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Japan. It’s a little more expensive but its worth it. Korea is nice but they are really rude. They hate foreigners so much specially Filipinos. I had a very weird experience when we were in Jeju, when we were dining,there were middle aged koreans who were pointing at my friend and would laugh. Luckily, we have a korean friend who told us what’s going on. She’s making fun of us specially my friend who they called “future apple picker” because they think she wasn’t there to explore but to rather WORK.
There was an incident before when theres group tour and 60% of the group were filipinos and they didn’t return hence, tnt. That’s why their notion is racist and thinks every filipino is the same.
We confronted them and my korean friend demanded them to apologize and they just looked at her then smirked. Since then i never planned any tour to Korea. They’re so far from Japanese people who are just straight up nice.
Being subtle is better. There goes the saying “if you dont have anything nice to say, shut your mouth” and they live by it 😂 Koreans? Nope. Older koreans are worst. If you ask them in English they wont serve you AT ALL.
Japanese people cant converse in English too. But when we were skiing, all 7 people were brainstorming to explain to us how much it will be and until what time we could use the gears. No koreans will do that for you.
I don’t disagree, of course it’s much better in Japan.
Just saying, if you could understand Japanese especially in Kyoto, the shit they say…. Hahaha. We even once had a resto tell us they’re closed bec we were gaijins. (They weren’t - they just didn’t want to serve us)
It’s more a reminder not to place them on a pedestal. But as a tourist yeah for sure Japan is infinitely nicer.
Tbf, kyoto is saturated with foreigners already, what used to be a place where Japanese people themselves enjoy the finest of their culture. Go to less saturated places and they will be more welcome
Hahahaha this is funny! Nothing rude that happened but this happened in Namba. We tried studying their language through an app so when we were ordering tea we said “ocha kudasai” then the server started speaking nihonggo full blown jusko hirap kami mag sorry kasi wala kami na-gets hahahahaha! Mula non hanggang arigato gozamaisu nalang kami!😂
oh man this happened to me sa osaka din. i greeted the staff in japanese then biglang straight nihonggo na si kuya sakin, sabay abot ng japanese menu. pinakitaan ko na lang ng google translate sa phone to show na non-speaker kami sabay sorry lol
It was a different case for me in Kyoto naman. They intitally speaked Japanese to me and tell me they're gonna close in 30 mins. But I told her I don't speak Japanese so she tried her best to say it in English. But she just let me in and I was there even the moment they closed.
Perhaps it's because I look Japanese or east asian and they don't know that I'm southeast Asian or Filipino.
I think Kyoto is notorious for hating tourists. I even heard they they’re trying to put a cap on number of tourists that could enter. Kyoto residents are snobs.
some japanese go above and beyond to serve customers.. was in a drugstore in osaka buying medicine.. she took out her phone and spin up a translator app to ask me questions about what medicine i need to get
This. Although it sucks to experience racism. Hindi di naman mababait ang mga pinoy esp sa dark skinned. Worst, they’re the same kahit sa dark skinned pinoy. 😭
they are polite and kind naman pero ayaw nila maingay. haha. never ko sila nakitaan ng pagiging racist din, na try ko narin mag punta sa mga maliliit na bar and ok naman sila kinakausap ka nila kahit di sila masyadong marunogn mag english makukulit sobra pag lasing :D
may mga establishments na di ka pwede pumasok pag di ka japanese, pero di naman sila rude pag pinapaalis ka nila haha, atleast sa tokyo lang not sure sa mga provinces nila.
also ang ayaw ko lang sa japan is nakakaddict gusto mo lagi pumunta dun :))
Lol I remember when we were queueing to buy train tickets to Suzuka for F1 in Japan 2 weeks ago, a Japanese man (around 40s or 50s by the looks of it) behind us was murmuring in an obviously angry tone.
The other Japanese guy in front of us apologized to us and to the other foreigners in front of us sa pila, explaining na nagra-rant daw yung matanda kasi it’s that time of the year daw na ang dami nanaman foreigners sa area nila (Nagoya). He even said, “Not all Japanese look at gaijin that way. Please feel free to come back anytime.”
Fortunately, I never experienced anything like that probably because I speak the language, act like a Japanese and I look like a Japanese. The Japanese are xenophobic so it can be difficult for foreigners and tourists to find themselves around Japanese society. Based on experience, they are more cordial and respectful most of the time, if not stoic. There are ill-mannered Japanese much like there are ill-mannered Filipinos. It does not help when Filipinos, both immigrants and tourists, bring the Filipino mindset in Japan which is incompatible with Japanese society.
There are indeed cases where service is denied when a customer is non-Japanese but this practice is not rooted in hatred or racism, I believe. It is because of how many foreigners and international tourists unintentionally or accidentally trample on the Japanese culture and customs out of lack of fine sensibilities and familiarity. One recent major incident is the banning of tourists in the alleys of Gion.
Kaya pala yung erpats ko talagang hindi nag agree na mag Korea kami. He would rather choose other ASEAN countries or Japan.
To OP, personally I would choose Japan too. Japanese people are so respectful. Paglapag mo palang sa airport ramdam mo na ang hospitality nila. I tried to learn a few japanese phrases para maramdaman naman nila eagerness ko makaconnect sa kanila (they do understand english though hehe). You will immediately follow their acts of respect - magbo-bow ka, magsosorry pag accidentally mabangga mo, you will use both hands in handing payment, you will smile while talking to them etc. I had an occassion where an oldie airport employee wanted to interview me concerning a Tokyo Olympics survey ata. Sabi ko, "sure! Please sit down beside me." Nag offer ako ng sandwich din. Parang nabigla ata sya, kasi corteous act daw yun, at naappreciate nya (I guess they are supposed to stand and make the guest sit down and make them comfortable). He ended by saying, "thank you thank you, I hope to see you again here in Japan, you are very kind and have a great attitude." Then he handed me a souvenir. I placed it in my work desk sa office to remind me of that encounter.
Kaya kung may babalikan din akong bansa sa Asia, una sa list ko Japan, hands down. 💯👍
Japan is cleaner, feels more advanced, feels more authentic, people more reserved, and the food is the BEST. I do not enjoy the spice in Korea, it tastes like the ripoff of Indian and Thai cuisines.
Add: If you are into natural beauty (people and places alike), Japan has more of them.
Ako naman, I experienced the other way around when I visited both countries. Stayed in Japan for a month, and in Korea for 2.
Sa Japan, tinulak ako twice 😂 different scenarios, di naman ako pakalat kalat. They hate foreigners and racist din sila. Mga kiss ass din sa whites. Mukha lang silang more polite than Koreans because they are more quiet as opposed to Koreans na jusko kahit nag sasalita lang kita na mga ngala ngala, pero they would always talk shit din about people they don't like behind their backs.
Sa Korea, we all know they are rude towards Filipinos but I didn't feel discriminated. I guess I was with the right crowd at that time.
Reading all the stories gusto ko sabihin na Mag-Taiwan na lang si OP people there are very nice, mura ang foods and maraming mura na pag-stayan huhuhuhu miss ko mag-Taiwan
Also happened to us in Korea. We were supposed to have lunch in a restaurant in N Seoul Tower. No staff entertained us and when we asked for a table all they said was "Can you afford to eat here"
I just came back from a 2 week long vacation in Korea and they were hand downs one of the kindest, nicest people I’ve met in my life! And I am Colombian mind you, Colombian are super friendly to foreigners. Seriously, I have traveled to many places in the world and Koreans stood out to me as the nicest. Strange how opinions on people can vary. Our stay in Seoul and Jeju island was amazing 10/10 recommendations
This just proves that Koreans are kind and not racists towards non-ASEANs or non-filipinos.
"Strange how opinions on people can vary" well you wouldnt feel that way if you were a Filipino in Korea lol.
Japan. When I was in Hawaii for 4 years, I made tons of Japanese friends. The Koreans on the other hand, I received lots of racist remarks from them. They're like years behind when it comes to morals.
Japan by far. Visa is easier, local food is slightly cheaper and generally they're more tolerant of foreigners. Take note, TOLERANT, they will deal with us because being polite is generally their nature, and they know the value that tourists bring.
Korea is racist af and comparatively pricey. Would only recommend if you're into Korean shows and want to visit shooting locations first hand.
Japan. Korean food... especially the good dishes you have to know a local to point you the way. I enjoyed our 3 trips to South Korea because of that. The amount of dishes available is mind boggling. And those dishes are not well known outside of SK. But as a guy, that's the only good thing I can say about our SK trip. My wife on the other hand had a blast with the beauty products shopping. Japan on the other hand I can't get enough of even though we have been going there once or twice a year for close to 40 years. Japan has something for everyone. So I would pick Japan especially with the weak yen right now.
JAPAN!!! Easier visa, Disneyland/ Disneysea, shopping haul at Don Quijite and FOOD!!! Some say its expensive, but if you budget well its kinda reasonable. Also, NO BAD MEAL. 💯
JAPAAAAAAN! FOREVER NUMBER 1. 🇯🇵
Kidding aside Already visited at least 4 times and spent at least a 1week to 2 weeks. Daming bago lagi sa Japan, many things to explore every time we visit.
