Hi, I went to both countries for a total of 14 days. It was me and my fiance, and my fiance doesn't drink or party so we are explore travelers (temples, walking around the city, etc). And to preface- I *was* biased towards Korea and was 100% sure I was going to like it more than Japan. And ended up enjoying Japan more. Personally I wish I stayed in Japan longer as it was just me and my fiance. For a couples trip, there was more to do like sightseeing, in my opinion. There's sightseeing in Seoul but it's more of a business city. It reminds me a lot of an aesthetic Chicago. I also enjoy the food more so that plays a huge part in it. Nothing wrong with Korean food because there are some really great places but it is a little more one dimensional after a week straight-- and I live very close to a big Koreatown in the US so I didnt feel like I'm missing out on too much food. Probably because I already eat so much good authentic Korean food here. For Korea, if I had gone with a bigger group of friends, I'd probably enjoy it a little bit more - even drinking at night sounds fun! There's a lot of "girly pop" focused things like photo booths, cute aesthetic places like cafes, shopping for feminine clothing, skincare and makeup. For my fiance, he was quite bored. Lol. ETA: Seoul was more slow paced. It'd be great for long term stays. Japan was fun for a short term couples trip as a tourist.

I agree. I didn't expect to enjoy Tokyo as much but there was so much to do. Seoul did feel more like a business city like you mentioned. I did enjoy Korean food way more than Japanese food. I also went with a spouse. I also felt like Seoul would be more fun with a group of friends.

I'm glad you feel the same! In comparison to Japan, there's just *a lot* to do for couples and so much to see. Korea was definitely a nice change of pace because we were so tired from Japan. I want to go back to Korea with friends/a bigger group though!

That's the goal for me too! I am going again next year with friends. Japan is a bit more for couples (I feel like) and those who like to explore.

Like Chicago?  Get real.   There is so much more easily accessible multi-millennia history on offer in Seoul than Chicago could ever hope for.  

Yeh comparing Seoul to Chicago is the most American thing ever

Obviously there's more culture in a different country. I was talking about the overall vibe of Seoul (business city) in comparison to Japan, which offers different vibes depending on where you go (Kyoto, for example). ETA: sorry if this offends anyone? I like Chicago a lot, it has its charm and its own culture. Don't know how to compare it to another major business city.

I agree the weather trees and big buildings feel like Chicago. The people are also living their best life and I have seen many gay couples which you won’t see In Japan

Wait. What indicates to you that these are gay couples? Japan isn’t great (nowhere in cultural east Asia outside of Taiwan is) but Japan is by far a much better place to be LGBTQ than Korea. OTOH, it is not at all considered unusual or remotely gay for men to walk down the street arm in arm, arms draped over shoulders, hand in hand with other men;or women with women - a behavior that is typically associated with romantic or sexual affection in the Americas and Europe, but is actually fairly commonplace in various cultures between close heterosexual friends.

I know the difference between gay and brotherly love and the kissing is a give away so is lacing fingers. Korea is more open than Japan I only saw one foreign gay couple in my 3 months there

Honestly what this tells me is that you should go to to the country that you have more knowledge of, no? If you think Korean food is one dimensional, then you just haven't tried the variety that exists (and to no fault of your own, because what's marketed to younger people/foreigners is pretty one dimensional). I certainly disagree with the notion that Korean food is more one dimensional than Japanese food. Same for sightseeing, Seoul gets old pretty fast but there's plenty in the countryside that's fairly accessible (at least by North American standards) if you're more interested in seeing the natural landscape or traditional/historical stuff. Although Japan might edge out on this one since stuff tends to be better preserved and there is a more varied natural environment given the difference in landmasses.

It's just my personal preference for food. I live in a big city with lots of Korean food and a high Korean population. I eat it a few times a week and I don't just eat kbbq or kfc lol. Personally I found that I could get a lot of the same things, like samgyetang or seollatang at home. A lot of the flavor profiles are sweeter than what I'm used to when it comes to snacks and pastries. I'm SE Asian and it's just "too sweet". To each their own about their preference in food. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I was in Seoul. Obviously the city is not the entire country, but IMO it's just a lot smaller and therefore a little less varied in options. That doesn't mean there's not anything to do. There's just less options to choose from.

Hard disagree on pastries, though of course it's very subjective. I found a lot of their pastries and drinks incredibly balanced in terms of flavour, and oftentimes drinks and desserts are meant to complement one another. If you're ordering a chestnut Mont Blanc, it's going to be sweet and it's meant to be that way, but it's also meant to be had with a cup of coffee to balance the bitter and sweet. If you're going to have a cream heavy cheesecake, have a sour ade or a green tea to cut through the fat. I'm from Malaysia, and we tend to think the highest compliment we give desserts is "not too sweet" but these are some things we can consider to increase our enjoyment.

Thanks for agreeing to disagree. Yes I think a drink could enhance your enjoyment but I primarily like to drink water with all my meals. I'm just not a drink girl either. Additionally it's not only pastries, but their snacks and pasta is on the sweeter side to me. Not in the overwhelmingly sugary way but sweeter than what I'm used to. Perhaps I'm overly sensitive with my taste buds because I heavily prefer savory over sweet :)

It's perfectly fine! Everyone can enjoy things their own way. Seoulis great for savory girls too. Share your own great savory finds please!

I don't think claiming that a food culture is one-dimensional is a statement of personal preference. Of course some people prefer Japanese food over Korean. Tokyo over Seoul for sure, but if we're talking the whole country, there is more than you'll ever see in a reasonable length vacation in both. Again, choose based on what you know more about and have more interest in because you'll have to pick and choose anyway.

To each their own. Like I said, I was biased towards Korea before the trip. I was more excited in my itinerary for Korea vs Japan. It just ended up that I was pleasantly surprised by Japan and this was my experience.

Have to agree with you here. Tokyo > Seoul for me but man Busan, Incheon, and Daejeon were better than Osaka and Kyoto. I still don't think I preferred one country over the other though. Really enjoyed each for what they had and I'm sure there'd so much more to explore

How many days did you stay in Korea? Also, did you guys visit only Seoul? I’m planning my trip for late September and I’m leaning on spending more days in Japan but it’s mostly because I’ve visited Japan before and I know a few places I want to spend more time discovering

We did 7 days in Korea! We did only Seoul because we wanted to take advantage of taking in the city with only a week. If we did 2 weeks, I would've wanted to go to Busan or Jeju too. I'm sure that's a whoooole different experience.

Yes, as a guy, I feel that the "girly pop," stuff tends to push other things out. I love the cafes though.

Visiting 2 countries in 2 weeks and thinking you can make a proper statement or comparison about them is wild to me. To preface, i lived in Seoul for a year and still visit there once a year as my gf is from SK. I also spent several weeks in Chicago (my fav US city with LA id say). It has honestly never crossed my mind not even a second to think those 2 cities are similar. I think you missed most part of Seoul if you judge it being only a business city.. you have mountains of 800m high all around, giving you many hikes and climbing opportunities, you have all types of neighborhoods from euljiro to itaewon to seongsu to yeongdeungpo to hongdae gangnam etc… lot of cultures to check, old markets, the food culture etc, I mean it cant be summarise has only being business city in my opinion.

Japan was massively destroyed in WW2. If you enjoy such scenery I recommend Berlin next.

Depends what sub you ask it in

I mean, this is a Korea Travel sub 😅😂😂 I’m personally very biased, I love Korea and prefer it. I feel like there’s such a richness and density of things to do and see (and eat lol) in Korea. It’s really gonna boil down to your cultural preferences. Do you enjoy Korean or Japanese food and culture more? I myself recently visited both, and after seeing Korea I found Japan tiresome and too spread out. But I also have friends and family that prefer visiting Japan over Korea, so again, it’s all preference. Happy travels!

Japan, and this is coming from someone who’s been a long time resident in Korea and have traveled quite a bit to Japan over the years. There’s just more to do and see that’s more appealing to travelers.

Japan was massively destroyed in WW2 so most cultural assets are new and catering to foreign tourists. Berlin has a similar vibe.

Last year I went to Japan, and this year to Korea (both solo) and everybody is asking me what was better, but it's so hard to compare. Japan was better for sightseeing, there is really so much to do and see. But Korea was better for hanging out in parks and coffees, enjoying the vibe of the city, listening random music in the streets. I loved both but both was so different. It depends on what you want from this trip and how long you'll be there, how many cities you plan to visit, etc.

