It’s been ten months since I visited Korea and Japan. Only now have I had the time to go through all the photos and videos taken from that trip. Forgive me, as some of these photos were taken with my phone, and the quality is not up to par with my other blog posts with photos.

I visited Japan for 3 days, then Korea for 7 days, then returned to Japan for another 7 days. Each trip section will have its own post, and this one is the start!

Now, starting off with traveling to Japan.

6am pre-airport meal ✅ (A little heavy)

At the airport, I was getting ready to meet my girlfriend and my parents, who were both flying from Hong Kong to Tokyo. We all arrived on different flights and my parents landed at Haneda, while my girlfriend and I arrived at Narita. Did I also mention we all flew on New Years Eve?

After landing, I waited a while for my girlfriend as she had about an hour before I landed. When she arrived, we immediately made our way to Yokohama, a city that I personally love visiting and hit the hay with a bit of jet lag.

Day 1

The next morning, I had never been to the Yokohama Chinatown so we stopped by to see our favorite Chinese desserts and for a little dim sum.

After visiting Chinatown, we started to walk towards Yamashita Park and came across Higa Park next to Yokohama Stadium. I was surprised to see pink leaves in December where the temperature was brisk and below 50-60 degrees every day.

At Yamashita Park, we saw performers and beautiful ocean views as the day was clear. Many people were out as the day was not too cloudy and was, in fact, hot as the sun beamed down.

We kept walking around Yokohama to look at more parks and at night went to Ichiran Ramen, a ritual for those who visit; known for their Hakata-Style noodles with a nice chew and texture. The broth is nicely salted as well with their chasiu being flavorful.

Day 2

The next morning, I had a cream puff from beard papa which I was excited to try as they had flavors not available in the US. Then, had a bowl of mega ebi(shrimp) udon at Yamashita Honki Udon.

After, we went to Sogo Department Store in Yokohama station and had ourselves some fruit sandwiches with tea at fruits peak.

After that, a little nana’s green tea at Marui City mall.

We then finished the day walking around Kanagawa and seeing the beautiful architecture of a dense city. Japan has some of the best historical and architectural advancements of any city I’ve been to around the world with it’s temples still living near modern housing. It’s a deep contrast to the American cities I’m used to living in.

Then finished the night with some pasta, pizza, wine, and a basque cheesecake.

Day 3 – Last Day in Japan

The next day would be our travel day to Seoul, so in the morning, we had breakfast at our hotel (no pics) and had an amazing lunch with my parents at Ginzahageten Honten.

After lunch, we did some shopping in Ginza, then headed to the Narita. Narita was a little busy with travelers sprawling for the winter season. After going through immigration, we had ourselves a bite to eat and eagerly waited to get on our flight to Korea.

In the end, three days went by fast. Yokohama had a mix of foods and views: Walking around during the day, Chinatown dim sum, pink leaves in December, Ichiran at night, hojicha and matcha, fruit sandwiches with tea, and tempura with my parents. Yokohama’s parks and ocean views felt warm even in winter, and I love how shrines sit next to apartments here. A contrast to the cities I’m used to. We ended with a bit of shopping in Ginza and joined the New Year crowd at Narita. Next up is Seoul for a week with the same suitcase, same hunger, and new memories.

If you want to see the 7 days in Seoul, click here: (Coming Soon)

Also, visit my review on the Conrad Tokyo.