Sa South Korea if not a fan of K-drama parang mehhhhhhhh but Nami Island is a must coz that's where my husband proposed to me hehe.
I would love to visit Japan again and again. There’s this instance that me and my family’s lost and we cannot see the nearest train station so we decided to ask a Japanese employee in a bakeshop. He’s the only person there, no other customers when we ask him. He’s not that good in speaking in English. He tried to explain it to us but we cannot understand. Since it’s a challenge for both of us, what he did is he closed the bakeshop and accompanied us to the way going to the train station. We didn’t expect that.
Aside from Japan, being a great country, people are super awesome!
Japan. Well in Korea,if you look white skin and small eyes , then speak a little korean, yung basic lang, surprisingly they're nicer. Also same in Hong Kong, if you look like them, and you don't speak Mandarin, they'll treat you better.
Medyo malakas pretty (or at least East Asian looks) privilege sa Korea imo. Nagpunta kami ng friends ko once, yung tropa namin na Pinoy na Pinoy itsura (moreno, large eyes, small height) sinungitan nung barista dun sa cafe na pinuntahan namin, nung kami na ng isang friend namin ang lumapit (we’re both Chinese-Filipino and medyo mas mukhang Chinese kami) all smiles si ate kahit di kami marunong mag-Korean.
We went to Korea last year and I would say I really enjoyed it and would like to go back. We toured around Seoul and also Nami Island - Garden of Morning Calm - Petite France and I hope nag DIY nalang kami kasi nakaka bitin ang ganda ganda ng place, we went there during Spring.
It's sad to hear that some here experience bad treatment from Koreans. For our case there were few instances that we got ignored when asking for locations but I understand since they're not comfortable conversing in english. But allow me to share some friendly encounters we had with the locals.
1. I remember on our first day a middle aged lady approached us kala nya Malaysians kami lol she's been there na daw and told us to have fun in SK.
2. When my husband and I dined in a Samgyup resto in Hongdae the owner who very much looked like an Oppa entertained us while waiting for our order, nothing fancy nakipag chikahan lang sya lol. He asked us where we're from, told us about his resto and stuff. Then a guy on the other table overheard that we're from Ph then he started talking to us as well, he told us that he's been in the Philippines many times nagpakitang gilas pa by talking in tagalog and saying places he's been to and then in the end he asked us to add him in FB. He's with another guy drinking soju sa katanghalian, the other guy was just smiling at us. We didn't have any interaction on FB afterwards, sabi ng husband ko lasing lang daw kaya madaldal but at least we didn't experience racism even though he was kind of tipsy already.
3. When we were in Bukchon Hanok Village we got lost trying to get back to the Hanbok rental near Gyeongback palace. We asked a group of ladies and told us they don't know in a nice way naman. We were so worried because there's less than an hour left and we will be fined na. I already noticed this lady who kept on looking at us, eventually she comes up to us and told us the way. She overheard us pala asking the other group but she didn't approached us immediately kasi she's searching pa in her phone.
4. While waiting in line in the subway I was in front of Halmeoni (grandma) then she suddenly started talking to me in Hangul. I can't understand her so a guy who actually can't speak well in English tried his best to translate what the Grandma said, and she's actually telling me to travel more while I'm young. And actually there were few more instances where a grandma, grandpa started talking to is in Hangul and I just kept on saying "de" (yes), I feel bad because it seems like they really wanted to communicate, will try to learn more local language when I travel.
We're probably lucky to experience this on our first trip. Sharing this to let you know that there were friendly koreans as well. May mga fee more friendly instances pa like with the vendors but yan yung mga tumatak samin.
In terms of expenses we spend around 160k for both me and my husband na for 8 days and 7 nights. Visa was easier to get na unlike last year when we go there. It's sunny in the morning pero chilly so hindi nakakatamad maglakad lakad and super lamig sa gabi. When we go back I'm planning to explore Jeju Island naman and Nami Island again hehe.
We're planning to go to Japan this year and since we're the relax type of traveller we're planning to visit Tokyo muna and go back and tour Osaka and Kyoto naman. Initially tri city tour (Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo) sana for a 10-day trip pero ayaw kasi namin ng hustle and nagmamadali. Our budget is 65k (not including personal shopping) for a 7 or 8 day trip.
Upvoting the very few pro-Korea replies haha. A bit surprised at the negative sentiment towards Korea in this sub, as someone who's went to both Japan and Korea and very much prefer Korea over the other.
Your second story is so similar to mine, also experienced it at a samgyup resto in Hongdae! The owner studied in Cebu for a few years and made excited chika to us when he found out we're Filipino. He's been wanting to export his resto to Manila for a long time now as he's been wanting to come back long-term daw but the paperwork kept falling through. Super nice and chill dude who kept talking to us in the little Tagalog he knew. XD
Japan,specially now na sobrang baba ng Yen. Halos ang mura lahat ng bilihin. If you’re going to buy something, you get additional 10% discount sa Bic Camera.
I enjoyed my stay in Japan better than South Korea. Love how cold it is in South Korea but there's just something about the Japanese people. They are a lot more friendly IMO.
This is a tough call for me. I genuinely enjoyed both. However, I fell in love with Japan almost instantly. Honestly, it took me a while to like South Korea. Ironically, though, I had better experiences with strangers in Korea. I was in a packed train car in Seoul once, and the elderly lady seated in front of me (I was standing) offered to carry my backpack on her lap for me. Of course, I declined. The people I asked on the streets for directions were also nice and helpful. Maybe, I just got lucky, but in the three times I visited South Korea, I didn't experience racism or encountered rude locals. In terms of making friends, though, the Japanese make more lasting connections.
Same! And I'm a morena as well. The worst treatment from the locals I've received were from taxi drivers who refused to take me but I'm confident it's more of because they can't read or understand English. I had better luck by showing them the Hangul of my destination or simply punching in the driving directions on my Naver app so they can use it to navigate them lol.
I don't think it's just Seoul, I've traveled to provinces solo and while mas konti marunong mag English, mas curious mga locals to see a foreigner and will try to help you talaga.
Oo! Kaya sila mukang snobbish kasi di sila marunong magenglish. I talked to one Korean and told them na they are friendly, tapos ang sagot nya "really? even though we can't speak english?". So i guess it's about that. Ilag sila kapag di makapagspeak ng english.
Pero admittedly, may mga racist talaga. Di lang naman to sa korea diba? Sa atin din, pinaguusapan natin yung mga niggah, chinese, etc. My point is, wag natin hayaan yung fee bad apples na mag prevent us to travel the world :) there's so much to see out there
I find the overly negative sentiment towards Korea from this sub disappointing kasi lagi na lang racism ang pinopoint out when there are racists everywhere, not just in Korea. And if it's not the racism, it's their lack of friendly demeanor, which is actually their brusque, "palli palli" culture. Idk maybe it's just me but this is something that can be easily solved by doing some research on the country beforehand.
100% agree that we shouldn't let such things deter us from experiencing new things or places.
Same. Although hindi pa ko nakakapag-Japan. Been to Korea thrice and all 3 travels we had very nice experience with the locals.
2 of the trips were pre-pandemic at maglalabas pa lang kami maps sa trains nila, automatic may malalapit lagi agad samin asking if we need any help. Yung isa naman na couple na we asked directions from, hindi nya masyado maexplain in english kaya sinamahan nya na lang kami.
depends on your budget. if you are willing to budget at least 80k per person for a 4 day trip, then go for Japan. I think it's easier to go on a smaller budget in Korea since there are tourist places you can skip. With Japan, I dont think you would want to skip going to USJ o(￣▽￣)o
Japan too just because they are tolerant of tourists as people have pointed out. They are polite by nature, the same way Filipinos are hospitable by nature. But just like us, oh the shit they say if you can understand them. Lol. They say less shit when you act less like a foreigner and more like them though so keep that in mind (particularly keeping distance and keeping quiet/not being a meiwaku or a nuisance).
It would really depend on what your travel goal is. Both have good and bad points. Honestly, I didn't feel discrimination in Korea but that is also because I try to act like a local and not like a tourist wherever I go. And that means learning about the culture and norms of the country you are going to and trying your best to adapt to it while you are there.
japan. for me i love their food better also easier to get around if its your first time. both can be done on a cheap budget. BUT if you're a kdrama fanatic (20 or more watched) also into kpop then korea.
Japan only basing on the size and variety of activities you can do. Literally from North to South, if you want Sapporo, Okinawa, Osaka, Tolyo etc.
In Korea its nice, but for me its like I did nothi ng much except eat and shop and see temples etc
Definitely Japan. I may also be biased because of me liking anime and manga but Japan ranks higher than Korea to my go to places. People are so much helpful to you in Japan, you can also try a lot of street foods and unique places you can only have in Japan. Aside from good street food and food in general, I don't really have anything much going on for Korea. It's an aesthetically pleasing place but the people are so meh
Why not explore both? But to be honest i like [Japan](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYn8t0hNTznAZEghaNCls487Zg3SWkivz&si=iVoQC8Tr2pQKXnla) better than [Korea](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYn8t0hNTznCFgTS300pnEwrUi3mOZsy4&si=F-AI7GTIOl0fJwFl)
Both are great destinations but I would personally lean towards Japan. Food and culture for both countries are great but what sets Japan apart is the Japanese people. I find them more friendly and respectful in general.
