Lovers in Korea

In celebration for Valentines week, we visited Korea last February 12-16, 2016. Love locks at N Seoul Tower and Nami Island. It was indeed a romantic place to be.

SEOUL SEARCHING

It was really cold, even snowing when we touched down to Incheon, Korea. It was late night and we find it hard to navigate our accommodation, Gryelim Guest House that we booked for more or less 2,500 pesos per night via booking.com. Our driver, who happened to be a Japanese knows very few English so it's really hard to communicate. But luckily, with the help of GPS, we find the place. Finally! And we are so excited to try the Korean Chicken House nearby.

First on our list is to say hello to colorful Myeongdong Shopping district and say hi to girls bestfriend - MAKE UPS! Everything you need is here! Nature Republic, Etude, Too cool for school, Faceshop, Banila and a lot of Korean brand. Roaming around is very fun for me! It is way cheaper than what we have in my country and shops were very generous in giving freebies.

Our next stop is N Seoul Tower where we ride a cable car all the way to the top. The view is really amazing! Koreans are truly romantics with all the love locks they got here.  

Gyeongbokgung Palace is the largest and premiere palace amongst all, they even have a show of changing guards but we failed to see it so better go earlier. It's a well preserved palace that reminds me of the TV show Jumong and Jewel in the Palace.

As we get hungry, we chose to go back to Myeongdong for street foods. They have a wide array to choose from!

Yes! They got pomegranate extracted fresh and must try egg muffins which is really good and served hot.
 

We even met a nice guy named Darren who's wandering around Korea alone. We want to try most of their street foods but it's quite expensive, so we find it better to share.

They got lobster as street food, but it is quite expensive here compared to my country, so a photo as a remembrance will do. They also got Chinese siopao like so we gave it a try.

I love watching Koreanovela that's why Nami Island have a special place in my heart. It is the same spot where shoot Endless Love Winter Sonata. Reason why I chose to celebrate the 14th of February in this romantic place. It's a bit far from the city but it's all worth it! We have to ride the train, change platforms then ride a bus in order for us to catch a ferry going to Nami Island. It is very timely because it snowed when we get there. Everything is picturesque. It's like we are living in a scene of Endless Love.

On our way back, we decided to eat at a restaurant in Gapyeong and tried Chuncheon style food. They serve a lot of kimchi and radish before the meal, so it is really a good deal for us.

Before we head to our next destination, we decided to try another restaurant in Myeongdong and try their famous black spaghetti.

I will not be satisfied unless we try skiing. The cheapest and nearest that I researched is at Jisan Ski Resort which is 2 hours away from Myeongdong where we stay.

It was really fulfilling though it is my first time and fell many times. Thanks to my supportive boyfriend, this was finally ticked off in my bucket list.

Tokyo, Japan 2016

You will definitely learn so much from the Japanese people. Their customs and tradition was sustained despite of their modernity - that made Japan a unique country. From the food, to traditional clothing, to well preserved temples and heritage sites, their people being well mannered as I observed. It was said that Japanese kids were taught of manners before knowledge, which is a great thing. The customs of not bringing your slippers inside the house is still practiced. You will be toned down if you are in a public transport like their subway, for they really observe silence. Integrity is a big issue for Japanese people, as they are known for harakiri. They also won't accept your tip no matter how good your ramen is. Japanese people were also so helpful in giving directions, some of them even let us borrow their phone for wifi. The only thing is not every one can talk in English (but you can make use of your sign language anyway).

Here is our itinerary, it should be more jam-packed but due to some unforeseen reasons like unfavorable weather and uncontrolled shopping, we missed some of our plan.

DAY 1

Arrival at the Narita International Airport

Since it is our first time in Japan, we made use of the Airport Limousine Bus which cost us 3,000 yen each. We had a great strolling tour where we saw Tokyo Tower. And it brings us to Shibuya Mark City. 

Check in at Shibuya Cozy room (AIRBNB)

The name of our host is Isobe. Tho he didn't shown up, we consistently contact each other thru mail. His place is neat and cozy for more or less 5,000 yen per night for 3 person. It is also near the busy district of Shibuya which is near to everything. The place got the high tech lighting and toilet system. It is also well secured with an intercom. It also got most of the supplies we need during our 2 night stay. 

Hachiko statue, the most loyal and famous dog. I doubt if it's the first time that you hear about Hachiko.

Shibuya Pedestrian, the craziest crossing in the world. No doubt, Tokyo was hailed as the most populous city in the world.

We find a good view from Starbucks cafe

Also take a look with Loccitane cafe where you can have the view from the other side of the crossing

We got pretty much excited with shopping when we saw huge outlets of Adidas, Under Armour, H&M, Uniqlo, Forever 21, ABC mart, and even walk all the way to Harajuku for Nike outlet. 

We spent our whole day walking, shopping and trying out Japanese foods. The photo below is a cream puff like pastry which is really good.

Day 2

Tried Metro Subway to Asakusa Station

We went straight to Akasuka Shichihenge to rent Kimono which cost me 3,150 Yen

Asakusa Shrine where they have a spot where you will shake a prayer and you will get an instant answer with the pick up sticks and you'll get your luck in drawers where your number is written.

Nearby the Shrine is a traditional Japanese restaurant where we tried some bento.

With my kimono on, we went straight to Nijubashi-mae to see Imperial Palace.

Akihabara is the place for the geaky guys and Otaku people.

Maidreamin Maid Cafe It's the birthday of my boyfriend so I decided to bring him here to celebrate.Lucky enough, they were giving free cake with all the celebrants. They also sing so kawaii. Too bad we didn't have the photo of our kawaii maid for the day cause even that got a pay.

Day 3

Shinjuku Station then ride a Fujikyu bus, that's a 2 hour bus ride to Yamanakako Village Bus Stop

Then we check-in at Yamanouchi Guest House, part of my agenda is to sleep like a real Japanese where you will sleep in a futon and have kimono as your pajama.

Gotemba Premium Outlet got all of our shopping cravings since most of their items were discounted and tax free. It was a huge one situated in a mountain. Just be alert since the last bus usually got a queue and will leave at exactly 1900H.

We got a little frustrated because Mt. Fuji is not showing up because of the thick clouds surrounding it.

Day 4

Mt. Fuji shown up straight to our face early in the morning since our room got a real good view of the mountain.

Lake Yamanaka (swan ride) cost us 1,000 Yen each. It is the best way to appreciate the beauty of Fujiwara. 

We catched the 1245H bus to Shibuya then went to Shinjuku Station

We want another cool experience so we checked in at Shinjuku Kuyakusho-Mae Capsule Hotel. You read it right, we just slept in a capsule hotel which is a big challenge for claustrophobic people. It is a humble abode with a personal TV and alarm clock.They separated men from women but they got a lounge where we can meet, eat and watch TV. They have provided individual showers and a powder room for women but men got the Jacuzzi and sauna. My boyfriend told me that men got a common area where everyone were taking a bath naked.

Then we went around Shinjuku for last minute shopping. We also tried the famous Pablo Cheesecake which is really good. 

Day 5

Since we are now familiar with their train system, we made use of it on our way to the airport. Shinjuku Gyoen to Narita International Airport took us more or less 2 hours. And yey we still have some time for more pasalubong shopping.