A decade ago, you had to file for a week or two if you were traveling to any destination. You worked 8 AM–5 PM, had weekends off for a quick trip or hike to the mountains, planned for a major local or international trip in anticipation of a promo fare, and targeted holidays adjacent to weekends—that was the cycle. Until the pandemic happened in 2020. Everyone was working from home. Desktops were replaced by laptops, and soon you could even work using your iPads. The pandemic really changed the way we work. Although people are now going back to the office, many still have the privilege to work remotely or at least on a hybrid setup.
Applying for a South Korean tourist visa was one of the things we had to take care of before our trip to Korea. Honestly, I thought the process was going to be complicated. I've heard stories about the documents you need to prepare, financial requirements, bank statements, and all the other paperwork that comes with applying for a visa. But fortunately for us, we were able to take advantage of the Simplification of Visa Application Documents for eligible credit card holders , which meant we did not have to submit some of the financial documents normally required for a tourist visa application. This is extended until Dec 31, 2026.
For many, Japan is a dream destination. Now I understand the feeling. When I started traveling 10 years ago, I did not set my eyes on East Asian countries like Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. My eyes were set on Southeast and South Asia. But the pandemic and recent world events changed my perspective, and I started planning trips around East Asia. Japan was the first country on my mind. But as it turned out, we were able to visit Taiwan first—because why not? Japan is such an incredible country, and I knew that we would eventually make our way there. In this blog, I will share our experience, our 8-day Japan itinerary , and our actual travel expenses from our trip. We visited Nagoya, Gifu, Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Kobe, and I will also share how much we spent on airfare, transportation, food, attractions, accommodation, and shopping.