
Adstragold Microbrewery – Singapore City, Singapore
Archipelago Brewery – Singapore City, Singapore
Asia Brewery – Makati, Philippines
Big Man Beer – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Boxing Cat Brewery – Shanghai, China
Brewerkz – Singapore City, Singapore
Craft Brews – Three locations in Malaysia
Craftworks Taphouse and Bistro – Seoul, South Korea
DenBeer – Several locations in Japan
Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus – Beijing, China
Great Leap Brewing – Beijing, China
Hoa Vien Brauhaus – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Inuyama Loreley Beer – Inuyama, Japan
Jolly Brewery + Restaurant – Taipei, Taiwan
Khos Torkh – Mörön, Mongolia
Lan Anh – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Lan Chin – Hanoi, Vietnam
Land Beer Circus – Nagoya, Japan
Le Ble D’or – Sanchung, Taiwan
Le Ble D’or – Taipei, Taiwan
LeVel33 Microbrewery – Singapore City, Singapore
Lion Beer Brauhaus – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
London Pub Towser – Nagoya, Japan
Louisiane Brewhouse – Nha Trang, Vietnam
Man Han Lou Restaurant – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Munich Germany Beer Restaurant – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Nguyen Du Brauhof – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
North Taiwan Brewery – Wugu, Taiwan
Okhotsk Beer 北京欧可啤酒 – Beijing, China
Paulaner – This company has microbreweries throughout Asia.
Pivo Prada – Manila, Philippines
Platinum Microbrewery – Seoul, South Korea
Red Dot Brewhouse – Singapore City, Singapore
Saddle Cantina– Beijing, China
Shanghai Brewery – Shanghai, China
Slow Boat Brewery – Several locations in China
SMS Pub – Batam, Indonesia
Taiwan Micro Brewing Company – Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Tawandang Microbrewery – Bangkok, Thailand
Tawandang Microbrewery – Singapore City, Singapore
The Londoner Brew Pub – Bangkok, Thailand
The Pump Room – Singapore City, Singapore
The Tap Room: Kingdom Brewery – Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Will Beer – Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

You can also download my autobiography of my struggle with a bipolar condition on Am I Kitsune on my Google Drive.
WereVerse Universe at Google Drive Link
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Travel
Tagged Adstragold Microbrewery, Archipelago Brewery, Asia Brewery, Bangkok, Beijing, Big Man Beer, Boxing Cat Brewery, Brewerkz - Singapore City, Cambodia, China, Craft Brews, Craftworks Taphouse and Bistro, DenBeer, Drei Kronen 1308 Brauhaus, Great Leap Brewing, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Hoa Vien Brauhaus, Indonesia, Inuyama, Inuyama Loreley Beer, Japan, Jolly Brewery + Restaurant, Kaohsiung, Khos Torkh, Lan Anh - Ho Chi Minh, Lan Chin, Land Beer Circus, Le Ble D'or, LeVel33 Microbrewery, Lion Beer Brauhaus, London Pub Towser, Louisiane Brewhouse, Makati, Malaysia, Man Han Lou Restaurant, Manila, Mörön, Microbreweries in Asia, Microbreweries in Cambodia, Microbreweries in China. Microbreweries in Taiwan, Microbreweries in Indonesia, Microbreweries in Korea, Microbreweries in Malaysia, Microbreweries in SE Asia, Microbreweries in Singapore, Microbreweries in Vietnam, Mongolia, Munich Germany Beer Restaurant, Nagoya, Nguyen Du Brauhof, Nha Trang, North Taiwan Brewery, Okhotsk Beer, Paulaner, Philippines, Phnom Penh, Pivo Prada, Platinum Microbrewery, Red Dot Brewhouse, Saddle Cantina, Sanchung, Seoul, Shanghai, Shanghai Brewery, Singapore, Singapore City, Slow Boat Brewery, SMS Pub - Batam, South Korea, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwan Micro Brewing Company, Tawandang Microbrewery, Thailand, The Londoner Brew Pub, The Pump Room - Singapore City, The Tap Room: Kingdom Brewery, Vietnam, Will Beer, Wugu, 北京欧可啤酒

The following study is an attempt to objectively explore the truism:
“Nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there”
The operational version of this truism would be that tourist cities and livable cities are different cities. The truism has been named the Visit/Live Theory for the purposes of this study. Two lists that rank cities were compared. The first list ranks cities according the number of tourists that arrived in a city.
