Chi tourism

Some 60 Japanese who visited Changdeok and Changgyeong palaces in Seoul Tuesday were different from other tourists. When Yuchiku Rinoie drew a circle on the ground, groups of 10 people entered by taking turns and took deep breaths. They walked slowly at certain spots. Rinoie said, “You’ll sense soreness or warmth on your palms at spots with strong chi.” A third-generation Korean Japanese and feng shui expert who has 41 published books including “Feng Shui for Your Love Life,” Rinoie said, “If you want to feel chi, you should visit early in the morning on a fine day and enter from the front gate.” This is an example of "chi tourism" that the Korea Tourism Organization introduced two years ago and is especially popular among Japanese women in their 20s and 30s.

Such tours are theme packages through which vacationers visit sites said to have strong chi to dispel stress and relax. Kiyomasa Well in Meiji Palace in Tokyo attracts more than a million people every year as a “spiritual power spot.” Rumors have it that those who keep a photo of the wall as the background of their mobile phone screens will have their wishes come true. Only 1,000 people are allowed to enter this site per day. Admission costs 5,000 yen (60.65 U.S. dollars).

After visiting tourist hotspots in Korea at the invitation of the tourist authority, Rinoie named 11 places as spiritual power spots, including Changgyeong and Changdeok palaces and the ancestral shrine of the royal family Jongmyo. She also mentioned Sukjeongmun, Seoul’s north gate, along with royal tombs from the Joseon Dynasty, including Yung-neung and Geon-neung, Mount Maii Tap Temple (North Jeolla Province), Magok Temple (South Chungcheong Province), the pavilion Wongudan (Seoul), and Beomeo Temple (Busan). The chi in front of the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae is effective in attracting luck in wealth and officialdom, while Cheonggye Stream (Seoul) is “good for streaming away bad luck.” She called traditional Korean food "power food" because Korean food is dubbed “five colors, four flavors” and contains the philosophy of yin and yang and the five elements. If one enjoys power food after visiting a spiritual power spot, he or she can regain vigor and energy, Rinoie said.

Kim Dong-il, a manager at the tourism body, said, “After a two-month advertising campaign in Japan last year, we attracted more than 1,200 tourists on chi tours and we target 5,000 tourists this year.” He said Korea is an ideal destination for chi tours because it has many spiritual power spots, adding Seoul became the nation’s capital based on feng shui. Since more than a million people reportedly visit each spiritual power spot in Japan every year, developing such sites in Korea should be a priority.

Editorial Writer Hong Kwon-hee (konihong@donga.com)