Korea/Japan 1st Draft Itinerary

Cities in bold text are where we would be spending the night.

March 14 - Friday

• Steven and Phil fly from Chicago to San Francisco, then San Francisco to Seoul, South Korea
  
• Julie flies from Chicago to Tokyo, then Tokyo to Seoul, South Korea

March 15 - Saturday

• Phil, Steven, and Julie arrive in Seoul, South Korea

March 16 - Sunday

• Seoul, South Korea
• Tour - Gyeongbokgung and Chandeokgung Palaces
• Explore - Namdaemun or Dongdaemun Market
  

March 17 - Monday

• Half Day trip to the DMZ
• Trip to Suwon to explore Hwaseong Fortress, Blue House, National Folk Museum, Joseon Dynasty and Kyongbuk Palaces.
• Travel to Gyeongju, Korea
  

March 18 - Tuesday

• Full day Gyeongju city tour visiting the remnants of the ancient Silla Dynasty, including secluded temples, ancient ruins, burial mounds and National Museum.
• Travel to Busan, Korea
  

March 19 - Wednesday

• Busan – Early morning visit to Jagalchi Fish Market
• Taejongdae Park with its vast rock outcrops and sweeping sea vistas, the UN cemetery, the international market and Yongdusan Park)
• high-speed ferry to Fukuoka, Japan
• Transfer to Kumamoto, Japan
  

March 20 - Thursday

• Kumamoto - Morning visit to volcanic Mt Aso; transfer to Kurokawa hot springs. Travel through beautiful mountains to Beppu.
• Train to Nagasaki, Japan.

March 21 - Friday

• Nagasaki
• Train to Kagoshima and see Sakurajima Volcano
• Train to Hiroshima, Japan
• Julie leaves Steven and Phil
  

March 22 - Saturday

• Hiroshima – Full day visit to Hiroshima Peace Park and Miyajima
• Train to Nara, Japan
  

March 23 - Sunday

• Nara - One of Japan's ancient capitals and Ninja Castle.
• Train to Kyoto, Japan

March 24 - Monday

• Full day in Kyoto to explore temples, shrines, and Zen Gardens
• Train to Tokyo, Japan
  

March 25 - Tuesday

• Tokyo

March 26 - Wednesday

• Tokyo

March 27 - Thursday

• Phil and Steven Fly from Tokyo back to Chicago
  

Godzilla!

Tip of the Day

Don't underestimate (or perhaps overestimate, in this case) how low the ceilings can be in Japan. Castles... houses... trains... they're all hazards. The older the building, the higher the chances of you ending up with a bump.

Parody on Sushi

I'd say this video is about 30% accurate and 70% ridiculousness. But it'll be fun to reenact it when we go to a sushi place in Japan.

Japanese Vowels = Fun

Tips of the Day So Far

• Japanese vowel pronunciation = Spanish vowel pronunciation
  
  
• stand on one side of the escalator to let people walk by if you don't want people making tongue twittering sounds behind you to let you know they're annoyed
• Osaka - right side
• Tokyo - left side
  
  
• your normal speaking voice = Japanese yelling
• --> speak in a hushed voice when in public
• --> exception: if everyone is yelling around you, yell along
  
  
• ATM's are not free/functional 24 hours a day. plan your cash ahead.
  
  
• when you're drinking Japanese tea or eating udon/soba/ramen, it is totally acceptable to slurp