The list and a description of the list can be found at:
http://www.euromonitor.com/Top_150_City_Destinations_London_Leads_the_Way
The second list ranks cities according to livability. Mercer Human Resources looked at 39 quality of life issues including political stability, currency-exchange regulations, political and media censorship, school quality, housing and the environment.
The Mercer list and a description of the list can be found at:
http://bwnt.businessweek.com/interactive_reports/livable_cities_worldwide/
Table 1 shows all the cities on both lists in alphabetical order. In addition, the difference in rank was calculated for each city when this was possible. If a city was on only one top 100 list then the difference in rank could not be calculated. The tourist destination study looked at 150 cities, but for the purposes of comparison, only the top 100 tourist destinations were used in this study. Many cities were only on one list and not on the other list. The number of cities on both lists was counted. The number of cities only on one list was also counted. If the number of cities on both lists was greater than the number of cities not on both lists then this would suggest the truism is not true.
Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank
Table 1: Alphabetical List of All Cities |
|
Cities |
Country |
Tourist Rank |
Livability Rank |
Rank Difference |
1 |
Abu Dhabi |
UAE |
52 |
88 |
36 |
2 |
Adelaide |
Australia |
NR |
30 |
N/A |
3 |
Agra |
India |
99 |
NR |
N/A |
4 |
Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
18 |
13 |
5 |
5 |
Antwerp |
Netherlands |
90 |
NR |
99 |
6 |
Athens |
Greece |
NR |
78 |
N/A |
7 |
Atlanta |
USA |
NR |
66 |
N/A |
8 |
Auckland |
New Zealand |
NR |
5 |
N/A |
9 |
Bahrain |
Bahrain |
12 |
NR |
18 |
10 |
Bangkok |
Thailand |
2 |
NR |
90 |
11 |
Barcelona |
Spain |
10 |
41 |
12 |
12 |
Beijing |
China |
22 |
NR |
N/A |
13 |
Benidorm |
Spain |
33 |
NR |
N/A |
14 |
Berlin |
Germany |
34 |
16 |
18 |
15 |
Bern |
Germany |
NR |
9 |
N/A |
16 |
Birmingham |
United Kingdom |
81 |
55 |
26 |
17 |
Boston |
USA |
68 |
36 |
32 |
18 |
Bratislava |
Slovakia |
NR |
99 |
N/A |
19 |
Brisbane |
Australia |
NR |
32 |
N/A |
20 |
Bruges |
Belgium |
89 |
NR |
N/A |
21 |
Brussels |
Belgium |
NR |
14 |
N/A |
22 |
Buenos Aires |
Argentina |
NR |
79 |
N/A |
23 |
Budapest |
Hungary |
36 |
74 |
38 |
24 |
Cairo |
Egypt |
45 |
NR |
N/A |
25 |
Calgary |
Canada |
NR |
24 |
N/A |
26 |
Cancun |
Mexico |
26 |
NR |
N/A |
27 |
Cape Town |
South Africa |
57 |
85 |
28 |
28 |
Chennai |
India |
97 |
NR |
N/A |
29 |
Chicago |
USA |
64 |
44 |
20 |
30 |
Chongquing |
China |
100 |
NR |
N/A |
31 |
Cleveland |
USA |
NR |
59 |
N/A |
32 |
Copenhagen |
