I suddenly made up my mind to go to South Korea and purchased a ticket to Daegu just two days before departure. Thanks to my boldness and courage, here I am in South Korea, happily enjoying delicious street food in Busan. It’s my very first time visiting, and I don’t have any prior information about either Busan or Daegu. But that doesn’t bother me — I prefer to be filled with exciting feelings of discovery.

There’s no special reason for my sudden trip. If anything, I realized I could get four consecutive days off by taking just one day of paid leave, and Air Busan gave me that extra push.

Usually, airlines tend to increase their ticket prices as the departure date approaches or as the number of available seats decreases. But this time, it felt different. Air Busan offered me a ticket at a very low price through their Thunder Deal. Amazingly, the one-way flight to Daegu cost only 4,500 yen, with an airport tax of 5,600 yen. I knew South Korea was close to Japan, but this price was even cheaper than domestic train fares from Tokyo to Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, or Hokkaido. I was genuinely delighted.

Air Busan’s advantages aren’t limited to their fares—they also offer great meals. Plus, you can collect stamps for additional perks. I was very satisfied with the overall experience.

I’ve never been to South Korea outside of Seoul, and it’s been such a long time since my last visit there—mostly just transiting through Seoul. I’ve completely forgotten many of the words and phrases I once knew. Sometimes, even Hangul feels like it’s from another dimension! But that’s not a big problem, thanks to a universal communication tool: gestures. I can simply point at the food I want to order, and express what I’m thinking with my body and hand movements.

Now, to get back on track—I’m actually in Busan instead of Daegu. Why? My Korean friends recommended visiting Busan. It has many tourist attractions, and locals there are very accustomed to visitors. Meanwhile, Daegu is a large city but perhaps less tourist-friendly for first-timers. So, for someone like me who’s just starting out, Busan is a much better choice, they say.

The distance from Daegu to Busan isn’t far at all. Taking the KTX (Korea Train eXpress) from Dongdaegu Station to Busan takes about 45 minutes. If you plan efficiently, the total travel time from Daegu International Airport to Busan is around an hour and a half. In my case, I actually made it to Busan within 90 minutes, which was very convenient.

Today was a moving day. All I managed to do was stroll around the night market and enjoy some delicious food. Let me introduce a few snacks I tried. If I keep having such big dinners every day, I’m definitely going to gain weight…

Oden — perfect for the winter season (and even in summer). It warms you up from the inside. You can find oden all over town. (1,000 KRW)

Many people were lining up. It’s similar to a quiche. The simple one costs 1,000 KRW, and the version with bacon is 2,000 KRW.

This one is also popular: 씨앗호떡, a hotteok filled with brown sugar, sunflower seeds, and walnuts. (1,200 KRW)

Noodles with a refreshing taste. (4,000 KRW) You can enjoy the flavors of Korean-seasoned laver and Welsh onions.