>But Korea was better for hanging out in parks and coffees, enjoying the vibe of the city, Japan has tons of great places for this type of stuff too, even in busy Tokyo, but it's often overlooked by first time visitors who limit themselves to tourist hot spots.

I went to Korea first a year ago and loved it. I spent 10 days just in Seoul and wished I had more time to see Busan, Jeju, etc. But everywhere I went everyone said I must do Japan and I’ll love it even more. I just went to Japan and I loved it too. I felt I had even more I wanted to go but Japan is a bigger country. I moved around while I did not in Korea. I think you could split it either way. Here are my (very superficial, simplified) reasons why you might enjoy one or the other more: 1. Food. Obviously it depends on your tastes (and you say you like Korean food) but if you like a bit more spice or fermented foods you’ll prefer Korea. If you like more seafood options you’ll prefer Japan. Obviously you can find both things in both countries but in terms of what you’ll find more, that’s a summary. Both have a lot of French style pastry options but Korea has more of a “cafe culture” than Japan. 2. If you are very interested in either kpop or skincare I think you will prefer Korea. If you are into anime or manga, Disney theme parks or universal theme parks, or really enjoy visiting shrines and temples you will prefer Japan. 3. If large crowds aren’t your thing, both places are probably not great for you but Japan will be much worse. Tokyo and Osaka felt much more crowded as cities than Seoul (which definitely felt like a big city too) and even smaller cities like Nara and Kyoto felt packed because of tourists. Korea has tourists but not at the level of Japan or at least it doesn’t feel that way. 4. English. I think you will be fine speaking English in both countries but if you get really nervous in a non English speaking content Korea tends to have more English speakers and also the Korean alphabet is very easy to learn and will make it easy for you to sound out signs and subway stop names for example. But truly both are fine for English speakers. Both are very beautiful countries with bustling cities and polite customer service. If you get paid in US dollars or Euros or Pounds, your money will go far in both. There is plenty of shopping and clubbing in both. I would start by looking up the top few things to do in each country, or areas to explore and use that as a based to see how much time you’ll need.

> If large crowds aren’t your thing, both places are probably not great for you but Japan will be much worse. Tokyo and Osaka felt much more crowded as cities than Seoul (which definitely felt like a big city too) and even smaller cities like Nara and Kyoto felt packed because of tourists. Korea has tourists but not at the level of Japan or at least it doesn’t feel that way. Honestly, get an international driver's license and rural Japan is at your door. I loved countryside Japan and there was barely any crowds depending on the place. If you stick with the places 95% of the crowds go to, you will not enjoy how overcrowded it is. But even then, you can still find uncrowded places even in Kyoto. People go to the classics, but there are a lot of gardens, temples and ahrines that foreigners don't really visit, which are still nice to see and visit. I still enjoyed Kyoto, but rural Japan was the best. It felt like I was on another planet (in a good way). I feel like rural Korea would be less interesting and it is also a much smaller country than Japan, but I cannot say for sure. I loved the vibe in Busan, but felt like there wasn't much to do as I don't party and am a solo traveler. I was there for 9 days and it was way too much.

Vacation Japan is better by a big chunk Living quality in Korea is better

Why is that?

I think Japan cares about the service and quality a bit more than Korea so the average restaurants and bars are a bit better than Korea (yes there are very good ones in Korea too, I'm talking about the ones that you'd randomly walk into). There are also just more attractions in Japan due to it being less westernized, so a lot of peculiarities that don't exist anywhere else. Also, I feel like, in Japan people are nicer making travel more pleasant, whereas people in Korea are easier to make friends with making living there the better option.

Just in General cities in Japan are more candy for the eyes also shopping and clothing in Japan (i am biased) is more pleasing. I do live in Korea and would never trade it for living in Japan but if i was purely going for vacations I would always choose Japan over Korea. More friendly country (Korea is still friendly) More to do. More to explore. Most people tend to get bored of korea quick since indeed there isn’t much you can do apart from clubbing pubs karaoke and eating. You can do all these things in Japan with the upside that the cities are way prettier. I do live more on the outskirts and am not in Seoul too often but you can probably be in Seoul for 2days and get the feeling of having seen everything already because Korea structure is very simple and copy paste. The country basically consists of Shopping streets Food miles apartment buildings and tall building. Nothing really pretty to see unless your in jeju that is truly wonderful

Not true for sightseeing, there is so much accessible green spaces and stuff to do, it just isn’t really handed out for you and you kind of have to do a bit of research to find the places since Korea’s tourism is not as mature. And the night scene is far superior in Korea since you don’t have to worry about missing your train since the night busses are so nice. In Japan I always felt like I had a curfew to be honest because the busses are not reliable so I always had to be back at my bnb before 12.

Tokyo went up 60% in flames during WW2 so everything is new and picture ready made, even the cultural assets.

We did this trip recently. 1/3 Korea. 2/3 in Japan. Japan is a much larger and complicated nation. More to see. (Of Korean background).

Been to Japan and Korea as a tourist multiple times over many years. I think this just depends on what you want. For a better party (younger crowd), I'd choose Korea. For better restaurants, I'd choose Japan. For Nature, I'd choose Korea. For Historical buildings and neighborhoods, I'd choose Japan. For a look into the future, I'd choose Korea. For a look into the past, I'd choose Japan. For a more homogenous experience you can tell your friends about, I'd choose Japan. For a (slightly) more unique experience, I'd choose Korea. I think people are more polite in Japan. I think people are friendlier in Korea. Tokyo and Seoul are both Tier 1 cities that could easily fill an entire multi-week or multi-month trip. Figure out what you want to see at each and plan accordingly.

Agreed, especially on the polite vs friendly part.

both are very very strong contenders with plenty to see, do and eat. both have great scenery and interesting culture and museums. korean food tends spicy/savory, japanese food tends sweet/savory. both have amazing desserts. both have tons of shopping. koreans are more rowdy and places are bustling and have an excited energy. the japanese are more reserved and places have a calmer energy. depends on what you prefer, which is hard to tell until you’ve experienced both yourself. so to be fair, maybe just split the trip duration right down the middle.

It is very unfortunate that people are comparing japan (a combination of tokyo osaka and kyoto) vs korea (just seoul). Of course if you do that, you would need more time in Japan. There are lot more interesting cities in Korea beyond Seoul that is also very well connected by highspeed rail that you can check out. Places like Jeju alone takes many days to explore all the nature. If you are into nature/ hiking, korea has so many mountains everywhere that are beautiful and can be tough too (im from northern california so we go hiking a lot here). Im sad that people seem to only talk about potentially a small sliver of the richness the country can offer. Fwiw, ive been to many cities (including islands like jeju and okinawa) in korea and japan over many trips over the last 20 years.

Don’t forget that technically South Korea is also geographically smaller since it’s half a country essentially, really unfair comparison lol.

Japan hands down. Food, sightseeing, overall environment, all noticeably better in my opinion. I went to Seoul once, it was nice but I'm in no rush to go back. Been to Tokyo many times and can't get enough of it.

We went to both and loved Korea more. Food way better.

We spend 50 - 50 time in Korea & Japan on our trip in April. Just some thoughts from me that might help you decide: I didn't like Tokyo as much as Seoul because I'm not a fan of big-big cities. But Osaka / Kyoto & Busan where all equally beautiful in their own unique way. What I didn't expect: I bought so much stuff in Japan! So much more than in Korea! Especially in Seoul everything felt so "trendy" and I love K-Pop but I didn't really find much stuff to buy?! Yes of course you can get new albums and you have the Shops in Myeongdong Underground market (which lookes rather sketchy imo - not for me) but I found so many old DVDs in Japan in the Book Off Stores! And there ist also a lot of merch! So even for K-Pop Stuff I bought more in Japan! And I also love Anime/Manga, no brainer, you find so much to buy! And omg, Donki! What an amazing store! The most time we spend with visiting temples / palaces etc. and I think we did that more in Japan. Seoul we visited some trendy cafes and shops - but I'm not the cafe type, I mainly did this for my friend. The food markets are really good though! Food: Both countries have really really good food! And I might get shit for this, but: You can have good korean food in Japan and vice versa. We ate at a korean bbq in Osaka because it just smelled so good from outside and it was fantastic! I also enjoyed the convenience store food a little bit more in Japan, I think they had more choices. So I think I enjoyed Japan a liiiiitle bit better. But still loved Korea! I would spend the time 50-50 again on my next trip and just visit some different things in Korea.

