Japan & South Korea Discovery

Until the mid-19th century, Japan lived in isolation, closed off from the rest of the world, and Yokohama was a mere fishing village. But in 1853, American naval officer Matthew Perry demanded the country open to foreign trade, and Yokohama was changed forever. The city quickly emerged as an international trading center, and while today it is often overshadowed by nearby Tokyo, it continues to be one of Japan’s liveliest, and most international, destinations. With its microbreweries and international restaurants, Yokohama has a decidedly different feel from many other Japanese cities. From Yokohama, it’s a quick trip to peaceful Kamakura, home to Daibutsu, Japan’s second-largest bronze Buddha, and to the important Shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Head to Hakone National Park on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with picture-postcard views of majestic Mt. Fuji. Tokyo is the largest city on earth and packed with some of the world’s best shops, museums and restaurants, big and small. While the bright neon lights and the bustle of contemporary Tokyo may be what comes to mind when you think of the city, there is another side. Tokyo’s historic gardens and neighborhoods of traditional homes on narrow lanes speak to a timeless Japan that has survived into the 21st century.

High atop a hill in Kochi sits 17th-century Kochi Castle, once the seat of the Yamauchi lords. Explore this historic site and enjoy panoramic views of the city, then dine on sushi at Hirome Market.

Situated at the southern tip of Japan, Kagoshima is the capital of the prefecture of the same name and famous for its dramatic views of Sakurajima, an active volcano that smolders across the bay. One of the most popular activities is taking a ferry to Sakurajima and hiking on the 100-year-old lava flow that is now a grassy peninsula. Kagoshima, however, offers much more than the volcano’s almost overwhelming beauty. The food scene provides opportunities to experience the area’s rich culinary culture and features dishes using locally caught fish and regional specialties, like satsuma a’ge (deep-fried fish cake) and shōchū, a traditional beverage made at more than 100 distilleries in Kagoshima alone. Although the city was officially founded in 1889, it has an even longer history that is reflected in the 17th-century gardens of Sengan-en. More recent events are covered at a museum dedicated to the kamikaze pilots who flew out of Kagoshima. Other popular attractions include the City Aquarium, the Museum of the Meiji Restoration with its exhibits exploring local history and the City Museum of Art with its collection that covers both local contemporary and older art. With so much to do, visitors may want to consider the Cute transit card. Available at tourist information offices, one-day Cute cards cover city buses, trams and Sakurajima ferries and also provide discounted admission to several attractions.

Die Stadt der melancholischen Erinnerungen. Statten Sie dem Glover Haus einen Besuch ab, wo Puccinis Madame Butterfly angeblich ihren Lt. Pinkerton erwartete; zollen Sie im Friedenspark den vielen Leben, die im Zweiten Weltkrieg gelassen wurden, Ihren Respekt. Beispiele für Landausflüge: Nagasaki Halbtagestour; Sakai Brücke & 99 Inseln; Arita, Geburtsstätte der Keramik.

Es war einmal eine Zeit, da war Incheon ein stilles Küstendorf und damit typisch für Korea. Die Männer gingen fischen, die Frauen machten Kimchi. Es gab insgesamt vielleicht ein paar tausend Menschen in der Region.

Und dann geriet es mitten in einen Krieg. In den späten 1950ern landeten US-Marinesoldaten in Incheon, womit das Ende des Koreakriegs eingeleitet wurde. Ein Krieg, der letztlich mehr als 40.000 amerikanische Soldatenleben und eine unbestimmte Zahl an Koreanern forderte.

Nach der Schlacht, als Incheon die Chance hatte, sich selbst aus dem Dreck und den Granatensplittern zu befreien, wurde die Stadt als erste offizielle Freiwirtschaftszone des Landes Teil des koreanischen Wirtschaftswunders. Mit seinem perfekten natürlichen Hafen, seiner flachen Landschaft und 3 Millionen Einwohnern ist es ebenso Teil des Ballungsraums Seoul geworden, wie es eigenständige Großstadt ist.

Wenn Sie Incheon gemeinsam mit einem Veteranen des Koreakriegs besuchen, wird dieser nichts mehr wiedererkennen, außer vielleicht einer kleinen Fläche rund um den Freedom Park. Dort, wo es früher Wasserbecken voller Reis gab, stehen heute Apartmenthochhäuser. Selbst der Strand, an dem die Marinesoldaten an Land gingen, wurde erweitert und neugestaltet, um Platz für das koreanische Wirtschaftswunder zu schaffen. Aber einer ganzen Generation sitzt die Vergangenheit dieses Ortes noch in den Knochen, und ein Besuch lohnt sich.

Es war einmal eine Zeit, da war Incheon ein stilles Küstendorf und damit typisch für Korea. Die Männer gingen fischen, die Frauen machten Kimchi. Es gab insgesamt vielleicht ein paar tausend Menschen in der Region.

Und dann geriet es mitten in einen Krieg. In den späten 1950ern landeten US-Marinesoldaten in Incheon, womit das Ende des Koreakriegs eingeleitet wurde. Ein Krieg, der letztlich mehr als 40.000 amerikanische Soldatenleben und eine unbestimmte Zahl an Koreanern forderte.

Nach der Schlacht, als Incheon die Chance hatte, sich selbst aus dem Dreck und den Granatensplittern zu befreien, wurde die Stadt als erste offizielle Freiwirtschaftszone des Landes Teil des koreanischen Wirtschaftswunders. Mit seinem perfekten natürlichen Hafen, seiner flachen Landschaft und 3 Millionen Einwohnern ist es ebenso Teil des Ballungsraums Seoul geworden, wie es eigenständige Großstadt ist.

