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Japan + South Korea 2023Japan + South Korea 2023
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A 25-day adventure by Alicia Brookes Read more
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  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 10

    Mt Takao

    July 15, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 29 °C

    This morning I said goodbye to the rest of the family as they're heading back home today. I'm still travelling for a little while longer!

    Today I went on a day trip to Mt Takao, just over 1hr from Tokyo. Once at the mountain, I took the cable car up most of the way then walked about 1hr further up to the summit. I saw some temples, shrines, lots of butterflies and many many stairs. The was a gorgeous view from the summit and I could even see Mt Fuji!! On my way back down I tried some rice dumplings, they were delicious, and caught the chairlifts, which were quite steep and had no safety bar!

    I hopped on the train back into Tokyo and did some zig-zagging between stations to pick up my luggage from a locker and make my way to my new accommodation in Asakusa. It's close to Tokyo Tower!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 11

    Sensō-ji Temple, Kyoto and Arashiyama

    July 16, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

    This morning I had a quick visit to Sensō-ji Temple. This temple is the oldest in Tokyo and one of the most colourful. It was super busy and already super hot (31 degrees at 8.30am)!! I also took all my luggage, my big backpack, with me as it was right next to the train station.

    I then hopped on a bullet train to Kyoto! It took about 3 hrs, I was just resting most of the trip. Once at Kyoto, I struggled to find a place to put my luggage, but when I eventually did I jumped on another train to Arashiyama.

    First in Arashiyama I visited the Otagi Nenbutsu-ji Temple. This temple has 1200 Rakan statues with all different expressions. It looked amazing. This temple was about a 40 min walk from the station, so it was pretty quiet and peaceful. I had my favourite ice block on the way too!

    Next I walked to Arayshiyama Bamboo Groves. These have a handful of pathways that wind you through a forest full of bamboo. This part was packed with people!!!

    Afterwards I made my way back into central Kyoto found my guest house accommodation (after some difficulty) and went out for a quick dinner.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    1
    Day 12

    Kyoto - Bookbinding + Temples

    July 17, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 35 °C

    This morning I attended a Japanese sketchbook-making class! We added designs to the book cover (which was a kimono fabric with coloured dots from trials of a kimono colour palette), created a thread design in the inside cover, sewed together pages, bound and glued everything together. It was really fun!

    After this I headed over to Kinkaku-ji (Kyoto's Golden Temple). The top two levels are completely covered in gold leaf! The temple and its reflection in the water were really pretty. Before moving on to another temple I stopped at a cafe for a snack (and some aircon), it was 38 degrees!

    After a super crowded bus, my next visit was to Higashiyama Jisho-ji (Kyoto's Silver Temple). It is one of the only temples representing the Muromachi period and is surrounded by beautiful gardens and ponds.

    I then made my way through the Philospher's Path, stopping to speak to and buy some postcards from a Japanese artist along the way. This path is about 2km and runs along a canal, past a number of shrines and temples. There were heaps of cats along the way too!

    At the end of the path I had a quick stop at Nanzen-Ji Temple and walked through the large brick aqueducts that run through the temple grounds.

    I then had a plan to start walking back to my accommodation, and found some other shrines and temples on the way! I walked through the Heian-Jingu Shrine. This place was massive with gorgeous designs and brightly painted red architecture. This was a Shinto shrine that had been built to celebrate Kyoto's legacy of once being Japan's capital.

    I then passed through a little festival area in Maruyama Park as it is a national holiday in Japan, Marine Day. This is a day when people give thanks for the blessings of the ocean and pray for the prosperity of the maritime nation of Japan.

    Next to this area was Yasaka Shrine, it was big, red and very crowded! This temple is known for the Gion Matsuri festival which involves a procession with many floats and occurred earlier this morning. I ended up running into a different parade. The street I needed to go to was blocked off by thousands and thousands of people. I arrived at the perfect time, just before it started! It ended up being a procession of 3 portable shrines known as Mikoshi-Togyo. They held deities of Yasaka Jinja and their shrines remain in downtown Kyoto for 1 week. There was a lot of music (drumming), chanting and shaking of the shrines as they believe this increases the power of God.