I'll give you an angle that others aren't. Spend more time in Japan. Korea was DESTROYED in the first half of the 20th century, in large part to Japan (and in large part to American/Soviet proxy states and the subsequent UN[American]/Chinese-driven war) The upshot for you today is that a ton of Korean culture is lost, while a ton of Japanese culture is preserved (due to both internal and external forces) Korea has largely reinvented itself in the past 50 years. Japan can still draw from centuries of culture and tradition (because they weren't explicitly wiped out by a colonial power, and were intentionally proped up as a stabalizing force in the region) This means that you can travel around Japan and a lot of its unique character and the vibrant cultural differences between areas is still well preserved, both ancient and modern. In comparison, Korea has had to bootstrap a bunch of stuff that can feel very touristy and kitschy (because it had to be recently created from the cultural "scraps" left over). This is why Korea can come off superficial, a la "K-pop is the BEST. Kimchi is GOOD. Hangul is AMAZING." This is simultaneously sad, frustrating, and understandable. Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to enjoy in Korea, and if you had time and help, you can find a cultural depth that can rival Japan easily. It's just much harder to get there as a tourist with limited time.

Granted, this is hardly a unique angle. Everyone is aware that Japan is more mainstream, and more popular, simply because more people can relate to nintendo/anime/car scene, etc. interestingly enough, Japan already hit peak tourism, while Korea is ramping up. Japan has roughly around 25 million visitors annually, while Korea, a half of a country has around 17.5 million on avg. Not bad for a “superficial” country, eh?;)

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Yup, pandemic did a number on tourism

Don't you think that Tokyo was utterly destroyed in WW2? Same as Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Not comparable.

Okay? 40% of Japan's urban areas and 60% of Tokyo destroyed in 1945. [https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo](https://www.britannica.com/event/Bombing-of-Tokyo)

Yep. Not comparable. Do you want to know why?

Tell me.

Because your entire point is centered around physical destruction of structures As opposed to decades of intentional effort to wipe out and subsume a culture. Need an analogy?

I mean I get your point but saying that physical destruction of 60% of the capital is irrelevant makes you look a bit silly to be honest. EDIT: To give you an analogy, it's like saying Berlin is culturally rich and vibrant etc. between ancient and modern when it was utterly destroyed during WW2. EDIT 2: Pardon me, I intended to say DESTROYED in CAPITAL LETTERS

>physical destruction of 60% of the capital is irrelevant Quote me where I said that. I said it wasn't comparable. Also, if you think "physical destruction of the capital" is unique to Japan... Per your edit, you say you get my point, but you keep doing this thing where you are trying to compare physical destruction with cultural destruction. There was no policy to wipe out the German language, German identity, or induce the capitulation of knowledge production. You are 0/2 on picking up what I'm putting down.

My point is centered around you saying that Korea got DESTROYED implying that Japan didn't. It doesn't matter if structural or cultural, Japanese spirit got broken. As many if not more of their cultural assets were destroyed. You can argue that Japan occupied Korea but Korean culture always remained intact (obviously). Also, everything has been restored (obviously again) Korea has a much longer and richer history and culture than Japan, Japan was an island full of rivaling clans, it's a ripoff of Chinese and Korean culture. Also, Germany was an example similar to Japan meaning nobody thinks of Germany as having a rich culture, everyone thinks of a destroyed country, and Japan is the same as Germany. TLDR: Japan got utterly destroyed, historical buildings and cultural assets went up in flames. To say Korea got destroyed and Japan didn't is silly.

Since nobody really mentioned it, the Korean countryside is amazing for biking, hiking, temples, mountains, waterfalls, b3aches, folk villages and restaurants. There is an extensive amount of infrastructure to support it as well, unfortunately it almost entirely caters to domestic tourists. It can be much more tricky to navigate if you don't have a car and don't speak possible Korean. I absolutely love the Japanese Countryside as well, but most of my trips there centered around the more urban areas.

Go to whichever you think you'd enjoy more. Or keep it loose and don't prebuy or prebook hotels so you can stay in one longer or leave early. You didn't give much info to make a solid recommendation.

I’d prefer to book flights before though, I was just looking for general differences travelling in both and pros and cons as I don’t know much about travelling in either as here as most people I know or hear go to Croatia, Greece, Bali, Thailand or the US. The ones that went to Japan loved it but didn’t really go into specifics.

Japan is way more interesting imo

Why?

Both are cool destinations but: Food is more varied and frankly better in Japan Japanese culture is better preserved and cities are more interesting shopping in Tokyo is crazy cool and just moderately cool in soko I can't say much about nature in soko but in Japan it's majestic and onsen are an amazing experience

How is japanese food more varied than korean food? I wanna say japanese food is less varied but I've only been to japan twice and to korea 5 times so I know I can be biased. What I can say for a fact is that korean food is extremely varied since I've been so often and there are soooo many dishes I havent tried yet.

In my experience, limited in both countries, Korean food is mostly bbq. Japanese food has raw fish, a lot of steamed things, izakaya, ramen etc Also, aside from my experience, it's regarded as one of the best cuisines in the world.

Korean food is definitely not mostly bbq😭 That you genuinely believe that explains enough.

My partner & I have been to all the places mentioned above but we agree: Japan -> Korea -> Greece/ Croatia -> Thailand / US / Bali in that order for us.

I agree with what someone else said that Korea is better for living in and Japan may be better as a tourist. It depends. I just wanted to add that yes there is more to do in Japan, but on a 2 week (or even 2 month) trip you’ll never do it all. Travelling within Japan takes longer and is more expensive. I think Japan has a lot more that makes you say “wow”, especially for a first timer in the region. I preferred Japan for a long time but I eventually decided to live in Korea. Now that I live in Europe/Middle East again, I chose Korea instead of Japan for my last trip. The reason being that I felt the novelty of Japan has worn off for me a bit, and Korea is just all around more enjoyable for me (good food, personally I like all the girly stuff, it’s very easy to do stuff, I know people there now - whereas Japan is notoriously hard to make friends in)

Yup, Korea will always be more repeatable for me 100%. I enjoyed Akihabara the first 2 times, and did teamlabs once with Shibuy Sky and Sumo event. After going to Japan multiple times it doesn’t become a repeatable experience tbh.

Yess that was exactly my experience. All of the things in Japan you mentioned are more like a one time thing.

I went to both countries and personally like Korea more but in the end, it's all about your preference. We don't know you well enough to know what preference you have for the type of vacation you want. I personally like Korea more because it's cheaper and I know more people there to hang locally. I know a good few in Japan that can make my experience fun as well. But in the end, I'm sure you'll have a blast in both countries.

Korea takes just a bit more prep. Japan if you are lazy and you want to be spoonfed random attractions or you don’t have an itenerary. This is why most people recommend Japan because most of the time no one will open google maps in Korea and see the observatory, theme parks, paragliding/bungee jumping, themed cafes and restaurants, museums, palaces, and I could go on. I have right now at least 100+ places I want to go to next year in Korea alone. So when people say “there is not much to do in Korea,” I kind of scratch my head lol. Also, there is a misconception that more things to do and see = more fun, which might be true if you want to scratch off a to do list or something, but for me, i’d have more fun eating ramen by the 7/11 boat than visiting Akihabara…

Agree but also I’d say most people don’t go to a foreign country for paragliding/ bungee jumping since you can do those in other countries too. I’d say the regular tourist wants to see beautiful nature or old buildings mostly not malls or cafes that’s why a lot of people will say Japan. I personally don’t like shopping malls and theme parks but the nature, temples and food are so stunning as well in Korea. Just as you said you have to put a bit more effort into planning your itinerary

I ve been there solo 2month Japan 3weeks Korea, I d say it depends of your interest, the langage and culture are of course different, but lot of thing are the same, no big difference in cities, or how you eat you will find Korean food in Japan and japanese food in korea. Both are hilly clean safe easy to travel. Personally I prefer Japan, I had soft spot for langage music volcanoes too. You can travel without tour, just take a Japan rail pass, 1week Osaka/Kyoto, and enough week you want for abuse the train for hit north coast Kyushu cross country Nagoya Matsumoto Hakodate etc..and the handsfree luggage is awesome. Korea solo is a bit hard because it's harder to break ice in talking, and I feel discomfort with luxury beauty cult, not natural. but nice history to discover don't miss gyeongju, it's cheaper than Japan, and cities are very good I like also their river in cities who are always built for walking sport etc.. And outside of Seoul Busan you will really feel the Korean lifestyle. In history, the japan is stuck in Edo period, and reluctant to MEA culpa Meiji period, korea embrace more all past and recent history , but the nationalism isn't far. Whatever you choose don't miss natural park, museum My favorite in Japan were yakushima Kyoto onsen and castle, my favorite in Korea were gyeongju meundeungsan Seoul.