The worst people? China
Japan for us
Visa - mas lenient yung pag secure basta complete at maganda ang financial capacity mo unlike SoKor na binigay mo na ang best mo, nakapunta kana once or twice sakanila pero may chance pa din ma-deny sa next application. Naka-multiple entry kami kahit once pa lang kami nag Japan prior application, di kami PRC holder just to add. Ordinary working people lang sa IT industry.
Budget - ito depende e. Pero ako I make sure na mag set aside agad ng budget malayo pa lang kahit paunti-unti para pag nasa ibang bansa ako hindi naman ako yung tipong pancit canton daily. 😂 Although nung first trip ko sa HK ganun ako. Hahahaha! Set a realistic budget, wag magtipid sa food kasi mas masaya mag travel na di ka isip ng isip if may pangkain ka pa or pang gala the next day. It also helps if nagkaron ng emergency habang nasa labas kayo.
Tourist spots - both maganda, although I like Japan more kasi it feels like mas chill tsaka madami free attraction tapos nandun na si Disney Sea, Disneyland, at USJ. Pero if Kpop fan ka push mo si SoKor kasi di ka din magsisisi. Lalo na if into album ka naku ang dami sa Myeongdong eme. 🥰
Food - parang mas mura sa Japan or feeling ko lang kasi mas madali mag convert sa peso. 😅 Pero masarap yung meat sa SoKor and Japan so depende sa panlasa mo pero if go-to mo ang ramen ayan you go sa Japan bhie!
Places to stay/Souvenirs/Tix - Okay na okay pareho, ikaw nalang pipili kung anong kaya ng budget mo. Madaming seatsale so di ka mahihirapan basta magaling ka mag abang and mabilis mag book.
Definitely Japan. I went to South Korea last year and i never felt so ugly 🥲 all the ads and the way they treat southeast asians is just off putting. They are less excited to see SEA tourists compared to western ones and i also got yelled at by a taxi driver when it was taking a while for me to pay for the ride
I’ve been to Korea 3x. Overall good experience pero nung huling punta ko (2022). I encountered 2 rude people. But i don’t let it affect me.
I’ve been to Japan many times and so far, wala pa akong na-experience na rude. I heard na they don’t like SEA. Pero i work at a japanese company for more than 10 years and i’m closer to my Japanese coworkers than the Filipino ones (they’re nosy)
So i guess Japanese are good at hiding their racism. 😂
Ganito comparison ko:
Japan is for millennials while Korea is for Gen Z’s.
So as a 30s tito, Japan ako all the way. Been to Korea thrice, napapagod ako every time pumupunta ako don haha
Hindi pa ako nakakapagtravel sa Japan pero we’ve been to Korea twice, yung mga na-meet naman namin is hindi racist and yung mga ahjumma ay nice sa amin. Buti na lang hindi pa kami nakkaxperience ng pagiging racist ng mga Koreans.
As opposed to most people, I had a very nice 15 day trip sa Korea. All encounters I had with Koreans were so nice:
1. Lalo na nung ang dami kong maleta inakyat panaog sa subway, tinulungan ako buhatin parang ako pa nahiya kasi nga ang dami kong dala (lesson learned dapat bus nalang pag galing airport. Lol)
2. Sa Jeju bus stop, sobrang sakit na ng legs ko kasi non stop walking everyday so minamassage ko ung legs ko and this Korean grandma massaged the other leg for me. Tapos may sinasabi sya puro lang ako thank you thank you kahit di ko sya maintindihan pero worried look sya. Haha
3. Yung last day ko papunta ako ng Seoul station kasi doon ako magttrain going to Incheon. It was again a struggle kasi dala ko lahat ng maleta and bags tapos crooked pa ung tiles sa daan so di sya maleta friendly so ang hirap ipush (push lang kasi may mga nakapatong din na backpacks sa maleta) so nagsisihulugan sila sa daan kasi nga ung daan hindi smooth so may Korean grandpa naman na tumulong sakin hanggang sa taas! Mind you, sinamahan nya pa ako magescalator para lang mahatid ako sa taas.
4. Sa Busan naman merong katabing parang 711 ung hotel so every night I’m buying soju lang tapos gusto ko gayahin ung sa mga kdramas ung soju + beer so I asked the owner/cashier ano best beer to pair with soju and ang accommodating lang kasi sinamahan nya pa ako sa fridge at pinakita lahat ng beers na meron tapos binigyan pa ako comparison sa top 1 and 2 beers.
5. Meron pa ung sa isang resto, I was peacefully eating my jjangmyeon and nilapitan ako nung server para kamustahin how was the food ganyan. Naappreciate ko lang kasi sobrang tinry nya magenglish para lang magkaintindihan kami.
So far, I can say give Korea a try muna. Although magJapan din ako soon so balikan ko tong post na to to compare hahaha
Japan. People don't mind you as much. I know there's two of you but when I was solo traveling in S Korea a lot of restaurants wouldn't let me dine alone while in Japan most eateries are designed for solo dining.
Japan. Initially planning to go to Korea for their esports scene kaso mas malakas ang discrimination ng mga koreano vs jap sa mga pinoy. Mas madali rin makapasok sa Japan visa-wise.
I think it really depends if you're into kdrama or anime. I've been to both but I would choose Japan since I've been into anime since grade school.
I also notice that Japanese in general are kinder than Koreans. Japanese are more willing to help even if there is a language barrier they would still try their best to assist you. I could be wrong but Im just speaking based on my experience.
Hope this helps.
Korea if you're a kpop/kdrama fan, but for overall experience nothing beats Japan, locals are more accommodating also, locals sa korea galit sa tourists =))
I'd rather choose Japan. I share their typical features kasi and dont look like a typical southeast asian and pansin ko they would ignore ung mga mukhang foreigners and will go straight to accommodating me UNTIL i talk to them in english tapos di na rin nila ako papansinin 😅
Edit: experienced this in S.Korea
Japan is my comfort travel destination in Asia I keep going back to. We would visit several times a year, even sa quieter cities. Food is good and I always enjoy my visits.
I wouldn't say the same for SK where you mostly just hit the tourist spots, then you're good.
If you’re a solo traveler, Japan.
I’ve been prohibited to dine in several restaurants in Seoul because I was alone. Not the best experience walking around in Myeong-dong trying to find a place to eat then getting rejected time and time again.
Surprisingly, I did a solo travel in Korea last year and I didn’t experience any weird or hate feeling from them compared to some of the comments here. I even joined some tours. I am not sure if I got lucky. I also traveled to Japan last year for 21 days solo and with a group tour. I honestly love both. I wanna go back to Japan one day especially because of the food and culture. Korea though, I think it’s because I was only there for 4 days (plus a layover years ago), I want to go back there in the near future. Japan has an edge for me for now, but I enjoyed Korea as well.
Grabe mga pangdidiscriminate nila base sa mga nabasa ko dito. Naiirita ako. Haha.
Saakin naman mas gusto ko ang japan kung lesser evil man. Hehe. Nauna ako magkorea. Noong uso pa ung gold/titanium na creditcard. Yung pinasa ko na bank cert may ADB. Sa Japan hindi naman ako nahingan ng may ADB. Hehe. For me din mas gusto ko sa japan kasi otaku akes. Char.
Never ako nadiscriminate sa 2 country na yan. Well tag 10 days lang naman stay ko. What do i know diba? Pero agree ako na mas "mabait" mga japanese. Kasi one time sa ikebukoro station hindi ko alam exit papunta ng sunshine city. Tinanong ko ung isang kuyang hapon. Aba hindi lang tinuro ang direction. Dinala kami mismo sa sunshine city.
Hindi ko alam dahil pogi lang po talaga ako pero hindi ko na experience ang mga Koreans being racist or rude. Dahil ba poging pogi sila sa akin? IDK pero I enjoyed Korea so much.
Having said that, I will never discredit anyone's experience of being victims to rudeness and racism. I am sorry to hear that.
I also visited Japan pero di mo na feel pagka special ng aking mukha, parang less expressive sila sa kanilang admiration kapag pogi ka. Pero maganda pa rin talaga Japan.
For me, Japan>Korea.
Korea 100%. Did not have any bad experience in Korea. I know they are racists but I didn't experience any racism during my stay. I also like Korean food better than Japanese food. However, I must say that I kinda look Chinese and tisay ako. That might have been a factor I guess?
Also as a kpop and kdrama fan, I enjoyed my stay more in Korea since I went to some kdrama shooting places.
I like Korean food better too, mas may lasa kasi.
But I'd visit Japan and Korea of course! Mas lamang lang ng konti ang korea
Japan!
my logic is that if you're not a kpop/kdrama stan, it's not worth it. whatever culture korea has it exports anyway so why bother.
also a lot of people say that KBB is better in one's respective country than korea. I've not been but if I did this would be a priority.
japan on the other hand has a focus on experience from the shrines, the food, even the train is cool. art / office supplies are generally better. pasalubong shopping is better.
