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[Trip Notes]: Tokyo x Seoul, October 2026

Some scattered notes from a 10-day trip I took to Tokyo and Seoul with some good friends.

Tokyo.

Neighborhoods (cities) we visited: Shinjuku, Ginza, Akihabara, Shimokitazawa, (Kawaguchiko).

What I recommend based on my trip:

  • Run around the Imperial Palace (its circumference is ~ a 5k)
  • Shopping in Ginza, Shinjuku, Shimokitazawa.
  • Visit Golden Gai to grab a drink.
  • Go to an Onsen (ask locals for recs)1
  • Take the Fuji express train to Kawaguchiko and bike around (bike rentals are ~$20 for the whole day)
  • Go to a local grocery store (e.g., York Foods) and enjoy a 12-piece sashimi for ~$8.
  • Drip coffee: Glitch coffee is popular, though I found the Covert coffee chain just as good without the line.
  • Try omurice (we liked NikutoTamago)
  • Two very good bakeries: Donsuke & Pain Maison
  • Watch a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome.2
  • Use Tablelog to search for local restaurants (anything above 3.6 stars will likely be very good).

Concluding thoughts:

  • If I were to go to Tokyo again I’d stay in Shimokitazawa;
  • and come with the intent of upgrading my wardrobe.
  • If I had to go back to Japan, I’d visit Okinawa.
  • The 711s are as good as advertised.
  • Favorite meal: ramen at Tsukemen Gonokami.
  • Bring cash ⚠️

Seoul.

These notes are more abbreviated. We spent about half as much time in Seoul as we did in Tokyo.

Neighborhoods we visited: Hongdae, Itaewan, Gangnam, Seongsu, Myeongdong, Jongno 3-ga.

  • Indulge in lots of coffee and baked goods.3
  • Kkanbu for fried chicken, and most places will have very good KBBQ4. Though beef is much pricier than pork.
  • Get a drink at a record bar, we really enjoyed Cream.
  • Go on a run along the Han river.
  • The best meal I had was at a restaurant that did not have an English menu (nor a location on Google Maps).
  • Jongno 3-ga was a nice neighborhood we wish we had spent more time in. Grabbing a meal at one of the restaurants in the alleyways by Pocha Street seemed like a nice experience.5
  • Myeongdong is worth the trip for the night market and a nice stroll.
  • Re-up on skincare products at Olive Young.
  • If I had to go back to South Korea, I’d visit Busan.
  • Bring cash ⚠️ ⚠️

Photo Gallery

imperial-palace
Views from the Imperial Palace.
biking
Biking through Kawaguchiko.
tokyo-dome
Views from Tokyo Dome.
Oishi
Views from Oishi Park in Kawaguchiko.
Myeongdong
Grilled squid at Myeongdong market.
Han-river
Views from running trail along the Han river.

Footnotes

  1. We went to Thermae-Yu and enjoyed it.↩︎

  2. The atmosphere was incredible, reminiscent of a European football (⚽) derby match.↩︎

  3. I recommend Hwandae for matcha; Nu & Hitcoffee roasters for coffee; Offer for baked goods.↩︎

  4. A high-end option we never got around to visiting is Born & Bread.↩︎

  5. A point of reference for the alley-way is this restaurant.↩︎