Japan

We arrived in Japan on the 1st of November 2018 at the port of Fukuoka ,Hakata just before sunrise.

To be honest I had no idea where I want to go in the country but I knew the immigration control would ask me so I had to tell them a few places which  I did really visit later on.

I picked an address of a hostel in Yokohama and was planing to give them this address when they ask.The other places I was going to say were Mount Fuji,Kyoto,Tokyo .
The lady at the desk started questioning me why I have only one way ticket on which I replied :''They didn't ask for a return ticket when I bought it '':D How much money have you got?-Luckily I had printed off bank statements in Korea.I showed my JR pass ,and said that I want to travel for a short period and after that I am going to New Zealand.She was kind of suspicious but at the end decided to let me in the country.Then  another lady decided that she wants to search my bag for drugs and showed me a picture with all the possible drugs asking me if I have any.I said I have nothing illegal so she did a quick search and test and let me go.That went relatively easy comparing to what I was going to experience later on upon arrival in New Zealand.

On my first day in Japan the weather was nice and sunny so I decided to go for a stroll in the the town.As I was expected Japan is very clean and tidy country so it was a real pleasure walking down the streets and observing my new country.I decided to spend the day in the town ,exchange money and get my JR pass from the train station on the next day and travel possibly north to Kyoto.

I saw a nearby green hill  similar to the ones we have in Plovdiv ,which I decided is perfect for camping so a decision was made- I would camp there that night.

I visited several shrines  and looked around the city.I went to a local bank where I exchanged euro for Japanese yen at a very bad rate.Japan is extremely expensive country so I knew I had to live on a very tight budget ,camp most of the time if it's possible and buy food only from supermarkets.

Arriving in Japan

First Sunrise in Japan

After all day walking on the streets in Fukuoka,Hakata I found a nice spot on nearby hill and pinched my tent .That was my first night to sleep in Japan and I had a nice view over the city.On the next day my plan was to get up early go to the train station and obtain my JR pass and experince the Japan Railway system for the next one week.

First night in Japan .Hotel Million stars :)

Nice view from tent over Fukuoka

Busan

When I arrived in Busan my priorities were to find a hostel ,check for a ferry ticket to Japan and buy a Japan railway pass.

I can't remember  what exactly I visited in Busan but here is all I can recall from my two days there:

I  found a brand new hostel on internet called K 79 and I highly recommend it.It was one of the best hostels I have stayed in:clean,free laundry,breakfast included,good location .It was even better than some of the hostels In Portugal I've been to.

After I payed for two nights in my hostel I went to the ferry terminal where I knew from information on trip advisor , where someone suggested  that I could buy a JR pass and  check for tickets to Japan.You can buy JR pass in Japan but is much more expensive and it's better to have it before you get there.

I found the tourist office where they sell the JR pass but it was  a bit more expensive than it should be https://japanrailpass.net/en/about_jrp.html is good website which tells you everything you need to know about the JR pass and agents which sell it in different countries.I found an address of a local office not far from the Ferry terminal  .I am not quite sure about the address but it's on the website written above. When I found the building it was a bit difficult as there was no number on it.It looked like an old office building and the security guy on the ground floor when first saw the address said it's not there, but he was wrong .I decided to take the lift and  when I got on the right floor there was the office.The price was a little bit cheaper and they knew exactly what I was there for so they made it quickly and sold me an exchange order (or voucher) which is actually  not your ticket but you  exchange it for your JR pass when you arrive in Japan on any major railway station.This JR pass actually helped me get into Japan as I had a bit of trouble getting into the country but I got there in the end !

Busan ferry terminal

When I went to the terminal to check for ferry tickets to Japan some of the offices were closed.
I still managed to speak to some of the staff .They were a bit reluctant to sell me a one way ticket
and required I book a return ticket or a ticket to another destination.They were asking me silly questions like:Why do you want one way ticket? How long are you going to spend there? Where exactly are you going? and so on..I had no idea how long I was going  to spend in Japan as I wanted to be more flexible and leave whenever I want.One company refused to sell me a one way ticket and the girl at the other said she needs to speak with a manager which apparently wasn't there .

I became a bit frustrated but decided to not give up and return back on the next day to check with other ferry companies.I went to take a map from the tourist information centre close to my hostel and
explored the city for the rest of the day.

Navigating myself in South Korea was a bit of a challenge  .

On the next morning I decided to go back to the ferry terminal and try to buy a ticket again .

As I was walking towards the terminal a guy handed me a small leaflet with Jesus Christ on it saying 'Good news' in English which was strange as Korea is mostly a Buddhist country.As I saw that I knew,I'd be able to get a ticket today.

I went to  a company called Camellia Line which office was closed the day before.
The guy behind the counter sold me a one way  ticket to Japan without asking any questions .

Never give up and try all possible options.You will get what you want!