Wenn Sie Incheon gemeinsam mit einem Veteranen des Koreakriegs besuchen, wird dieser nichts mehr wiedererkennen, außer vielleicht einer kleinen Fläche rund um den Freedom Park. Dort, wo es früher Wasserbecken voller Reis gab, stehen heute Apartmenthochhäuser. Selbst der Strand, an dem die Marinesoldaten an Land gingen, wurde erweitert und neugestaltet, um Platz für das koreanische Wirtschaftswunder zu schaffen. Aber einer ganzen Generation sitzt die Vergangenheit dieses Ortes noch in den Knochen, und ein Besuch lohnt sich.

Jeju, formerly Cheju, may not be familiar to most Americans, but for Korean travelers the country’s largest island and home to one of 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites is a popular destination. The island is roughly the size of Maui and has much in common with the Hawaiian islands. Like them, it is a volcanic island—it first emerged from the sea some two million years ago and the volcano Hallasan, which reaches a height of 1,950 meters, is the tallest peak in South Korea. It also shares the mild subtropical climate of Hawaii—even in winter, temperatures rarely drop below freezing—and offers a similar broad range of activities whether in the warm ocean water or exploring the island’s interior on well-marked and maintained trails.

Jeju has long been known as the „Island of Gods“ after a legendary lost race from whom the island’s inhabitants are said to have descended. Perhaps this history helps explain the super-human feats of the haenyeo, women divers who harvest abalone from the sea floor without the use of scuba gear. Remarkable giants can still be spotted here with humpback and orca whales common in this part of the East China Sea.

South Korea’s second-largest city (after the capital, Seoul), Busan is located in the southeastern corner of the country along the Sea of Japan. It combines a vibrant, big-city atmosphere with a famously laid-back attitude and subtropical landscapes. Often described as the „San Francisco of Korea,“ thanks mainly to its hilly terrain and close-knit neighborhoods, it offers visitors a little of everything: fashionable boutiques, dynamic culture and buzzy nightlife, as well as sandy beaches, hot springs and nearby mountains crossed with hiking trails and dotted with temples. Cultural highlights include the Gamcheon Cultural Village; the spectacular Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, built into the side of a cliff; and Art Street in Sinchang-dong, which hosts art competitions, exhibitions and cultural events such as the annual Busan International Film Festival. Those who enjoy hiking can explore the famed cliffs of Taejongdae Park, while the white sand beaches at Gwangalli and Haeundae are ideal places to relax by the seashore. Foodies will love Busan, too, not just for its excellent restaurants but also for the many atmospheric markets: the low-key Millak Hoe Town Market, tourist spots like Jagalchi Fish Market and the market at Haeundae with its ramshackle stalls selling gukpab (a traditional rice soup).

Think of Osaka, Japan (accent on the O), as a combination of Los Angeles and Chicago. It very definitely has L.A.’s second-city complex, but its attitude is pure Chicago. The only business that matters is business, and so what if the Hanshin Tigers, the local baseball team, are frequently the worst professional athletes in the world? They’re the home team. People in Osaka laugh louder, play harder and drink more than Tokyo’s most decadent dreams. Osaka even has its own dialect, one the rest of the country calls “dirty Japanese,” one entirely different than even Kobe’s—and Kobe is an Osaka suburb. Nothing is old in Osaka. The place was flattened during the war (and then again in 1962 and 1989, by Godzilla). During the reconstruction, they forgot to include much in the way of parks or green space, and the sheer amount of concrete and steel sights can get overwhelming. But Osaka has its attractions and interesting things to do. Sumo wrestlers wait for trains, reeking of chanko-nabe (traditional sumo food; pure energy and calories), just daring the official railway pushers to push them. Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) get train cars to themselves, but if you get on with them, it’s like you’re invisible. Busy markets, the visual noise of neon and nonstop action on shopping streets offer insight into the energy and ambition of Osaka. And if all that isn’t enough, Osaka is less than an hour from some of the most beautiful temples, shrines and ancient Japanese tourist attractions in the world—a thousand years of Japanese history—waiting in the old capitals of Kyoto and Nara.

Until the mid-19th century, Japan lived in isolation, closed off from the rest of the world, and Yokohama was a mere fishing village. But in 1853, American naval officer Matthew Perry demanded the country open to foreign trade, and Yokohama was changed forever. The city quickly emerged as an international trading center, and while today it is often overshadowed by nearby Tokyo, it continues to be one of Japan’s liveliest, and most international, destinations. With its microbreweries and international restaurants, Yokohama has a decidedly different feel from many other Japanese cities. From Yokohama, it’s a quick trip to peaceful Kamakura, home to Daibutsu, Japan’s second-largest bronze Buddha, and to the important Shinto shrine Tsurugaoka Hachimangu. Head to Hakone National Park on a clear day and you’ll be rewarded with picture-postcard views of majestic Mt. Fuji. Tokyo is the largest city on earth and packed with some of the world’s best shops, museums and restaurants, big and small. While the bright neon lights and the bustle of contemporary Tokyo may be what comes to mind when you think of the city, there is another side. Tokyo’s historic gardens and neighborhoods of traditional homes on narrow lanes speak to a timeless Japan that has survived into the 21st century.