3 Best Places In Asia For A White Christmas
Now, if you're on a budget, the only place where you can see and feel fake snow in Singapore is probably Snow City. During Christmas season, certain shopping malls usually have those soapy foam events going on for free, too. But if you're dreaming of spending a white Christmas with your loved ones, there are places in Asia that you can venture to. Below, we at GET.com share with you the 3 best holiday destinations in Asia that you can visit for a glistening white Christmas.
1. Seoul, South Korea
Have you been to soulful Seoul, South Korea? It is a fantastic holiday destination that you can visit all year round, including Christmas season. If you're lucky, you'll even get to experience a white Christmas covered in snow! It's a pretty magical experience for me, and literally very cool because I'm someone who's very used to Singapore's scorching hot, clammy climate.
Expect to walk on snow clad pavements, shop the Christmas sales (and plenty of awesome Korean cosmetics), feast your eyes on beautifully decorated Christmas trees and night lights irradiating the city complete with Christmas carols, and slurping down piping hot kimchi ramyun and eating all sorts of satisfying street food whilst enjoying a white Christmas. Find out what Seoul has to offer by reading our Seoul travel guide here!
If you like, you can even go skiing at the many ski resorts in the Gangwon-do region or make a trip to mesmerising Nami Island that's about 90 minutes away from Seoul. This little half-moon shaped island was made famous because of Winter Sonata, a hit Korean drama.
From Seoul, you can take an express train to Busan if you want to experience a homier holiday. Well, I hope you don't get creeped out thinking about the smashing zombie movie ‘Train To Busan' while you're at it, though.
Also, a wintry white Christmas in Jeju Island sounds really amazing, too. A flight from Gimpo Airport to Jeju will only take about an hour.
2. Hokkaido, Japan
Whenever you think of snowy Christmas in Japan, Hokkaido is bound to the first name that pops up in your head. Well, that's hardly surprising because Hokkaido is an incredibly popular winter holiday destination amongst Singaporeans.
Make Shiroi Koibito Park part of your itinerary if you're looking to jump right into a Christmas winter wonderland. Expect to be surrounded by beautiful Christmas trees and fields of glowy immaculate light complete with adorable snowmen and lots of kitschy Santa and reindeer decor.
Remember to pay Otaru Canal a visit while you're in Hokkaido. This charming place is a piece of life-sized art.
Go skiing, skateboarding, and smelt fishing for something extra exciting. Also, who wouldn't like to build their own snowman and have heart-thumping snowball fights in the park? Be sure to keep yourself warm by trying out a traditional Japanese onsen, too.
3. Harbin, China
According to China Highlights, the best time to visit Harbin and relish in all the icy, snowy goodness and winter activities is between December and February, so you're in luck if you're going to be visiting Harbin during Christmas season. It will be extremely cold, so make sure you're well prepared before you hop onto a plane there.
A trip to Harbin isn't complete if you skip the Harbin Ice and Snow Festival. Many people travel all the way to this exceptionally cold destination to take part in the festival. And here's an extra nugget of information that will wow you - Harbin's Ice and Snow Festival is one of the biggest ones in the world, alongside those in Quebec, Norway and Sapporo.
This massive ice and snow festival that showcases a ton of equally large-scale ice and snow sculptures typically starts on December 20th each year. By the way, the entire place is constructed with enormous blocks of ice and colossal amounts of snow! Visitors can also ski, slide, visit the Christmas square and feast on on Harbin's local delicacies when they're in Harbin.
The Siberian Tiger Park and Dragon Tower are places that are worth checking out, too. A word of caution - you might get to see or even experience for yourself live animal feeding at the Siberian Tiger Park. Things can get gory and bloody, so only go if you can stomach this.
Article Source: https://sg.get.com/sg/blog/3-best-places-asia-white-christmas/amp/
Image Source: https://get.com/media/uploads/shutterstock_harbin-ice-world_copy-1661804343.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Clad (v.) ~ to cover with a protective or insulating layer of other material
2. Irradiate (v.) ~ illuminate (something) by or as if by shining light on it
3. Kitschy (adj./ informal) ~ so tacky or lame that is has a certain ironic appeal
4. Colossal (adj.) ~ extremely large
5. Gory (adj.) ~ involving or showing violence and bloodshed
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1. How would you describe Christmas in Korea? Describe in details?
2. How do you celebrate Christmas? What is your best Christmas memory?
3. Among the three experiences mentioned above, which one would you like to have? Explain your choice.
