Update: Made it back to Wisconsin. :)
Leaving on a 11am nonstop flight today to Chicago from Tokyo. See you soon!
Update: Made it back to Wisconsin. :)
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It was a clear day when we woke up. The view of Mt. Fuji from our hotel window was very clear. For breakfast, we went to a nearby bakery. It was one the best bakeries I have been to. I had a green tea croissant, a but with mushrooms and curry, and some other baked goods. We decided to go to the Yoyogi Park and Meiji Shrine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meiji_Shrine). While we were there, we happened to see a wedding take place. For lunch, we went out for sushi (to make sure we got our fill on our last day). The restaurant we went to was next to the stadium where the sumo tournament was being held, and it served miso soup with mussels at the bottom (first time I have seen this style of miso soup. For dessert, we had sundaes. During the afternoon/early evening, we watched the main matches of the day for the sumo tournament going on. Dinner, we went to another sushi place (inside our hotel). We had sushi, red miso soup with mushrooms, green tea, and sake. A good last day in Japan. View of Mt Fuji in the morning Breakfast Yoyogi Park Group of people involved in the wedding ceremony Ice sculptures near the Meiji Shrine (there were probably at least 20 of them) Meiji Shrine Wedding party Lunch Sumo tournament Last sushi in Japan Red miso soup First, we decided to visit the Tsukiji Market (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3021.html), one of the world's largest fish markets, in the morning. We couldn't visit the market while the auctions were going on because it is peak season, but we could still visit surrounding where the auctions go on. We had fresh clams cooked in the shell and other fresh seafood for breakfast. I feel like the food I ate there has ruined me for life when it comes to sushi...so fresh and delicious! During the day, we walked around the Shinjuku area and went to a cafe for lunch. We had coffee jelly with ice cream on top. We also visited the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3034_001.html). It was a pretty peaceful and beautiful garden for being in the middle of the world's largest metropolis. For dinner, we visited the Ginza area again and got soup for dinner (including prawn, bamboo shoots, and much more). After dinner, we went to the Park Hyatt for live jazz, dessert, and drinks. View of Mt. Fuji from our hotel room in the morning Clams being cooked just outside the Tsukiji Market Breakfast Seafood for sale just outside of the Tsukiji Market Area where the auctions take place Shinjuku area Coffee jelly with ice cream Inside Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden Greenhouse inside the park Crazy stores in Tokyo. So many things everywhere. Dinner Park Hyatt Hotel We started the day with another delicious Japanese style breakfast. The owner showed us expensive dolls she has on display and insisted that we take pictures of them. They were pretty cool. We checked out of our ryokan at around 8:30am. I was sad to leave the ryokan and Kyoto. It is a beautiful city and the ryokan was so nice and relaxing. If I ever come back, I’m staying there again. The owner insisted that we take a picture in front of the ryokan and with her. She was such a nice lady! After checking out, we headed to Kyoto Station and road on two trains to get to Tokyo. During the train ride, we got to catch a glimpse of Mt. Fuji. We arrived in Tokyo around 12:30pm at Shinjuku Station (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinjuku_Station), the world's busiest railway station. Our hotel was really close to the station and we were able to check in early. We were surprised to find out that we had a room on the 33rd floor with a view of Mt. Fuji and of the city. We decided to go the Ginza area of Tokyo to eat lunch, walk around (there is a street similar to 5th Avenue in New York City in this area), and go to a kabuki performance (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki) at the Kabukiza Theatre. We ate lunch at a sushi place where a local guy decided to share his sake with us and order us tea. He also helped us find the theater. After lunch, we said our goodbyes to Abby (she had to head back to South Korea) and headed to the kabuki performance. We watched one act of a performance which lasted about an hour and a half (Kanadehon Chushingura - Act 9: Yamashina Kankyo). For dinner, Alex and I went out to another sushi place (can't get enough). I ate shell fish and drank awesome sake. For