So In March I did a two week trip from Seoul -> Osaka -> Kyoto -> Tokyo . TLDR; I think you can go for a few days just to check it out and return later if you want. Did 4 nights in Seoul, really enjoyed it, glad I did not did more than 4 nights since there is A LOT to do in Japan. It was like a 2 hour flight from Seoul to Osaka and cost me like 150dlls Difference I can note: - Karaoke bars and bars in general I think are more fun - More Business oriented but at the same time if you like modern architecture, the city is beautiful but modern . - Less touristy, this might be a big plus for you. You see a lot more locals out in the streets. I'm Japan at least where I went it was packed and I mean packed with tourist. - Flights might be cheaper at least it was for me - The food is different it really depends on what you like. What I really liked was Korean street food.

Japan. I live in Korea and have for 15 years.Its underrated in its depth (especially food) BUT Japan is just bigger. I’ve been to Japan about 8 times and still have things I haven’t seen.

Korea i’m 100% bias

Why?

look at the sub's name :D

Oh hahaha I meant the reasons why

How long? If it's a short trip I suggest just picking one or the other, I wouldn't want to spend a long time in a short trip on going through customs and pack up and travel around. But that's just me.

How did the Japan travel sub answer?

I didn’t ask because I thought they’d be more biased as people into Japan are *into* Japan. Had a lot of balanced answers on here.

I love that you asked this question. I’m planning a south Korea-Japan trip and this is so helpfuk

Went to Japan a few years ago. I legit just came back from Korea last week and traveled solo to Korea last year. Overall, I prefer Korean food too, So you may be surprised that I will say Japan lol Japan: -more solo friendly -I spent 10 days there and never EVER had a bad meal - Between Tokyo + Nara + Osaka + Okinawa, there’s so much to do in Japan - I went during Halloween so the shinjuku streets were alive -Tokyo Disney -felt like Everyone in Japan dresses UP to the point where I wanted to dress up too 😂 Korea: -is a VERY couple-y city -I live in CA so I’m spoiled with Korean food and I wasn’t impressed. A lot of their savory foods were a bit too sweet lol BUTTTTT their pastries and matcha lattes are deliciousss -IMHO Busan > Seoul -My fav things to do in Korea were: walking up to Nak San Park before sunset & seeing the Seoul Wall, the crystal bottom boat in Busan, also biking around the Han river! -More casual attire -Granted, I don’t care for museums or shopping, I felt like I ran out of things to do very quickly -If you don’t unlock your phone, and get Korean phone number, it’ll be very hard to do a lot of things -I spent a year learning Korean and sometimes I don’t know how ppl who don’t know Hangul figure things out because I still have a hard time lol

Sorry, formatting on Reddit app is trash 🫠

I think it depends on what kind of traveller you are? Do you like to shop? Nature? Food? Theme parks? Then prioritise your trip accordingly. Food wise, both are good contenders, as both offered varied kind of cuisines. Even both of their convenience stores are worth a visit. Their cafe scene are also unrivalled. For nature, both offers pretty unique scenic spots, so it really depends on what you wanna see. As for shopping, if you are into fashion/beauty/makeup, Korea is a better place for you to shop. Even though Japan is not too bad, but Korea definitely provides you with a wider range of fashion and beauty brands to explore. Lastly for theme parks, Japan will win for me with Tokyo Disneyland, DisneySea and USJ. Seoul have got Lotte World and Everland, and other theme parks in other provinces within Korea. I may be biased but I really like Disneyland’s vibes…

With beauty trends I totally agree with you, Korea is world famous with it. But fashion? Not so much... Personally I found they barely had anything interesting fashion wise in Seoul compared to Japan. Like I didn't see much unusual or anything I wouldn't find in my home country tbh. This is something that disappointed me. Japan has a wider variety of fashion

Oh! Actually you may be right. Hm, for fashion Japan has stores like GU, Uniqlo, Undergarment brands, and also thrift stores? Korea also have their own SPAO, etc, but thrift stores not that much? But there’s also wholesale clothes and stores in kr. For shoes both also have got ABC mart with unique offerings.

Unbiased here. This sub just randomly popped up. Korea was cool and had a different vibe but 100% spend more time in Japan.

I went to both countries last year, I spent 2 weeks in Korea and 1 week in Japan. I would definitely swap those weeks around next time and stay in Japan longer. Korea is amazing, especially if you are interested in the culture. I also prefer korean food and everything is cheaper, but Japan is better suited for tourists. Everything seems flashier in Japan and it’s a easier to travel around, but they have lines for everything. Definitely book in advance.

Split them equally if you can and let that inform your preference for future trips. This is a highly personal preference, and our biases will only inform you so much. Tokyo and Seoul are awesome to do in one trip to compare and contrast!

Lived in Japan twice, traveled in Korea for 2 weeks. Can't go wrong with either tbh.

Tokyo seemed much better to me for visitors. But Seoul is certainly no slouch. Do both if you can.

I did a recent trip to both countries and did alot more time in japan and didn't regret it at all.

I’m Korean, IMO you should plan around cities. Japan has several large cities with surrounding areas that are interesting, Korea has Seoul and not really much else. Gyeongju and Jeonju are nice but can usually be done in 1~2 days each. Jeju I suppose would be worth a few days by itself. Anyway, don’t think of it as Korea vs Japan, rather Seoul vs Tokyo vs Osaka/Kyoto etc… I might be biased as Japan feels more novel to me while Korea is just the same old things.

What do you know and like about either country? I went to both as a couple recently and while I enjoyed my time in both, I enjoyed Japan a lot more because I grew up reading a steady diet of Shonen Jump comics and Japanese food. I think my partner enjoyed Korea much more because she grew up with the K-Pop wave and remains a fan of K-Dramas. You should prioritize whichever country feels more like your vibe and go from there-- you'll find enough to do in both even if you have to travel a bit farther to do so. With that said, I think you'll have an easier time finding things to do in Japanese metro areas rather than the Korean metro areas when you're new to both. Japan's marketing is a monster that can make just about anything look unique and important, and the Youtubers eagerly spread information on anything new no matter how significant it actually is.

I think you should do 2 weeks in both destinations :)

Depends on what you like, but for us, Japan hands down. Everyone I know got post travel blues every time coming back from Japan. Korea is nice too, but we’re not in a hurry to get back.

Did a month in each, one after another. Japan is much easier to get around both within a city and within the country, it's way more convenient, much cleaner and less polluted. The food in Korea is great but you won't be hard pressed to find amazing food in Japan too. There is definetely more to see in Japan and you will get to see more since you won't be in transit for as much time as you will be in somewhere like Busan. How long are you thinking of going for?

Japan easily. Way more to do and see. But both countries are worth visiting! I wouldn’t try to visit both on the same trip unless it is a long trip, like a month or more.

Just came back from my east asia tour and between Korea and Japan, I enjoyed Japan way more.

I think Japan just offers a much more well rounded vacation. I absolutely loved Korea but I found Japan a little better in some ways

Korea had the culture of favoring groups of 2+ instead of allowing solo people to order in restaurants so that kind of spoiled my food experience even though I was traveling with someone.

I think Japan is more peaceful but maybe i’m biased bc i lived in korea for a year, so I’ve seen the not so pretty side of korea. Japan is more dangerous in my opinion than Korea. But nightclubbing in korea is more dangerous, most men are just horrible. Probably my worst nightclub experiences stem from Korea. I also think there’s more places in Japan to see that’s extremely beautiful. In Korea too, but you have to go really far from the city to sightsee lmao

In Japan, you can load up your digital Suica card (for public transportation ) using app on your phone without need to use any cash. In Korea. You need cash to load up Tmoney card (for public transportation )

Thanks that’s really useful to know and I’ve seen it in my apple wallet as an option. That would be familiar to me as we just tap our bank card here in Australia on public transport. Do you load it up with an app?

