I am writing this on May 1st at a hotel in Ulaanbaatar. It has been four days since I left Japan, but it feels like it has been much longer. This always happens when I’m surrounded by new things—time feels stretched.
I’m going to update what has happened since I left Japan.
I landed in South Korea without any problems. After landing, I decided to leave the airport and explore a bit since I had a 23-hour transit. I didn’t want to waste my time just staying inside the airport. It’s possible to stay inside Incheon Airport, but it’s just not fun.
I successfully got out of the airport, and the first thing I did was buy a ticket to head toward Seoul. I had no idea which station I should go to, so I just got a random ticket. One good thing in South Korea for Japanese travelers is that there are Japanese translations almost everywhere.
I got on a bus from the airport, but then realized that the station I was heading to—Balsan Station—was still far from central Seoul. So I needed to take another train. To get a train ticket, I needed a specific transit card that had to be loaded with cash. This was a pain. I didn’t have cash, so I had to withdraw money.
I tried using an ATM nearby, but for some reason, it didn’t work. I went into a 7-Eleven and asked for a transit card. I was able to buy the card, but I still needed cash to load it. When I asked the staff, there was an older couple there, probably in their 60s. The husband spoke English well and suggested I go to a large bank.
So I walked a few blocks and entered a big bank, Woori Bank. I asked a staff member for help withdrawing money, and he guided me to an ATM. I finally got cash. Looking back, it shouldn’t have been that difficult, but it took about two hours just to get money. Next time, I’ll go straight to a big bank since not all ATMs work with foreign cards.
By then, it was already around 3 PM, and I was finally heading into Seoul. I was hungry, so I decided to find some street food in a central area. I don’t remember the name of the place, unfortunately. I found a busy street stall and bought the most popular item there—hotteok. It tasted good, but it was too sweet and greasy to eat more than one.
Since I hadn’t slept the night before, I was extremely tired. I decided to rest at Starbucks. There are quite a few Starbucks locations in Seoul, and people use them similarly to Japan—talking, studying, or working, and staying for a long time. This is very different from the U.S., where people usually just grab a drink and leave.
I ordered a grande Americano and took a short nap. I was surprised by the size—it was bigger than I expected. After the nap, I felt much better.
Next, I headed to a judo dojo that I had contacted on Instagram after arriving in South Korea. I don’t usually like using social media, but it can be really useful for connecting with people. They replied quickly and gave me permission to join the training.
The training started at 7:10 PM. The dojo turned out to be one of the oldest in South Korea. The students were relatively older, but their energy during practice was incredibly high. I truly enjoyed training with them. Every time I see people who genuinely enjoy judo regardless of age, it makes me really happy.
Interestingly, there was another guest from England, 29 years old, who used to be a competitive athlete and even became a national champion. I had the chance to spar with him, and he was very strong.
After training, we went to a sports bar in central Seoul. I had Korean food, beer, and soju. I was impressed that some of the judo students spoke Japanese. I’m sure there are many Japanese speakers in South Korea.
By the time we left the bar, it was already around 11 PM. I barely managed to catch a bus heading toward Seoul Station. I planned to take a train to Incheon, but I couldn’t figure out which platform to go to, even after asking the station staff multiple times. The instructions I got were too vague.
I missed the last train, so I decided to sleep in an underground shelter at the station. I was drunk and exhausted, so I didn’t really care where I slept. I lay down on the floor among many homeless people. At first, I thought I could sleep there, but the smell was too strong. I ended up getting up and taking a taxi to Incheon Airport, which cost me about $70.
Even though it was expensive, it was an interesting experience.
I arrived at the airport around 2 AM and slept on some chairs. There were many people sleeping at the airport. I managed to get a few hours of rest. I woke up around 5 AM, checked in for my flight to Mongolia, finished all the procedures, and then went to a relaxation area to sleep a bit more.
For the first day of this trip, it was quite tough, but I’m really glad I left the airport and explored South Korea.
I’m going to stop writing this journal entry here and update another one about my first few days in Mongolia.