dessert, we ate green tea KitKats and mochi. Breakfast Dolls at ryokan Inside Kyoto Station Mt. Fuji during the train ride Some sushi from lunch Kabukiza Theatre Ginza Love the taxis in Japan At dinner View from our hotel at night Green tea KitKats Our hotel has a mirror that doesn't fog up! We started off the day eating the ryokan’s amazing Japanese style breakfast. We had to pay a little extra for it…and it was definitely worth it. So much delicious food! After breakfast, we decided to explore Kyoto. It was a little chilly because it had snowed a little the night before…but it wasn’t too bad. We took the subway north and walked around the streets there. Everything was well maintained and beautiful. We first stopped at the Daitokuji Temple (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3910.html). It had a beautiful garden area. Next, we visited the Kinkauku-ji Temple (“Golden Temple” http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3908.html and the Kyoto Imperial Park. We also stopped in a grocery store to check out the food and to get some cheap sushi/sashimi. In the afternoon, we went to the Gion area (Geisha or Geiko district http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gion). While walking around Gion, we picked up some sweets (Kyoto is known for its sweets. At 3pm, we went to a tea ceremony demonstration at En Teahouse, where we learned about the traditions associated with tea ceremonies and got to try the tea made at these ceremonies. After the ceremony, we walked more around Gion and visited the Kahitsukan Kyoto Museum of Contemporary Art (http://www.kahitsukan.or.jp/frame_e.html) that features works from local artists. We also walked around a market in the area. We found a place with green tea parfait so we decided to stop in and try it. Walking to the subway station from the market, we saw some geishas/geikos. For dinner, we ate at a Japanese-French fusion restaurant. I ordered a dish with spaghetti noodles and a creamy wasabi sauce. After dinner, we checked out the local mall. There were a ton of toy machines (like quarter machines here). Some of them were pretty funny. Breakfast Kyoto Daitokuji Temple Kinkauku-ji Temple Bikes in Kyoto Cheap suishi/sashimi from the grocery store (equivalent to about $4 in the US) Kyoto Imperial Park Sweets in Gion Tea ceremony Green tea parfait Red tea with milk Happy cat the restaurant with the green tea parfait Picture of geishas in Gion (it was difficult to get pictures because they walked so fast) Dinner (spaghetti noodles and a creamy wasabi sauce) Toy machines, there were rows and rows of them Me in a robe heading to the public bath We left our hotel in Seoul at 5:15am on the airport shuttle and flew out of Incheon Airport at 8am. We landed in Tokyo around 10:15am. After getting our Japan Rail passes (discounted passes for foreigners travelers in Japan) and riding on two different trains, we arrived in Kyoto at around 3:30pm. Kyoto is the former imperial capital of Japan and is great place to experience traditional Japanese traditions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto). After arriving, we checked into our ryokan (Japanese style inn http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2029.html) right away. The ryokan had amazing, friendly staff, and we were given green tea and biscuits when we arrived. Very delicious and welcoming. We were shown our beds (mats on the floor), where the pubic bath was, and given Japanese style robes and taught how to tie them (I think they are called "yukata" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukata). We asked the staff for recommendations on where to eat kaiseki-ryori (traditional multi-course haute cuisine http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2348.html). We were told about a place called Kodaiji Doi and the staff said they would call a taxi for us later that night. Before dinner, we walked around the area for a little while. Our ryokan was right next to the Kyoto Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyoto_Tower) and many temples and gardens. It was also interesting to see all the bikes/bikers in Kyoto. They were all over the place! At 6:30pm, we were picked up by our taxi and we were taken to Kodaiji Doi. I noticed that the taxi drivers where suits in Kyoto. When we arrived at Kodaiji Doi, a women dressed in a kimono arrived and greeted us warmly. She led us upstairs to the restaurant. We were the only ones there so she gave us her entire attention. The view from the restaurant was amazing…you could see a temple and there was a fountain near the window that had running water. The