown, East Sea, Food & drink, Geumcheok-ri, Gyeongju, Gyo-dong, Namsan-dong, Outside Gyeongju, Ruins & remains, Sites to see, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10, hiking, history, shopping
Tagged Anapji Pond, ancient carvings, architecture, Bomun Resort, Bulguksa, cycling, downtown, East Sea, Eonyang, Gyeongju, Gyodong, hiking, history, Namsan, Restaurants, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, temples, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
Tagged Anapji Pond, ancient carvings, architecture, Bomun Resort, Bulguksa, cycling, downtown, East Sea, Eonyang, Gyeongju, Gyodong, hiking, history, Namsan, Restaurants, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, temples, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
10 Jul 10
Continued from Part 1….
5. Neoseo-ri Tombs (너서리왕릉): Once surrounded by houses, the half dozen or so tombs of Noseo-ri have been cleared of buildings and made into oasis-like park in the midst of downtown Gyeongju. Just across the street from Bonghangdae tomb, this park is a great spot for tomb watching, an afternoon picnic or [...]
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Posted in Gyeongju, Sites to see, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10, history
Tagged 12 Animals, ancient carvings, architecture, Chinese Zodiac, Gyeongju, history, legends, people, Shilla Dynasty, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
Tagged 12 Animals, ancient carvings, architecture, Chinese Zodiac, Gyeongju, history, legends, people, Shilla Dynasty, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
15 May 10
The other Sunday the sun was finally shining after a solid week of rain. My wife and I hopped in the car and took off to explore the countryside determined to enjoy some of the hard-earned Spring weather. As luck would have it, we drifted back some country roads going west out of town, and [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyeongju, Sites to see, Temples & shrines
Tagged architecture, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Cave shrine, Countryside, Flowers, Gyeongju, Mt. Eorimsan, Nae Tae Villiage, Pear Flowers, Spring, temples, Villiages
Tagged architecture, Bodhisattva, Buddhism, Cave shrine, Countryside, Flowers, Gyeongju, Mt. Eorimsan, Nae Tae Villiage, Pear Flowers, Spring, temples, Villiages
12 May 10
Coming up in about a week and a half is my absolute favorite holiday in Korea: Seokga Tanshinil (석가탄신일), or Buddha’s Birthday. Every temple in Korea celebrates Buddha’s Birthday one way or another. Most hang lanterns, have special ceremonies and serve a special group lunch or dinner for parishioners. A few of the larger or [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Bulguk-dong, Gyeongju, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, holidays
Tagged ancient carvings, architecture, Buddha's Birthday, Buddhism, Bulguksa, Golgulsa, Gyeongju, holidays, lantern parade, Seokkuram, Seonmudo, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, video
Tagged ancient carvings, architecture, Buddha's Birthday, Buddhism, Bulguksa, Golgulsa, Gyeongju, holidays, lantern parade, Seokkuram, Seonmudo, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, video
1 May 10
The other week my wife and I were walking through an older neighborhood of Gyeongju on our way downtown to grab a burger at McDonalds (Yeah, yeah. I know, but she’s pregnant. I’m not going to argue.) About a block from the courthouse, we turned the corner and stumbled on something we’d not seen since [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyeongju, Seonggeon-dong, Temples & shrines, history
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, downtown, Gyeongju, history, Japanese occupation, Modern History, photography, Soto Zen, temples
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, downtown, Gyeongju, history, Japanese occupation, Modern History, photography, Soto Zen, temples
22 Dec 09
I heard some rather sad news when I got home today. It seems that Hyangiram (향일암), literally “Sunrise Hermitage”, in Yeosu burned down last night. I used to live in Gwangyang, near Yeosu and first visited Hyangiram back in ’02. I’ve been there twice since and I think it is (or sadly was) one of [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, News, Outside Gyeongju, Temples & shrines
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, fire, News, temples, Wonhyo
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, fire, News, temples, Wonhyo
19 Dec 09
If you look South-East from the ruins of Banwolseong fortress towards Mt. Namsan, you might see something a bit curious. Just across the Namcheon River in the little neighborhood of Gyo-dong is huge gold Buddha. It’s seated in the front courtyard of Nakch’eonwonsa (낙천원사), or literally “Optimistic Moon Temple.” It’s probably one of the newest [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyeongju, Gyo-dong, Restaurants, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, Gyeongju, Gyodong, Korean food, Restaurants, sights to see, temples
Tagged architecture, Buddhism, Gyeongju, Gyodong, Korean food, Restaurants, sights to see, temples
