Our first stop was Seoul and our Driver/Guide was Jun and he was so fun that nothing felt awkward. It was more like a friend was showing you around his town. He always had ice cold water waiting for us in the car when he picked us up from each stop along the way.
Our first stop was Soonski Hair Salon in Hongdae. The staff was friendly and the snacks were yummy. The cuts we received were all really well done. However, my stylist changed from the person who cut my hair so they'd never seen my pictures of what I wanted and she didn't speak much at all so it's kind of my fault that my style wasn't at all what I wanted because I didn't speak up. (It was my first day in Korea so I was still nervous about using the little bit of Korean I have!) The problem was when checked out, they'd upsold my daughter with a Keratin treatment that was over 100,000 won without checking with me. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they thought she was older than 16 and was making her own monetary decisions, but if you're taking your kids who don't speak the language make sure your not separated when they're giving them the prices at the start. Also I just noticed that my itinerary says a deposit was taking at the time of booking and that it would be deducted from the total. It definitely was not deducted on the day. The experience was fun and the quality was good, just a few problems that probably could have been avoided if I spoke the language better.
Gyeongbokgung Palace was beautiful, but we didn't have enough time to enjoy it properly. The hanboks we rented had a 3 hour rental, which you'd think would be plenty but it left us rushing back to the shop without having fully enjoyed the palace. Jun was great about getting us a good spot to watch the changing of the guard and making sure we were in the right place to be near the front of the line for pictures afterwards.
Myeongdong was so vibrant and I wish we'd had more time there as well! We did Daiso which people online recommended, honestly it was just a very tall Dollar Tree. We came back in the evening for the night market which was full of yummy things but be prepared- it was busy, so many people that just getting to the stalls and back out of the flow of people was difficult.
Kukkiwon was a fun short stop. They didn't have any practices on the day we went. If I was thinking it would have been better to see if someone could check their schedule for us ahead of time. I did happen to see a post by seoul.tkd on instagram posting a schedule of public Taekwondo displays happening while we were there. We managed to catch the team performing at the DDP and it was amazing! I highly recommend looking into the exhibition schedule if you're interested in Taekwondo.
K-Star Road was cute and quick, all the designer shops with their incredible buildings was actually worth seeing there as well!
HiKR Ground was more than we expected it to be! It wasn't very busy and had lots of kpop dance sets for the kids to dance in. There was a spot for karaoke and when you got to the top there were fun cultural things to do like making layered stamps and finding maps of the area. Definitely worth a stop if you have kids that like kpop. Won't take all day.
A private driver took us from the hotel to the station to catch the KTX to Busan. He was very thorough and walked us all the way through the station with our luggage to make sure we knew where we were going. I think his name was Mr. Choi and my entire family was very impressed with his super cool executive vibe and style.
Hotel B'amu was our favourite hotel. The view, the location, the interior. Everything was amazing and the staff was friendly. The breakfast was the only downside. The fresh squeezed orange juice was a hit but the rest of it left a lot to be desired. I don't know if the breakfast was extra but if it is, opt out and go to one of the many amazing cafes nearby instead. I can highly recommend La Feuille and their amazing salt bread.
Gamcheon Cultural Village was beautiful and our wonderful guide in Busan did a great job of helping us understand the history of the village, how it ties into the Little Prince and it's current situation. I have to say though, (even though we're tourists as well, so it sounds hypocritical) a lot of the tourists in this area were incredibly rude and it was nice that we had Danny on our side to stand up for us!
Spa Land was definitely something worth experiencing and my family is still raving about the tiny fish that nibble your feet! Even if you don't decide to go full au naturel and rest in the baths, there are still plenty of rooms to experience.
We did both BUSAN X the SKY and Busan Tower. They both had their own charm. X was full of kpop stuff and lots of instagrammable spots whereas the Tower was more historical, calm and had resident cats you could pet outside!
The Panstar Miracle from Busan to Osaka was a total experience!! I wish we hadn't been so tired so we could have enjoyed the night view longer. But the on ship buffets and swimming in the pool on deck after sunset were definitely things we'll remember for a long time!
We were uncertain if we needed yet another tall building experience but the tickets had already been purchased for Umeda Sky Building. Thankfully it WAS different. The top is open air so it's a very different experience from the others.
Osaka was our least favorite city on the trip but had the best guide. Mie was so prepared! She had files and photos and knew all the history of the places she took us. I was a history major in university so her level of research was very impressive and made the temples, shrines and castle more interesting than they would have been just reading the signs.
We snuck in a day at Universal Studios and honestly I wish we hadn't. The anime aspect of the park was over hyped and under delivered. It was very much just like a smaller Universal Florida. If I did it again I'd rather experience more of Japan instead.
Nara Park is not to be missed!! Perhaps one of my family's favorite days. The deer were adorable and wonderful and terrifying all at once and I would 100% do it again. Remember to bring plenty of cash for the deer biscuits!
If you have the time I definitely suggest the Tokyo Samurai Museum with Experience + Kimono Tea Ceremony at Tokyo Maikoya. Both completely different experiences and both amazing. The staff here was so friendly and engaging and helpful.
Tokyo Dome was our least favorite hotel and as most of the things we wanted to do were in Shibuya or Shinjuku the location wasn't the best. The area also gets very crowded and overwhelming before and after shows at the Dome, so if you don't plan your timing you might get stuck in the mobs of people.