meal was nine courses long. It started with tea with a red olive and something else (not quite sure) and ended with dessert (custard, melon, strawberry). Some of the dishes included sashimi, tempura, oysters, crab soup, Kyoto radish, wasabi radish, and Japanese lobster. Our server only spoke a little English, so she wasn’t able to explain all the dishes. We were also served warm sake and tea. Kaiseki-ryori is described as elegant and elaborate…and it was exactly that. Every dish was both beautiful and delicious. After the amazing dinner, Abby and I went to the public bath area at the ryokan to relax and soak in the hotel water. Japanese style robes and towels provided by the ryokan Green tea and biscuits given to us when we arrived Our room, shoes were taken off at the front door and kept in a closet Kyoto Tower Dressed up for dinner Kaiseki-ryori course For our last day in South Korea, we decided to take a tour of the Korean Demilitarized Zone DMZ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Demilitarized_Zone), the "buffer" zone between North and South Korea. This is included seeing Imjingak Park, the Bridge of Freedom, the 3rd infiltration Tunnel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Tunnel_of_Aggression), Dorasan station (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorasan_Station), DMZ Theater / Exhibition Hall, Dora observatory, and the Unification Village. For a late lunch, we went to Itaewon (the foreigner area of Seoul...near the US Military base) for a some "urban tacos" (fusion with Korean cuisine) from a restaurant owned by a guy from California. For dinner, we went to a restaurant that served makgeolli, an alcoholic beverage that is a mixture of wheat and rice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makgeolli, and huge Korean pancakes (pajeon). For dessert, I decided to get a cookies and cream bubble tea. We spent the rest of our free time walking around the city. "Following the South-North Joint Declaration made by two Koreas on June 15,2000, both agreed to connect the Gyeongui Railroad Line broken during the Korean War. Dorasan station was opened on April 11, 2002, and the South and the North connected the Gyeongui Railroad Line on June 14, 2003 at the Military Demarcation Line in the DMZ." ... I believe it is not is use...mostly symbolic right now. Pyeongyang is the capital of North Korea. At Dora observatory Very foggy so we couldn't see North Korea or much of the DMZ The 3rd infiltration tunnel is the third North Korean tunnel found by the South Korean government in 1978. We walked down in one of them. Flavor I haven't seen before! Makgeolli Pajeon "Water" kimichi Cookies and cream bubble tea My last picture of Seoul Tuesday we did some more sightseeing in Seoul. Our hotel was right next to City Hall...so it was in a great location for walking to lots of tourist attractions and restaurants. We went to the Deoksugung Palace (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264316) where they have Royal Guard Changing Ceremony three times a day (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_2_1.jsp?cid=292962) and a tea house with traditional teas. For lunch, we went to a nearby restaurant that had kimbap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimbap) which is sort of considered fastfood here. We also ate one other dish and kimichi mandu. Very delicious. After, we stopped at a store that was selling rice cakes (I think it is called tteok, a Korean-style rice cake ...basically mochi in Japan http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_cake). We also stopped in the subway to get some very popular buns that had four different types of filling. We know for sure 3 out of the 4 fillings were red bean, cream cheese, and sweet potato...not sure about the fourth. They were so popular there was a line of up to 50 people at one point. They were pretty good. After stuffing ourselves, we visited the City Hall building. A very cool building with a free museum. There also happened to be a recycled art fair going on. For dinner, we went to a Chinese fusion restaurant nearby and went to the Nanta show (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanta_(show)), the longest running show in Korean history. It is an almost entirely non-verbal comedy show that invovled "drumming" with knifes while cutting/cooking food. Popular buns in subway station, four different flavors Cream cheese bun Long line for the popular buns Namdaemun, gate in Seoul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun) Deoksugung Palace area Inside above building Deoksugung Palace area Deoksugung Palace