Japan has a week-long holiday called “Golden Week” where multiple major holidays in the country fall back-to-back against one another. My friends and I celebrated with non-stop travelling the whole week. I am here to give you a rundown:
Soul Searching in Seoul
We started the week by heading to Osaka to catch a flight to–you guessed it–Seoul, South Korea! My friend Sophie has a friend studying abroad at Yonsei University, so we hopped on a flight to visit her and spend some time in Korea.
Our flight was scheduled immediately after class on Friday, so we had to rush back to the dorm to get our stuff. Luckily, our flight got delayed so we had some more time, but the delay wasn’t any less stressful.
Our first day was full of introductions, new sights, and shopping. We first met Haley, Sophie’s friend (and our tour guide) in front of our AirBnB, where she then took us to Yonsei and gave us a tour. Yonsei is one of Korea’s most prestigious universities, so being able to see it in person and all of the architecture felt like I was watching a scene from a movie play out in front of me.
We then tried the food in Yonsei’s dining hall. The system was very different from the system we have at both DU and Doshisha: we ordered at a kiosk, received a ticket, and then the worker at the station gave us the meal we ordered. You then cook it yourself, which makes it more fun. We all got soy noodles, and they were incredibly delicious.
After Yonsei, we walked a few of the many shopping districts in Seoul for some food and clothes. While walking, though, we stumbled upon a man doing tricks and breathing fire in the streets and then watched a ginormous crowd form around a band we didn’t know (only in Seoul).
We had dinner plans, so we headed out that way after a bit more exploring and shopping. On the way, we stopped at a park where there was some small exercise equipment scattered throughout. Of course, we decided to get in touch with our inner child and play for a few minutes. We were early anyway, might as well get some exercise and have some fun while doing it. Our dinner was Mexican food, which was actually pretty good. This was probably the closest I had gotten to the Mexican food I would eat at home, so I was decently surprised and, honestly, enthused about having a good taco (a craving you never knew you would have until you have it).
Since we had a stressful day of travel the day before, as soon as we got home, I fell asleep. Good for me, though, for we had Lotte World the next morning.
Lotte World is essentially the Korean Disneyland; one character everything is centered around, different ‘lands’ throughout the park, shows and characters, you name it. It has something special though; you rent Korean school uniforms and spend the day in those. This is what we did for the majority of the day the next day.
We got there right when they opened, so our first order of business was to find food. Haley, her roommate Trissa, and I got Korean style corn dogs (which were glorious, if you were wondering), while Sahi and Sophie got tteokbokki–spicy rice cakes–all from stands in the park. After lunch, everyone decided to get on one of the rides that swings you super high. Those make me nauseous, so I sat that one out, but I took some fun pictures of everyone.
Once we left this area, there was a caricature stand. The man who drew my portrait told me he had studied in Utah, so then we bonded over being ‘neighbors’ and he drew the cutest caricature of me! The price also was not too bad, so I would recommend getting one if you are ever in Seoul.
We then ventured towards the fantasy portion of the park with a castle. We rode a few rides, took many pictures, and bought a few souvenirs. By this point we were pretty tired, so we headed back to Yonsei and ate dinner at the 24-hour convenience store.
The next day was not as early of a day but was still just as fun. Haley had a class assignment, so we got breakfast at Yonsei and sat at the convenience store until she finished. Then she took us around Myeong-dong, an area with lots of street food and shops. I had another Korean corn dog (sue me!) and some tanghulu, both of which were delicious. We also did a free skin consultation, where they told us what skin type we have and what to address when buying skin care, which was helpful for our shopping trip to Olive Young afterwards.
After our adventures in Myeongdong, we went to the Han River and experienced the food stalls and special ramen they have. However, when we first arrived, we saw a multiple person bike and knew immediately that we had to rent it. Four of us fit on the bike and we biked around the Han River for three minutes. It was probably one of my favorite parts of the trip: just four girls being silly by the river.
The Han River was absolutely breathtaking. We got there right at sunset, so we saw the sky painting the horizon in salmon and scarlet hues. How blessed I am to be able to experience this life in real time, I thought to myself.
We left the river pretty late, so we decided to go to a photoroom. We all put on fun props and took pictures at a photobooth. In another unplanned endeavor, we also impulsively went to an arcade and did Dance Dance Revolution, which went horribly for me but was incredibly fun.
Our last full day in Korea began with Hanbok wearing at the palace. The Hanbok is a traditional Korean dress; we went to a rental shop, got our hair done, and took pictures around the palace in Seoul. Not only did I feel beautiful wearing it but so did so many other strangers. So many people came up to us wanting to take pictures with or of us. This was an amazing experience for me: I have no cultural clothes of my own to share, so being able to respectfully partake in another culture is something I am incredibly thankful for. Please share your cultural dresses with me!
The NSeoul Tower was our next adventure. We didn’t go all the way up, but we stopped at a floor that had a lot of perfect photo spots and food places. I also bought some souvenirs there; I bought a cute tote bag that I have been using ever since.
