Tag: Gap Year
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Day 73 – Seoul
Today we travelled by train to the infamous Seodaemun Prison History Hall which was built around 1910 and is where the Japanese held Korean prisoners (Korea was colonised/occupied by the Japanese from 1910 until 1945). The Prison has been converted into a museum, with explanations of how the Japanese ruled. The cells and even the […]
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Day 72 – Seoul
Today we started the day at the Seoul City Hall, which is a very cool looking building. We could hear a lot of commotion close by, so we walked around the building and stubbled upon the 5th Seoul Kim Chi Festival (where else!). The festival was decorated nicely using cabbages and had a massive area […]
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Day 71 – Seoul
Today we decided to finish what we started yesterday, so we went back to the Korean War Memorial. What we saw today, were the upper levels that were dedicated to the recent Korean War. It was once again very powerful and thought provoking. There was even a brief exhibit on the Vietnam War, which was […]
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Day 70 – Seoul
Today we ended up struggling to get out of bed opting to stay in the warm dorm rooms of That House Itaewon. After planning our stay in Seoul for the next few days we decided to go to the Korean War Memorial. The War Memorial is a very large complex with large exhibits which are […]
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Day 69 – Part 2 – Seoul, SOUTH KOREA
We landed in Incheon Airport in South Korea full of excitement after an amazing 3 weeks in Japan. After clearing customs we were glad to see that all signs and forms were translated into English which made life easier. The tourist info centre in the airport helped us work out the best way to get […]
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Day 69 – Part 1 – Osaka
Today we had to wake up with minimal sleep to catch our flight from Osaka. We were easily able to check out and then use the extensive rail network to go to Kansai International Airport for our next flight. One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, was the fact that the capsule hotel has a […]
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Day 68 – Osaka
Today we met up with our Canadian stalker friend, who had arrived in Osaka a few days before us. We met up outside Hotel J Ship and went for a walk around town. Our first stop was Namba Yasaka Shrine, which is known for the Lion Head Shrine. There is a conventional shrine there also, […]
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Day 67 – Yunomine Onsen to Osaka
Today we woke up less sore than we expected and we managed to walk to the bus stop in Yunomine Onsen. We caught the bus around 8am to Tanabe. At Tanabe, we had some time to kill until our next bus, so we walked down to the beach and had a nice lunch from the […]
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Day 66 – Chikatsuyu to Yunomine Onsen
I don’t think my legs work any more! We hiked a total of 25km in 11 hours, from Minshuku Nakano (yesterday’s accommodation) leaving at 5:40am and arriving at the main shrine, Hongu Taisha, at 5:00pm. It was a crazy long day and the bags felt heavier with every step. Unfortunately J had pulled a muscle […]
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Day 65 – Tanabe to Chikatsuyu
Today was an exhausting 7 hours of hiking on the first leg of the Kumano Kodo a.k.a Nakahechi (The Imperial Route to Kumano). The hike was around 14km. We left our accommodation Guesthouse TAKAO in Tanabe, around 7:30am and bused to the starting point of the hike, Takijiri. We left around half of our luggage […]
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Day 64 – Hiroshima to Tanabe
Today we left Hiroshima by bus towards the town of Tanabe. The town was around 500 km away and took half a day including the stops. We actually first got on the Willer bus which dropped us off in Osaka. From Osaka we bought a return ticket to Tanabe with JR buses, which was really […]
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Day 63 – Hiroshima
Today we went back to the Peace Park with our Canadian friend, just to take some more snaps during the day. The Park was a lot busier than last night with everyone crowded around the Atomic Bomb Dome. From there, we walked to Hiroshima Castle, which is close by. The Castle is a lot smaller […]
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Day 62 – Kyoto to Hiroshima
Today we slept in! As we had an early bus ride to Hiroshima, we ended up hailing a taxi instead of walking to Kyoto Station as we had planned. The taxi was super clean, even though the car itself looked old. The doors also opened automatically, which is something I kept seeing, but was never […]
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Day 60 – Kyoto
Today we had planed to focus on the East Side of Kyoto’s tourist attractions. We ended up leaving Santiago Hostel nice and early at 10am and walking into the sunny streets. A short walk from the hostel is Yasaka Shrine (which was actually close to Kodaiji Zen Temple). Here was a massive shrine and large […]
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Day 59 – Takayama to Kyoto
Today we woke up and had breakfast at Relax Hostel Takayama Station. It’s awesome when the breakfast is included but not advertised. The food is left in the kitchen from 7am and is there until it runs out so its not guaranteed. After breakfast we caught the bus from Nobi Bus Station in Takayama starting […]
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