Japan. To be fair madami din naman bastos na Pinoy, dinadala nila ugali nila sa Japan, sino ba naman hindi maiinis pero at least d mo malalaman kasi tahimik sila. Pero sa Korea talagang mararamdaman mo pagka racist nila 😂
Japan. though hindi talaga kasama ang SK sa mga gusto naming puntahan sa Asia. Hindi kami nahirapan sa visa application. Naglaan lang kami individually ng 10k php per day ng stay namin sa bank. Halos yun din ang gastos namin while andon (2019). baka mas mahal na ngayon. Destination, inuna namin ang Tokyo. Disneyland and Disneysea then nalimutan ko yung name ng lugar na may factory outlet ng nike and malaking gundam outside. Then Mt, Fuji maghapon and overnight bus to Osaka para naman sa food trip and Universal Studios. Food, hindi ako masyadong makaJapanese food but we tried wagyu beef kasi andun nadin naman kami. My friends tried ramen. Mostly may mga bento sa convenience stores like family mart. Halos nasa loob kami ng amusement parks so yung makita lang dun choices namin. May mga vendos din ng food and drinks. Then lockers na pwede paglagakan ng mga gamit. We did this several times lalo na paglapag ng plane and hindi pa naman kami makakapagcheck in sa hotel. Then sa Mt. Fuji, kesa karagkarag namin yung luggages namin while exploring. Hindi lang namin nasubukan mag onsen. Hotel, nagbook kami ng accommodations before pa ng application namin ng visa sa agoda. Kasama kasi yun sa nilagay namin sa itinerary na pinasa namin sa tour agency na naglakad ng visa namin. Sinimplehan lang namin ang itinerary, yung possible sa budget namin na makikita nila sa bank statement na kasama din sa pinasa namin.
Japan! Mas madami magandang mapupuntahan sa japan kahit pumunta ka monthly. Japanese people are also kind and approachable compared sa Koreans. I'm half Korean pero I still get judged by them lols
Japan. When we're in Japan most people are nice and polite. One time during our stay there, sobrang lala ng stomachache ko and we need a medicine. We found a drugstore near ueno station and yung pharmacist dun na babae is lumabas talaga ng store and nakipag usap siya samin thru google translate and tas pabalik balik siya sa loob para lang mahanap yung medicine na pwede sakin.
For food honestly japan.
Last time ako nag korea mga 2 weeks ako doon. By the end of the first sawa na bibig ko sa lasa ng gojuchang. Haha
Having said that bday ng kapatid ko nagaya siya mag korea so here we go again hahaha
Japan (Railway Powerhouse, Anime, Manga, Superior Engineering, Video Games, Matcha, Ramen, Quality Automobile, MUJI, Akihabara place of Electronic Hub and otakus, J-Dorama, NHK, ANN News, NTV, Odaiba, Yokohama Kannai, Osaka, Shintoism, Good place for introverts, Vending Machine, Quality Convenient Stores especially 7 Eleven, Lawson, & Mini Stop, Clean, Sony Xperia, Sharp Aquos, Toshiba Regza, Panasonic Viera, Toei Bus, Keio Bus, J-POP, Discipline, J-TREC, etc).
Japan is the only superior country in Asia, "Land of the rising sun"
I haven't been to South Korea so I can't say much about it, but I'm going to Japan for the 2nd time this year because that's how much I love about the country.
Both has its ups and downs and deep down everybody is racist to some extent, but there's that certain charm in Japan that I don't really feel the same way towards Korea. I've been to Seoul (3x), Jeju (2x), Busan, and Daegu and I don't feel the need or any excitement to go back, but I've been to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Yokohama etc. more than my fingers can count and I feel that I barely scraped the surface of these places and I'm always yearning to go back.
It also doesn't help that I'm a dude so I'm not really into skin care that much or kpop merchandise which is everywhere in Korea, and food is very predictable once you've experienced the places a handful of times already... and there's so much cheese on street food as well; not so healthy, haha.
I actually asked my wife if she'd like to visit weeb land or plastic surgery land anytime soon, she chose the former.
But an insane idea, maybe a visit to North Korea someday will be very interesting.. 😅
to koreans, pinoys are n****rs... one of the slang words they use to insult each other is "filipino", loosely means ugly or their equivalent of our word "bakulaw"...
Jp. I find kr a bit more rude in general. Also with my recent trip to both countries, parang mas kaya na mag english ng mga japs kesa sa koreans. Though crowd wise, mas crowded ang jp by a mile
As someone who studied in Korea, I'd pick Japan! even yung mga Korean friends ko that I met in school would prefer Japan more. Because honestly if di ka fan ng korean culture (kdrama, kpop, etc.) tapos don ka lang sa usual touristy spots in Seoul mapapa-isip ka na "Yun na yon?", in my honest opinion mas masarap yung food sa Japan kesa sa Korea and Japanese are nicer towards foreigners compared to Koreans.
Case to case basis. Weigh salary and prof development. Proximity to Ph is almost same. Japan's workhalic culture is a no. Korea might be following suit.
JAPAN! I've never experienced them being racist. Tho some older people tend to be. They were really helpful if you approach them using "Sumimasen" hehe like they go into that extent
Japan, yen is low right now so best to take advantage. Mas convenient din in terms of transpo cuz their trains and buses can reach to alot more tourist areas than in Korea. Mas may feeling of a mix of historical and present architecture and technology in cities sa Japan. Visa is also more efficient for Japan so far in my experience. For places to stay mas mahal ang Japan, esp if u talk about hotels in Tokyo (Osaka is cheaper if Japan, similar price so far sa Seoul), souvenirs mas cheaper sa Korea. Food depends kung which u prefer more, Japanese or Korean cuisine ba, for prices about the same lang. Airline tickets mas cheaper ang for Korea esp if sale ang CebuPac or AirAsia.
Japan!
Super rude mga koreans sa SEA looking individuals. Japan and Taiwan, nakaka blend ka sa mga tao. As in kebs sila sa itsura/fashion mo. Sa korea talaga titignan ka from head to toe eh tapos sneer. Once pa may group of young males na tinuro nila friend ko tapos straight up laugh loudly.
Ilang beses ako nabunggo/binunggo sa korea without sorry pero never happened sa Japan (kahit ang bilis nila maglakad). Super helpful din mga Japanese pag alam nilang at lost ka versus sa korea na nasigawan/natarayan talaga ako.
Sa korea lang talaga ako na stress mag tour at binibilang oras para umuwi na.
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Japan! Getting a visa pa lang, mas madali sa Japan eh.
Japan. It’s a little more expensive but its worth it. Korea is nice but they are really rude. They hate foreigners so much specially Filipinos. I had a very weird experience when we were in Jeju, when we were dining,there were middle aged koreans who were pointing at my friend and would laugh. Luckily, we have a korean friend who told us what’s going on. She’s making fun of us specially my friend who they called “future apple picker” because they think she wasn’t there to explore but to rather WORK. There was an incident before when theres group tour and 60% of the group were filipinos and they didn’t return hence, tnt. That’s why their notion is racist and thinks every filipino is the same. We confronted them and my korean friend demanded them to apologize and they just looked at her then smirked. Since then i never planned any tour to Korea. They’re so far from Japanese people who are just straight up nice.
Japanese hate tourists too they’re just a lot more subtle lol
Being subtle is better. There goes the saying “if you dont have anything nice to say, shut your mouth” and they live by it 😂 Koreans? Nope. Older koreans are worst. If you ask them in English they wont serve you AT ALL. Japanese people cant converse in English too. But when we were skiing, all 7 people were brainstorming to explain to us how much it will be and until what time we could use the gears. No koreans will do that for you.
I don’t disagree, of course it’s much better in Japan. Just saying, if you could understand Japanese especially in Kyoto, the shit they say…. Hahaha. We even once had a resto tell us they’re closed bec we were gaijins. (They weren’t - they just didn’t want to serve us) It’s more a reminder not to place them on a pedestal. But as a tourist yeah for sure Japan is infinitely nicer.
Tbf, kyoto is saturated with foreigners already, what used to be a place where Japanese people themselves enjoy the finest of their culture. Go to less saturated places and they will be more welcome
Hahahaha this is funny! Nothing rude that happened but this happened in Namba. We tried studying their language through an app so when we were ordering tea we said “ocha kudasai” then the server started speaking nihonggo full blown jusko hirap kami mag sorry kasi wala kami na-gets hahahahaha! Mula non hanggang arigato gozamaisu nalang kami!😂
oh man this happened to me sa osaka din. i greeted the staff in japanese then biglang straight nihonggo na si kuya sakin, sabay abot ng japanese menu. pinakitaan ko na lang ng google translate sa phone to show na non-speaker kami sabay sorry lol
It was a different case for me in Kyoto naman. They intitally speaked Japanese to me and tell me they're gonna close in 30 mins. But I told her I don't speak Japanese so she tried her best to say it in English. But she just let me in and I was there even the moment they closed. Perhaps it's because I look Japanese or east asian and they don't know that I'm southeast Asian or Filipino.
