Namhae-eup

Overview:

Namhae-eup, a town of a mere 15000, is the county seat and service center of Namhae-gun and thus is the location of the county office, the office of education, and Namhae Community College. The town itself is situated near the center of the main island of Namhae, near the coast of the western bean-shaped part of Namhae island, south of Idong-myeon.

Shopping:

If you're looking for Western products or even products from China or Japan, you won't find them in Namhae (although you can find Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce imported from Hong Kong). Cheese and milk can be a bit expensive. Beef is extremely expensive but fish and pork are sold at reasonable prices. There are several supermarkets in the vicinity of the central downtown area of Namhae-eup that sell all sorts of items ranging from vegetables to basic household necessities.

Namhae has much fishing and agriculture and so you can purchase fresh vegetables and fish at the local traditional Sijang (marketplace) for reasonable prices. If your Korean is decent enough, you can bargain for better prices with the merchants. Namhae's Sijang is located on the main road in the downtown area across from the main branch of the Nonghyup bank.

Restaurants:

There are several "Chinese" restaurants and Japanese sushi places in Namhae-eup. However, the "Chinese" food in Namhae is heavily localized and thus may not taste anything resembling authentic Chinese food. Being an island, Namhae has the luxury of having fresh fish daily and so raw fish restaurants are very commonplace.

If you're a bit cash-strapped and want a quick meal, one place to go is a restaurant called "I [Heart] Gimbap." This restaurant opens until very late at night. Like all Korean restaurants, all meals are served with side dishes that may include various kinds of kimchi, pickled vegetables, raw onions, or danmuji.

Western food is harder to come by. There are several fried chicken and pizza places, but these can be slightly expensive and have localized flavors.

Transportation:

Being a small county town, Namhae-eup has only small two-lane roads and narrow alleyways. Driving may be fairly difficult, especially at around 5 to 7 PM. Taxis can be fairly pricey. The cheapest way to travel around is by means of the local county busses. You can purchas tickets for local travel at both the Intercity Terminal and the bus stop next to the town's Lotteria fast food restaurant in the downtown area.

Religious Services:

There are literally dozens of churches in Namhae, each catering to their own particular denomination. Some churches, particularly those involved in missionary work, may have members who can speak some rudimentary English. Mormon missionaries from the United States occasionally visit Namhae on weekdays.

For Buddhist services, the only temple in Namhae-eup is at Beopheungsa, which is nestled in the hillside and sits next to the town's historic Hyang-gyo (rural Confucian school). In the whole of Namhae county, however, there are numerous Buddhist temples scattered across the countryside such as Boriam (which is on Geumsan and can be accessed by the Boriam shuttle bus next to Namheung travel agency), Hwabangsa, Yongmunsa, and so on.

Medical Services:

Namhae has one hospital, but is mostly for relatively basic services. Serious cases and surgery can only be done in Jinju.