Met with The Korean and Japanese


On March 26^th, 2012 I attended the educational fair. I met Korean people who introduce their traditional clothes, food, traditional musical instrument, and dance.

Traditional Clothing

Hanbok (South Korea) is the traditional Korean dress. It is often characterized by vibrant colors and simple lines without pockets. Women's hanbok is comprised of a wrap-around skirt and a jacket. It is often called chima-jeogori, 'chima' being the Korean word for skirt and 'jeogori' the word for jacket. Men's hanbok consists of a short jacket and pants, called 'baji', that are roomy and bound at the ankles. Both ensembles may be topped by a long coat of a similar cut called 'durumagi'. Hanbok worn today are patterned after those worn during the Confucian-oriented Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). Yangban, a hereditary aristocratic class based on scholarship and official position rather than on wealth, wore brightly colored hanbok of plain and patterned silk in cold weather and closely woven ramie cloth or other high-grade, light weight materials in warm weather. Commoners, on the other hand, were restricted by law as well as finances to bleached hemp and cotton and could only wear white, pale pink, light green, gray or charcoal colors.

The Beauty of Hanbok

The beauty of hankbok lies in the harmony of its colors and its bold, simple lines. Most 'jeogori' have a snap tie ribbons on the inside to hold them closed. The long ribbons of the jacket are tied to form the otgoreum. The 'otgoreum' is very important because it is one of three things by which the beauty and quality of hanbok is judged. The other two are the curve of the sleeves, 'baerae' and the way the 'git', a band of fabric that trims the collar and front of the jeogori, is terminated. The ends of the git are generally squared off and a removable white collar called the dongjeong is placed over the git. The regular pleats of the chima stretch downward from the high waist and increase in width as they reach the lower end of the traditional skirt, creating a sense of gracefulness.

Gat(Men's hat)

Durumagi
The durumagi is a traditional overcoat worn on special occasions over the traditional jacket and pants.

Baji
Baji refers to the lower part of the men's hanbok. Compared to western style pants, it does not fit tightly. The roomy nature of the cloth is due to a design aimed at making the cloth ideal for sitting on the floor.

Kkotsin
The kkotsin refers to silk shoes on which flower patterns are embroidered. They play an important role in completing the graceful line of the lower rim of the chima.

Jeogori The jeogori makes up the upper part of hanbok. Men's jeogori are larger and simplistic while women's jeogori are rather short and characterized by curved lines and delicate decorations.

Dongjeong The dongjeong refers to a white collar attached along the rim of the neckline. It contrasts and harmonizes with the overall curve of the neck.

Otgoreum (Cloth Strings) The otgoreum is a women's ornamental piece, which hangs vertically across the front of the chima (women's skirt).

Baerae (Jeogori Sleeve) The baerae refers to the lower lines of the sleeve of either the jeogori (traditional jacket), or the magoja (outer jacket). It features a circular line which is naturally curved, similar to the line of the eaves of the traditional Korean house.

Chima The chima is the women's outer skirt. There are different kinds of chima: single-layered, double-layered, and quilted. Pul-chima refers to a chima with a separated back, whereas a tong-chima has a seamed back.



Patterns
Traditional patterns graceful lines and color combinations enhance the beauty of hanbok. Plant, animal, or other natural patterns are added to the rim of chima, the areas surrounding the outer collar shoulders.

Korean Food

When most people think of Korean food, they think of kimchi, Korea's staple side dish which, along with rice, accompanies almost every meal. Although it is an acquired taste, many long-term foreigners also find themselves missing the flavor of kimchi if they have too many meals without it. While many Korean dishes are unfamiliar at first, they are not really that different from some Western foods.

On the second day, on March 27^th, 2012 I met Japan people who introduce their foods. They demonstrated how to cook ikayaki. Ikayaki is a popular fast food in Japan. It may refer variously to either simple grilled topped with soy sauce or a style of squid pancake in Osaka. The pancake style is prepared like folded crêpes and made of chopped squid, hard dough, sauce and sometimes egg, and is cooked and pressed between two iron plates. Ikayaki's popularity is partly due to its speed, as it only takes a minute to cook it this way. The Snack Park of Hanshin Department Store (Umeda, Osaka) is famous for its ikayaki. Ikayaki is also commonly served on the street or at the beach.