Sweden |
54 |
11 |
43 |
33 |
Dalian |
China |
87 |
NR |
N/A |
34 |
Detroit |
USA |
NR |
64 |
N/A |
35 |
Dubai |
UAE |
7 |
80 |
73 |
36 |
Dublin |
Ireland |
11 |
27 |
16 |
37 |
Dusseldorf |
Germany |
NR |
5 |
N/A |
38 |
Edinburgh |
United Kingdom |
56 |
NR |
N/A |
39 |
Florence |
Italy |
46 |
NR |
N/A |
40 |
Frankfurt |
Germany |
NR |
7 |
N/A |
41 |
Geneva |
Switzerland |
98 |
2 |
96 |
42 |
Glasgow |
United Kingdom |
82 |
55 |
27 |
43 |
Granada |
Spain |
95 |
NR |
N/A |
44 |
Guangzhou |
China |
32 |
NR |
N/A |
45 |
Guilin |
China |
65 |
NR |
N/A |
46 |
Hamburg |
Germany |
83 |
24 |
59 |
47 |
Hangzhou |
China |
49 |
NR |
N/A |
48 |
Helsinki |
Finland |
77 |
30 |
47 |
49 |
Hong Kong |
China |
5 |
70 |
65 |
50 |
Honolulu |
USA |
NR |
27 |
N/A |
51 |
Houston |
USA |
NR |
68 |
N/A |
52 |
Istanbul |
Turkey |
16 |
NR |
N/A |
53 |
Johannesburg |
South Africa |
NR |
90 |
N/A |
54 |
Katsuyama |
Japan |
NR |
73 |
N/A |
55 |
Kobe |
Japan |
NR |
40 |
N/A |
56 |
Krakow |
Poland |
69 |
NR |
N/A |
57 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Malaysia |
15 |
75 |
60 |
58 |
Kunming |
China |
94 |
NR |
N/A |
59 |
La Havana |
Cuba |
70 |
NR |
N/A |
60 |
Las Vegas |
USA |
48 |
NR |
N/A |
61 |
Leipzig |
Germany |
NR |
67 |
N/A |
62 |
Lexington |
USA |
NR |
51 |
N/A |
63 |
Limassol |
Cyprus |
NR |
NR |
N/A |
64 |
Lisbon |
Portugal |
47 |
47 |
0 |
65 |
Liverpool |
United Kingdom |
91 |
NR |
N/A |
66 |
Ljubljana |
Slovenia |
NR |
80 |
N/A |
67 |
London |
United Kingdom |
1 |
39 |
38 |
68 |
Los Angeles |
USA |
31 |
55 |
24 |
69 |
Luxembourg |
Luxembourg |
NR |
18 |
N/A |
70 |
Lyon |
France |
84 |
36 |
48 |
71 |
Macau |
China |
27 |
NR |
N/A |
72 |
Madrid |
Spain |
17 |
42 |
25 |
73 |
Manchester |
United Kingdom |
73 |
NR |
N/A |
74 |
Marrakesh |
Morocco |
50 |
NR |
N/A |
75 |
Mecca |
Saudi Arabia |
19 |
NR |
N/A |
76 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
72 |
17 |
55 |
77 |
Mexico City |
Mexico |
30 |
NR |
N/A |
78 |
Miami |
USA |
39 |
62 |
23 |
79 |
Milan |
Italy |
42 |
49 |
7 |
80 |
Minneapolis |
USA |
NR |
60 |
N/A |
81 |
Monterrey |
Mexico |
NR |
94 |
N/A |
82 |
Montevideo |
Uruguay |
NR |
76 |
N/A |
83 |
Montreal |
Canada |
85 |
22 |
63 |
84 |
Moscow |
Russia |
21 |
NR |
N/A |
85 |
Mumbai |
India |
86 |
NR |
N/A |
86 |
Munich |
Germany |
40 |
8 |
32 |
87 |
Nagoya |
Japan |
NR |
54 |
N/A |
88 |
Nanjing |
China |
76 |
NR |
N/A |
89 |
New Delhi |
India |
92 |
NR |
N/A |
90 |
New York City |
USA |
6 |
48 |
42 |
91 |
Nice |
France |
61 |
NR |
N/A |
92 |
Nurnberg |
Germany |
NR |
23 |
N/A |
93 |
Oahu/Honolulu |
USA |
44 |
27 |
17 |
94 |
Omuta |
Japan |
NR |
69 |
N/A |
95 |
Orlando |
USA |
38 |
NR |
N/A |
96 |
Osaka |
Japan |
NR |
42 |
N/A |
97 |