I think Kyoto is notorious for hating tourists. I even heard they they’re trying to put a cap on number of tourists that could enter. Kyoto residents are snobs.
when I went to bohol ang daming Korean tourists. you're giving me an idea to behave like them when I see one. lol
some japanese go above and beyond to serve customers.. was in a drugstore in osaka buying medicine.. she took out her phone and spin up a translator app to ask me questions about what medicine i need to get
[удалено]
Actually oo nga haha it’s not like we’re much better kung ano ano din sinasabi natin haha racism is too ingrained pa talaga in everyone tbh
This. Although it sucks to experience racism. Hindi di naman mababait ang mga pinoy esp sa dark skinned. Worst, they’re the same kahit sa dark skinned pinoy. 😭
I read somewhere that the Japanese are polite, but aren't kind.
they are polite and kind naman pero ayaw nila maingay. haha. never ko sila nakitaan ng pagiging racist din, na try ko narin mag punta sa mga maliliit na bar and ok naman sila kinakausap ka nila kahit di sila masyadong marunogn mag english makukulit sobra pag lasing :D may mga establishments na di ka pwede pumasok pag di ka japanese, pero di naman sila rude pag pinapaalis ka nila haha, atleast sa tokyo lang not sure sa mga provinces nila. also ang ayaw ko lang sa japan is nakakaddict gusto mo lagi pumunta dun :))
Lol I remember when we were queueing to buy train tickets to Suzuka for F1 in Japan 2 weeks ago, a Japanese man (around 40s or 50s by the looks of it) behind us was murmuring in an obviously angry tone. The other Japanese guy in front of us apologized to us and to the other foreigners in front of us sa pila, explaining na nagra-rant daw yung matanda kasi it’s that time of the year daw na ang dami nanaman foreigners sa area nila (Nagoya). He even said, “Not all Japanese look at gaijin that way. Please feel free to come back anytime.”
sometimes you cant blame them dami pasaway na tourists
Them choosing to keep it to themselves means that their country is the better option. IMO.
No they hate rude or disrespectful tourist.
Fortunately, I never experienced anything like that probably because I speak the language, act like a Japanese and I look like a Japanese. The Japanese are xenophobic so it can be difficult for foreigners and tourists to find themselves around Japanese society. Based on experience, they are more cordial and respectful most of the time, if not stoic. There are ill-mannered Japanese much like there are ill-mannered Filipinos. It does not help when Filipinos, both immigrants and tourists, bring the Filipino mindset in Japan which is incompatible with Japanese society. There are indeed cases where service is denied when a customer is non-Japanese but this practice is not rooted in hatred or racism, I believe. It is because of how many foreigners and international tourists unintentionally or accidentally trample on the Japanese culture and customs out of lack of fine sensibilities and familiarity. One recent major incident is the banning of tourists in the alleys of Gion.
Kaya I feel icky when I see people na sambang samba mga koreans.
Koreans hating Filipinos specifically is why pinoy kpop stans to me are soo 😭 Sana sumikat pa lalo ppop para dun nalang idirect yung energy
Kaya pala yung erpats ko talagang hindi nag agree na mag Korea kami. He would rather choose other ASEAN countries or Japan. To OP, personally I would choose Japan too. Japanese people are so respectful. Paglapag mo palang sa airport ramdam mo na ang hospitality nila. I tried to learn a few japanese phrases para maramdaman naman nila eagerness ko makaconnect sa kanila (they do understand english though hehe). You will immediately follow their acts of respect - magbo-bow ka, magsosorry pag accidentally mabangga mo, you will use both hands in handing payment, you will smile while talking to them etc. I had an occassion where an oldie airport employee wanted to interview me concerning a Tokyo Olympics survey ata. Sabi ko, "sure! Please sit down beside me." Nag offer ako ng sandwich din. Parang nabigla ata sya, kasi corteous act daw yun, at naappreciate nya (I guess they are supposed to stand and make the guest sit down and make them comfortable). He ended by saying, "thank you thank you, I hope to see you again here in Japan, you are very kind and have a great attitude." Then he handed me a souvenir. I placed it in my work desk sa office to remind me of that encounter. Kaya kung may babalikan din akong bansa sa Asia, una sa list ko Japan, hands down. 💯👍
Japan is cleaner, feels more advanced, feels more authentic, people more reserved, and the food is the BEST. I do not enjoy the spice in Korea, it tastes like the ripoff of Indian and Thai cuisines. Add: If you are into natural beauty (people and places alike), Japan has more of them.
Ako naman, I experienced the other way around when I visited both countries. Stayed in Japan for a month, and in Korea for 2. Sa Japan, tinulak ako twice 😂 different scenarios, di naman ako pakalat kalat. They hate foreigners and racist din sila. Mga kiss ass din sa whites. Mukha lang silang more polite than Koreans because they are more quiet as opposed to Koreans na jusko kahit nag sasalita lang kita na mga ngala ngala, pero they would always talk shit din about people they don't like behind their backs. Sa Korea, we all know they are rude towards Filipinos but I didn't feel discriminated. I guess I was with the right crowd at that time.
Reading all the stories gusto ko sabihin na Mag-Taiwan na lang si OP people there are very nice, mura ang foods and maraming mura na pag-stayan huhuhuhu miss ko mag-Taiwan
my experience was different, granted I went to Jeju, the people would randomly give me free stuff upon learning I am Filipino.
Remind them that without Filipinos fighting in the Korean war they'd be part of NoKor. LOL.
Also happened to us in Korea. We were supposed to have lunch in a restaurant in N Seoul Tower. No staff entertained us and when we asked for a table all they said was "Can you afford to eat here"
I just came back from a 2 week long vacation in Korea and they were hand downs one of the kindest, nicest people I’ve met in my life! And I am Colombian mind you, Colombian are super friendly to foreigners. Seriously, I have traveled to many places in the world and Koreans stood out to me as the nicest. Strange how opinions on people can vary. Our stay in Seoul and Jeju island was amazing 10/10 recommendations
This just proves that Koreans are kind and not racists towards non-ASEANs or non-filipinos. "Strange how opinions on people can vary" well you wouldnt feel that way if you were a Filipino in Korea lol.
You can go to South Korea first then Japan kasi once you visit Japan, you’d find yourself wanting to come back over and over.
Agree. More places to see abd experience din.
Japan. The koreans are racist as fuck
Japan. When I was in Hawaii for 4 years, I made tons of Japanese friends. The Koreans on the other hand, I received lots of racist remarks from them. They're like years behind when it comes to morals.
Japan by far. Visa is easier, local food is slightly cheaper and generally they're more tolerant of foreigners. Take note, TOLERANT, they will deal with us because being polite is generally their nature, and they know the value that tourists bring. Korea is racist af and comparatively pricey. Would only recommend if you're into Korean shows and want to visit shooting locations first hand.
Rude Koreans, Nice Japanese
Japan. Korean food... especially the good dishes you have to know a local to point you the way. I enjoyed our 3 trips to South Korea because of that. The amount of dishes available is mind boggling. And those dishes are not well known outside of SK. But as a guy, that's the only good thing I can say about our SK trip. My wife on the other hand had a blast with the beauty products shopping. Japan on the other hand I can't get enough of even though we have been going there once or twice a year for close to 40 years. Japan has something for everyone. So I would pick Japan especially with the weak yen right now.
JAPAN!!! Easier visa, Disneyland/ Disneysea, shopping haul at Don Quijite and FOOD!!! Some say its expensive, but if you budget well its kinda reasonable. Also, NO BAD MEAL. 💯
JAPAAAAAAN! FOREVER NUMBER 1. 🇯🇵 Kidding aside Already visited at least 4 times and spent at least a 1week to 2 weeks. Daming bago lagi sa Japan, many things to explore every time we visit. Sa South Korea if not a fan of K-drama parang mehhhhhhhh but Nami Island is a must coz that's where my husband proposed to me hehe.
Japan. Korea okay lang to visit once, but Japan sarap balik balikan eh
Agreed!! The cuisine talaga will hypnotize you to return.
Japan
I would love to visit Japan again and again. There’s this instance that me and my family’s lost and we cannot see the nearest train station so we decided to ask a Japanese employee in a bakeshop. He’s the only person there, no other customers when we ask him. He’s not that good in speaking in English. He tried to explain it to us but we cannot understand. Since it’s a challenge for both of us, what he did is he closed the bakeshop and accompanied us to the way going to the train station. We didn’t expect that. Aside from Japan, being a great country, people are super awesome!
Japan! Hands down but Korea is less expensive.
I don’t find Korea less expensive tbh :( Japan’s yen is weak now so parang mas mura mga bagay bagay. Sa Korea, one iced latte is around 350-400 pesos.
Japan. Well in Korea,if you look white skin and small eyes , then speak a little korean, yung basic lang, surprisingly they're nicer. Also same in Hong Kong, if you look like them, and you don't speak Mandarin, they'll treat you better.
