The answer to the title’s question is Nampo-dong. Missing the time honored American tradition of driving around aimlessly looking for Christmas lights, we journeyed out to Nampo-dong yesterday amid promises of “lots of Christmas trees” lining the main shopping street. We found what looked like a small section of North Carolina’s famous Tanglewood lights picked up and dropped into what is probably Busan’s most popular shopping district. Photo ops abounded.

Ric, looking like, well, a kid at Christmas

So many lights!

Christmas trees did indeed line the streets.

As did a pair of oh-so-traditional Christmas giraffes.

A friendly Korean man offered to take our picture, thereby stopping traffic on this very busy sidewalk until he got just the shot he wanted.

This little girl had apparently decided it was time for a break. She sat down right in the middle of the sidewalk and refused to be coaxed into going any further.

No tears, no tantrum, just done.

A group of VERY enthusiastic carolers were singing and playing Christmas music.

This tree stands at the end of the shopping street in front of a Jumbotron.

Busan’s own glitzed up version of the Rockerfeller Center tree, perhaps.

Couple this with the small snowfall we had earlier this week, and Christmas is definitely in the air here in Busan, even if it doesn’t always seem that way.