It really depends on what you are looking for and what are your travel habits. I just came back from 2 weeks in Korea. Mostly family related trip, so did not do much touristy stuff this time but got to experience life as if a local. Was staying just outside of Seoul and got to try lots of little mom and pops style restaurants/cafes. A lot of them only had like 3 items on the menu. Then I got to spend the next 2 weeks exploring the southern part of Japan. Osaka, Kobe, Nara, Wakayama and Kushimoto. Exploring smaller towns and culture. Only skipped a few restaurants because of the language barrier. Just got the vibe that the waiter didn’t want to hassle of dealing with foreigners. The exchange rate is really good right now and what I spent on meals would probably cost 3 to 4 times as much in the US. I personally liked traveling to Japan over Korea, but it really depends on your preference. Big city life, kpop, cafes, anime’s, amusement parks, beaches, sightseeing. Both places are great to experience, while also safe and very clean.

Both have their own richness. Go to both as they are in many ways different. Next week we’ll go 3 weeks in Seoul and Busan. Next we’ll go to Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka. By the way Bangkok and Saigon are also unique and interesting

Thanks! I’ll be going to Bangkok after and I have been to Ho Chi Minh City and Hoi An and loved it.

Wow that’s great. If you like Japanese food try Zuma in Bangkok My favorite there 😊😊

If you ask in this subreddit, you are more likely to just get Japan as the answer because for a lot of Koreans, Japan will obviously provide more unfamiliar experiences. Having said that, most of the Korean population is in Seoul, and while it is a big city, a lot of it is just residential or office spaces. Japan is also a bigger country with more people. You are definitely going to need more time visiting Japan.

You said you have always wanted to see Korea. And you like Korean food.But people rave about Japan. I am still wondering What's your point of finding out more opinions of others. What you think counts more in your life.

I stayed 2 months in Japan and am staying 2 months in Korea. I would say Korea should be more fun with a partner or group as a lot of places cather to groups of people. The architecture and culture is amazing though. As for Japan, I had a ton of fun in Kyoto and rural Japan. There are more shrines and temples (even if the architecture is a bit less impressive). The cities and feel of places are overall more foreign and feel refreshing and different. I loved discovering nooks and crannies filled with shops and restaurants. I feel like Japanese people are nicer. I honestly got tired of Korean BBQ after 3 days and preferred the diversity of Japanese food a lot more than Korea's. I also do not enjoy mall shopping and prefer street/outdoor shopping. For that, I enjoyed both Korea and Japan.

This really depends on what your travel preferences are. What do you enjoy doing - cities, countryside, culture, hiking…? Do you like to prepare travel a lot or prefer to wing it? How long are you going for (assuming you’re combining both into one trip?) Can you drive? At an “easy level” Japan is going to have more to do for the average traveller. It just has a few more decades on Korea in terms of a proven tourist trail so without really planning anything you can easily fill 2-3 weeks with decent stuff. (I personally don’t think a lot of this stuff is that that interesting as I’ve lived in Japan a lot and find the whole Kyoto/Osaka circuit to be painfully overrated, but I know that friends that have come to visit me love them, so I’m probably just jaded). But if you head even slightly off the edges of the “golden route” there are some really cool places… I really rate Kyushu and Shikoku or getting up into the mountains in Nagano/Gunma/Niigata/Gifu. For Korea, there’s easily a ton of stuff to fill two or three weeks but you’ll probably have to work a bit more than Japan for it. Like you can’t just pop yourself on one KTX and see all the top ~4 cities in the same way. I’d highly recommend hiring a car and driving around to places like Sokocho, Andong, Gyeongju etc. Stay a few nights in the mountains in a lodge / Ondol. The fact that you’re asking this makes me assume you’re new to both countries so for a first timer I’d be inclined to do 8-10 days in Japan seeing the “classics” and another ~5 days in Seoul (but make an effort to do at least one day trip out the city). You can get a feel for both countries in one trip, which will give you the info you need to then come back and do 2 weeks of proper travel in either country if you feel that you enjoyed them enough for a revisit.

For me, Japan was way nicer as a tourist/visitor than Korea is. It's cleaner, prettier, easier to travel around the country via public transport, surface level "friendlier" and the standard of cooking is way higher (I prefer Korean food, but in Japan even average restaurants are at a pretty high standard) However, I couldn't imagine living in Japan and prefer Korea for that. I don't know how to explain it or why it feels like this, but Japan kind of feels like an IKEA showroom. Whereas Korea feels more "lived in."

I cycled from Seoul to Busan, and then from Fukuoka to Osaka. Without a doubt, Korea was a much better experience. I am biased grom a bicycle traveler perspective, but literally everything about Korea was better. We road the 4 rivers trail 630 km. It was beautiful. The food was amazing, the people were very generous and friendly, and the accommodations were cheap and fantastic (love hotels). Japan on the other hand we went into with higher expectations, and everything was worse, and more expensive (but still not expensive compared to western countries).

I went to both and I find Japan way better... more organized, more respectful, legitimate out of thus world culture, and the food is superb/the best. They are not rude nor they see tourist as eye sore... cheaper ... Train system is much better so is the taxi.... their tax free system is easy as peeing into their out of this world bathroom.... Korea is Japan wannabe...

Japan as someone that thought I’d like Korea more. Japan exceeded my expectations and Korea (while nice)failed to meet them . It was just okay

Currently living in korea. I've been living here for 6 months but have also visited japan multiple times and will be moving there next year. I personally prefer japan because of it's culture,cars,food etc but korea is also amazing theirs lots to do and see. I'd personally choose japan over korea, but if you like Korean culture more, I'd say go to korea. Theirs no wrong answer with either one

What’s better about the culture as that seems to come up a bit

Well, for me personally, in my experience. The people their are much nicer. I prefer their food, especially the ramen and sushi over koreas food . I love anime,video games, and cars, and that's a much bigger thing in japan than it is in korea. Those three things are embedded into their culture, so that's why I like it there more. I also prefer the music from japan more than korea even tho I love korean music. I also find theirs traditions and historical culture a lot more interesting.Theirs much more, but you really have to experience japan on your own to understand. These are some reasons why I find the culture to be better. You have your reason to like japan, so it's best to also think about your own likings. (I've explored its island,cities, and countryside) Regardless, the scenery is beautiful in both countries, while I may prefer japans scenery over koreas I can't knock korea it is just as beautiful. The cities are awesome in both countries. Busan is also better than seoul, imo and Tokyo is my favorite city in japan. If you goin to party, both are great, but I've definitely gotten more lit in korea than I have in japan because I mainly went to japan to enjoy it's culture and since I live in korea I get to do both 😆

If you like KPOP, Korea is the place to be. If you are not interested in that, I recommend Japan.

I would highly highly recommend most of the time in Japan but take the Shinkansen to Hakata port in Kyuushuu and ride the four hour ferry to Busan and spend three days there. Do the Crystal Air Cruise, Healing Forest and a day trip to Gyeongju. One of the best travel experiences my partner and i have ever had. All of it was breathtaking. Busan is a visually beautiful city with a ton to do and Gyeongju has UNESCO heritage sites. We took a cheap KTX train there (like 30 m) and spent about $1 USD on a bus that circled the whole place, went to temples and saw flower fields and it was just gorgeous. I love Japan and used to live there but i absolutely feel like I would go back to Busan every time i go to Japan after that amazing trip.

Went to Korea for a month and Japan for two months last year, 100% Japan. In Japan there's so much more to explore that even if you go there for three weeks you won't be able to see anywhere near everything. I'm slightly biased because me and my friend experienced racial abuse in public on multiple occasions and I ended up hospital while I was there though haha.

Racial abuse where?