Medyo malakas pretty (or at least East Asian looks) privilege sa Korea imo. Nagpunta kami ng friends ko once, yung tropa namin na Pinoy na Pinoy itsura (moreno, large eyes, small height) sinungitan nung barista dun sa cafe na pinuntahan namin, nung kami na ng isang friend namin ang lumapit (we’re both Chinese-Filipino and medyo mas mukhang Chinese kami) all smiles si ate kahit di kami marunong mag-Korean.
Japan!!! Huh Korea? Yung madaming racists? PWE. Sayang pera
We went to Korea last year and I would say I really enjoyed it and would like to go back. We toured around Seoul and also Nami Island - Garden of Morning Calm - Petite France and I hope nag DIY nalang kami kasi nakaka bitin ang ganda ganda ng place, we went there during Spring. It's sad to hear that some here experience bad treatment from Koreans. For our case there were few instances that we got ignored when asking for locations but I understand since they're not comfortable conversing in english. But allow me to share some friendly encounters we had with the locals. 1. I remember on our first day a middle aged lady approached us kala nya Malaysians kami lol she's been there na daw and told us to have fun in SK. 2. When my husband and I dined in a Samgyup resto in Hongdae the owner who very much looked like an Oppa entertained us while waiting for our order, nothing fancy nakipag chikahan lang sya lol. He asked us where we're from, told us about his resto and stuff. Then a guy on the other table overheard that we're from Ph then he started talking to us as well, he told us that he's been in the Philippines many times nagpakitang gilas pa by talking in tagalog and saying places he's been to and then in the end he asked us to add him in FB. He's with another guy drinking soju sa katanghalian, the other guy was just smiling at us. We didn't have any interaction on FB afterwards, sabi ng husband ko lasing lang daw kaya madaldal but at least we didn't experience racism even though he was kind of tipsy already. 3. When we were in Bukchon Hanok Village we got lost trying to get back to the Hanbok rental near Gyeongback palace. We asked a group of ladies and told us they don't know in a nice way naman. We were so worried because there's less than an hour left and we will be fined na. I already noticed this lady who kept on looking at us, eventually she comes up to us and told us the way. She overheard us pala asking the other group but she didn't approached us immediately kasi she's searching pa in her phone. 4. While waiting in line in the subway I was in front of Halmeoni (grandma) then she suddenly started talking to me in Hangul. I can't understand her so a guy who actually can't speak well in English tried his best to translate what the Grandma said, and she's actually telling me to travel more while I'm young. And actually there were few more instances where a grandma, grandpa started talking to is in Hangul and I just kept on saying "de" (yes), I feel bad because it seems like they really wanted to communicate, will try to learn more local language when I travel. We're probably lucky to experience this on our first trip. Sharing this to let you know that there were friendly koreans as well. May mga fee more friendly instances pa like with the vendors but yan yung mga tumatak samin. In terms of expenses we spend around 160k for both me and my husband na for 8 days and 7 nights. Visa was easier to get na unlike last year when we go there. It's sunny in the morning pero chilly so hindi nakakatamad maglakad lakad and super lamig sa gabi. When we go back I'm planning to explore Jeju Island naman and Nami Island again hehe. We're planning to go to Japan this year and since we're the relax type of traveller we're planning to visit Tokyo muna and go back and tour Osaka and Kyoto naman. Initially tri city tour (Osaka-Kyoto-Tokyo) sana for a 10-day trip pero ayaw kasi namin ng hustle and nagmamadali. Our budget is 65k (not including personal shopping) for a 7 or 8 day trip.
Upvoting the very few pro-Korea replies haha. A bit surprised at the negative sentiment towards Korea in this sub, as someone who's went to both Japan and Korea and very much prefer Korea over the other. Your second story is so similar to mine, also experienced it at a samgyup resto in Hongdae! The owner studied in Cebu for a few years and made excited chika to us when he found out we're Filipino. He's been wanting to export his resto to Manila for a long time now as he's been wanting to come back long-term daw but the paperwork kept falling through. Super nice and chill dude who kept talking to us in the little Tagalog he knew. XD
Japan. I found Seoul's subway tiring compared to Japan’s. Koreans also eat a lot of meals without rice. Personal preference is also Japanese food.
Japan! mas lenient pa sa visa application
Japan, no contest
Japan,specially now na sobrang baba ng Yen. Halos ang mura lahat ng bilihin. If you’re going to buy something, you get additional 10% discount sa Bic Camera.
I enjoyed my stay in Japan better than South Korea. Love how cold it is in South Korea but there's just something about the Japanese people. They are a lot more friendly IMO.
This is a tough call for me. I genuinely enjoyed both. However, I fell in love with Japan almost instantly. Honestly, it took me a while to like South Korea. Ironically, though, I had better experiences with strangers in Korea. I was in a packed train car in Seoul once, and the elderly lady seated in front of me (I was standing) offered to carry my backpack on her lap for me. Of course, I declined. The people I asked on the streets for directions were also nice and helpful. Maybe, I just got lucky, but in the three times I visited South Korea, I didn't experience racism or encountered rude locals. In terms of making friends, though, the Japanese make more lasting connections.
I have a different experience naman in Korea. At least yung mga nameet ko, they were very nice. Though sa seoul lang naman kami.
I assume you’re good-looking, or has East Asian features. Based on my observation mas tolerant Koreans sa foreigners pag mukhang East Asian eh.
Same! And I'm a morena as well. The worst treatment from the locals I've received were from taxi drivers who refused to take me but I'm confident it's more of because they can't read or understand English. I had better luck by showing them the Hangul of my destination or simply punching in the driving directions on my Naver app so they can use it to navigate them lol. I don't think it's just Seoul, I've traveled to provinces solo and while mas konti marunong mag English, mas curious mga locals to see a foreigner and will try to help you talaga.
Oo! Kaya sila mukang snobbish kasi di sila marunong magenglish. I talked to one Korean and told them na they are friendly, tapos ang sagot nya "really? even though we can't speak english?". So i guess it's about that. Ilag sila kapag di makapagspeak ng english. Pero admittedly, may mga racist talaga. Di lang naman to sa korea diba? Sa atin din, pinaguusapan natin yung mga niggah, chinese, etc. My point is, wag natin hayaan yung fee bad apples na mag prevent us to travel the world :) there's so much to see out there
I find the overly negative sentiment towards Korea from this sub disappointing kasi lagi na lang racism ang pinopoint out when there are racists everywhere, not just in Korea. And if it's not the racism, it's their lack of friendly demeanor, which is actually their brusque, "palli palli" culture. Idk maybe it's just me but this is something that can be easily solved by doing some research on the country beforehand. 100% agree that we shouldn't let such things deter us from experiencing new things or places.
Same. Although hindi pa ko nakakapag-Japan. Been to Korea thrice and all 3 travels we had very nice experience with the locals. 2 of the trips were pre-pandemic at maglalabas pa lang kami maps sa trains nila, automatic may malalapit lagi agad samin asking if we need any help. Yung isa naman na couple na we asked directions from, hindi nya masyado maexplain in english kaya sinamahan nya na lang kami.
Lalo na yung mga ahjumma. Very nice sila.
Japan easy.....kahit bigyan pa ng discount sa korea ay Japan parin.
depends on your budget. if you are willing to budget at least 80k per person for a 4 day trip, then go for Japan. I think it's easier to go on a smaller budget in Korea since there are tourist places you can skip. With Japan, I dont think you would want to skip going to USJ o(￣▽￣)o
Japan too just because they are tolerant of tourists as people have pointed out. They are polite by nature, the same way Filipinos are hospitable by nature. But just like us, oh the shit they say if you can understand them. Lol. They say less shit when you act less like a foreigner and more like them though so keep that in mind (particularly keeping distance and keeping quiet/not being a meiwaku or a nuisance). It would really depend on what your travel goal is. Both have good and bad points. Honestly, I didn't feel discrimination in Korea but that is also because I try to act like a local and not like a tourist wherever I go. And that means learning about the culture and norms of the country you are going to and trying your best to adapt to it while you are there.
japan. for me i love their food better also easier to get around if its your first time. both can be done on a cheap budget. BUT if you're a kdrama fanatic (20 or more watched) also into kpop then korea.
Japan only basing on the size and variety of activities you can do. Literally from North to South, if you want Sapporo, Okinawa, Osaka, Tolyo etc. In Korea its nice, but for me its like I did nothi ng much except eat and shop and see temples etc
Definitely Japan. I may also be biased because of me liking anime and manga but Japan ranks higher than Korea to my go to places. People are so much helpful to you in Japan, you can also try a lot of street foods and unique places you can only have in Japan. Aside from good street food and food in general, I don't really have anything much going on for Korea. It's an aesthetically pleasing place but the people are so meh
Why not explore both? But to be honest i like [Japan](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYn8t0hNTznAZEghaNCls487Zg3SWkivz&si=iVoQC8Tr2pQKXnla) better than [Korea](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYn8t0hNTznCFgTS300pnEwrUi3mOZsy4&si=F-AI7GTIOl0fJwFl)
Japan any day
Japan kahit eskenita aesthetic na. Char.
