Need Advice: NYC -> (Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong) for 6 weeks

Hi everybody,
My GF and I are planning on taking a 6-week trip from NYC to Seoul,
Tokyo, and Hong Kong

(not necessarily in that order) around June and July this year. We'd
like to hit the Expo

in Aichi and spend some time visiting her family in Seoul.

Beyond that, our plans are wide open.

We're just in the planning phases of the trip, and we had some
preliminary questions.

1) What's the best type of air ticket to get for a trip like this?

2) Can anybody suggest a site/travel agent that might specialize in
such an itinerary?

3) How hard is inter-country travel around these parts?

4) Of those three destinations, is there an order that "makes sense"
from a geographic or

logistical stand point?

And, lastly, for those with experience traveling around these parts,
how might you
organize a 6-week itinerary?

Thanks so much for your help!

-CS

"1) What's the best type of air ticket to get for a trip like this?"

Depending on how many places you plan to visit, either the "All Asia
Pass" from Cathay Pacific or a "Circle Pacific Ticket".

"2) Can anybody suggest a site/travel agent that might specialize in
such an itinerary?"

Airtreks.com, airbrokers.com, statravel.com.

"3) How hard is inter-country travel around these parts?"

I assume you mean "travel within each of these countries" rather than
"travel between lots of countries".

China - the major cities and standard tourist trail are not difficult
at all, but getting off the beaten track can be difficult, slow and
uncomfortable travelling.

South Korea - no problems whatsoever.

Japan - travelling is not difficult at all. Budget travelling is
possible, but requires a lot of planning - you can easily blow a 2-week
budget in a few days if you're not careful. English is limited outside
of the major cities.

"4) Of those three destinations, is there an order that "makes sense"
from a geographic or logistical stand point?"

It's more a weather standpoint - avoid Tokyo in June since it rains
almost every day. Also avoid the rainy season in the Hong Kong area
and in South China.

"And, lastly, for those with experience traveling around these parts,
how might you organize a 6-week itinerary?"

Fly to Hong Kong.
5 days - Hong Kong and Macao.
5 days - Shanghai and surroundings
5 days - Beijing
Fly to Seoul.
5 days - South Korea
Fly to Osaka (nearest intl. airport to Kyoto).
3 weeks - Japan (Kyoto, Aichi, Tokyo, also Kanazawa, Hiroshima, and
side trips from Tokyo to Kamakura and from Kyoto to Himeji and Nara).
Fly home from Tokyo.

Thanks for the helpful reply.

"3) How hard is inter-country travel around these parts?"

I assume you mean "travel within each of these countries" rather
than
"travel between lots of countries".

Actually, I did mean travel between countries. Any advice on the best
ways to get from country to country?

"Jeremy Kaiman" wrote in message
ups.com...
Thanks for the helpful reply.

"3) How hard is inter-country travel around these parts?"

I assume you mean "travel within each of these countries" rather
than
"travel between lots of countries".

Actually, I did mean travel between countries. Any advice on the best
ways to get from country to country?


If you use the All Asia pass, your option is to transit via HKG. So you
have to first fly to HKG, then go to Korea, back to HKG, then to Japan, then
back to HKG and back home.

"Actually, I did mean travel between countries. Any advice on the best
ways to get from country to country?"

Between China, South Korea, and Japan, plane is the only realistic
option. There are some ferries between the countries, but they're very
slow, cost almost as much as a flight, and mostly leave from out of the
way areas.

wrote:
Hi everybody,
My GF and I are planning on taking a 6-week trip from NYC to Seoul,
Tokyo, and Hong Kong

(not necessarily in that order) around June and July this year. We'd
like to hit the Expo

in Aichi and spend some time visiting her family in Seoul.

Beyond that, our plans are wide open.

We're just in the planning phases of the trip, and we had some
preliminary questions.

1) What's the best type of air ticket to get for a trip like this?

2) Can anybody suggest a site/travel agent that might specialize in
such an itinerary?

3) How hard is inter-country travel around these parts?

4) Of those three destinations, is there an order that "makes sense"
from a geographic or

logistical stand point?

First, for Japan use http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/ when planning
train travel, and get a rail pass. There is a pass that allows you to
travel in Japan and on through Korea to Seoul, including (I believe) the
ferry between Kyushu and Pusan. If you're planning on seeing both it is
a really good deal.

My suggestions are based on my personal preferences, which is to see a
lot of a country on the first trip and specialize on subsequent trips.
Having said this, I'd suggest flying into Tokyo and staying a few days
there there, being sure to include Nikko and Kamakura in your travels.
Then you could hit Nagoya for a couple of days; you might consider
staying in Kyoto and day tripping to the expo. I'm not sure where
exactly it is, but from Kyoto to Nagoya it's not that far by shinkansen.

I really like the Kansai region of Japan, and for tourists there's lots
to do. Kyoto, Himeji, Nara, and Osaka are the essentials. I personally
like Kobe and have recommended to other travelers to consider staying in
Shin Kobe near the Shinkansen station. The reason is that it's fairly
quiet yet near plenty of bars, restaurants, shopping, etc. There's also
a decent short hike from Shin Kobe to Nunobiki Waterfalls; not many
foreign tourists go there, it's pretty, and it's an interesting walk
that affords some interesting views of the city. Himeji, in my opinion,
is worthy of more than the couple of hours most people give it, but I'm
biased because I lived there. I'd set aside at least a half day, making
sure to visit not only the castle but the surrounding attractions as
well (Kokoen and Otokoyama are on my list, as well as the park behind
the castle that is a good place to picnic).

From the Kansai area you have several options. One would be to go up to
the Japan Sea and hit some of the tourist areas there, including
Amanohasidate (I like it...) and Kinosaki Onsen in north Hyogo
prefecture; in my opinion it's worthy of a stop. But note the trains
along the Japan Sea seem to be a little slower and run less often than
along the more popular and populous Inland Sea side. Another option
would be to visit Shikoku, something few first time visitors (and even
long-time residents) do. The third option is to head straight through
Okayama, Hiroshima, and Fukuoaka. And, of course, you can creatively
combine these options.

Something I'd personally consider is the possiblity of combining your
hobbies with the trip. If you like hiking, climbing, art, music,
whatever there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy those in these
countries. Maybe you could investigate visiting a pottery that allows
people to make their own plates/cups/etc. If you speak Japanese you
might look at the following:

http://www.ikuno-ginzan.co.jp/ (an old silver mine)
http://www.hch.gr.jp/e/ (Himeji City Hotel, which has some tourist info)
http://www.hyogo-tourism.jp/ (Hyogo prefecture info, with English and
Korean)

And, lastly, for those with experience traveling around these parts,
how might you
organize a 6-week itinerary?

I'd suggest spending roughly three weeks in Japan and the rest in Korea
and Hong Kong. But if you have family in Korea that obviously is a
factor. In Korea I really like Pusan (though I haven't been in years)
and Kyongju, and Cheju-do is nice as well. But Korea simply isn't that
large.

Hope this helps!

John W.