I have a confession to make: I wasn’t blown away by Japan. But my reasoning for this is quite simple.
Before I moved to Asia in the beginning of the year, Japan was at the top of my bucket list. I had heard friends rave about the island, and read many a blog post about Tokyo, Kyoto, and more. Futuristic, lively, eccentric – all words used to describe Japan.
So you can imagine, after 8 months of living in Asia, I was ecstatic about finally making it to the country I dreamed of. I planned to spend 3 full days in Tokyo, 1 day in Kyoto, and 1 day in Osaka.
Upon arrival to Tokyo, my first impression was, “Damn, what a big… train station”. That was about all I could muster up as I attempted to hunt down my hostel that afternoon.
The following day was my first full day in the country. I witnessed the imperial palace, had an {annoyingly} long brunch with a new “friend” I’d met at the hostel, and walked around the Ginza district at sunset.
Related: 20 Travel Tips for Solo Travelers in Japan
It was in those initial moments that I though to myself, “Sure. Yes. Of course. This is what I had hoped for. This is what I had been anticipating.” But, honestly, it wasn’t. I was doing my best to convince myself otherwise, but ultimately, it just felt a bit, “been there, done that”.
Because, I kind of had. While I know drawing comparisons between South Korea and Japan is usually controversial, I couldn’t help myself.
For most people traveling in and around Asia for the first time, Japan is an easier, more-appealing destination than mainland China or South Korea. Before moving to Korea, I hadn’t heard of anyone I knew personally, visiting South Korea.
And I get it, Japan {Tokyo specifically}, is indeed futuristic, lively, and eccentric. It’s an obvious selling point to someone craving something culturally different.
But the same can be said for Seoul.
Bright lights, thousands of people in the streets, a quirky cafe culture, unique street food, old world meeting new world, a foreign language, a new alphabet, hectic nightlife. All of the things that epitomize the Tokyo experience, ring true in Seoul as well.
Related: 48 Hours in Seoul, South Korea
I’m not saying one is better than the other. In fact, I preferred many things in Japan {food, hospitality, etc.} over South Korea. I’m simply expressing the reason behind my lack of ‘Wow!‘ factor upon arriving in Japan.
When I first arrived in South Korea, the second Asian country {Indonesia being the first} I had ever stepped foot in, I felt the culture shock right away. It felt, I imagine, the way many people feel visiting Tokyo on their first trip to Asia. That’s when I experienced all the emotions I’d heard people use to describe Japan. That’s when I went, ‘Wow!‘. It was purely circumstantial. South Korea got to steal that moment from me, unbeknownst to me.
My solo trip to Japan still remains one of my favorites this year. Because, again, it is a lovely country with welcoming people and the best cuisine. As far as Asian countries go, it ranks extremely high in my opinion.
That being said, if you’ve been to Seoul prior to arriving in Tokyo, you may feel similarly to me. Kyoto and Osaka were almost more intriguing to me than the big metropolitan monster for this reason.
Related: 15 Things That Surprised me About Life in South Korea
After spending an extended period of time in South Korea, traveling to Japan was just that. It didn’t leave me breathless, or change my life dramatically. It was simply a great solo adventure in a new country.
I’m curious to know your thoughts. Did you visit South Korea prior to Japan? Or vice versa? If so, what was your experience like in Korea after spending time in Japan? Do you prefer one over the other?
I’ve never been to South Korea, but I have been to Japan, so this was an interesting read! I spent a week in Tokyo on my visit, and as it was my first visit to an Asian country no doubt a lot of what surprised and delighted me about Japan was partially because it was my first time in Asia. I didn’t like Shinjuku, Shibuya or Ginza that much (once the novelty of the bright billboards everywhere wore off), but I loved Yanaka and Asakusa in Northern Tokyo, which are well-preserved historic neighbourhoods and also Miniami-Aoyama and Nishiazabu, which are two younger, trendy but much more low key neighbourhoods. These areas had less western tourists and I thought they were a lot more charming.
I also preferred Asakusa in Tokyo! I felt it was very charming and had more low key. Glad you enjoyed your time in Japan! Do you think you’ll go back one day?
I have yet to visit Korea but plan to later this year. I have lived in Japan now for about 2.5 years and totally understand your viewpoint. While traveling around Japan was extremely exciting at first, we’ve definitely noticed the “been there, done that” feeling you mentioned. While it’s been an awesome experience to live here, I’m glad to know I’m not that only one to feel this way.