NSeoul ended with our dinner plans, chicken and beer, a new trend for younger Korean people. We went with a huge group of Haley’s friends, us, and a Korean friend from Korea who had just flown home. The chicken was insanely delicious–especially the one with the curry seasoning–and we all had a great time. We did DDR again, and I lost once more.
We were all craving a sweet treat, so after dinner we made our way to get some bingsu, or shaved ice. Me and two others split a strawberry one that hand condensed milk, and it still lives in my mind. The things I would do to try it again.
Finally, to end our night, some of us went to noraebang, which is the Korean version of karaoke. We only went for thirty minutes because we had to catch the last bus out, but I still had a blast. Haley was queuing up random songs, and I sang the entirety of Defying Gravity (and killed it if I say so myself). I was definitely showing everyone my theater kid side that night.
The next day we flew back, so we took it easy. We got lunch at a traditional Korean restaurant and, while incredibly delicious, I did burn my hand on my kimchi bap. I still have a scar on my hand, but it gives a good story, my ‘battle scars’ if you will. Take this as a lesson; no matter how good the meal, if it is hot, it will burn you. Nonetheless, the bowl was just what I had been craving so I was satisfied.
Seoul was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I went from having never been abroad to going to two countries in the span of a week!
Touch Down in Tokyo
This next heading is kind of a lie; I did go to Tokyo, I just did not fly there. I just liked the alliteration, leave me alone.
Right after we arrived back in Japan, Sahi and I repacked all of our stuff and rushed to Kyoto station to catch a night-bus to Tokyo. We met up with Katie (who also does blogs here, check out her post as well!) and prepared for our 8 hour bus ride.
I was sleeping, but we passed by Mt. Fuji! When I heard that, I have never been so upset to have been asleep. I saw the picture Sahi took, and I was blown away. We hit it right in the morning, so it was light outside, and you could see it clearly. I technically didn’t see the mountain, but I will be saying I did from here on out, sorry!
We arrived in Tokyo around 8 am, so we put our luggage in a coin locker at the station and headed out to our itinerary for the day. We started out at a popular shrine to beat the crowds then travelled towards Harajuku, where we ate breakfast at a Peanuts Cafe.
This cafe was so cute! They had Snoopy decor donning the walls, as well as Peanuts themed foods and beverages. I had a latte and a strawberry pancake, which had Snoopy and Belle on them. I felt bad consuming them, but it had to be done.
After breakfast, we walked around Takeshita street in Harajuku, but it was still early so not many things were open, so we went to Shibuya to see the crossing instead. Very basic tourist behavior, but we didn’t care. We also saw the Hachiko statue!
Shibuya was…interesting.
The amount of people we saw, even at 11 am, was unfathomable for my mind. I grew up in a very small town, so seeing probably more people than are even in my hometown just out on the street was a huge eye-opening experience. You never realize how big the world truly is until you see something like that.
I had a tattoo appointment soon after, so we all went our own ways and did our own thing until it was time to check into our hotel. I was very excited for my tattoo. I already have some, but this one is special because my best friend drew it. I am so glad I had the chance to get something permanent on my body from someone so special to me in a place special to me. How is my life real?
Fast forward a few hours, check in arrived and we are now in search of somewhere to eat dinner. I’m not going to say what the restaurant was, but it was incredibly disappointing. While not off to a good start, we discovered the cafe at the hotel that actually had decent food.
Finally, after a long day of non-stop excursion, we could sleep.
The next day was also a busy day: we woke up early to walk around the Imperial Palace, but it was raining so we had to adjust a bit.
We arrived at the Imperial Palace and put up our umbrellas, yet we still got soaked. The wind was super strong and kept blowing our umbrellas back, but the clothes must be sacrificed for the experience and photos. We brought a small breakfast from 7/11 with us and ate under a covered awning before heading towards the Studio Ghibli store in Ikebukuro.
The Studio Ghibli store was my own personal heaven. I am a huge fan of Studio Ghibli, so you can probably guess how crazy I went with the spending. Should I have spent that much? Probably not. But do I regret it? Absolutely not.
The store was in a mall, so we split up to get lunch before heading out to our TeamLabs reservation. I decided on the Pikachu cafe upstairs, and I think I made a great decision. I got a milk tea and Pikachu waffle (which they called the Pikaffle set), which had a print of pikachu on the drink, and I bought a pink pikachu drink koozie. It’s so cute! I may have purely gone for the fact that it was Pikachu and cute, but I was delightfully surprised by how good everything was.
TeamLabs was incredible. It was an all-body immersive experience, and there was even a section where we had to take off our shoes! At first, I was a bit uncomfortable, but the longer it went on the more I forgot about my bare feet because of the cool sensations happening under them. We walked through water, on mirrors, pushed around giant balls, and more simply in the water section. When we got to the forest, it was almost like an adult sensory room: we climbed ladders, jumped on things, and went down a slide all under bright colors and lights. There was also an area where there was a floating orchid garden; they grew upside down and were moving. I would totally go again.