area Royal Guard Changing Ceremony Royal Guard Changing Ceremony Tea inside the Deoksugung Palace area; Left= Mogwa cha (Quince tea with honey), Right=Ssangwha cha (Oniental tea made of medicinal herbs) Rice cakes City Hall Inside City Hall Inside City Hall Inside City Hall (ceiling) Recycled Art Festival Inside City Hall Dinner at Chinese fusion restaurant Seoul at night Nanta stage We took a day trip to Seoul. We took a bus from Icheon to Seoul. After a few more transfers, we got to the Bukhansan National Park (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukhansan_National_Park). We hiked around for a little bit. After hiking, we walked around and found a restaurant that served soup. It was very tasty. I ordered a seafood soup. We shared dumplings. Next, we went to the 2002 FIFA World Cup Stadium in Seoul (http://www.sisul.or.kr/global/eng/index.jsp). We visited the museum there and got to go inside. Surprising, there is a large mall inside. For dinner, we walked around the Gangnam area. We visited the Samsung d’light store (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=1341981) at Gangnam Station and ate at Vapiano (http://www.vapiano.com/en/home/...I've had it before but we couldn't resist it, haha). Slightly blurry picture of lunch My seafood soup Seoul World Cup Statium Inside the World Cup Stadium Sunday we decided to stay in Icheon and go shopping on the "walking street". If you go in the right stores, you can find high quality clothes for lower prices than what you see in the US (if you are the right size of course). For lunch, we went to a restaurant that had a vegetarian cold noodle dish. Not sure what was in it but it was delicious. We also ordered Korean pancakes (pajeon) made with bits of octopus. Very delicious. :) After shopping, we decided to go to a spa (jjimjilbang, 찜질방). Similar to the last one that we went to, they had hot tubs, massaging jets, and saunas...but this one also had some herbal baths. For dinner, we stopped at a small shop that sold Abby's favorite kimchi mandu (dumplings) in Icheon...yum!! We also went to a restaurant to try out Korea's version of chicken wings and french fries. For dessert, we went to Caffe Bene for some bingsu (iced parfait). Korean pancakes with octopus (pajeon) Cold noddle dish Oranges from the market that I bought...very popular to eat here. Very juicy and sweet. Kimchi mandu (dumpling) Chicken wings, "french fries"...or supposed to be french fries, and radishes (note: radishes are a typical side) Strawberry bingsu from Caffe Bene. It was huge and delicous. The dark red stuff under the gelato is bean paste (very popular here). We decided to do a hiking day at Mt Wonjeoksan, the largest mountain relatively near Abby's apartment. We took a taxi over to the area where the mountain is located. We just told the taxi driver the mountain we wanted to climb. He dropped us off and the only thing we had to go by was a large map of the area in Korean. After wandering around a bit and asking a family that was walking by, we hesitantly started walking on a road that was going up a mountain. After walking about 20 minutes, we came to a building where a woman told us that we were in the wrong spot. She gave us directions to the trail...although they were a bit vague. We used her directions and started walking up another road. After a little bit, we arrived at some Buddhist temples and a sign for the hiking trail we were looking for. We hiked for about 3.5 hours. The trail was icy and muddy so it felt very rewarding to get to the top of the mountain. Building during our search for the hiking trail Temples as we approached the trail Temple at the base of the trail Alex and I decided to hike around Seolbong Lake. Koreans are known for their love for hiking so we knew there would be some good trails. We hiked for about 2.5 hours. It was a beautiful day (the weather here feels like fall in Wisconsin). Along the way, we met a woman by the name Hwang Song Su (not sure if I spelled it right) who asked us where we were from and kindly gave us some oranges. She also invited us to walk with her and her friend the rest of the way. She didn't know a lot of English, but she knew enough to make jokes about Alex (haha). She even made him wear her gloves because she was worried about him getting cold. She was so nice! She even tried to teach us some Korean. Definitely made the trip more enjoyable and got us to practice communicating with our hands. In the afternoon, we decided to go to the Icheon Termeden Spa & Resort (http://www.termeden.com/english/index.asp/ 이천테르메덴), Korea's first German style hot spring resort. Spas