The Full Itinerary

All of my hotels are booked, my itinerary is set, and I'm ready to go.  In case I don't blog for more than three days in a row...I may be in a DPRK labor camp.  Or maybe I'll just be having too much fun to bother with the internet.  At least my friends and family will know where I am (or where I'm supposed to be) this way.  Here's what we're looking at:

May 20:  Arrive in Tokyo after a ridiculously long flight.  I'll be staying at the Keikyu EX Inn for three nights, located in the Asakusabashi district.

May 23:  Decided to get crazy and book a night in a "capsule hotel."  For those of you who don't know what that is...it's a hotel that is unique specifically to Japan.  Your "room" is just a capsule in the wall...sort of like a  hyper-sleep chamber in Prometheus or Aliens.  These hotels are only like $30/night.  One positive thing about them is they usually have a really nice spa for guests.

My luxury accommodations, and friendly hotel staff:

May 24:  Arrive by train in Hakone, which is a nice mountain town with a lake and beautiful views of Mt. Fuji.  Only about an hour's ride outside of Tokyo.  I'll be staying at the Hakone Suimeisou hotel for two nights.  This town has lots of "onsen," or hot springs, for people to relax in.

May 26:  Travel to Kyoto, which was the capital city of Japan for more than 1000 years.  Lots of beautiful temples and preserved history to see.  I'll be at the Hotel Hokke Club Kyoto for two nights.

May 28:  Take the train to Nara.  This beautiful area was briefly the capital city of Japan during the 8th century.  Todai-Ji temple pictured below:

 
I'll arrive in Osaka later that night.  I'll be staying at the magnificent Hotel Monterey Grasmere for a couple nights.

May 30:  Wrap up my time in Japan with a night in Fukuoka.  I decided to try out a traditional Japanese style "Ryokan" for one night.  These are small, family run hotels with Japanese style rooms.  Typically you just get a mattress on the floor, and bathrooms are shared.  I'll be at the Yamamoto Ryokan.

May 31:  Wake up and take the JR Beetle ferry to Busan, South Korea.  This is a high speed ferry that takes you across the Sea of Japan in under 3 hours.  After arriving, I have the pleasure of trying to navigate my way to the Hotel Angel...and all of the bus stops are labeled in gibberish Korean characters.  Should be interesting...I hope I don't get lost.  Busan is the 2nd largest city in South Korea, known for its beautiful beaches.  I'll be here for two nights.  JR Beetle pictured below:

June 2:  Take the regional rail to Seoul, which should get me there in about 3-4 hours.  My wonderful mother was kind enough to help me get a room at a "real" hotel in Seoul by letting me use her Marriott points.  THANK YOU MOM!  I'll be at the Courtyard Seoul Times Square for four crazy nights.

I'm expecting Seoul to be something like this:

June 6:  Fly to Hong Kong for my final stop.  My hotel, the Cosmo Hotel Hong Kong, is located near the Wan Chai district.  This is supposed to be a pretty happening area of HK (thanks for the tip Josh!).  I'll be in HK for five nights before finally flying back home.