    I then headed back on my journey home, taking a big detour, and passed the massive and beautiful gate to the Choin-In Temple and later the Kofuku-Ji Pagoda.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 13

    Fushimi Inari-taisha + East Kyoto

    July 18, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 35 °C

    This morning I went to Fushimi Inari Taisha. It's a popular shrine known for having thousands of Tori Gates. I spent about 1.5hrs doing the full Mt Inari Summit track, it was nice but very hot! Once near the top, it was very quiet (most tourists don't walk the entire way) and you were surrounded by the forest. Along the track there were lots of gaps for shrines. There were also many many spiders, stick insects and crows.

    Next, I headed over to the Kyoto Imperial Palace. It was closed but I was able to walk around the gardens, the remains of the Kan-in-no-miya residence and see the super-long wall surrounding the palace.

    I then passed through Kōdō Gyōgan-ji Temple, a small Buddhist temple, and Yasui Kompira-gū Shrine, which has a large power stone for people to crawl through, as it is believed to be able to end bad relationships and initiate good ones.

    Afterwards, I went to Ryozen Kannon, Kyoto's "female Giant Buddha". This 24m statue acts as a war memorial commemorating those lost in the Pacific War located in Eastern Kyoto.

    I then wandered through Ninenzaka, a street with historical Japanese-style buildings. I bought a couple souvenirs and some snacks. I also passed by the super colourful Yasaka Koshindo Temple covered with "monkeys" where people had written their wishes.

    Next was Kiyomizu-dera temple. This sits in Kyoto's mountainside and has a beautiful view overlooking the city. There are a number of bright red gates, pagodas and pretty gardens in the area that I also visited. I then went back to my accommodation and packed up my belongings as today was my last full day in Japan!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 14

    Kyoto to Seoul

    July 19, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    This morning I had a quick visit to Rengeō-in (Sanjūsangen-dō) Temple. There were some small but nice gardens and a 120m wooden hall, Japan's longest wooden structure. Inside the hall, there are 1001 statues of the Buddhist goddess Kanon, each with 42 arms. It also features 28 guardian Buddhist statues. I couldn't take photos inside this area but it looked very impressive, very different to the inside of other Japanese temples I have visited.

    Next I headed to the train station and caught a 1.5hr train to Kansai Airport (near Osaka). At the airport, I found a cafe with a nice view of the runway! I sat there while catching up on my paper journal. My flight took off at 3.20pm local time and was only 1.5hrs to Incheon Airport in Seoul.

    With super long immigration lines it took me a while to leave the airport, but I eventually made it onto some trains and to my hostel.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    1
    Day 15

    Seoul - Palaces + N Seoul Tower

    July 20, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    First off this morning I visited Changgyeonggung Palace. This is one of five palaces found in Seoul. The palace was painted with lots of lotus designs in bright colours. It had a big garden area and a cool greenhouse inspired by French architecture with Japanese gardens.

    I then wandered next door over to Changdeokgung Palace. This palace looked similar to the previous one with some large surrounding gardens. It also has the oldest throne room in Korea.

    After this palace I joined a small free walking tour, there was a guide and two other tourists. The first stop on the tour was Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul's largest and most popular palace. It was the main palace during the Joseon Dynasty. There are many buildings, gardens and a couple of surrounding lakes. It was really pretty! There were also a lot of people taking photos in Hanbok, Korean traditional outfits.

    Next was Bukchon Hanok Village, a small area with buildings designed to look like traditional Korean houses. We then went to Insadong where the tour finished. Here there were some shopping streets and lots of small art businesses.

    I then met up with some people from the hostel, and the girls from today's tour, and we went on the cable car to visit the N Seoul Tower. We were able to see some of the sunset and the bright lights of the massive city landscape. For dinner, we all headed to the super busy Myeongdong Night Markets.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 16

    Seoul - DMZ Tour and Hongdae

    July 21, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

    This morning I had an early start with a 7.50am pick up for a DMZ tour. First stop was Imjingak Pyeonghwa Nuri Park. An area that was built to console the South Korean refugees and families who were forced to separate during the Korean War. The park featured many statues, memorials, the last train to cross the Korean border (filled with bullet holes) and the Freedom Bridge where at one point nearly 13,000 South Koreans returned home from the North.

