Okay so last post I said we weren’t really planning much. Of course we’ve got to plan certain things like accommodation, we’re not absolute madlads just hitting the road with zero idea of what we’re doing. So, here’s a run down of the spots we’re heading to…

 S E O U L // S O U T H  K O R E A 
We’ve booked an Airbnb in Gangnam (for a whole month!) and so far the only thing set in stone is EATING LOTS. We love Korean food but have only scratched the surface with what we can get here in Melbourne (though it does seem fairly legit?). We want to check out markets for street food, visit the palaces, walk the city walls and check out some museums (National Museum of Korea and the War Memorial of Korea). We will probably keep up our tradition of going up tall things (Lotte World Tower, N Seoul Tower). What’s a visit to Seoul without going to the DMZ, so that’s on the cards also. We’d like to daytrip out of the city, but not sure where yet – maybe Suwon? I like the freedom of a month there so we can decide when we get there!

 T O K Y O // J A P A N 
Then we hop over to Japan, starting with Tokyo. Our last couple of trips have neglected Tokyo – last time we only stayed 1 night! We were so keen to head off to new cities and were like “oh, we’ve done Tokyo”. This time we’ve got 2 weeks and we are staying in Nippori. We can explore Yanesen area which has always been on my to-do list and visit Maru‘s shop! We might do a daytip or two – maybe Kawagoe and Kamakura (last time we saw the big boye Buddha but this time we might explore some other areas).

 K A N A Z A W A // J A P A N 
Next stop, Kanazawa! We’ve never been here before so we’re pretty excited for this spot. We’ll be here for about 1 week and since it’s our first time will probably do the touristy things – Nagamachi (Samurai District), Kanazawa Castle, Higashi Chaya District, Omicho market, Myōryū-ji (“Ninja Temple”). And we might even get snow!! We will be there early December so there is a slight chance, I think? Just a little dusting please weather gods!

 K Y O T O // J A P A N 
Then we head on down to Kyoto, where we can relax in our lovely hostel sento for 2 whole weeks, bliss! Generally in Kyoto we avoid the hella tourist spots (though we did do Kiyomizu-dera, which was insanely busy, but probably worth it) but earlier this year I read The Temple of the Golden Pavillion by Yukio Mishima and it made me really want to visit Kinkaku-ji!! It’s probably the worst spot for tourists but maybe I’ll visit…. I might not be able to resist the alluring glow of the golden temple!

 K O B E // J A P A N 
Christmas in Kobe!! (Do you know how hard it is to google Christmas in Kobe? Apparently every year Kobe Bryant releases sneakers at Christmas time….) Anyway, we will be ringing in the new year in Kobe! Last time in Kobe we stayed at one of the most iconic hotels ever ((The Meriken Park Oriental) but it was soooo cold by the water, and that damn jingle that played on the hotel shuttle bus every.damn.day!! (But really, I would recommend that hotel, the room was the biggest we’ve ever had in Japan and had a huge balcony.) This time we are staying in Sannomiya area, right in the action! Of course we will be going to Chinatown, I’d like to go up to Arima Onsen (even though we can’t visit any onsen due to our tattoos), and maybe a daytrip down to Himeji Castle.

 O S A K A // J A P A N 
Our last week and a half will be spent in Osaka. We are staying at a ~brand new~ hotel in Namba, right near the Imamiya-Ebisu shrine which has a kick-ass matsuri while we are there. I’m still debating whether or not to go to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter; I’m not a huuuuuge HP fan, but it does look awesome. Well, I still have 3 months to decide!

 R E T U R N  T O  T H E  M O T H E R L A N D 
One great thing about this trip is that we aren’t just going back to Melbourne afterwards, we are moving back to New Zealand – so for a while it’ll be like the holiday is still going! It’s going to be pretty weird being back in Christchurch after so long (and so many massive changes in the city) but wonderful being back home with family and friends! So, mid January 2019 we will be starting the next phase with some big things planned!!