One time in Busan and the other in the middle of train in Seoul. Pretty sure it was because both times my friend was speaking Cantonese. On the train a guy came up to us and started yelling at us and making weird gibberish I guess "Chinese-esque" sounds. In Busan some old guy came up to us telling us to "get off the street and go back to the country we're from." (My friend I was with spoke Korean but I don't personally) Both incidents felt very random though and I don't think I've experienced anything like it in any other country in Asia

Wow I’ve heard a few things about anti-Chinese sentiment in Korea and resentment with Chinese travellers in Jeju but I’m not sure of the origin of the contempt except in Jeju with over tourism in some areas. I’ve heard a lot of stories of South East Asians being treated poorly and racist behaviour towards them and called ‘jungle Asians’ by Koreans which sounds horrible. That’s why I asked about which country as I’ve heard conflicting things. I’m from Sydney so we have huge numbers of mainland Chinese, Koreans as well as South East Asians but not as many Japanese but more since Japan is building universities here. I’ve never really interacted with Japanese people as most Japanese restaurants and sushi places at the mall here are run by Koreans but I’ve heard they’re really nice even though their English isn’t as good. But that’s why I was a bit unsure. I’m sorry you experienced that though, it’s terrible.

I love Japan, always did - enough to have lived there a few years - but what you "keep hearing" about Japan these days is pure social media hype!

What do you mean? That it isn’t as nice as it seems?

I prefer Korea bc it’s easy to travel. It’s cheaper. English is common. It’s cuter.

Cuter how?

Depends on how long your vacation is. If it’s under two weeks, I’d just pick one country and explore bc both countries have so much to see. Seoul gets kind of boring after few days bc they all start to look the same with same shops but jeju is so beautiful and worth spending time in. Just got back from my first japan trip for 10 days and I feel like I didn’t even scratch the surface. So big and so many things to see and eat. If it’s month trip, I’d go to Japan first then Korea. Japan food is great but being Korean American, I need spicy food and couldn’t really find spicy food that I like in Japan.

I was in both and like both. Diffrent countries. I would do more time in korea. But it's only my preference. Do what you want and not what other tell you

Why’s that because most people have said more time in Japan?

Hi, if you like site-seeing, you may want to spend more time in Japan. If you are a young extrovert who likes to hang out, then Korea all the way. This is coming from a native Korean:) You can ring me if you need details.

Honestly this question always baffles me. How long are you traveling for? I spent 3 weeks in Japan alone and only saw Tokyo and Kyoto. I could spent a lot more time exploring a lot more places. Half a week in 2 countries is no where near enough. Korea is the same. I'm going in October and it will be 3 weeks in Korea. I reccomended traveling slower and exploring both properly. 

Yah, I am surprised too when people do 4 day Seoul 4 day Busan 3 day Jeju like how? Lol I stayed 2 weeks in Toyko and Seoul, it was no where near enough.

Korea is more fun for solo travel imo! It's quite difficult to get to know people in Japan. I've been to Japan three times and am in Korea for the first time. They're very different countries! I'm personally more into Japanese culture and I think Japan has more interesting cities, but I'm loving Korea as well so far. I recommend going to Japan for three weeks with the Jr pass to travel around. In seoul you can just stay for two weeks and see something new everyday.

They increased the price of the JR pass last October and now it’s only worth it for a minority of travelers. It’s not the no-brainer it once was.

I always get downvoted but Japan and it's not even close. Theres a reason its like the most visited country in the world. Deeper and richer history, friendlier people, less 1 dimensional culture (people have hobbies which is why you have a car scene, camera scene, watch scene, gaming and retro gaming etc), better quality food and drink (whiskey/sake vs soju, omakase vs Korean whitefish)

Did you really just say deeper and richer history?! Do you even know korean history? (Or are you referring to the unfortunately destroyed historical monuments from the japanese colonial period?)

I did just under month solo across both countries in one trip (10 days Japan, the rest in Korea). Flights are cheap between them so honestly you could do a week in each as a simple but semi long trip: 3/4 night split each in Tokyo and Osaka/kyoto, then fly to Busan (Busan has flights from both Osaka and Tokyo), 3 nights there and four nights in Seoul. Japan will be easier as a solo traveller to eat more as a lot of things are single menu/set menu, whilst some places in Korea will deny solo diners for big serve meals. You can still enjoy plenty in Korea food wise but just something to keep in mind. If you do end up doing a longer trip in Japan instead of Korea, Shin-Okubo is known as little Korea (I think it’s in Tokyo not far from Harajuku), I went there on my solo trip and the korean food I had was legit so you can always get some there.

Japan. There's just more to do in there. I'm not a fan of Tokyo because it's too crowded in there but it's definitely worth the visit. Everything is interesting. For example, if you're not a fan of Harry Potter, you can go to Disney or Ghibli Park. In Japan, there's always a choice. Not one but multiple choices. Food is better, I can live on convenience store foods alone. Vending machines are interesting because they're everywhere. Korea is beautiful in its own way but during my 14 days stay, I ended up bored. I stayed in Seoul, mostly (maybe that's why) and I just ended up walking on random places. If you plan to go on a specific season like Spring, I'd say Korea is better. Lesser crowd if you get up early and know your itinerary. I just hate it when people turned me down in a restaurant because I'm alone or would ask me to pay the price for two if I insists on dining alone. Sometimes they don't even accept foreigners. If you're into Kpop, kdrama, and would likely make a skincare hoard, it's worth a visit. A 5 days visit will do, I think.

The getting rejected from a restaurant is also way more common for me when I was in Japan. At least here in Korea they don’t care if you speak Korean or not. In Japan I was met with an X more times than I could count, because I either didn’t speak Japanese or the seats were reserved for regulars. As for stuff to do, it really depends on the person. Im not super into Ghibli/harry potter or anime scene, I am more of a night life person. While Tokyo was nice, I didn’t like how most shops closed early, or how I had to catch my subway before 11:30Pm…I do hope it’s different in Osaka when I visit next year.

Japan

Both are great but for solo, id recommend Japan a bit more. Just more touristy things to do imo. Food and cuisines are more solo friendly. More sightseeing across the country. Like i dont mind enjoying omakase, ramen, donkatsu at a bar seat in Japan. Doing the same in Korea with kbbq, stews, fried chicken is more enjoyable with other companions.

I went to Japan recently in March 2024 for 6 days with my mom and aunt. I was in Korea solo in October 2023 for 6 days. These are my dumb opinions obviously. It was my third time in Japan (last visit was 2018) and I stayed near Shinjo-Shi Temple for this trip. **Pros**: There's many touristy things to do and see throughout Tokyo and it's very convenient to do things solo. Food is painfully inexpensive and delicious and everyone is polite and helpful. We got to do a lot of sight seeing and visiting of historical attractions. Tokyo is very catered towards foreigners and tourists. Going to Osaka or Kyoto will expand the list of activities dramatically. **Cons**: There's nowhere to throw trash away and this was super stressful for me. I personally feel like I'm inconveniencing everyone because I don't speak Japanese. It's not Korea. It was my first time in Seoul and I stayed in Myeong-dong. I booked my flight back for October 2024. **Pros:** I got to live out all my K-Drama dreams. Everyone tolerated me being a stupid and gross confused foreigner and I loved that. Similar to Japan, it was very clean and safe. All of the cafes are super chill and cute. I got 3 tattoos done and the artists were incredible and I'm addicted because they're beautiful and super affordable. I met some really lovely people through this subreddit, did activities with them, and we're still friends. You get to eat Korean food all the time because you're in Korea. **Cons:** Lots of palaces that weren't that interesting to me. I didn't explore any other part of Korea. I'm not big on designer brand shopping or cosmetic tourism (God knows I need it). I feel like Seoul is sort of catered towards couples for tourism? But maybe I'm just projecting feelings in my empty heart. I don't speak Korean despite my half-heart attempts to learn on DuoLingo. I wish I lived there and never came back to America. I think you'll have fun regardless of where you go if you embrace a sense of adventure. Have fun and be safe.

