Ashley S.
Yelp
It's like a warm, quiet hug in the middle of a crazy city. While today it's a peaceful enclave in the middle of Tokyo, it was once one of the most densely populated place on earth. ON EARTH. It contained 50,000 people in just 6 acres. And boy, was it crazy in there.
If you look learning more about a place's mysteries, legends and lores look no further than Kowloon Walled City Park. To be clear, there is no longer a city here as it was demolished in the 1990s due to organized crime, sex trafficking, drugs and other illicit activities. There are some exhibit areas with English translations, so be sure to spend time reading more about the area's unusual history.
The best part of our experience in the Kowloon Walled City Park is Uncle Man (yes, that's his real name), a longtime volunteer at the park who is obsessed with the art of paper tearing. Uncle Man will lovingly create anything your heart desires and can even do silhouette portraits. A true performance artist. He also plays the flute (well, of course he does) and likes to play traditional Chinese tunes for visitors.
There's really no place quite like it!
Pro Tips:
- Do the extra research (ah hem, Wikipedia) to learn more about Kowloon Walled City Park, because it's truly worth a visit in Hong Kong
- Look for an elder gentleman called Uncle Man to show you the art of paper tearing...he can create just about anything!
- Take the Subway (Lok Fu) for easier access
- Spend about 45 minutes here, more if you find Uncle Man