Day 30: Seoul: War Memorial and lots of Coffee

Today I woke up with a slight soju hangover, but embraced the cold day and went for a walk through the steets of Seoul. I'm really starting to love just wandering the streets of a new town. I feel like you get to see what a place is really like rather than just the sights.

I got a coffee and eventually ended up at the War Memorial. The whole place is weirdly beautiful, and it had some of the most well-designed  exhibits I've ever seen.

The statue out the front was a great introduction - 2 brothers hugging, one from South Korea, one from North. It really summed up the tone of the whole memorial.

Tonight, sober clubbing, tomorrow, an early start! xx

Day 29: Seoul: Chicken and Beer and Puppies

Today I had big plans that just didn't work out. I started the day in Gangnam in the hopes of seeing some Taekwondo, but they are all on holidays at the moment, so instead I had a look around the area which included a huge shopping centre that was about 20 stories high. It had everything from shops to a casino.

I did try to do the Gangnam Style dance, but the video file doesn't work, but there is at least still this one picture for it! HAHA

The thing that South Korea is possibly most famous for in the 21st century is their music - k-pop, and I thought that it would be the perfect opportunity to see some live at a studio audience of a major countdown.

We figured we should get there early, because only the first 200 people were allowed in... NOPE!! That quota was filled at 10am - the show didn't even start until 6pm!

Instead we went to a dog cafe. It was the greatest. There were giant dogs, tiny dogs, dogs that new tricks, and they were all adorable.

For dinner a few of us went out for some Korean barbecue. I love the culture of food here, it's all very communal and inclusive, and delicious.

After dinner, we all had some drinks back at the hostel, and decided that first dinner wasn't enough, so decided to grab another Korean traditional dinner - Chicken and Beer. I didn't realise what an institution it was! Everyone here eats it!! And honestly, it's a pretty great combo!

We ended the night with some karaoke, and just chilling out at the hostel. It's amazing how many people you can meet in a single day, and it's one of the best things about travelling.

Tomorrow, some shopping xx

Day 28: Seoul: Jongmyo and Gwanghwamun

Today was yet another freezing cold day, and I spent it looking at some of the oldest castles, buildings and gardens in Seoul.

First up I went for a walk along Cheonggyecheon, a semi-artificial creek which runs though the centre of the town, uncovered kind of recently after being buried under a highway when Korea was expanding.

It would have prettier at night, but even during the day it was beautiful, with dozens of bridges and stepping stones across it.

After the creek, I walked up north a bit to Jongmyo, a temple to celebrate the lives and deaths of past kings and crown princes.

I was lucky enough to be the only person on the tour, so I got to have a great chat with the girl running the tour.

Connected to the temple is the palace the Kings lived in, Deoksugung, after the first Japanese invasion. It was beautifully decorated and intricate. Unlike Japan, where many buildings were destroyed by earthquake and fire, here, many of them were destroyed by Japan.

The gardens to the North of the Palace were perhaps the most impressive part though, with heaps of modest buildings set up for leaning and education, with a whole library for the royal family and academics to study in.

Finally, I headed to the original Palace, Gyeongbokgung. The size of it was incredible, with dozens of extra buildings and shines surrounding it.

I really just can't get over the sheer size of the place, and the amazing backdrop of the mountains behind it. Totally worth being out in the freezing cold weather!

Tomorrow, some K-Pop xx

Day 27: Seoul: Wandering Around the City

Today was my first day in Seoul, South Korea, and I have to say, despite it getting to a chilly top of only 1 degree, the city has some real charm and beauty.

The things I planned on doing today were closed, and I needed to catch up on some sleep, so I just spent the day exploring some of the streets around Gwanghwamun (nope, I can't say it properly either) which was amazingly beautiful.

I started off with a free museum of contemporary history of South Korea, because despite researching all of the cool places to go, I figured I didn't really know much about the last 50 years of the countries history, and it was really interesting seeing how they developed from a war-torn country to one of the biggest global entities in such a short time, through so much horror and despair, to become to lively and friendly.

After the museum, I just wandered around, past Gyeongbokgung Palace (which was closed) and Jogyesa Temple, which was bright and full of people.

After that, I just wandered around the area for a while, including a huge monument to the creator of the Korean alphabet, one of the old Kings of Korea.

And in case you didn't believe me, there is a frozen creek thrown in there too to prove how cold it is here.

Tomorrow, historic Seoul xx

Day 26: Tokyo: Saying Goodbye, and a New Country

Today sucked.

We started the day off on an overnight bus from Osaka to Tokyo, an 8 hour journey. Unfortunately, they must have overbooked the good bus, because we got shipped across to the scummy horrible one and got about 2 hours of sleep each.

We had a pretty nice time just bumming around Tokyo today though, getting lost in a subway station for about the 100th time, and picking up the last of the souvenirs we needed for back home.

But today sucks because I had to say goodbye to my travel buddy, punching bag and boyfriend Sean to head off to a new country, and him to head home. 

I would be lying if I said I didn't cry, but as I sit here in the terminal, waiting my plane, I'm excited for the next leg.

Bring on 2016, bring on more travelators, and bring on the world.