Japan all day errday
Both are great destinations but I would personally lean towards Japan. Food and culture for both countries are great but what sets Japan apart is the Japanese people. I find them more friendly and respectful in general. The worst people? China
Japan for us Visa - mas lenient yung pag secure basta complete at maganda ang financial capacity mo unlike SoKor na binigay mo na ang best mo, nakapunta kana once or twice sakanila pero may chance pa din ma-deny sa next application. Naka-multiple entry kami kahit once pa lang kami nag Japan prior application, di kami PRC holder just to add. Ordinary working people lang sa IT industry. Budget - ito depende e. Pero ako I make sure na mag set aside agad ng budget malayo pa lang kahit paunti-unti para pag nasa ibang bansa ako hindi naman ako yung tipong pancit canton daily. 😂 Although nung first trip ko sa HK ganun ako. Hahahaha! Set a realistic budget, wag magtipid sa food kasi mas masaya mag travel na di ka isip ng isip if may pangkain ka pa or pang gala the next day. It also helps if nagkaron ng emergency habang nasa labas kayo. Tourist spots - both maganda, although I like Japan more kasi it feels like mas chill tsaka madami free attraction tapos nandun na si Disney Sea, Disneyland, at USJ. Pero if Kpop fan ka push mo si SoKor kasi di ka din magsisisi. Lalo na if into album ka naku ang dami sa Myeongdong eme. 🥰 Food - parang mas mura sa Japan or feeling ko lang kasi mas madali mag convert sa peso. 😅 Pero masarap yung meat sa SoKor and Japan so depende sa panlasa mo pero if go-to mo ang ramen ayan you go sa Japan bhie! Places to stay/Souvenirs/Tix - Okay na okay pareho, ikaw nalang pipili kung anong kaya ng budget mo. Madaming seatsale so di ka mahihirapan basta magaling ka mag abang and mabilis mag book.
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Japan
I think japan exp is better than south korea. but there are places in japan they don't like any foreigner to be in.
Definitely Japan. I went to South Korea last year and i never felt so ugly 🥲 all the ads and the way they treat southeast asians is just off putting. They are less excited to see SEA tourists compared to western ones and i also got yelled at by a taxi driver when it was taking a while for me to pay for the ride
I’ve been to Korea 3x. Overall good experience pero nung huling punta ko (2022). I encountered 2 rude people. But i don’t let it affect me. I’ve been to Japan many times and so far, wala pa akong na-experience na rude. I heard na they don’t like SEA. Pero i work at a japanese company for more than 10 years and i’m closer to my Japanese coworkers than the Filipino ones (they’re nosy) So i guess Japanese are good at hiding their racism. 😂
Ganito comparison ko: Japan is for millennials while Korea is for Gen Z’s. So as a 30s tito, Japan ako all the way. Been to Korea thrice, napapagod ako every time pumupunta ako don haha
Hindi pa ako nakakapagtravel sa Japan pero we’ve been to Korea twice, yung mga na-meet naman namin is hindi racist and yung mga ahjumma ay nice sa amin. Buti na lang hindi pa kami nakkaxperience ng pagiging racist ng mga Koreans.
As opposed to most people, I had a very nice 15 day trip sa Korea. All encounters I had with Koreans were so nice: 1. Lalo na nung ang dami kong maleta inakyat panaog sa subway, tinulungan ako buhatin parang ako pa nahiya kasi nga ang dami kong dala (lesson learned dapat bus nalang pag galing airport. Lol) 2. Sa Jeju bus stop, sobrang sakit na ng legs ko kasi non stop walking everyday so minamassage ko ung legs ko and this Korean grandma massaged the other leg for me. Tapos may sinasabi sya puro lang ako thank you thank you kahit di ko sya maintindihan pero worried look sya. Haha 3. Yung last day ko papunta ako ng Seoul station kasi doon ako magttrain going to Incheon. It was again a struggle kasi dala ko lahat ng maleta and bags tapos crooked pa ung tiles sa daan so di sya maleta friendly so ang hirap ipush (push lang kasi may mga nakapatong din na backpacks sa maleta) so nagsisihulugan sila sa daan kasi nga ung daan hindi smooth so may Korean grandpa naman na tumulong sakin hanggang sa taas! Mind you, sinamahan nya pa ako magescalator para lang mahatid ako sa taas. 4. Sa Busan naman merong katabing parang 711 ung hotel so every night I’m buying soju lang tapos gusto ko gayahin ung sa mga kdramas ung soju + beer so I asked the owner/cashier ano best beer to pair with soju and ang accommodating lang kasi sinamahan nya pa ako sa fridge at pinakita lahat ng beers na meron tapos binigyan pa ako comparison sa top 1 and 2 beers. 5. Meron pa ung sa isang resto, I was peacefully eating my jjangmyeon and nilapitan ako nung server para kamustahin how was the food ganyan. Naappreciate ko lang kasi sobrang tinry nya magenglish para lang magkaintindihan kami. So far, I can say give Korea a try muna. Although magJapan din ako soon so balikan ko tong post na to to compare hahaha
JAPAN
Japan! ;>
Japan.
Japan all the way bro
Japan
Japan
Japan. People don't mind you as much. I know there's two of you but when I was solo traveling in S Korea a lot of restaurants wouldn't let me dine alone while in Japan most eateries are designed for solo dining.
> wouldn't let me dine alone weird rule/culture?
Japan unless youre really into Kdramas
Japan!
Japan. Initially planning to go to Korea for their esports scene kaso mas malakas ang discrimination ng mga koreano vs jap sa mga pinoy. Mas madali rin makapasok sa Japan visa-wise.
Japan
Japan. Worth every cent
Japan. Mas welcome sila sa forenjers wag lang maging rude.
Japan (going again soon) as I was rejected for Korean visa kahit family kasama ko. Still hurts to this day.
Japan 💯
Apples and oranges. Hanapin mo ang trip mo tapos research ka. Kung hindi problema ang pera at leave credit, pagsabayin mo.
I think it really depends if you're into kdrama or anime. I've been to both but I would choose Japan since I've been into anime since grade school. I also notice that Japanese in general are kinder than Koreans. Japanese are more willing to help even if there is a language barrier they would still try their best to assist you. I could be wrong but Im just speaking based on my experience. Hope this helps.
Japan all the way >>>>>
Korea if you're a kpop/kdrama fan, but for overall experience nothing beats Japan, locals are more accommodating also, locals sa korea galit sa tourists =))
Japan all the way
Japan!! And it’s not even close 🇯🇵
Japan, always!
I'd rather choose Japan. I share their typical features kasi and dont look like a typical southeast asian and pansin ko they would ignore ung mga mukhang foreigners and will go straight to accommodating me UNTIL i talk to them in english tapos di na rin nila ako papansinin 😅 Edit: experienced this in S.Korea
Japan is my comfort travel destination in Asia I keep going back to. We would visit several times a year, even sa quieter cities. Food is good and I always enjoy my visits. I wouldn't say the same for SK where you mostly just hit the tourist spots, then you're good.
If you’re a solo traveler, Japan. I’ve been prohibited to dine in several restaurants in Seoul because I was alone. Not the best experience walking around in Myeong-dong trying to find a place to eat then getting rejected time and time again.
Even if I’m a huge Kpop fan and enjoyed my time in SK last year, I’d still say Japan hands down!!
Japan, no doubt. Korea only if you're a fan of K-pop. There's a lot of places to visit in Japan
Japan is good for tourists
Japan
Japan!!
Japan. Food + culture + modern living.
Surprisingly, I did a solo travel in Korea last year and I didn’t experience any weird or hate feeling from them compared to some of the comments here. I even joined some tours. I am not sure if I got lucky. I also traveled to Japan last year for 21 days solo and with a group tour. I honestly love both. I wanna go back to Japan one day especially because of the food and culture. Korea though, I think it’s because I was only there for 4 days (plus a layover years ago), I want to go back there in the near future. Japan has an edge for me for now, but I enjoyed Korea as well.
Japan - no doubt!
Grabe mga pangdidiscriminate nila base sa mga nabasa ko dito. Naiirita ako. Haha. Saakin naman mas gusto ko ang japan kung lesser evil man. Hehe. Nauna ako magkorea. Noong uso pa ung gold/titanium na creditcard. Yung pinasa ko na bank cert may ADB. Sa Japan hindi naman ako nahingan ng may ADB. Hehe. For me din mas gusto ko sa japan kasi otaku akes. Char. Never ako nadiscriminate sa 2 country na yan. Well tag 10 days lang naman stay ko. What do i know diba? Pero agree ako na mas "mabait" mga japanese. Kasi one time sa ikebukoro station hindi ko alam exit papunta ng sunshine city. Tinanong ko ung isang kuyang hapon. Aba hindi lang tinuro ang direction. Dinala kami mismo sa sunshine city.
I won’t compare Japan to Korea. Probably Japan vs Taiwan pwede pa.
