Holidays: Planning my holidays for South Korea and Japan. (2008)
Barely much, if you may say.
After countless sleepless nights of planning (which really didn't amount to much), I have a bare idea of where I will be going. I finally received an answer from Haruna, my friend who is living in Hakata Island (or Fukuoka for the uninitiated) last night.
So yes, this is a skeleton of my plans when I head to Korea on the 28th.
28th Dec - Fly in to Seoul and reach around evening. The skies should be dark by then, being winter and all there.
29-30th: Touring around Seoul.
31st Dec & 1st Jan- Definitely touring around Seoul as well. Will be staying in with Jo for New Year's Day. There will probably be some special event or plans for that night, so I plan to see how it goes with Jo.
2nd -7th: Have no idea where I will be, but may head to Gyeongju and then only to Busan (which should make the most economical sense).
8th Jan- Definitely have to be in Busan, as I will be meeting Haruna at the port the next evening.
9th- Will be touching ground in Hakata, Japan! Woo hoo.
10th- Hakata, Japan.
11th- Hakata, Japan.
12th- Hakata, Japan. Its Coming-of-Age Day in Japan. A national holiday here where the japanese males and females come of age wearing kimonos and western suits.
13th- Tokyo, Japan.
14th- Tokyo, Japan.
15th- Shimonoseki? Hakata?
Possible going in a clockwise circle from Gyeongju down to Busan and maybe stopping a couple of days in Gwangju? No idea. Definitely have to make some time for Jeju Island as well. We'll see.
Have been doing my research on the internet, but some of the websites are a bit useless, as it gives much detail about travel from Japan to Korea, rather than vice versa, as I am coming from the opposite direction. And also paying in Won, rather than Yen. I definitely doubt I will be having the need for Korea Rail Pass, but T-Money (bus/subway e-money) is definitely useful in Seoul. Japan Rail Pass will be a good idea if Haruna will be using the train a lot. No idea if she drives or not.
Here are some useful links for travelling Korea-Japan:
Japan:
- Travelling Japan
- Hotel Chain Toyoko Inn
- Fukuoka: An Expats' Guide
- Japan Rail Pass
Korea:
- All in one guide: Korea Sparkling
- Wikitravel (informative site, I must say):
South Korea, Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju
After countless sleepless nights of planning (which really didn't amount to much), I have a bare idea of where I will be going. I finally received an answer from Haruna, my friend who is living in Hakata Island (or Fukuoka for the uninitiated) last night.
So yes, this is a skeleton of my plans when I head to Korea on the 28th.
28th Dec - Fly in to Seoul and reach around evening. The skies should be dark by then, being winter and all there.
29-30th: Touring around Seoul.
31st Dec & 1st Jan- Definitely touring around Seoul as well. Will be staying in with Jo for New Year's Day. There will probably be some special event or plans for that night, so I plan to see how it goes with Jo.
2nd -7th: Have no idea where I will be, but may head to Gyeongju and then only to Busan (which should make the most economical sense).
8th Jan- Definitely have to be in Busan, as I will be meeting Haruna at the port the next evening.
9th- Will be touching ground in Hakata, Japan! Woo hoo.
10th- Hakata, Japan.
11th- Hakata, Japan.
12th- Hakata, Japan. Its Coming-of-Age Day in Japan. A national holiday here where the japanese males and females come of age wearing kimonos and western suits.
13th- Tokyo, Japan.
14th- Tokyo, Japan.
15th- Shimonoseki? Hakata?
Possible going in a clockwise circle from Gyeongju down to Busan and maybe stopping a couple of days in Gwangju? No idea. Definitely have to make some time for Jeju Island as well. We'll see.
Have been doing my research on the internet, but some of the websites are a bit useless, as it gives much detail about travel from Japan to Korea, rather than vice versa, as I am coming from the opposite direction. And also paying in Won, rather than Yen. I definitely doubt I will be having the need for Korea Rail Pass, but T-Money (bus/subway e-money) is definitely useful in Seoul. Japan Rail Pass will be a good idea if Haruna will be using the train a lot. No idea if she drives or not.
Here are some useful links for travelling Korea-Japan:
Japan:
- Travelling Japan
- Hotel Chain Toyoko Inn
- Fukuoka: An Expats' Guide
- Japan Rail Pass
Korea:
- All in one guide: Korea Sparkling
- Wikitravel (informative site, I must say):
South Korea, Gyeongju, Busan, Jeju
Comments
My-Bi cards are for Busan. Definitely get both because they save the hassle of carrying around change.
You can catch a ferry from Busan to Japan that takes around 3 hours. I'm not sure how much it is, but it's cheaper than a plane.
Also, Busan is pretty miserable in the winter!
Are you meeting someone in Seoul? Is someone picking you up from Incheon airport?
If you are on your own, it is pretty crazy at the airport to get to downtown Seoul (its like 1 hour to 1.5 hour ride to Seoul).
In my opinion, Seoul is an awesome city. Of course my experience is limited to the US and Paris...lol. But there is so much to see and do. If you need any ideas, let me know at my blog or you can email me at spaldirl@gmail.com
Enjoy your trip!
Hello hello.. thanks for visiting...
as for transport after arriving in Incheon airport, Ummmm...
To tell you the truth, I have no idea how I am getting from the airport to the city, but I guess that I might be able to work it out. LOL.
Anyways, i have a friend who is living there.. but what she plans to do to help me get to her place, is a totally different set of question. Oh well..
LOL. Will email you!
To get from the airport to Seoul, there is a cheep bus that takes about an hour. Just ask at the airport.
As for what to do in Seoul, I can offer some suggestions: clubbing in Hongdae is awesome on the weekends, eat sumguyupsal, shop near Edae, wander down the Chungycheong stream, check out Namsan and go up the tower...
New Year's Eve downtown in Jongno! Check my blog for last year's photos!
If you need more, email me at
peterbond7 at hotmail.com
Good luck! Korea is awesome!