Oslo |
Norway |
NR |
26 |
N/A |
98 |
Ottawa |
Canada |
NR |
18 |
N/A |
99 |
Panama City |
Panama |
NR |
92 |
N/A |
100 |
Papeete |
French Polynesia |
NR |
97 |
N/A |
101 |
Paris |
France |
3 |
33 |
30 |
102 |
Perth |
Australia |
NR |
21 |
N/A |
103 |
Pittsburg |
USA |
NR |
52 |
N/A |
104 |
Portland |
USA |
NR |
46 |
N/A |
105 |
Port Elizabeth |
South Africa |
NR |
97 |
N/A |
106 |
Port Louis |
Mauritius |
NR |
77 |
N/A |
107 |
Prague |
Czech Republic |
20 |
72 |
52 |
108 |
Qingdao |
China |
79 |
NR |
N/A |
109 |
Riga |
Latvia |
NR |
92 |
N/A |
110 |
Rio De Janeiro |
Brazil |
35 |
NR |
N/A |
111 |
Rome |
Italy |
8 |
61 |
53 |
113 |
St. Louis |
USA |
NR |
64 |
N/A |
114 |
San Juan |
Puerto Rico |
NR |
71 |
N/A |
115 |
Salvador de Bahia |
Brazil |
71 |
NR |
N/A |
116 |
Salzburg |
Austria |
74 |
NR |
N/A |
117 |
San Diego |
USA |
88 |
NR |
N/A |
118 |
San Francisco |
USA |
37 |
29 |
8 |
119 |
Santiago |
Chile |
NR |
83 |
N/A |
120 |
São Paulo |
Brazil |
62 |
NR |
N/A |
121 |
Seattle |
USA |
NR |
49 |
N/A |
122 |
Seoul |
South Korea |
9 |
87 |
78 |
123 |
Seville |
Spain |
60 |
NR |
N/A |
124 |
Shanghai |
China |
13 |
100 |
87 |
125 |
Shenzen |
China |
41 |
NR |
N/A |
126 |
Singapore |
Singapore |
4 |
34 |
N/A |
127 |
St. Petersburg |
Russia |
25 |
NR |
N/A |
128 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
66 |
20 |
46 |
129 |
Suzhou |
China |
59 |
NR |
N/A |
130 |
Sydney |
Australia |
43 |
9 |
34 |
131 |
Taipei |
China |
24 |
81 |
57 |
132 |
Tallinn |
Estonia |
67 |
89 |
22 |
133 |
Tianjin |
China |
75 |
NR |
N/A |
134 |
Tokyo |
Japan |
51 |
35 |
16 |
135 |
Toronto |
Canada |
14 |
15 |
1 |
136 |
Tsukuba |
Japan |
NR |
55 |
N/A |
137 |
Tunis |
Italy |
NR |
95 |
N/A |
138 |
Valencia |
Spain |
93 |
NR |
N/A |
139 |
Vancouver |
Canada |
NR |
3 |
N/A |
140 |
Varadero |
Cuba |
53 |
NR |
N/A |
141 |
Venice |
Italy |
28 |
NR |
N/A |
142 |
Victoria |
Seychelles |
NR |
95 |
N/A |
143 |
Vienna |
Austria |
23 |
3 |
20 |
144 |
Vilnius |
Lithuania |
NR |
82 |
N/A |
145 |
Warsaw |
Poland |
29 |
85 |
56 |
146 |
Washington DC |
USA |
63 |
44 |
19 |
147 |
Wellington |
New Zealand |
NR |
12 |
N/A |
148 |
Winston Salem |
USA |
NR |
52 |
N/A |
149 |
Wuxi |
China |
96 |
NR |
N/A |
150 |
Xi’an |
China |
78 |
NR |
N/A |
151 |
Xiamen |
China |
80 |
NR |
N/A |
152 |
Yokkaichi |
Japan |
NR |
63 |
N/A |
153 |
Yokohama |
Japan |
NR |
38 |
N/A |
154 |
Zhuhai |
China |
58 |
NR |
N/A |
155 |
Zurich |
Switzerland |
55 |
1 |
54 |
NR, no rank, no top 100 rank in this category
N/A, not applicable since the city was on only one of the lists
Table 2 below shows cities that were on both lists ordered from the least difference between ranks to the greatest difference between ranks.
