Fall colors in Seoul

The first thing that strikes a visitor to Seoul in Fall is the incredible colors. The Koreans love Japanese maples, both red and yellow, for many reasons. First, they give mesmerizing shades of colors. Second, they are slow-growing and therefore can form a compact forest within the limited land mass on a small campus or behind a building.

Besides the trees, you can find colors in unexpected places. I visited a hospital (not a children’s one) that was so colorful and artsy as an art center, and bustling as a business center. With my experience visiting more than a couple of adult medical facilities in America, don’t we all dread the sterile hospital atmosphere? Why not make it more cheerful! South Korean people got this right, in my opinion.

Colors in Severance Hospital.
Christmas decoration is already up, and concert is on – in Severance Hospital.
Have you ever seen a garage this clean and beautiful? I doubt it.
Another beautiful garage.
Very interesting concept adopted here: specific parking slots for women.
Guess what this is? Yes, on the right, pink, is women toilet; on the left, brown, the disabled’s. I was a little embarrassed to take this picture so I left in a hurry without taking the men’s – the color is blue.

The Koreans are definitely not scared of colors. In a culture where hierarchy and harmony are emphasized, this is interesting. In other words, there is no conformity in colors in Seoul. Instead, you find it in some other areas of life. More on this later.