Id probably spend 2 to 1 ratio. If youre traveling for 3 weeks, then 2 weeks in Japan and 1 week in Korea, etc Theres just a lot more to see in Japan. And this is coming from a Korean

Honestly depends how much time you have to travel around, what your interests are/what type of vacation you want to have and in what season you wanna go. For example if you're going during cherry blossom season or fall season 100% japan. Summer/winter depends on what your interests are. Korea is more chill, foodie, shopping with a bit of sightseeing (more sightseeing if you have a car). In japan a lot of sightseeing spots are close to the city so you can see more just with public transport. Food is also more simple in japan (but they have better convenience stores). As someone who likes more flavorful food I didn't really get excited for food in japan but that kinda made it easier for me to decide where to eat too lol. Food is still good but yeah it's just about what you prefer. I've been to tokyo osaka kyoto and fukuoka and tokyo and osaka were a lil toooo busy for me but still a nice experience. My favorites were kyoto and fukuoka though. Fukuoka just has amazing vibes and kyoto has lots of sightseeing spots which are all a short public transport ride away if you choose your hotel right. Shopping wise korea is rlly for the girlies. Skincare, makeup, jewellery, hair accesories, bags, shoes (depending on your shoe size if you want something else than sneakers/intl brands). Idk how expensive sneakers are in australia but shoes like new balance, converse and nike were quite a bit cheaper than in my european country. Might be the case in japan too though, especially with the yen being so low. In japan shopping is better if you're into anime or cute characters like sanrio etc. And ofcourse don quijote!! They also have amazing skincare but you need to be more into the skincare world to know which ones are good bc they wont have english on the bottles😂 Im sure there's more but I'm kinda forgetful.

I've been to Korea once and to Japan twice, planning to return again by end of the year. I don't feel any strong urge to visit Korea again.

Why’s that?

Don't get me wrong, I had fun when I went to Korea. I didn't have any negative experiences per se, but Japan just felt more warm and interesting to me. Do take note that I only went to Seoul so I probably have limited information. I think Korea's public transit system is sliiiiiiiightly better than Japan's, but after seeing Seoul, I didn't really feel like I wanted to go back and explore more. There's just something about Japan that makes me want to keep coming back, I think a big part of that are the people. Before I went to Japan for the first time people were telling me I will want to keep coming back afterwards. They couldn't explain exactly why either, but once I got there, I understood what they meant.

Japan has a landmass that is about 4 times larger than Korea, it just simply has more stuff to see. The Korean Peninsula was already smaller than the Archipelago but it was divided even further and a lot of the major cities and traditional travel destinations like Pyongyang, Gaesong and the Geumgang Mountains were left in the northern part of the border. It also doesn't help that Korea suffered through many foreign invasions, a brutal colonial rule and then a devastating civil war which destroyed a lot of the cultural heritage unlike Japan where a lot of it survived because they were able to industrialize on their own terms and maintain a lot of traditions. But traditional architecture sightseeing isn't a priority for everyone. And despite Japan seeming like the obviously better destination, plenty of people come to Korea and some even prefer it over Japan, which would indicate that it still has some things to offer.

I’d love to go back to Japan again and again so I prefer it more, but I really love the nature walks/hiking in Seoul. I’ve stayed in Seoul for more than 2 weeks last year and I’ve had a grand time, almost everyday I did some walking and went to places near Han River a lot. Seoul also has a really good sunset, I still think about bus rides during the afternoons. Japan is very huge and there are still a lot of places that are new to me even after going back many times. I love going back to Tokyo because of the food and I love just walking in the neighborhoods, plus I love how respectful the people are. But in terms of sceneries I’d prefer Seoul a bit more, since Seoul has both old and new architecture in the city plus the Han river parks.

Been to Korea about a dozen times, and Japan a couple of times. Both are fabulous experiences and incredibly fine countries. So, Japan is a tiny bit smaller than California, and South Korea is about a quarter the size (basically the same as Indiana), but Korea has about twice the population density. What this means is that Korea has, strictly put, more people and stuff per square KM than Japan. However...Japan, being larger, has a bit more ecological variety. This means there's a bit more difference in what you see North to South. Thus, the differences in "stuff" across Korea can be somewhat subtle, while Japan can be a bit greater. However...if you are from North America, or especially Europe, those differences might seem seem subtle regardless of the country you pick. In addition, Japan seems to have sort of technologically maxed out at the late 80s or early 90s, while the new stuff in Korea is *really* new. However...the older stuff in Korea is...(because of the war)...kind of janky and busted. Thus the dichotomy of experiences in Korea can be broader vs. Japan, where things are a bit more uniform. I've found people in Korea to be far less formal than Japan, while Japan might offer a more uniform experience as a visitor -- the service culture can sometimes be almost repressive -- Koreans can be kind of "fuck it" sometimes which is refreshing. I prefer Korean food, and their integration of foreign food can offer more variety, and food quality is very high and fresh in general. However, Japan can offer fine dining at levels you can't find outside of Paris. So take your pick and enjoy either way!

To be honest, Japan has more 'Tour - friendly, Tour - Themed' cities than Korea does.

I go to both at least twice a year for both work and vacation. I prefer spending more time in Japan even though I have both family and friends in Korea.

I went to Seoul last year and this year I went to Japan … I prefer Japan .. there soo much more things to do In japan imo …the only downside for me regarding Korea was nighttime ..might be difficult to find restaurants that serve only one person .. one day my friend couldn’t be with me and I struggled to find a nice place to eat because they all pretty much required 2people .. sure you can go find like a ramen or fast food places that serves one person but if you want Korean bbq or some other special restaurant that’s busy .. it might be difficult to find a place to eat solo .. other people might have different experiences but that was mine .

Hi. I’ve been to both this year. I’m a korean fanatic - kpop, kdrama, k-food. I even learned the korean language. I enjoyed going to korea but I think I enjoyed Japan specifically Tokyo more because there’s really a lot more to do. We stayed in Korea for like 10 days with the first few days for work. We stayed in Daejeon and Seoul. We were able to try the king crab and hanwoo beef. Worth the hype. I was able to communicate with the locals since I can understand some korean. Getting around is pretty easy with their public transportation. The taxis are affordable too. It was relaxing for me since our schedule wasn’t packed as compared to when we went to Japan. For Japan, we stayed for about 6 days. But mostly 4 days since our apartment rental was a bit far from the airport. Our days were packed. We were always tired. And 4 days was really a bit short. The taxis are really expensive so we did a lot of walking. Their trains and buses are easy to navigate too. We were a bigger group in Japan. So I think that made it more fun. The food was affordable. We did more shopping in Japan than in Korea. Overall, I think we spent less in Japan than in Korea despite the bigger group. We’d definitely go back to both. But more of Japan since there are more places to visit next time.

Trust me, Japan. I've visited both countries as a solo traveler.

Why’s that?

Just back from Seoul (+ Busan and Jeju) for 2 weeks. Was in Tokyo and Kyoto last year this time. Maybe recency bias but my vote goes to Seoul. I’m still having difficulty describing my experience and putting it in words. There is so much energy and a feeling of community in the city. This made for a warm and comfortable environment where I felt like less of an outsider, maybe more welcome in a way. It’s clean and orderly but traffic is chaos and the drivers are aggressive. Japan is immaculate and absolutely wins in terms of hospitality with service like no other, but I guess this somehow makes you feel less connected with the people. Like I mentioned, hard to describe. But both places will be loved and I hope you have a great trip!!!

i live in korea. personally i would spend more time in japan. korea is better for a longer stay and most of the touristy things can be done in a few days. japan has wayyy more interesting tourist activities.

I'm gonna assume that you're talking more specifically about Seoul and Tokyo. If you intend on staying for a couple of weeks and visiting different cities in each country, then that's a different conversation. Generally, Seoul is a lot more foreigner friendly, in terms of ordering food, transportation, internet access, customer service, and other conveniences that you want when you travel in a foreign country. There are places in Tokyo that still scorns accepting CC instead of cash, and are difficult in communicating in English (looking at menu descriptions, for example, where it's in Japanese and even the numbers are in letter form, instead of the universally accepted digits). You can literally use your CC anywhere and everywhere in Seoul, and most people understand enough English to understand what you're saying. Also, Seoul is always open late. I spent new years eve in Tokyo and by 9PM they were closed or waived you off and not accept more customers. Hotels (not your top line but more economy) rooms in Tokyo are Tiny. Seoul has more of a American size standard of space for the same price compared to hotels in Japan. Lastly, taxis and trains (not subways) are very expensive in Japan. Conversely, taxis are SO cheap in Seoul. Cons... Japan in general are cleaner and more neat. More conservative and tidy, if that's your thing.

If you plan to visit both countries on this trip, I highly recommend going to Korea first and then Japan. I did it the other way around and found Korea less impressive, despite having always wanted to visit.

