It was one of the hottest summers ever recorded in Seoul and coincidentally I took the full brunt of it all.

2018. Early August. Summer was in full force. I hopped on a flight from Tokyo to Seoul for a vacation I had planned when I was working and living in Japan. At the time, Japan was experiencing one of its most brutal summers marked by heatwaves, floods, and earthquakes. When I landed in Seoul, I thought I had escaped a heat-stricken city but was I awfully wrong.

The minute I walked out of the Gimpo International Airport, I found myself in the center of an extreme heatwave that had gripped most of South Korea. The temperature hit 40°C almost every single day during my stay there. And to make matters worse, the air was very humid. Leaving my air-conditioned hotel had never been more difficult but I was still very much determined to make the most of my time in Seoul.

If someone were to ask me to describe Seoul in one adjective, it would be “electrifying”. The city has undergone rapid urbanization in the past decade. I came across imposing, avant-garde architecture like the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, insanely gorgeous fashion boutiques like the Hermès store and the House of Dior flagship store in Gangnam, and modern museums with carefully thought out exhibitions like the Leeum (Samsung Museum of Art) and D Museum.

And then there was the food. Long before this trip to Seoul, I had developed a deep love for Korean cuisine. Kimchi, bibimbap, galbi, budae jjigae, and buchimgae – these are just some of the many Korean comfort food I would find myself swooning over when I visited any Korean restaurants in the world. Now that I was physically present in South Korea’s capital, I wasted no time discovering familiar yet authentic Korean food.

I also allowed myself to get acquainted with some foreign flavours such as samgye-tang, a traditional Korean dish comprised of a whole young chicken stuffed with ginseng, garlic, rice, scallions, and jujubes. Though at first, it came across counterintuitive to me, I was told this warm soup was best consumed on hot summer days to promote one’s health. Of course, I happily obliged.

For a dessert aficionado like me, Seoul is the idyllic paradise to appease my sugar cravings. Navigating under the scorching sun, I diligently paid my visit to some of the city’s best pastry shops – OUR Bakery, Maillet, Maison M.O and Garuharu. All the incessant heat and perspiration I had endured were worth it.

One shop, in particular, emerged above the rest and that was Garuharu. If there’s one place that can lure me back to Seoul time and time again, this place would be it. With its white minimalist interior featuring white-marbled countertops and seatings, it is home to some of the most divine pastries I’ve ever had, ones that would easily appease the most fastidious eater. As I indulged in their intricately made pastries whilst listening to calming Studio Ghibli piano music playing in the background, I thought to myself that at this very moment, my life is complete. Just me and my pastries. As I left the shop, the courteous staff even gave me complimentary buttery madeleines for me to take back to my hotel!

I don’t think anyone who has yet been to Seoul would be prepared for the transcendent sensory stimulation they would experience for the first time as they move through this city. I, for one, was certainly dumbfounded. The city’s trendy shops, electric nightlife, booming urban landscape, and vibrant food scenes have made it an international destination for tourism and I was blissful I got to enjoy a slice of South Korea’s incredible culture and document it through my camera’s lens.

As I sat in the plane on my way back to Tokyo, I made a promise to myself that I would return to Seoul and live through it all over again – hopefully in less extreme weather conditions.

Photography by James Yang