Because of the rain, though, we decided to head back to the hotel and rest a bit before checking out the cat billboard in Shinjuku. It was just as you would expect: cute and big.
The next day was another early start. Fortunately, it wasn’t raining, but we did have a small mishap. We went to a shrine to visit some azalea gardens, but it turns out they weren’t quite in bloom. It’s okay though, because the shrine was still beautiful and it gave us time to grab breakfast.
This time, we got souffle pancakes from a cafe in Ueno. They were delicious! It was nice and warm outside, a well appreciated switch up from the day before, so we sat outside on the patio and basked in the sun for a bit before heading to Akihabara and Asakusa.
Akihabara was a short trip, considerably because we didn’t find what we were looking for, but we did a lot of things in Asakusa. We went to the Sanrio and Miffy stores, as well as tried some famous melon pan (my favorite Japanese sweet) before splitting up once more. I didn’t really have a game plan this time, so I simply walked around until I found a nice park near the Sumida Skytree. I got a kakigori–Japanese shaved ice–and sat down to eat it while calling my best friend from home before we met up for dinner again.
Our last day was definitely our most eventful, probably of the entire trip. It started off fine but progressively became more chaotic as the day went on. Since we were leaving that night, we checked out when we left and put our stuff in a coin locker again at Tokyo station.
Like the other days, we started off by visiting a temple. This time, it was a Buddhist temple in Setagaya that is known for its beckoning cat figurines. Guests and worshippers alike place maneki-nekos all over the shrine as a symbol of good luck, and we like cats, so we decided to take a look.
We then walked towards the Shirohige Cream Puff Shop, a place that sells Totoro cream puff pastries. My Neighbor Totoro is one of my favorite movies, so when my friend mentioned it, I immediately wanted to go. We got there almost 15 minutes before it opened, but we still had people in line before us wanting to do the same thing. Luckily for us, though, we got in on the first group of people and could start ordering immediately. The puffs were so cute!! Katie and I ordered the strawberry cream, while Sahi got the chocolate. It felt wrong stabbing into Totoro to eat him, but I stopped feeling bad once I tasted how good it was.
Finally, we went to Sanrio Puroland, which is essentially the amusement park for Sanrio fans. We all got headbands and merch of our favorite characters, then ventured out into Puroland. Since it is mostly kid centered, there weren’t that many rides, but the experience in and of itself was worth it. Everything we saw was Sanrio themed: the food, the decor, the walls, everything. And it is Kuromi and My Melody’s anniversary this year, so there was a fun popup shop for them.
We got a bit hungry, so we went for another sweet treat in their Rainbow World Cafe. We all got the My Melody Crepe, which was mixed berry flavor. I’ve never tasted a cuter, delicious crepe in my life. I then took some pictures in a photobooth, and we walked around for a bit more before heading back to Tokyo to retrieve our things.
Before retrieving our things, though, we spit up again to do dinner, do some last-minute shopping, and whatever we wanted to do before our bus left. Everything was going perfect; that is until we missed our bus.
We ran to our terminal, thinking the bus left at 9:40, when it was actually 9:30. It left as soon as we arrived, leaving us screwed. We were missing the last bus back and the station would be closed soon anyways, so we had nothing to do but wait. We eventually bought shinkansen tickets, but the train did not leave until 6 am, so we had to find somewhere to wait for the first train.
We thought about trying out an internet cafe, but they were at max capacity. We kept trying, but they were all either booked, closed, or too far away. Eventually, we gave up on finding somewhere to stay and just opted for some food. We walked to a McDonald’s in Ueno and sat in a nice park for about 2 hours. I even fell asleep on a bench from how exhausted I was.
Eventually, the delirium from the lack of sleep was mixing in with hunger and the cold, so we found a restaurant that closed at 5 am and ordered something small to hold us over so we could sit in there for the last hour we had before the train left. We got to our train, arrived at the station for the shinkansen, but the gate wasn’t open yet. We had arrived an hour early, so I slept again.
Finally, after what felt like forever, the gate for the shinkansen opened and we made our way into the terminal. Once the train arrived, I felt as if it was an angel sent to me by God himself. I would be sleeping in the heat in a confined, comfortable space. It was all I needed.
And sleep I did. I slept the entire ride back until right before we arrived back in Kyoto. Once we arrived, my adrenaline was so high that I was awake the whole commute back to our dorm until, finally, I touched my bed and knocked out.
Despite the chaos, I am thankful our incident turned out okay and that everyone was safe. It’s one thing to be out at night after partying, and there’s what happened to us, and we are incredibly lucky we were able to get home safely.
As sucky missing our bus was, I am grateful for the experience. I learned a lot, both in regard to me and my survival skills and how to survive under this pressure, and I now know what not to do if it ever happens again. While it might not be the most amazing experience ever, I now have a story out of it.
And what’s travel for if not for a good story?
DU Abroad 