Coffee Culture (Day 02)

A cup of coffee in hand is definitely a must for Koreans, be it starting the day with it as breakfast, lunch and even dinner. Every turn you make, every few steps you take, one is bound to come across a café at any corner of a street.  They are inevitably everywhere!

Hongik University Street is one of the many places where coffee culture is noticeably evident. Besides having endless clothing stores, there are also endless rows of cafes offering different types of coffee, tea, pastries etc.

Walking through the bustling shopping streets of Hongik, who knew we were so lucky to come across a Hello Kitty Café – mainly because you can hardly find a café that revolves around a cartoon character, back in Singapore. It was also no surprise that the café is very well known. Other than the fact that the café is heavily dominated with the colour pink and Hello Kitty designs, there were also displays of framed autographs right next to the entrance by various Korean artistes, like T-ara and Dal Shabet, who visited the café!

This way to the land of all things Hello Kitty

Everything's Hello Kitty - even the tray paper!

The interior of the cafe is heavily decorated with Hello Kitty.

Despite having spent only two days in Korea, the coffee culture is so apparent that it can be considered a popular culture and trend. Even in Singapore, cafés have become a common hangout not only for youths but also expats. So, don’t be surprised if the thematic coffee culture hits Singapore strongly one day too!

Article by: Nur Amirah, Rachel Leong and Fatin Sufiah

Video by: Shah Ezuan and Angelyn Leow

Photos by: Angelyn Leow and Hannah Farhanah