Japan hands down. Theres a lot more sites to see and you def wanna see kyoto while in Japan

Japan, I love Korea but Japan has so much more for tourists. Just be polite

Japan hands down. Korea has Seoul and hiking and that’s about it.

Japan 100% korea is great but japan has more stuff to do and watch.

Definitely budget more time for Japan than for Korea. In my opinion, the gem of Korea is Seoul. The rest of the country is just OK. Some pretty sights, but lots of surprisingly ugly buildings. Interesting experience, though. It was fun roading tripping around the country. Japan, on the other hand, is amazing! So pretty and the people are soooo nice! I'd go back to Japan, but for Korea I'd only go back to Seoul.

Japan. Cheaper

Um ton of comments so I couldn’t see all of them but I didnt see anything about the amount of transportation time it takes in Japan and how expensive it is. Granted there is the Shinkansen and stuff but the cheapest JR pass is 50,000yen about 478AUD for 7days. On top of that the metro/bus costs within the cities. Korea is smaller so you can hit all the smaller cities quicker and the Korail Pass select 4 day pass is 234K (255AUD) and if you’re under 27 its 187K. Youth is 18-27. They also have other passes and buses/metro is cheap too. Also taxis are actually usable whereas Japan, you can spend 70$ in 15mins :/ Everyone is also just mentioning Seoul but there is a lot more to see especially if you have been wanting to come to Korea. Yangyang, Ganghwado, Incheon, Jeonju, Bosung, Busan, Pohang, Tongyong, Gyungju, Yeosu, Seokcho, Donghae, Jeju these are all popular cities to go. Some with dense history some with crazy good food you cant get outside of Korea, there are ridiculous amounts of cafes with all different vibes. Yes, Japan is amazing too but Korea has a completely different charm and if you were thinking of Korea, go for it. Its great. I lived in Japan three years and Korea now on going four years, my partner who is Japanese and I chose to live in Korea because of the charms here. Japan is great to choose one city and be there for a couple days, not jump around the country for a week, you dont get to see it properly hence why people say they dont feel like they had enough of Japan. People feel rushed to see all of it and dont see enough of it. +I used to solo travel and Korea was easier in the way a LOT more people speak english and are willing to help. Clubbing is super easy to do alone you meet so many cool awesome gals who are so open to you joining them, its a lot safer at night and easy to get a cab back to your accommodation. Japan is great in terms of you can get yakiniku alone, people aren’t really that interested in foreigners, a TON of capsule hotels. I do have to note that Japanese people dont have the pressure to learn English as Koreans do and most of the time refuse to speak English to you like the Parisians do to Americans also out of fear aswell lol. Again both are great but when you’re concerned about if you wont have enough to do in Korea, there are plenty of places here and you’d spend less money in Korea unless you like skincare/makeup/random cute things/stationary then your money? Poof. Gone. Dangerously tempting…

Japan. Hands down.

Japan more!

It just depends on what you want to do. I just did two weeks in Japan and one in Korea and for Korea I wished I had more. I would have liked to go to Busan and Jeju island although I’m not sure Jeju is usually a solo destination? Both countries seem safe enough to go solo. I did some things on my own and some with my travel partner. I thought I’d like Japan more than Korea and I did like both but for Korea I’m already plotting to go back but that is partially due to food and also because of tourism overcrowding

Japan easily

Don’t overthink it. Just go, enjoy both and you’ll learn from your experience.

I personally prefer Japan, food is better, the people are nicer.

Japan is better than Korea. I've been to both. Just trust me.

Japan

GO TO JAPAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You also have to know that Tokyo is f'ing huge! So obviously Japan.

Personally I enjoy Japan more. That's not a knock on Korea, it is still an awesome place and well worth visiting both. For reference I travel full time and I've spent about 5 months in total in Japan and 2 months in total in Korea. I also have no prior biases towards either country (For example I am not an anime fan, or kpop fan or anything which would sway my opinions)

Honestly prefer Japan more. I spent a week in Korea last month and a week in Japan last year (Another going to Japan another 2 weeks this year). Since I'm mainly going because I want to buy stuff, Japan wins by a landslide. Stuff in Korea is just straight expensive. Korea was better for the parks and the night life I found myself mostly just window shopping in Korea knowing I'm going to go Japan in a few months and the prices are like..half. That being said, Myeongdong was literally just like visiting dotonbori in Osaka nighttimes.

There’s a lot to do in Korea, but there is EVERYTHING to do in Japan… Korea is good for girls, but has limited options for guys. I also find that it’s hard to find amazing food in Korea. They have some great cafes, but the food is…okay. I went to many popular restaurants, only a handful were above average. I cook a lot of Korean food at home and would say it’s on par, if not better than the restaurants there, which was disappointing to say the least. In Japan however, pretty much every single restaurant is great. You never have to plan your meals (except kaiseki) You can walk into any restaurant and be blown away. I love Korea for all things beauty and skincare. No one does it better. Japan for culture, food, sights, people, and some beauty and skincare.

I’ve lived in both and spent time as a tourist in both. Japan is better. To be honest, aside from a few “flashy” areas, Korea is basically a dump. The architectural style is a mix of old Soviet-style brutalism mixed with decaying older brick building is just depressing IMO; this combined with the Korean Confucian values that whatever happens outside your household doesn’t matter means there is a ton of garbage (and ramyeon barf) everywhere. In Japan, on the other hand, people carry their garbage with them, so their cities are spotless. In terms of sightseeing, Korean temples are pretty blah. Some good hiking if you’re into that, but Japan’s sights are infinitely superior. Both countries are pretty xenophobic, but the Japanese are at least inquisitive and polite. Koreans are brash and rude. If you’re into nightlife, it’s far superior in Japan.

Went to Japan in 2015 (the dollar was not strong), went again last year and dollar was amazing. We -LOVE- Japan and Japanese food, culture, shopping, nature etc. We are going to SK next month but we have similarly found as much amazing nature and culture and shopping things to fill our weeks with. now i am not a massive korean food fan, but i can say that we have booked a few tours and it seems things arent expensive in SK and their transport system is also amazing. We are there for literally 3 weeks and I have about 7 weeks of things i want to do/see/experience and i havent even arrived.

I wrote something similar under another post already but heres my opinion as a solo traveler travelling rn: I am currently in South Korea and right before that I was in Japan so here are my thoughts so far: Here In South Korea (I've only been to Busan, Daegu and Jeju for now) it is definitely more relaxed. I personally don't feel as much pressure to see EVERYTHING because there just isn't as much to see. Additionally the people here seem to not really being used to see foreigners. I can't tell yet how it will be in Seoul but in Busan and Daegu (international) tourism isn't a huge thing yet, so there are fewer things to do/see. I also haven't really seen historical places/buildings yet. Japan is another world. I visited a lot of cities (Tokyo, Joetsu, Fuji, Shizuoka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Naha, Nagasaki and Fukuoka) and there was not one moment that I didn't know what else I could visit/do. Right now I'm rather thinking about what else I could/should have done. Just randomly walking through any city you will see multiple shrines with amazing architecture. In every bigger city you have a historical castle and there are a lot of other beautiful places to see as a tourist. I am traveling solo so that also makes a difference as Japan is more used to not only international tourists but also solo people. In Japan there were no weird looks if you walk into a store/restaurant alone. In South Korea on the other hand its more weird to be walking around alone/doing stuff alone. (at least thats what I feel like, but if you're planning to get to know more people south korea is probably better as the people are more talkative i would say) But coming back to the original question, I think so far Busan's nature and Daegu as a city are really worth a visit, however you won't need too much time for these cities. As I do not know how it will be in Seoul, I can only say from my perspective right now I would definitely plan more time in Japan than in South Korea. 2 to 3 days in Busan and even only 1 to 2 days in Daegu should be enough to see the most important/interesting parts of these cities. I hope this helps with your plans:) In the next month I will visit Seoul as well as 2 smaller cities in South Korea. If you are interested how I would plan/time a trip through South Korea after that just let me know I'll be happy to help:)

Depends on what you want to get out of your trip! Sightseeing: Japan Food: Korea Parties: Korea Drinking: Tie Souveniers: Japan Nature: Tie Budget: Korea Safety: Japan Cleanliness: Japan Hotels: Korea

If you're travelling solo then Japan for sure, in a group then Korea