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I'm very familiar with all three I lived in Seoul for 7 years, lived in Japan for 5 1/2 years (not Tokyo, but spent a lot of time in Tokyo as well), and now HK.
I like all 3 for completely different reasons. But, I think if I were to recommend a city to someone who has never been to Asia before, or not very well-traveled, or who doesn't have a specific interest or knowledge or awareness of Korea vs Japan vs HK.....
If, that were the case, than I'd recommend HONG KONG. Only because while all 3 have a lot to see and experience, if someone just doesn't know what they want to see and do, maybe Hong Kong is the easiest for someone unsure what they want to see and do.
I'll say that I loved living in Seoul, very much. But, it's very 'Korean', meaning that someone who just doesn't know anything whatsoever about Asia, Korea, Korean, etc. It might be overwhelming with a lot of confusion for them. Tokyo has even less English than Seoul, but the city is more world-class with more tourists, so it's probably easier to find 'tourist bubbles' while going around to sites and such. Hong Kong was a British colony for centuries, and while not a lot of English, it has more English than Tokyo, for sure.
I'd say Seoul is the least cosmopolitan among those three cities. Overall, I find Japan more cosmopolitan than most of Korea.
i have visited multiple times and/or lived in all those places. i'd recommend tokyo. get your money's worth. japanese people are the most polite. places are cleaner and better organized than the other cities you mentioned above.
if you like to get drunk with a lot of cheap alcohol, i recommend seoul. donna what kind of vacation you are looking for.
if you like to shop till you drop or particularly love chinese culture, i recommend hongkong.
I'm very familiar with all three I lived in Seoul for 7 years, lived in Japan for 5 1/2 years (not Tokyo, but spent a lot of time in Tokyo as well), and now HK.
I like all 3 for completely different reasons. But, I think if I were to recommend a city to someone who has never been to Asia before, or not very well-traveled, or who doesn't have a specific interest or knowledge or awareness of Korea vs Japan vs HK.....
If, that were the case, than I'd recommend HONG KONG. Only because while all 3 have a lot to see and experience, if someone just doesn't know what they want to see and do, maybe Hong Kong is the easiest for someone unsure what they want to see and do.
I'll say that I loved living in Seoul, very much. But, it's very 'Korean', meaning that someone who just doesn't know anything whatsoever about Asia, Korea, Korean, etc. It might be overwhelming with a lot of confusion for them. Tokyo has even less English than Seoul, but the city is more world-class with more tourists, so it's probably easier to find 'tourist bubbles' while going around to sites and such. Hong Kong was a British colony for centuries, and while not a lot of English, it has more English than Tokyo, for sure.
I find it odd Tokyo has less English than Seoul, since it's more international/well-known.
Personally I find Tokyo and HK more interesting. I agree, a first time visitor should probably visit Hong Kong. It's the most westernised, and China is still the dominant cultural influence of the Far East, while Tokyo and Seoul are very Japanese and Korean.
I find it odd Tokyo has less English than Seoul, since it's more international/well-known.
Seoul/Koreans are obsessed about being 'better than Japan' and they are equally obsessed about English. They are doing everything they can to be recognized as international and such.
Japan has already arrived at that 'international' a long time ago, and people will want to go to Japan no matter what. They are just more comfortable 'as is'. Most Japanese just assume that if you are a foreigner in Japan, that you're probably so interested, that you've already learned some Japanese.
Koreans will always assume you know nothing about Korea or the Korean language, and will use that as a starting point when dealing with you.
Seoul/Koreans are obsessed about being 'better than Japan' and they are equally obsessed about English. They are doing everything they can to be recognized as international and such.
Japan has already arrived at that 'international' a long time ago, and people will want to go to Japan no matter what. They are just more comfortable 'as is'. Most Japanese just assume that if you are a foreigner in Japan, that you're probably so interested, that you've already learned some Japanese.
Koreans will always assume you know nothing about Korea or the Korean language, and will use that as a starting point when dealing with you.
Ah I see...it's funny how now Korea wants to be so global, when they were so nationalistic before (and probably still are). Not that the two don't go hand in hand come to think (e.g. America). Yes, Japan is still more popular and interesting. Korea also has a reputation for isolation, it was called the 'Hermit Kingdom.'
I am in HK and visited Tokyo 10 times and Seoul once .