Top 100 Cities: Tourist Destination vs. Livability Rank
Table 2: Comparison of Ranks |
|
Cities |
Country |
Tourist Rank |
Livability Rank |
Rank Difference |
1 |
Lisbon |
Portugal |
47 |
47 |
0 |
2 |
Toronto |
Canada |
14 |
15 |
1 |
3 |
Amsterdam |
Netherlands |
18 |
13 |
5 |
4 |
Milan |
Italy |
42 |
49 |
7 |
5 |
San Francisco |
USA |
37 |
29 |
8 |
6 |
Dublin |
Ireland |
11 |
27 |
16 |
7 |
Tokyo |
Japan |
51 |
35 |
16 |
8 |
Oahu/Honolulu |
USA |
44 |
27 |
17 |
9 |
Berlin |
Germany |
34 |
16 |
18 |
10 |
Washington DC |
USA |
63 |
44 |
19 |
11 |
Chicago |
USA |
64 |
44 |
20 |
12 |
Vienna |
Austria |
23 |
3 |
20 |
13 |
Tallinn |
Estonia |
67 |
89 |
22 |
14 |
Miami |
USA |
39 |
62 |
23 |
15 |
Los Angeles |
USA |
31 |
55 |
24 |
16 |
Birmingham |
United Kingdom |
81 |
55 |
26 |
17 |
Glasgow |
United Kingdom |
82 |
55 |
27 |
18 |
Cape Town |
South Africa |
57 |
85 |
28 |
19 |
Paris |
France |
3 |
33 |
30 |
20 |
Boston |
USA |
68 |
36 |
32 |
21 |
Munich |
Germany |
40 |
8 |
32 |
22 |
Sydney |
Australia |
43 |
9 |
34 |
23 |
Abu Dhabi |
UAE |
52 |
88 |
36 |
24 |
Budapest |
Hungary |
36 |
74 |
38 |
25 |
London |
United Kingdom |
1 |
39 |
38 |
26 |
New York City |
USA |
6 |
48 |
42 |
27 |
Copenhagen |
Sweden |
54 |
11 |
43 |
28 |
Stockholm |
Sweden |
66 |
20 |
46 |
29 |
Helsinki |
Finland |
77 |
30 |
47 |
30 |
Lyon |
France |
84 |
36 |
48 |
31 |
Prague |
Czech Republic |
20 |
72 |
52 |
32 |
Rome |
Italy |
8 |
61 |
53 |
33 |
Melbourne |
Australia |
72 |
17 |
55 |
34 |
Warsaw |
Poland |
29 |
85 |
56 |
35 |
Taipei |
China |
24 |
81 |
57 |
36 |
Hamburg |
Germany |
83 |
24 |
59 |
37 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Malaysia |
15 |
75 |
60 |
38 |
Montreal |
Canada |
85 |
22 |
63 |
39 |
Hong Kong |
China |
5 |
70 |
65 |
40 |
Dubai |
UAE |
7 |
80 |
73 |
41 |
Seoul |
South Korea |
9 |
87 |
78 |
42 |
Shanghai |
China |
13 |
100 |
87 |
43 |
Geneva |
Switzerland |
98 |
2 |
96 |
Conclusion
There were a total of 155 cities on either list. 112 cities were only on one list. Only 43 cities were on both lists. Cities that are only on one list outnumber cities on both lists 2.6:1. Even for cities on both lists, the mean difference between ranks was 37.6 and quite high. These findings suggest that cities that are visited are not the same cities that are more livable. The truism that some cities are nice places to visit and different cities are nice places to live in is correct. Table 2 showed which cities had the least difference between ranks and the greatest difference between ranks.
