Our journey began with a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo on Delta in economy. The seating arrangement felt extremely tight, requiring us to wiggle just to fit straight into our seats. Upon arriving in Tokyo, it was raining. We navigated the bustling streets filled with heavy traffic, realizing we might need a wireless microphone to capture clean audio amidst the urban noise.

Clearing immigration proved to be quite an ordeal, as we joined a massive queue of around 200 people winding through a tight maze of uneven lines.

We stayed at the Comfort Hotel Tokyo Kanda, where our room was very tiny and basic, featuring two single beds, a small desk, a corner fridge, and an air purifier. Though the room was compact, we were pleasantly surprised to find that our shower included a mini-sized yet very deep soaking tub, which wasn’t even advertised in the room description. Despite our initial travel fatigue, the food in Tokyo was surprisingly good. We enjoyed local curry dishes, hot fried chicken, warm cookies, and even a unique breakfast calzone.

After transitioning out of Japan, we traveled to Korea on Wednesday. Getting from the airport to our hotel was seamless and straightforward using the monorail and subway. In Busan, we spent about half of our time with my parents and the other half relaxing and enjoying local cuisine. While Busan offered a much more relaxed pace overall, we also had to navigate some [blank]. Our hotel room provided a comfortable setup, giving us a relaxing space to unwind as we reflected on our unforgettable adventures across both countries.