The best among the 3 is Tokyo. The food, (the best in the world what with having the most michelin starred restos beating Paris). The Museums and the Gardens, the culture goes back thousands of years. The cleanliness and politeness. I traveled solo two times there and the japanese were really helpful although they will not tolerate rudeness. And the entertainment is BAR NONE!! One drawback, the people hardly speak English but they sure have a lot of sense of humor.
I have been there 10 tens and still haven't really seen all of Tokyo. I will be traveling there again this year during spring 2014
Seoul is just a Tokyo wannabee. Neither here nor there. The culture is in between Chinese and Japanese. The city is modern but there's nothing much to see. Food? Just kimchi ,kimchi and more kimchi
Hong Kong is okay. I have lived there since 2008. Much better than Seoul. Food is good too. English is not widely spoken either so make sure you get your destinations translated to Chinese
South Korea will continue to rise like China, still plenty of rooms for improvement even it is already an asian tiger before the Chinese economic reform. Japan's growth has been slow since the 90's. Koreans are generally better than the Japanese in english. South Korea really started to rise in prominence lately with the global Korean Wave and Korean brands.
Seoul, Tokyo and HK have different policies and development on tourism. Mainland Chinese visitors are the increasing and most lucurative source of all cities. Korean culture is far more popular than Japanese culture in Mainland China, both China and Korea are anti-Japanese, Seoul will receive a lot more mainland chinese tourists than tokyo.
In my opinion, ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE is worth visiting. It's completely dependent on one variable, and that is the person's interests who is considering visiting the said locations.
Yes, but ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE are NOT tourist destinations, just b/c there are things to see no matter what and SOMEONE will go there. I understand what you are saying-I think the question is based on a place generally being regarded as a destination, by the media, the public, etc. People do visit Memphis, TN for example-but NYC is regarded as a tourist destination without exception.
The OP's question is based on the assumption that, yes, Tokyo, HK and Seoul are tourist destinations, with Tokyo and HK having more draw. That is the question: Can Seoul ever match that level of recognition as a tourist destination.
South Korea will continue to rise like China, still plenty of rooms for improvement even it is already an asian tiger before the Chinese economic reform. Japan's growth has been slow since the 90's. Koreans are generally better than the Japanese in english. South Korea really started to rise in prominence lately with the global Korean Wave and Korean brands.
Seoul, Tokyo and HK have different policies and development on tourism. Mainland Chinese visitors are the increasing and most lucurative source of all cities. Korean culture is far more popular than Japanese culture in Mainland China, both China and Korea are anti-Japanese, Seoul will receive a lot more mainland chinese tourists than tokyo.
The thing is, I think you cannot force tourism as an identity. NYC, Tokyo, London-they all organically grew into world class/famous tourist/vacation destinations. Their histories, culture and modern amenities created this. Something intrinsic to a place will draw people, IMO.
Yes, but ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE are NOT tourist destinations, just b/c there are things to see no matter what and SOMEONE will go there. I understand what you are saying-I think the question is based on a place generally being regarded as a destination, by the media, the public, etc. People do visit Memphis, TN for example-but NYC is regarded as a tourist destination without exception.
The OP's question is based on the assumption that, yes, Tokyo, HK and Seoul are tourist destinations, with Tokyo and HK having more draw. That is the question: Can Seoul ever match that level of recognition as a tourist destination.
I still feel Seoul and Korea in general just lack something to be a major tourist draw YET actually South Korea is already ahead of Japan: that's right, it gets more tourists, but the many casual visitors from neighbouring China skews things. I think if price wasn't an issue many more would visit Japan. I'm still rather surprised how few people visit Japan considering how many people are obsessed with it and it's culture and how influential is. Korean culture is less well known - even most K-pop isn't very traditional and tries to ape western stuff. Korea companies ape Japanese and western ones for the most part. Plus people see Korean culture as less distinct from Chinese, aside from the food. Vietnam is culturally very similar to China yet it is in the South-East Asia tourist zone, is cheap and has beaches. SK has beaches and some interesting and beautiful sites like Jeju island, but I suppose in Seoul especially, aside from the culture and being high-tech it's not a place that really fires the imagination like Tokyo or Hong Kong. Tokyo's culture is famously unique and eclectic, Hong Kong has amazing views and still a vibrant blending of east and west. Seoul feels a bit left out.
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I lived in Seoul for 7 years, lived in Japan for 5 1/2 years (not Tokyo, but spent a lot of time in Tokyo as well), and now HK.
Tokyo, hk, seoul
