Like so many stories, this probably starts in Nando's.
I lived in Japan for 3 years and in many ways, they were possibly the most formative years of my adulthood[1] as they felt like a time of both renewal and excitement even though I didn't really have anything to renew. Much of this is besides the point - that three years allowed me to create more friends and acquaintances than is apparently normal for adults and, although many have fallen by the wayside due mainly to the attrition of time, I count myself fortunate enough to have retained contact[2] with a decent number of them. Whilst assisting one of these friends with some passport application issues and reminiscing away, I suddenly felt that Japan was a place to visit again - without a wedding to attend to.
As it happened, another friend of mine moved away to Hong Kong and I said, as I am wont to do, that I would come and visit at some point. And at that point, I would go elsewhere too as Hong Kong doesn't seem to have enough for my tastes on holiday for a lengthy stay (are those enough qualifiers so that I don’t get shot down?).
And so, two ideas coalesced into one with potential to be a nice shared trip of about two weeks - into Hong Kong and then out of Japan (Kansai International being preferred) and it was in the gaps that, the bit in between, intrigue could flourish.
As it happened, my friend was unavailable in Hong Kong after booking, and so I was at a loose end. And over lunch at work, I wondered how that loose end could be tied up - where would be an interesting stopover? Often, the way that I think about the gaps in between is by considering the surface travel opportunities - basically the question is “which train lines are connected?” This was not fruitful for Hong Kong starts, yet it sparked a thought and I decided that the knot could be Korea. South Korea.
So I consulted my virtual Rolodex to see whether people I knew had any advice about South Korea. Surprisingly, quite a few of my acquaintances had been so I was able to harvest some interesting stories which were enough to make my decision. Well, part of my decision about locations but not about timings or details. That comes later, if at all. The skeleton plan becomes:
London - Hong Kong - South Korea - Japan - London
Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong is a place I have visited a couple of times and I found it hugely frustrating in the past which is why I had not really had a particular desire to go back. It strikes me as a good place for a stopover as it is different enough to most places but not big enough (for me) to enjoy for a long period of time. Yet some of my later travels, most notably to Singapore (which I have described in the past as similar to a Hong Kong without the charm), have made me feel a nostalgia for the memories of Hong Kong and so I am keener on this than I was before. At the very least, Hong Kong is particularly photogenic.
South Korea
I had not been to South Korea and much of my knowledge of the country would be old-fashioned and coloured by my past in Japan. In the early 00‘s, Japan went through something of a “Korean boom” where many aspects of Korean culture became fashionable and popular ranging from the food to the television dramas. I may never have got into the dramas (they looked a little too melodramatic for my taste) but the food was very popular with my taste buds with a nice mixture of spice, heat and tang.
As it stands, I am not entirely sure of where to go within the country but I would like to visit Seoul[3], the DMZ and am aiming to take a boat to Japan via Busan. It is in the gaps, that excitement may lie.
Japan
I’m a big fan of Japan generally have enjoyed travelling around there a few times. This means that there are not so any major locations that i have not been so I imagine there will be some retread but I am happy to do so. One of the best things about Japan is the incredible rail infrastructure with fast, regular connections throughout the country and this is something that i will be looking to use as much as possible. There are a few choices for where the boat from Korea goes to, and I am presently leaning to Fukuoka[4] where I do not think I have been. From there, I need to get to Osaka and Kyoto at some point within ten days so that leaves a lot of opportunity for travel and even, potentially, for socialising - though this seems out of character.
Well, those are the plans, now to see how the reality merges with the plans. If anybody else would like to add to my list of ideas, please feel free to comment below.
1. This only really means that they were more formative than University - a time that I didn't particularly enjoy. I didn't really dislike those years either but I spent a lot of time wondering what the fuss was about. Maybe, in hindsight, they were my most formative years of all.↩
2. Presently this often means little more than being invited to weddings due to the complexities of modern life.↩
3. I have been very fortunate in that when asking around, a friend’s family used to live in Seoul and they have provided me with a list of place to see, places to go and places to eat.↩
4. The three letter codes for this trip would be PUS-FUK which I rather like.↩
I lived in Japan for 3 years and in many ways, they were possibly the most formative years of my adulthood[1] as they felt like a time of both renewal and excitement even though I didn't really have anything to renew. Much of this is besides the point - that three years allowed me to create more friends and acquaintances than is apparently normal for adults and, although many have fallen by the wayside due mainly to the attrition of time, I count myself fortunate enough to have retained contact[2] with a decent number of them. Whilst assisting one of these friends with some passport application issues and reminiscing away, I suddenly felt that Japan was a place to visit again - without a wedding to attend to.
And so, two ideas coalesced into one with potential to be a nice shared trip of about two weeks - into Hong Kong and then out of Japan (Kansai International being preferred) and it was in the gaps that, the bit in between, intrigue could flourish.
So I consulted my virtual Rolodex to see whether people I knew had any advice about South Korea. Surprisingly, quite a few of my acquaintances had been so I was able to harvest some interesting stories which were enough to make my decision. Well, part of my decision about locations but not about timings or details. That comes later, if at all. The skeleton plan becomes:
London - Hong Kong - South Korea - Japan - London
Hong Kong SAR
Hong Kong is a place I have visited a couple of times and I found it hugely frustrating in the past which is why I had not really had a particular desire to go back. It strikes me as a good place for a stopover as it is different enough to most places but not big enough (for me) to enjoy for a long period of time. Yet some of my later travels, most notably to Singapore (which I have described in the past as similar to a Hong Kong without the charm), have made me feel a nostalgia for the memories of Hong Kong and so I am keener on this than I was before. At the very least, Hong Kong is particularly photogenic.
South Korea
I had not been to South Korea and much of my knowledge of the country would be old-fashioned and coloured by my past in Japan. In the early 00‘s, Japan went through something of a “Korean boom” where many aspects of Korean culture became fashionable and popular ranging from the food to the television dramas. I may never have got into the dramas (they looked a little too melodramatic for my taste) but the food was very popular with my taste buds with a nice mixture of spice, heat and tang.
Japan
I’m a big fan of Japan generally have enjoyed travelling around there a few times. This means that there are not so any major locations that i have not been so I imagine there will be some retread but I am happy to do so. One of the best things about Japan is the incredible rail infrastructure with fast, regular connections throughout the country and this is something that i will be looking to use as much as possible. There are a few choices for where the boat from Korea goes to, and I am presently leaning to Fukuoka[4] where I do not think I have been. From there, I need to get to Osaka and Kyoto at some point within ten days so that leaves a lot of opportunity for travel and even, potentially, for socialising - though this seems out of character.
Well, those are the plans, now to see how the reality merges with the plans. If anybody else would like to add to my list of ideas, please feel free to comment below.
1. This only really means that they were more formative than University - a time that I didn't particularly enjoy. I didn't really dislike those years either but I spent a lot of time wondering what the fuss was about. Maybe, in hindsight, they were my most formative years of all.↩
2. Presently this often means little more than being invited to weddings due to the complexities of modern life.↩
3. I have been very fortunate in that when asking around, a friend’s family used to live in Seoul and they have provided me with a list of place to see, places to go and places to eat.↩
4. The three letter codes for this trip would be PUS-FUK which I rather like.↩
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