are pretty popular in Korea (normally called jimjibangs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jjimjilbang ...although this one was a German style spa so a little different) so we thought it would be fun to go to one. It was a 20 minute taxi ride from Abby's apartment and in the middle of nowhere. I was worried at first the taxi driver was taking us to the wrong place. Once we got there, there were tons of people/families inside. A very popular place. After we got our tickets and locker keys, we had to go upstairs and take off our shoes. We then had to put them in a shoe locker and go into the men or women's locker room to get changed. There was a "clothing-free"/gender-specific spa area inside the locker room and a "swimsuit area" outside the locker room where both genders could hang out together. At first, I thought Alex was going to meet me in the combined gender area. I waited for probably 30 minutes before finding someone who spoke English to go get him (haha). He was enjoying the spa inside the locker room, not knowing there were other areas. It turned out that the gender-specific spa areas were better/more relaxing so having someone get him was probably overkill. Overall, the spa was very relaxing. It had different temperature pools (inside and outside), massaging jets of water, and saunas. Shampoo, lotions, hairdryers, and hair products were provided. I felt very relaxed after the whole experience. After we were done relaxing at the spa, we realized that it was going to be nearly impossible to get a taxi because the spa was in the middle of nowhere. Also, the English-speaking staff had left an hour before closing (the spa closes at 8pm...we got out of the spa at 7:15pm) so we had no one to ask for help. Luckily, there was WiFi and we could contact Abby to pick us up at the spa in a taxi. Our savior yet again! For dinner, Abby took us to a restaurant with really good soups. When we first walked in, we had to take off our shoes and leave them at the door and take a seat on mats on the floor. They didn't have a menu with pictures or English so Abby took a picture of the food advertised outside of the restaurant and pointed at what we wanted. We also ordered dumplings (mandu). Yum! When the soup arrived, it was still boiling. The soup had beef bones for flavoring. It was all very delicious. After dinner, we went to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. They had some interesting flavors that I have never seen in the US (cookies n' green tea, white berry unicorn, wizard's Halloween...which contained blue mint ice cream, chocolate ice cream and pop rocks). Hike around Seolbong Lake Burial grounds along the trail and view of the lake Seolbongsanseong of Icheon, a historic stone wall we saw while on our hike Highest point of our hike View of Icheon during our hike Hwang Song Su, the kind women who we hiked with Pavilion near the lake (at the end of our hike) Icheon Termeden Spa & Resort Dinner. Awesome soup (arrived boiling) and dumplings! We took a trip to the Icheon World Ceramic Center and bought some ceramics (one of the things Icheon is known for). Later on in the day, Alex and I walked around "walking street" (a street similar to State Street in Madison) and checked out the market and did some window shopping. For dinner, we had an awesome pasta dinner made by Abby. We bought a chocolate cake from a nearby bakery for dessert. It hit the spot. Inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Ceramics inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Ceramic making inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Ceramics inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Ceramics inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Ceramics inside Icheon World Ceramic Center Random art on the walk to Abby's apartment Trash can...all of them have this cartoon on it. :) "Walking street" Outdoor market. Amazing fish. Outdoor market New Years Day we decided to causally do some sightseeing in Icheon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icheon), where Abby lives. Icheon is mainly known for its ceramics and rice and has a population of about 209,000. We spent the beginning part of the day walking around Seolbong Park in Icheon. Seolbong Park is an interesting park because it has works of art scattered around the park...basically anywhere you turn you'll see a work of art! Also, this park is where the Icheon World Ceramic Center is located, as well as Seolbong Lake and Icheon Ceramic Village. We weren't able to go inside the Icheon World Ceramic Center to see 500 contemporary ceramic works by Korean and