The city with the least difference in rank was Lisbon. Lisbon had a rank of 47 on both lists. Toronto had the second least difference in rank and has the honor of having a relatively high visitor rank (14) and livability rank (15). Amsterdam showed a similar pattern to Toronto with a visitor rank of 18 and a livability rank of 13.
Geneva had the greatest difference in rank. Geneva is a great place to live (2) but doesn’t get very many tourists (98) relative to other cities. Shanghai had the second greatest difference in rank but in the opposite direction as Geneva. Shanghai is a city that many tourists visit (13) but only ranks 100 in terms of livability. A practical implication for expats is to be wary of deciding to live in cities you like to visit without taking the Visit/Live Theory into account.
WereVerse Universe Baby!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Expat, Travel
Tagged Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Agra, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Argentina, Athens, Atlanta, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Belgium, Benidorm, Berlin, Birmingham, Bo, Boston, Bratislava, Brisbane, Bruges, Brussels, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Business Week, Cairo, Calgary, Canada, Cancun, Cape Town, Chennai, Chicago, Chile, China, Chongquing, Cleveland, Copenhagen, Cuba, Cyprus, Dalian, Detroit, Dubai, Dublin, Dusseldorf, Edinburg, Egypt, Estonia, Euromonitor, Finland, Florence, France, Frankfurt, French Polynesia, Geneva, Germany, Glasgow, Granada, Greece, Guanzhou, Guilin, Hamburg, Hangzhou, Havana, Helsinki, Hong Kong, Honolulu, Houston, Hugh Fox, Hungary, India, Ireland, Istanbul, Italy, Japan, Johannesburg, Katsuyama, Kobe, Krakow, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming, La Havana, Las Vegas, Latvia, Leipzig, Lexington, Limassol, Lisbon, Lithuania, Liverpool, Ljubljana, London, Los Angeles, Luxembourg, Lyon, Macau, Madrid, Manchester, Marrakesh, Mauritius, Mecca, Melbourne, Mercer Human Resources, Mexico, Mexico City, Miami, Milan, Minneapolis, Monterrey, Montevideo, Montreal, Morocco, Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Nagoya, Nanjing, Netherlands, New Delhi, New York City, New Zealand, Nice, nice place to visit, Norway, Nurnberg, Oahu, Omuta, Orlando, Osaka, Oslo, Ottawa, Panama City, Papeete, Paris, Perth, Pittsburg, Poland, Port Elizabeth, Port Louis, Portland, Portugal, Prague, Puerto Rica, Quingdao, Riga, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, Russia, Salvador de Bahia, Salzburg, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan, Santiago, Sao Paolo, Saudi Arabia, Seattle, Seoul, Seville, Seychelles, Shanghai, Shenzen, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, St. Louis, St. Petersburg, Stockholm, Suzhou, Sweden, Switzerland, Sydney, Taipei, Tallinn, Thailand, Tianjin, Tokyo, Top 100 Cities, Toronto, Tsukuba, Tunis, Turkey, Twilight Zone, UAE, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, United States of America, Uruguay, USA, Valencia, Vancouver, Varadero, Venice, Victoria, Vienna, Vilnius, Visit/Live Theory, Warsaw, Washington DC, Wellington, Winston Salem, Wuxi, Xiamen, Xian, Yokkaichi, Yokohama, Zhuhai, Zurich

I bought a 19-inch Samsung Sens 25 Desktop Replacement Computer a few months ago in Seoul. Samsung has labeled this computer a desktop replacement rather than a lap top because of its size and the lack of a battery. A battery was deemed impractical for a computer of this size and I agree. I have gone ahead and put a CD next to the screen to give the reader some idea of how big this computer is. The computer is impressive. When people walk into the office tel I live in Daejeon, the first thing they notice is the computer and always the comment is “The computer is so big!” I thought it might be fun to take the behemoth to the local coffee house and hopefully get a little attention. So I started shopping for a computer bag. Common sense suggested that the place I bought the computer would have a computer bag for the computer. Nope! I then checked out every electronic store in Daejeon where I live in Korea.
