Today is a full day of sightseeing starting with Bulguksa Temple, a big temple with many beautifully painted buildings and Buddhas, and stone pagodas. In Busan we see the Jagalchi fish market and Gukjesijang Market. So many live fish, eels, octopi and shellfish. One eel leaps out of the tank in front of us. The […]
Read More →Poor sleep on thin mats – up at 4:45. The call to prayer goes off at 5am and we walk up the hill to the meditation hall. Lots of bowing and kneeling with my forehead on the mat. We get a chanting sheet, but can’t figure out where we are on it. We also keep […]
Read More →We start the day with a train ride and bus ride to Golgulsa Temple. Here we dress into “temple clothes” – baggy grey pants with cuffs and orange vests. We have to wear this for our whole stay. This is a lovely temple complex up a steep hill with 20 buildings in all. We climb […]
Read More →Our tour starts the day off visiting the Blue House, the President’s house ( the current president is not using it, building a new one). There is a beautiful mountain behind it – one of the five surrounding Seoul. Next we visit the largest Royal palace in Seoul, Gyeongbok Palace. It looks a lot like […]
Read More →Up early for Narita Airport, flight to Incheon and Subway Train to Hotel Prince. Only 20 minutes late to the meeting. Definitely an older crowd – Chuck is in his 80s but looks much younger. Dinner out for kimchi and rice served with beef boiled in broth, greens and mushrooms cooked at the table in […]
Read More →Day 1 – SeoulArrive at any time. Welcome to Seoul! As fellow travelers are arriving throughout the day, there are no planned activities until a group meeting at 6 pm. Check into the hotel Prince and enjoy the city. After the welcome meeting, join your CEO for an orientation walk down Cheonggyecheon Stream to learn […]
Read More →Tokyo Bay visit today – a newer modern area with many made islands. We see the Unicorn Gundam robot outside Diver City Plaza. Inside is the Gundam Base store full of model robots to build and paint. Lots of artist models showcased for lots of dollars but the craftsmanship makes them almost worth it. A […]
Read More →Lots of walking today. Our first stop is Senso-Ji temple, Tokyo’s oldest Temple. We enter through Thunder Gate with its huge lantern. (weights 670 kg) The main hall is huge, the incense burning is said to bestow health. The five storey pagoda is the second tallest in Japan, but it’s very crowded. We tried black […]
Read More →Free time in the morning, so after our japanese breakfast we check out of the hotel and wander around the lake. Lots of paddle boats to rent or take a boat cruise. Bikes are also available to rent. The lake is about 19km around, lots of fishermen trying their luck. A lovely morning stroll before […]
Read More →Today we take 4 different trains to reach Mt. Fuji. First the Subway to Kyoto station, then a bullet train to Shinyokohama where we see our first glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Next is a local train to Hachioji, then our final train on the Fujikyu rail line to Kawaguchiko. From the train station, it is […]
Read More →