Being happy,that I got my ticket to Japan and JR pass I decided to look around Busan on my last day

in South Korea.

I can't remember all the places I visited in Busan but I went for a very long walk,saw Busan tower
a bridge that is lifted everyday at certain time and is kind of a tourist attraction.

The hostel 

Hotel

Somewhere on the street in Busan

Fish market

                                                                           Last day walking in Busan                                                                                                                                                                                           

In total I spent 2 weeks in South Korea and I'm really glad I decided to do that -I was't planing to visit the country at all.My intention was to take the ferry from Vladivostok straight to Japan,but since the ferry was stopping first in South Korea I decided  to get off and see what the country is like.South Korea is an amazing country with super friendly people,a lot of history,beautiful places  and really good food  and I hope to return there again one day.I really fell in love with the country!

On my last day in Korea as I packed my backpack I made the mistake to put my knife in my side pocket and  they saw it on the security checks at the terminal.The security guy said:''You have a knife in your rucksack',could you take it out''? I said yes.I was told that I can't have it with me while on board but they'd put in a paper envelop as an 'Restricted item' and said I'll get it back on the next morning when we arrive .
We boarded the ferry and since I bought the cheapest ticket I had to sleep in a room with 12 people where you have mattresses on the floor and you literally lie down next to each other.I had a good night sleep though and on the next day we arrived in The Land Of The Rising Sun!

Last view of Korea

South Korea-DMZ and back south

Reading time: 6 minutes

DMZ Museum

It's been about 5 or 6 months since my last post but I travelled for a month in Europe and now I just moved to live in a small place in northern England.I haven't got any notes from the rest of my trip around the world  so I will try to write everything I remember before my memories are completely gone.

Continue:

I made a sign both in Korean and in Latin on a piece of cardboard and started hitching north towards the border with North Korea.I waited no longer than 15 minutes and a couple in their fifties picked me up .The man turned out to be a famous opera singer and he mentioned that he had performed in Sofia long time ago.He couldn't remember when exactly as he's toured the world but  said he had probably been there  in the early 90's.We spoke about music and the life in Korea.His English was good comparing to other people I met in the country.They tried  to help me by writing down the name of the place I was going to in Korean,however they understood me wrong and when I got my next lift with 2 women and a little baby in a car they dropped me off next to a Maritime museum on a beautiful beach rather than DMZ museum.''Sometimes good things fall apart so great things can fall together''- as they say!!

The 2 ladies with the baby actually went out of their way for 10-15 km to drop me off at that beach.

Hwajinpo gill museum

Hwajinpo Maritime museum

As I said I did not plan to visit that place but when I arrived here I decided to  visit the museum.
I camped one night in the forest next to the beach and continued north on the next day.
The weather was  nice,the beach was empty as it was end of the season-late October .
There was WiFi on the beach so I phoned my parents to say how I am doing and switched the camera on to show them the beautiful beach I was on.It was a time when I was so grateful  to be in this part of the world on this beautiful place and speaking to my family .

Inside the museum

Hwajinpo beach

On the next morning I started walking towards the main road.I was no further than 10 km  from the border with North Korea ,the area is very low populated .I could not read the signs ,I didn't know where exactly I am but at that moment when I stood at the main road I felt so great and I thought -that's what hitchhiking and travelling is all about:)!.I must have had a big smile on my face as the first car I saw stopped.They were going to the lookout point on the border with North Korea so they agreed to drop me off at the DMZ museum.

The people who picked me up were a man and his wife in their 50s.They could not speak English at all but somehow understood that I was going to the DMZ museum. Soon we stopped at a visitor centre and went into a small hall like cinema where we saw a video about the war and the regime in North Korea.After that, they gave me a little note which I had to fill out .Of course it was all in Korean so they had to phone someone maybe one of their children to translate.I had to fill out my details: age and name as we soon reached a military check point and I had to give them my details.

After we passed that soon we reached the museum,they dropped me off and I understood they'll be driving back in 30 minutes so we agreed to meet at the car park and  they could give me a lift back to Sokcho although they were going to Seoul ,and had to go a little bit out of their way.I was lucky!

The museum was very interesting but quite sad as it was all about the war and the country being divided so I took a very few pictures...

After they picked me up they drove me to the bus station in Sokcho.I was very hesitant whether I should try to hitchhike or take a bus to Busan -my next destination.I spent some time at the bus station and a girl from Beijin,China came to chat me up.That was second girl after the Russian girl at the Moscow train station.It was late afternoon and had I taken a bus I would have arrived in Busan late in the evening which is normally not a good Idea to arrive in a big city.So I decided to stay one

night in a hostel in Sockho .I can't remember the name of the place but it was a good value.There I met a nice group of young Europeans so I spent the night chatting with them and playing guitar.
On the next morning  I got on the bus to Busan.

Sokcho