The largest bag I could find in Daejeon was a 17-inch bag in Costco. No luck in Daejeon!
I checked out the COEX Mall (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coex_mall). One store had a huge variety of computer bags but the largest one was a 17-inch bag. I then checked out Yongsan Electronics Arcade (http://www.visitseoul.net/jsp/english/buy/shop_02_02.jsp?template_id=146&info_id=4020000033&onloadset1_num=2&onloadset2_num=21), the largest electronic market in Seoul and actually gigantic. 5,000 shops but no luck! One thing I have noticed in Seoul, the larger markets like Yongsan, Dongdaemun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dongdaemun_Market) and Namdaemun (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Market) have tons and tons of stores but they all sell the same things for more or less the same price. I have lived in Taipei for seven years and much smaller markets in Taipei will in fact have more consumer options. The area around Taipei Station has all sorts of nooks and crannies where stuff you didn’t even know existed is sold. I would say the variety of consumer goods in and around Taipei Station is much greater than Dongdaemun and Namdaemun put together despite the fact that each of these Korean markets alone is in fact much larger than the market place area around Taipei Station. I got online and found there is a US based online store that does offer the bag but does not deliver to Korea where the computers are made. Talk about irony!
I think my experience is illustrative of a larger observation I have of Korea from a consumer point of view. Samsung is into housing, fashion, you name it but they don’t make a computer bag for their core product, computers. Companies in other countries focus on their core products. Can you imagine Hewlet Packard running an apartment complex or selling suits? Can you also imagine Hewlet Packard creating a computer but forgetting to make a computer bag to go with the computer? There is another giant conglomerate in Korea called Lotte that does the same thing as Samsung. Lotte runs everything from malls to hamburger joints and also runs apartment complexes just like Samsung.
There is vertical integration at the expense of horizontal invention. Secondly, there is an illusion of consumer choice in Korea that upon closer examination is false. There is size without variety. I think you can make more money by selling something no one else sells rather than selling something everyone sells. Koreans prefer copying to invention.
There are two giant hypermart chains in Korea: Homever (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homever) and E-mart (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mart) but they basically sell the same stuff. The hypermarts are huge but the international section is in fact much smaller than what you would find in a medium sized store in any number of other Asian countries such as Thailand and Taiwan much less Japan. For example, you can’t get canned beans in either chain. There is a rumor that E-Mart is slightly cheaper but this is debated among Koreans.
There is no attempt by the two hypermart chains to carve out a niche market. This would be the equivalent of Walmart and Target being almost identical in price and goods offered. Target is up market compared to Walmart but there is no such differentiation in the Korean retail market. This is something long time expats to Korea express over and over again in many different ways. You can get also get a lot of international stuff in other Asian cities such as Bangkok, Hong Kong, Shanghai and even Taipei that are not available in Seoul much less smaller cities in Korea. Koreans that have not lived abroad have a very hard time understanding what the expats in Korea are talking about. Koreans who have lived abroad get it. One saying you do hear over and over again among expats in Korea is “Korea is very Korean”.
More photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31162&l=ee670&id=521247529
WereVerse Universe Baby!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Non-fiction, South Korea
Tagged Computer, computer bags, Daejeon, Desktop Replacement System, Dongdaemun Market, E-mart, Homever, Hugh Fox, Namdaemun Market, Samsung, Samsung 19-inch Sens G25, Seoul, South Korea, Youngsan Electronics Arcade