foreign artists because it was closed for New Years Day. We plan on visiting it again soon when it is open. Later on in the day, Alex and I were struck with food poisoning. We think it was from under-cooking the meat at the restaurant Gram Gram the night before (where we had to cook our own meat). Being a little bit jet-lagged still probably didn't help our immune system as well. We are feeling a lot better today...so don't worry! Abby was great and took care of us...we owe her big time!! Today, we plan on doing some more light sightseeing in Icheon. When you fall off that horse, you need to get right back on! Walking to Seolbong Park, just 10 minutes from Abby's apartment Sculpture on the way to Seolbong Park Seolbong Lake. Notice the pots in the middle of the lake. Abby told me they were fountains. Random artwork in Seolbong Park Mascot of Icheon Icheon Ceramic Village Metal tree of bells that chimed in the wind. It was pretty loud when we were there. Icheon World Ceramic Center Beautiful tiles in the park View of Icheon from the top of the hill Our supplies while we were sick. My friend Abby met up with us in Seoul in the morning. We did some more sightseeing around Seoul. We ate lunch at this place called Noodle Box that had really good food. We discovered it while walking down a street next to the Gyeongbokgung Palace that had many nice galleries and shops. Next, we went to the Gwanghwamun Square. We saw the statue of King Sejong the Great, a well respected kind of the Jeoseon Dynasty and the creator of Hangul (Korean alphabet). We also say the statue of Admiral Yi Sunshin, a naval commander known for his victories against the Japanese navy during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592-1598). We also saw the Cheonggyecheon Stream, a 5.8 km restored stream that starts in the heart of downtown Seoul (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheonggyecheon). After visiting the Gwanghwamun Square, we went to the Seoul Folk Flee Market (http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SH/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=999775) which had the most random stuff (!) and to the Namdaemun Market (http://content.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1848378_1848364_1848106,00.html), the largest and oldest market in South Korea. Lastly before leaving for Icheon (where Abby lives) on a bus, we went out to eat at the restaurant Gram Gram, a typical restaurant in South Korea where you grill your own meat. After dinner, we took an hour bus ride to Icheon and watched K-pop bands (Korean pop bands) until midnight. King Sejong the Great Gwanghwamun Square Gwanghwamun Square Gwanghwamun Square Admiral Yi Sunshin Cheonggyecheon Stream Namdaemun Market Feeling tired after a busy day sightseeing in Seoul. We are staying in Seoul (the capital and largest of South Korea) until tomorrow afternoon. We ate breakfast at the hotel, walked around Itaewon (a shopping area), ate at a very good restaurant for lunch near the Gyeongbokgung Palace, visited the Gyeongbokgung Palace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongbokgung), visited the National Folk Museum of Korea, tried a fish-shaped pastries (붕어빵/bungeoppang) filled with sweet red bean paste and custard cream from a street vendor, tried a the popular street food "egg bread" (계란빵/Gyeran Bbang)...seen it spelled other ways though) and walked around and ate in the Gangnam District (yes, partly because of the song, haha). View from hotel window. Restaurant near Gyeongbokgung Palace Gyeongbokgung Palace "Egg bread" It was sweet and had an egg in the middle. Fish-shaped pastries...tried both kinds! A street in the Gangnam District. There were tons of streets like this one. So many people, restaurants, and stores. Similar to Times Square in NYC...but with more streets. The street vendor with the yellow sign is where we bought the fish-shaped pastries. Dinner in Gangnam District. Sashimi...not sure what we all ate. Definitely some things you don't see in the US. Very good. After a 13.5 hour flight (Chicago to Tokyo), a 2 hour layover, a 2 hour flight (Tokyo to Seoul), an airport train ride, three subway lines, and many flights of stairs, Alex and I made it to the hotel!! We didn't make any mistakes either. :) Going to bed now since we are running on almost no sleep. Goodnight!
Tomorrow morning starts the long traveling day (starting at 8am). I will arrive in Seoul, South Korea 9:30pm local time (6:30am Wisconsin time). Wish me luck!
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Stephanie JeanSouth Korea & Japan - Winter 2013/2014 ArchivesCategories |