Japan or South Korea?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 403 417
UNESCO listings among them 27 65
Cost level High High
Busiest month in our write-ups October May
Currency Yen (JPY) South Korean won (KRW)
Plugs and voltage A, B - 100 V C, F - 220 V
Everyday languages Japanese Korean
Driving side left hand side right hand side
Region Eastern Asia Eastern Asia
Capital Tokyo Seoul
Japan
Consideration for others is the operating system; quiet, clean and precise.
What we have written up
- 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art art museum
- Abashiri Drift Ice sea ice
- Abeno Harukas skyscraper
- Adachi Museum of Art museum
- Ago Bay bay
- Akihabara district
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash still matters - many small restaurants and shrines take no cards; 7-Eleven ATMs accept foreign cards
- Convenience store food is genuinely good - a national institution
- The IC card (Suica/Pasmo, also in phone wallets) taps you through trains, buses and shops
South Korea
Palli-palli - hurry hurry - meets deep etiquette; age and hierarchy quietly shape interactions.
What we have written up
- 63 Building skyscraper
- Achasan Mountain mountain
- Amsadong Prehistoric Site archaeological site
- Andong Hahoe Folk Village tradition
- Andong Jjimdak Alley food street
- Andong Soju distillery
All 417 places in South Korea →
Worth knowing before you go
- Cards work everywhere, even street stalls mostly
- Naver Map and Kakao Map beat foreign map apps here
- Jjimjilbang bathhouses are cheap overnight culture experiences
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.