The wife and I just booked a trip out to Korea and Japan later this year. We'll be flying into Seoul and plan to spend time in both Kyoto and Tokyo. So it's time we crowd-sourced some great recommendations from people who have visited Japan and Korea. If you'd been and particularly if you can recommend some of the following, please post below: Historic and cultural "must see" attractions Natural wonders Great theme parks (I love a good thrill ride!) Beach trips It's worth bearing in mind that at the moment we have the skeleton of a trip - our flights to Seoul are booked in September, and we have two and a half weeks from arrival to leaving, so our time in either location can be completely flexible. Any help is much appreciated!
Changdeokgung Palace blew my mind, and the views from Mt. Namsam in Autumn are stunning. Korea is one of those places that is amazing whenever and wherever you go!
For Korea, I would spend a bit of time in Seoul, maybe hit Kangnam area, and then hop a train South. My picks would be Mokpo (far Southern tip) for its beauty and small town charm. If you are adventurous, you can go to Boryeong (Tae Cheon beach) for some West coast relaxation... nice beaches and food and not crowded. Most of Korea tends to be pretty similar, but the local atteactions can be fun. Puyo in Chungnam is a nice small town with great mountains and a cool downtown too.
I would recommend trying lots of Korean food... I put a lot of my favorites on this thread here: [Korea] The Big Expanded/Revised Korean Food List
Sounds like an awesome trip. I've only been to Namba City in Osaka, where it's mostly food stalls(shock horror). However its not too far from Kyoto, which is apparently all Temple etc.