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.
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
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 (plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026); check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.