Gyeongbokgung to Myeongdong

After waking up at the RYSE and having breakfast, we headed back to Gyeongbokgung to see the guard changing ceremony at Gwanghwamun. We then visited the adjacent National Palace Museum before having lunch. After, we walked over to Myeongdong, visiting the Buddhist Jogyesa on the way. We walked around Myeongdong a bit, having some bingsoo and a snack before returning the RYSE to end our day.

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Gyeongbokgung and the Blue House

After arriving late last night at Gimpo, we stayed at the LOTTE City Hotel at the airport before heading to the RYSE in Hondae the morning. After dropping off our bags, we had breakfast and visited Gyeongbokgung, Seoul’s main royal palace. We spent the morning there followed by lunch nearby. We then visited the Cheong Wa Dae, also known as the Blue House, the presidential residence until 2022. We ended the day with dinner in the area before returning to the RYSE.

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Odawara

After breakfast at the Indigo Gora, we checked out after a fantastic stay and took the hotel’s shuttle bus back to Odawara Station. We spent a few hours in town, primarily visiting Odawara Castle. We then began the journey home, taking the Shinkansen back to Tokyo for our flight out of Haneda.

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Owakudani Nature Trail and Gora

The weather didn’t look as good today when we woke up at the Indigo Gora with overcast skies. After breakfast, we decided to head up to Owakudani again as there did seem to be bits of blue sky. We ended up getting onto the day’s first guided tour of the Owakudani Nature Trail. The weather wasn’t so great and it was extremely windy so we returned to Gora to have lunch and to walk around the town a bit. Later in the afternoon, we went back up to Owakudani to see how conditions were. It was even more windy than before! We came back down to Gora pretty quickly for an early end to the day.

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