I had just returned from Australia when Mark messaged me asking if I would like to go to Japan for a holiday. Having caught the travel bug at this point, I eagerly said yes. Mark came over to my flat one night and we worked out what dates worked best. This would be Mark’s last big holiday before joining the corporate world, so we decided to go all out and book three weeks. Owain also agreed to join us for a few weeks before heading off to America. As an Australian high school teacher, this was his winter holiday and he was keen to make the most of his time off.
Using ChatGPT and recommendations from friends to build a rough itinerary, we slowly started making bookings for accommodation and pinpointing different things we wanted to see. We ended up with an intense three-week plan that would let us see the entire country and even include a couple of days in South Korea.
東京 Tokyo
It was go time! With it being an extremely early flight, Mark and I both failed to convince our parents to give us a lift to Glasgow Airport, so we got a taxi. We flew down to Heathrow and then, after a quick one-hour layover, we were off to Haneda Airport in Tokyo. The flight was around fourteen hours but seemed to go quickly because of our excitement.
We landed, got through security, and then worked out where we were going on the train. Mark gave us a head start here because he already had Suica cards - the Oyster card equivalent in Japan. We got the train to Koto City, where our home for the next three days was. We went into a Lawson convenience store and grabbed some breakfast sushi, headed for a park, and waited for Owain, who had arrived at roughly the same time as us but from Narita Airport. Seeing Owain approach was a funny moment - we couldn’t believe we had made it to Japan. We headed to the Airbnb to drop off our bags, got some ramen and a pint, and we were ready to explore Tokyo!
The first of many konbini (convenience store) snacks.
The first beer of the trip, many more to come!
The first ramen of the trip, also many more to come.
We headed back to the subway station and made our way to the world-famous Shibuya Station. This station gets more visitors every day than Glasgow Central does in an entire year. We saw the busiest zebra crossing in the world - a big tourist attraction. Pretty underwhelming to be honest; it’s just a crossing! From here, we walked to Tokyo Tower and paid to take the lift up to the viewing platform. The view was epic - in every single direction, it was endless skyscrapers. We headed back to Koto City abd found a local bar beside our flat and had a few beers before heading to bed
Shibuya Crossing - 2.5 million people cross it daily.
Tokyo Tower - what an epic view from the top!
The next day we attempted our first run. The humidity was extreme, and it turned sweaty very quickly. We still managed a very slow jog to see some shrines and ended at famous YouTuber PewDiePie’s bouldering gym for some air conditioning and a climb. On the way back, we stopped by the home of Origami, so of course we went in for a look.
Strava is always the top priority, even in extreme humidity!
PewDiePie’s bouldering gym.
On our next day, we went exploring again and saw the Imperial Palace, some more shrines, and the Asahi world headquarters. But the highlight of the day was going into Golden Gai for some drinking and karaoke. Golden Gai is a collection of tiny bars in narrow streets - the atmosphere was excellent, and we even managed to impress the locals and fellow tourists with our singing skills. We got the last train back to Koto City, as we needed an early start the next day to travel to Osaka.
Shrine count: 1
Drinking in Golden Gai - great tiny bars.
大阪 Osaka
We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Osaka - a journey that took just two and a half hours. To drive the same distance would have taken eight! The train, like everything in Japan, was spotless and comfortable. We enjoyed lunch on board and arrived in Osaka around 15:00. From the station, we wandered through the bustling market streets to our accommodation. These markets quickly became a favorite spot for food, as everything looked so tempting. After dropping off our bags, Owain and I laced up for another humid exploration run.
The bullet train that took us from Tokyo to Osaka.
Osaka Castle.
Later that evening, we headed to the world-famous Dotonbori River for some drinks. It’s home to the iconic Japanese Running Man sign, a must-see landmark. We hopped between bars and eventually ended up playing darts. Darts is a big deal in Japan and turned out to be a fantastic way to socialize.
Dotonbori River.
The next morning, we jumped on the train and headed to the local parkrun. It kicked off at 08:00, but even at that early hour, the humidity made running tough - especially with a slight hangover. Owain smashed it, clocking a very respectable sub-21-minute time. Afterward, we hit the vending machines for some Pocari Sweat, then headed back for a shower and got ready for another round of sightseeing.
Before Osaka Parkrun.
After Osaka Parkrun.
On our final day, we took the train out to Kobe to catch a football match. It was a fantastic game with an incredible atmosphere. Afterward, we headed back into Osaka for dinner at a Shabu-shabu restaurant - a cook-your-own style place where you dip vegetables and thin slices of beef into boiling water. Mark convinced us to upgrade to Kobe beef - a grade above Wagyu - and I’m so glad he did. It was, without a doubt, the tastiest beef I’ve ever had!
Kobe beef - the tastiest meal I have ever had!
奈良 Nara
Our next stop was Nara, home to the friendliest deer in the world. There’s a large park where deer will approach you and even bow - expecting a cookie in return. These deer were everywhere and were definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
Nara’s bowing deer - they were super friendly.
Trying to take one back on the train with us.
A baby.
飛鳥 Asuka
At this point in the trip, we were all citied out and needed a break in the countryside. After some research, we found a place called Asuka - a traditional Japanese prefecture with paddy fields and a much more relaxed pace of life compared to Tokyo. We stayed in a traditional Japanese house with bamboo flooring and slept on roll-out mattresses on the floor. It was very cool, though not the most comfortable!