Meiji Jingu was an amazingly tranquil walk and was beautiful.
Senso-ji Temple was the most capitalist temple I've ever been at... it was definitely overwhelming and didn't feel like a spiritual experience at all, it's definitely touristy. I cannot say we didn't buy souvenirs and street food here though, because we definitely did. Just keep in mind it's more of a sightseeing day than a spiritual one.
CAPPINESS Capybara Cafe. Not a cafe. Not even kinda. There are 3 capybara here, one was kept outside the whole time and they didn't volunteer why. They did seem to be treated well and appeared to be happy. The price of 4,000 yen for 40 minutes is definitely a bit high for what you're getting though. Especially since there were 3 groups of people and only two capybara to interact with.
Ninja+Kabuki Tokyo. This was such a cool show!! They have an interactive portion at the end for you to come up on stage and try out some of the moves if you're interested. The drummers were incredible and they had one performer who was a total acrobat and was flipping everywhere. I'm not sure why we had a bar hopping experience connected to the end of ours but we have kids so it wasn't something we were interested in. Just make sure if you get this booking that it only for the show unless you're interested in the bar hopping part.
Hotel Reviews
HOTEL THE BOTANIK SEWOON MYEONGDONG
Seoul
HOTEL THE BOTANIK SEWOON MYEONGDONG was my kids' favorite for breakfast. From now on the sound of Fur Elise will mean that there are fresh waffles ready somewhere nearby.
The hotel overall was lovely and had a nice breakfast. It was a comfortable place to stay in Seoul and was close to restaurants and convenience stores.
Location
A separate washer and dryer in the room. Essential!
Staff
The breakfast staff was incredible but the front desk staff were always a bit standoffish and unapproachable.
Bamu Hotel in Busan was our favorite hotel by far. The room was amazing with a view of the beach and a big spa in the middle of the room. The staff was really friendly, and even though it was a small hotel, everyone was very welcoming.
Hotel Keihan tenmabashi ekimae
Hotel Keihan tenmabashi ekimae in Osaka was comfortable and had good breakfast. The location was good, and it had nice amenities like a washer/dryer with laundry detergent provided, which was better than the first hotel in Seoul.
Tokyo Dome Hotel was disappointing. The check-in process was confusing and frustrating, especially with two connecting rooms. The standard room was unimpressive and lacked amenities like soda or alcohol in the fridge, contrary to what the website said. However, after contacting the agency, they helped us move to a premium floor, which was much nicer. The location was not practical as it was far from the main areas we wanted to visit. The area also gets really busy because of the events at the Tokyo Dome. I would stay somewhere more central like Shibuya or Shinjuku next time.
Activity Reviews
The Ninja+Kabuki Tokyo show was great and the kids enjoyed it. However, the address provided in the itinerary was incorrect, which caused us to spend a lot of time finding the location. Also, the booking included a bar hopping tour that was not suitable for our family and was not mentioned in the itinerary.
CAPPINESS Capybara Cafe Tokyo
Tokyo
CAPPINESS Capybara Cafe Tokyo was a bit confusing due to miscommunication about reservations. I thought I needed to make the reservation myself, but it turned out it was already booked and paid for. We had to rearrange our schedule to fit it in, but the experience itself was enjoyable.
Tokyo Samurai Museum with Experience + Kimono Tea Ceremony at Tokyo Maikoya
Tokyo
The Tokyo Samurai Museum with Experience and Kimono Tea Ceremony at Tokyo Maikoya was amazing. The staff was wonderful, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Full Day Haedong Yonggungsa, Blue Line Train, BUSAN X the SKY and Traditional Market Tour
Busan
The Full Day Haedong Yonggungsa, Blue Line Train, BUSAN X the SKY and Traditional Market Tour was not as expected. The blue line train was a regular crowded train, not the small colorful capsule train shown in pictures. We were unsure if we could get off and back on during the trip, so we just stayed on the train. Clearer instructions would have improved the experience.
Full Day City Tour with Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan
Osaka
The Full Day City Tour with Tempozan Ferris Wheel and Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan was enjoyable, especially the aquarium. However, the ferris wheel was slow and not very exciting, so it felt unnecessary given the other tall attractions we had already visited.
Trendy Hongdae Hair Salon | SOONSIKI Hongdae Flagship Hair Salon
Seoul
The staff was friendly and the snacks were yummy. The cuts we received were all really well done. However, my stylist changed from the person who cut my hair so they'd never seen my pictures of what I wanted and she didn't speak much at all so it's kind of my fault that my style wasn't at all what I wanted because I didn't speak up. (It was my first day in Korea so I was still nervous about using the little bit of Korean I have!) The problem was when checked out, they'd upsold my daughter with a Keratin treatment that was over 100,000 won without checking with me. I'm gonna give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that they thought she was older than 16 and was making her own monetary decisions, but if you're taking your kids who don't speak the language make sure your not separated when they're giving them the prices at the start. Also I just noticed that my itinerary says a deposit was taking at the time of booking and that it would be deducted from the total. It definitely was not deducted on the day. The experience was fun and the quality was good, just a few problems that probably could have been avoided if I spoke the language better.