Tomorrow, Seoul, solo xx

Day 25: Osaka: Nara and Lots of Deer

Today we had a massive day. It was our last day in Osaka, and we had to be out of the hostel early, so I planned a day trip to the town of Nara.

While Nara is fairly spectacular in and of itself, it also has an added extra, amazing feature - it is completely full of deer!

We started our day with a healthy meal of McDonalds - in a Maccas with a Grand Piano. Then we headed straight for the action - Deer Park.

While there are deer everywhere, most people just stick to this one park, where deer just sit around, waiting to be fed rice cakes. Most of them were quite unenthusiastic about them, but as we got further out of town, that's where the real fun started.

While getting some street food (warabimochi with sweet soy sauce is hands down my new favourite dessert ever) we also ran into an old man who had a special skill with the deer, he seemed to be training them!! This one would stick out his tongue for food if you did it first!!

Deer aside, the whole town was beautiful, with incredible shrines and temples everywhere, and people filing in for their new years fortunes.

Tonight, an overnight bus, and changing countries!! xx

Day 24: Osaka: Castles, Parks and Shopping

Today we explored more of Osaka than I thought existed, and started our day at Osaka Castle.

Despite being built in the 1600s, it has been mostly gutted and made into a museum now, but it was really interesting learning about a society from so long ago. The gardens around the area are still amazing, and it was completely packed full of people.

We were also lucky enough to see some New Years performances out the front, which were totally weird and wacky, but awesome to see.

Also weird was a guy who yelled out "Happy New Year" to us repeatedly from his bike before stopping to hug, kiss on the cheek and smell both Sean and I for an odd amount of time. If that's a tradition, I'm fairly glad it's not common!!

After the castle, we headed over the Hard Rock Cafe to grab a souvenir for my sister. The food was delicious, but it felt wrong using a knife and fork after so long.

I think I'm going to have to start adding alcohol to all of my thickshakes!

Once we were super full of not only food, but also great tunes, we headed to Tennoji park, but unfortunately, most things around the area were closed, but there was a huge park filled with families and people with their tiny little dogs. There was a whole shop dedicated to pet outfits in all shapes and sizes!!

I don't really need a dog outfit though, so we moved onto Dotenbori - a huge shopping district full of thousands of people, all looking for the equivalent of boxing day sales.

Every second store seemed to be a huge games arcade which put my time at Timezone back home to shame. The skill of some of the players was insane, but the noise was even crazier.

I managed to pick up a few bargains of things I had forgotten, and a few things to send home, but honestly, the crowd and stores in themselves were the real attraction!!

Tomorrow, Nara and a night bus!! xx


Day 23: Osaka: New Years Day

Today was the first day of the new year, and Japan celebrated in the way Japan knows best - by lining up for things. So we joined in with the thralls and went to a Shrine to ring in the new year (literally on a bell) and find out what the year has in stall for us.

There were lots of stalls around selling food, even inside the temple, and even more people around, and it was really amazing to see all the sights and dancers and coins being thrown around.

If anyone can translate our fortunes better than we could on Google, please let us know :) I got the number 8 fortune, and Sean number 37. We have some idea, but don't know exactly what the year is going to bring.

It is technically now Heisei 28 rather than 2016 here, which is kind of weird, now that we know about it.

Tomorrow, sightseeing xx

Day 22: Osaka: Aquariums and the New Year

Today was the last day of 2015, and the first proper day we spent in Osaka.

We started the day off at one of the biggest aquariums I've ever seen. They had whale sharks!! It was insane how huge they were!

After the aquarium, we headed across to the shopping centre which happened to have a huge lego store and factory in it! Sean got to have a close up encounter with a giraffe.

We also tried our hand at Pachinko, a super loud, weird Japanese gambling fad, and sucked at it, and saw a street performer who was wildly entertaining, even though we couldn't understand a word he said!

In the same complex though, is a huge 113m high Ferris wheel that overlooks the entire city. It may have been an extra 30 minute wait, but the clear carriage was totally worth the wait!

After the Ferris wheel, it was getting dark, so we headed to the bar district of town for some New Years celebrations!! To our complete confusion, even now, we found that pretty much everything was closing, or already closed at 6pm.

We wondered around for a while, to no avail, before headed to the Sky Tower (a huge building in the heart of Osaka) and had some drinks up there, with a 360degree view of the city. It was really beautiful, and they had beers from all around the world!! (Unfortunately, the Australian representative was Fosters)

The building itself is incredible, with 2 buildings connected in the middle by a circular, doughnut platform, so you can not only see out from all directions, but also down the centre of the building!

Even that closed at 10pm, so we brought in the New Year on the top floor of the train station in a beautiful artificial garden looking out over the city and bay area. All in all, a pretty good night, despite the lack of parties.

Tomorrow, a quiet day xx

Day 21: Osaka: Night Buses and Train Stations

Today was a big day. Not many photos, but we caught a night bus from Hiroshima at just past midnight, and arrived in Osaka just before 6am. 

We found a McDonalds and had a feast of champions! We then went and dropped off our bags at our hostel before exploring the city some more. This involved doughnuts, and more proof that the Japanese love to queue up for things.

Tomorrow, New Years!! xx