The next day, we hired bikes and cycled around the shrines, including the site of Japan’s first imperial capital. We covered about 15 miles before exhaustion set in from the single-speed bikes, then headed back to get ready for dinner and a few beers.
Our digs - in a traditional Japanese house!
Touring the shrines - we saw many that day.
Action shot.
Bikes taking us to the original capital of Japan.
That evening was Owain’s last night with us before heading back to Tokyo to catch a flight to Titusville, Pennsylvania, so we had to make it a big one to celebrate the end of his trip with us. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, but a 15-minute ride on the public bus took us to a lively suburban village. We had ramen for dinner and then countless beers. When the bar closed, we decided we wanted to do karaoke. A quick search on Google Maps showed nothing open - but then, as luck would have it, we turned a corner and stumbled upon a fantastic karaoke bar so new it wasn’t even listed online yet. We had more beers, sang our hearts out, and even made friends with the locals. It turns out we were the first foreigners ever to set foot in the place!
Biiru mittsu onegaishimasu! (three beers please)
Karaoke - most likely Pink Pony Club or I Want It That Way.
Making friends.
The next morning was rough - probably the most intense hangover I’ve had in years. We stayed in bed as long as possible, but the bikes had to be returned by 15:00. Begrudgingly, we got ready and cycled them back to the shop - thankfully, it was all downhill. After that, we walked Owain to the train station and said our goodbyes.
An extremely hungover run to see some rice fields.
京都 Kyoto
The next stop for Mark and me was Kyoto. We stayed in a hostel, but the room was spotless and the shared facilities were excellent. Kyoto gave us a few relaxing days, and by this point in the trip, we were eating ramen every single day - no complaints from me! We hired bikes again, this time with gears, and went for a 30-mile cycle. It was a fantastic way to see all of Kyoto. We visited countless shrines and capped off the evenings with karaoke bars, soaking up everything the city had to offer.
Our hire bikes. Much better than the Asuka bikes.
Hiking up to see the famous Fushimi Inari Taisha.
広島 Hiroshima
Our next stop was Hiroshima. We took the Shinkansen from Kyoto all the way to Hiroshima, and we were both seriously impressed by how the city has rebounded after the nuclear bomb completely wiped it out. When we arrived, we had ramen and visited the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It was one of the most moving museums I’ve ever been to. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki are truly some of the most horrific events in modern history.
We stayed in a hotel during our time there and even splashed out for separate rooms! One night, we went out drinking and met a group of mechanics who spoke excellent English. We ended up chatting with them for hours and singing karaoke together - a brilliant night to remember.
All that remained after the bomb.
Drinking with salary men.
The next day, we managed to find a local hike in Hiroshima. It was amazing to get off the beaten track and climb up to one of the highest points in the city. The effort was worth it - the viewpoint offered stunning panoramic views over Hiroshima.
Hiking in Hiroshima.
Mark climbing a steep staircase.
On our final day, we visited a small island called Miyajima, home to the famous floating Torii gate. It was absolutely bucketing down, so we grabbed a quick photo before ducking into a café to enjoy a coffee and listen to the rain - a surprisingly relaxing moment. Later, we headed back to a much sunnier Hiroshima and spent our last evening in Japan watching baseball, the perfect way to wrap up our time in Hiroshima before flying out to South Korea.
Miyajima Island shrine with a curious deer.
An entertaining night at the baseball.
서울특별시 Seoul - South Korea
We flew from Hiroshima Airport to Incheon in Seoul - a definite ticket for the pin board when I got home! It was a quick flight, and we arrived within two hours. It was monsoon season in South Korea, so it rained heavily for our entire stay.
One day, we did a huge ten-mile walk in a straight line across the city and barely scratched the surface. Seoul is absolutely massive! A highlight of this walk was visiting the League of Legends stadium and seeing the PC gaming bangs. Mark and I were reliving our gamer days.
South Koreans are incredibly friendly, and we ended up chatting to lots of people when we went out at night. Like in Japan, darts seems to be a big deal here too. We never made it to the Demilitarized Zone, but we did one better - we met a guy serving in the military who gave us a first-hand account.
Starfield Library in Gangnam.
Oppa Gangnam style!
South Korean flags.
The streets were very cool.
Mark reliving his pro gamer days.
League of Legends Park.
It was very rainy in the monsoon season.
Invited to play darts with some South Korean salary women.
東京 Back to Tokyo
Waking up slightly hungover, we rushed to the airport, convinced we were going to miss our flight after a problem withdrawing cash. Thankfully, we made it to Incheon, and the airport was super quiet. We checked in our bags in record time, walked straight through security, and even had time for coffee. We flew back with Japan Air, which turned out to be a fantastic airline.
With only one full day left in Tokyo, we spent it souvenir shopping, enjoyed our final bowl of ramen, and I went for one last hectic run through one of the busiest parts of the city.
The next morning, we woke up early to catch our flight home and return to normality.
Our final pint - home time tomorrow morning.
結論 Conclusion
Japan and South Korea are incredible places with some of the richest and most fascinating cultures. The people take immense pride in everything they do and in the places they live. Both countries are exceptionally clean, with absolutely no litter, and you’re treated with so much respect by everyone you meet - especially in Japan.
I think we did a great job exploring what these countries have to offer and managed to cover a huge amount of ground. If I were to go again, I’d definitely learn more basic Japanese - it would have made the experience even more fun and immersive. But until then, arigatou gozaimasu, Japan!