An international student once told me she wandered around for ages looking for a café in Seongsu-dong. The map app said "You have arrived," but all she could see in front of her was an ordinary building. It turned out the café was on the 3rd floor of that building. ## Koreans Don't Choose While Walking Koreans decide where they're going in advance. They search on a map app, look at reviews and photos, and head straight to that address. So a shop doesn't really need to stand out from the street. Even if the sign is small, customers find their way there on their own. It's not written down anywhere, but everyone knows the rule. "You pick a shop on the map, and on the street you just go find it." ## Ground floors are expensive There's the money side of things, too. Rent for shops on the ground floor, where lots of people walk by, tends to be expensive. So owners of small shops choose the 2nd or 3rd floor or a basement, where it costs less. Instead, they draw customers with a pretty space and good flavors. How big the difference is varies from neighborhood to neighborhood, so it's hard to give a number. ## Try it right now Search for the shop's name on Naver Map or KakaoMap and tap 'Directions'. If you check the building entrance and the floor in review photos first, you'll get lost less. If searching in English doesn't work, try copying and pasting the Korean name. Google Maps may have limits for navigation in Korea. What happens if you don't know this rule and just walk? You'll walk right past a great restaurant without even realizing it.