    After crossing into the DMZ, where Korean soldiers came onto the bus checking passports, the tour stopped at Dora Observatory. It was a fairly clear day and we were able to see the large area of the DMZ and parts of North Korea.

    The next stop on the tour was the Third Infiltration Tunnel (we couldn't take photos inside). The tunnel was very steep (73m below ground), wet and was 1635m long. It is believed to have been built by North Koreans with the intention of invading the South. They expect that 30,000 troops could pass through the tunnel in just 1hr. Outside of the tunnel there were some more gardens and statues.

    The final stop of the day was one of the Korean villages near the DMZ. They had some pretty gardens! We then made our way back to Seoul, arriving at around 3.30pm.

    I then had a quick walk over to Namsan Baekbeom Square. There were some statues, big green open spaces and remnants of a fortress wall. It was very very hot (I was getting a lot of heatwave emergency alerts!), so I didn't end up staying too long. Instead, I rested at the hostel and went to a nearby cafe.

    For dinner, I went out with some friends to a Korean Barbeque in Hongdae. Afterwards we met up with a bigger group to do some Karaoke and hang out in a nearby park!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 17

    Ihwa Mural Vilage + Seoul to Busan

    July 22, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    This morning I visited Ihwa Mural Village. I walked through the quiet neighbourhood seeing many scupltures and lots of different painted murals. I also went up some super steep streets to see the remnants of a fortress wall then had a coffee nearby with a friend.

    Next I headed back to the hostel to grab my luggage and make my way to the train station. I travelled on a KTX train (fast train) from Seoul to Busan, with the trip taking close to 3 hrs. It did end up being delayed by 40 minutes though!

    I arrived to Busan around 7pm, so I made my way to the hostel and had a chilled night.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 18

    Gyeongju

    July 23, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 31 °C

    Today I went on a day trip to Gyeongju. After nearly a 2hr drive, the first stop was Yangdang Folk Village. This is Korea's largest traditional housing village from the Joseon Dynasty. It was in the mountainside and surrounded by flowering gardens. It was very humid and there were so many bugs!!

    Next we went and had lunch at one of the markets in Gyeongju. It was a buffet style. I'm not sure what I ate, but it was nice!

    After lunch we visited a Buddhist temple called Bulguksa. Here lie 6 of Korea's national treasures (including 2 pagodas and bronze Buddha statues).

    Daereungwon Tomb Complex was the next stop. It was a park in Gyeongju containing 23 tombs built during the Silla Dynasty. These tombs are large mountains, with the largest mountains representing the greatest wealth. There are a total of 155 of these tombs in Gyeongju. We were able to walk through one tomb, Chenmachong, and see replicas of what had been found and excavated from that site.

    Next to the tomb complex was Hwangnidan-gil, a busy shopping street. I bought some snacks (including the 10 won coin) and a little souvenir.

    Last stop of the day was Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond. It's an area with a few palace buildings and a large pond that is lit up at night. It's known for having mirrored reflections in the water.

    After another long drive back into Busan, I made it back to the hostel around 10.30pm.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan + South Korea 2023
    Day 19

    Busan - Haedong Yonggungsa + Gamcheon

    July 24, 2023 in South Korea ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

    This morning I visited Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, it was about 1 hr journey on trains and buses. This temple is known as Korea's "most beautiful temple" as it sits on the Busan coastline. It had some large Buddha statues, pagodas and temple buildings decorated with dragons. It was very very busy here!

    I then made my way over to the other side of Busan, via 1.5hrs of buses, to Gamcheon Cultural Village. Instead of taking another short bus, I decided to walk up the super steep hill to the village...that was a mistake! The rain that had been promised came, and it was pouring!! I got drenched! Eventually, I made it near the top and stopped by a cafe with a pretty view.

    Gamcheon Village was originally a place where refugees fled to during the Korean War. As its population later began to decrease, the government enlisted local artists to create murals and sculptures, ultimately bringing the area back to life. I bought a map of the village that showed some of the routes, main artworks, a section for stamp collection and then I went wandering.

    I spent about 2 hrs walking around here before it once again was pouring with rain. I then headed back to the hostel, stopping to buy a poke bowl for dinner on the way.    Read more

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