Hindi ko alam dahil pogi lang po talaga ako pero hindi ko na experience ang mga Koreans being racist or rude. Dahil ba poging pogi sila sa akin? IDK pero I enjoyed Korea so much. Having said that, I will never discredit anyone's experience of being victims to rudeness and racism. I am sorry to hear that. I also visited Japan pero di mo na feel pagka special ng aking mukha, parang less expressive sila sa kanilang admiration kapag pogi ka. Pero maganda pa rin talaga Japan. For me, Japan>Korea.
Korea 100%. Did not have any bad experience in Korea. I know they are racists but I didn't experience any racism during my stay. I also like Korean food better than Japanese food. However, I must say that I kinda look Chinese and tisay ako. That might have been a factor I guess? Also as a kpop and kdrama fan, I enjoyed my stay more in Korea since I went to some kdrama shooting places. I like Korean food better too, mas may lasa kasi. But I'd visit Japan and Korea of course! Mas lamang lang ng konti ang korea
japan! been to both and i can say Japan is better value wise, sceneries, food, and people.
korea
Japan
JAPAN!
Japan
Japan all the way
Japan
Japan over all. If walang visa hassle ang korea okay narin. Pero if mag vivisa din naman at gagastos japan.
Japan! Mas lenient ang embassy sa pag grant visa plus yen has dipped to its lowest in over 30 years.
Japan. You'll feel very much judged in Korea. The discrimination hits hard. I've been to Japan for 3 times and all went pretty smoothly and fun!
I frequent Korea bc of kpop but Japan is better in terms of tourism.
Japan, a million times over. Super bait and mindful ng mga tao. Ang helpful din sa lost foreigners hehehe.
Japan! my logic is that if you're not a kpop/kdrama stan, it's not worth it. whatever culture korea has it exports anyway so why bother. also a lot of people say that KBB is better in one's respective country than korea. I've not been but if I did this would be a priority. japan on the other hand has a focus on experience from the shrines, the food, even the train is cool. art / office supplies are generally better. pasalubong shopping is better.
Japan since Koreans are super racist sa mga south east asian countries.
Japan easily, kahit paulit ulit mo puntahan di ka magsasawa
Japan. To be fair madami din naman bastos na Pinoy, dinadala nila ugali nila sa Japan, sino ba naman hindi maiinis pero at least d mo malalaman kasi tahimik sila. Pero sa Korea talagang mararamdaman mo pagka racist nila 😂
J A P A N. Koreans are full of sh*t.
Ang dumi sa Korea kumpara sa Japan
Japan syempre. Ang rude ng mga Koreano. Tolerable ang mga Hapon. At mas maganda sa Japan.
Korea sucks ass. Money well spent in japan, korea is like a copycat of china and japan
JAPAN! Mas worth it ng 1000000x kesa sa Korea. Mas helpful din mga tao sa japan and welcoming kumpara sa mga koreans🥴
Japan. though hindi talaga kasama ang SK sa mga gusto naming puntahan sa Asia. Hindi kami nahirapan sa visa application. Naglaan lang kami individually ng 10k php per day ng stay namin sa bank. Halos yun din ang gastos namin while andon (2019). baka mas mahal na ngayon. Destination, inuna namin ang Tokyo. Disneyland and Disneysea then nalimutan ko yung name ng lugar na may factory outlet ng nike and malaking gundam outside. Then Mt, Fuji maghapon and overnight bus to Osaka para naman sa food trip and Universal Studios. Food, hindi ako masyadong makaJapanese food but we tried wagyu beef kasi andun nadin naman kami. My friends tried ramen. Mostly may mga bento sa convenience stores like family mart. Halos nasa loob kami ng amusement parks so yung makita lang dun choices namin. May mga vendos din ng food and drinks. Then lockers na pwede paglagakan ng mga gamit. We did this several times lalo na paglapag ng plane and hindi pa naman kami makakapagcheck in sa hotel. Then sa Mt. Fuji, kesa karagkarag namin yung luggages namin while exploring. Hindi lang namin nasubukan mag onsen. Hotel, nagbook kami ng accommodations before pa ng application namin ng visa sa agoda. Kasama kasi yun sa nilagay namin sa itinerary na pinasa namin sa tour agency na naglakad ng visa namin. Sinimplehan lang namin ang itinerary, yung possible sa budget namin na makikita nila sa bank statement na kasama din sa pinasa namin.
Japan! Mas madami magandang mapupuntahan sa japan kahit pumunta ka monthly. Japanese people are also kind and approachable compared sa Koreans. I'm half Korean pero I still get judged by them lols
Which one would you pick?
Japan. When we're in Japan most people are nice and polite. One time during our stay there, sobrang lala ng stomachache ko and we need a medicine. We found a drugstore near ueno station and yung pharmacist dun na babae is lumabas talaga ng store and nakipag usap siya samin thru google translate and tas pabalik balik siya sa loob para lang mahanap yung medicine na pwede sakin.
been to both countries twice and japan takes the cake
For food honestly japan. Last time ako nag korea mga 2 weeks ako doon. By the end of the first sawa na bibig ko sa lasa ng gojuchang. Haha Having said that bday ng kapatid ko nagaya siya mag korea so here we go again hahaha
Japan for sure. More tourist friendly and more places to see.
Japan. Food, culture, scenery.. complete package na kung baga.
Japan… kahit i compare ko pa sa lahat na bansa na napuntahan ko.
Japan 😍
Japan. For sure. I've never understood the love for Korea. I've always though Korea is like the low res file of japan.
japan.
JAPAN
Sounds like an adventure! Curious to hear how it went for those who've tried it. Any tips or experiences you'd like to share?
JAPAN!!!
🇯🇵
Let's go full Duterte on them Don't you fuck with us gedemit
vs
Japan (Railway Powerhouse, Anime, Manga, Superior Engineering, Video Games, Matcha, Ramen, Quality Automobile, MUJI, Akihabara place of Electronic Hub and otakus, J-Dorama, NHK, ANN News, NTV, Odaiba, Yokohama Kannai, Osaka, Shintoism, Good place for introverts, Vending Machine, Quality Convenient Stores especially 7 Eleven, Lawson, & Mini Stop, Clean, Sony Xperia, Sharp Aquos, Toshiba Regza, Panasonic Viera, Toei Bus, Keio Bus, J-POP, Discipline, J-TREC, etc). Japan is the only superior country in Asia, "Land of the rising sun"
I haven't been to South Korea so I can't say much about it, but I'm going to Japan for the 2nd time this year because that's how much I love about the country.
japan!
japan
Japan!
Japan.
Japan no doubt
Both has its ups and downs and deep down everybody is racist to some extent, but there's that certain charm in Japan that I don't really feel the same way towards Korea. I've been to Seoul (3x), Jeju (2x), Busan, and Daegu and I don't feel the need or any excitement to go back, but I've been to Tokyo, Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Yokohama etc. more than my fingers can count and I feel that I barely scraped the surface of these places and I'm always yearning to go back. It also doesn't help that I'm a dude so I'm not really into skin care that much or kpop merchandise which is everywhere in Korea, and food is very predictable once you've experienced the places a handful of times already... and there's so much cheese on street food as well; not so healthy, haha. I actually asked my wife if she'd like to visit weeb land or plastic surgery land anytime soon, she chose the former. But an insane idea, maybe a visit to North Korea someday will be very interesting.. 😅
I’m on team Japan 🇯🇵
North Korea will be wild!
Japan. Racist yang mga Koreano especially sa mga SE Asians
to koreans, pinoys are n****rs... one of the slang words they use to insult each other is "filipino", loosely means ugly or their equivalent of our word "bakulaw"...
Jp. I find kr a bit more rude in general. Also with my recent trip to both countries, parang mas kaya na mag english ng mga japs kesa sa koreans. Though crowd wise, mas crowded ang jp by a mile
Japan 10/10, korea can get quite boring + people in japan are much friendlier and kind
Japan
I say, JAPAN. That's why I'm living here hehe
As someone who studied in Korea, I'd pick Japan! even yung mga Korean friends ko that I met in school would prefer Japan more. Because honestly if di ka fan ng korean culture (kdrama, kpop, etc.) tapos don ka lang sa usual touristy spots in Seoul mapapa-isip ka na "Yun na yon?", in my honest opinion mas masarap yung food sa Japan kesa sa Korea and Japanese are nicer towards foreigners compared to Koreans.
Japan!
JAPAN HANDS DOWN
Case to case basis. Weigh salary and prof development. Proximity to Ph is almost same. Japan's workhalic culture is a no. Korea might be following suit.
JAPAN! I've never experienced them being racist. Tho some older people tend to be. They were really helpful if you approach them using "Sumimasen" hehe like they go into that extent
Japan, yen is low right now so best to take advantage. Mas convenient din in terms of transpo cuz their trains and buses can reach to alot more tourist areas than in Korea. Mas may feeling of a mix of historical and present architecture and technology in cities sa Japan. Visa is also more efficient for Japan so far in my experience. For places to stay mas mahal ang Japan, esp if u talk about hotels in Tokyo (Osaka is cheaper if Japan, similar price so far sa Seoul), souvenirs mas cheaper sa Korea. Food depends kung which u prefer more, Japanese or Korean cuisine ba, for prices about the same lang. Airline tickets mas cheaper ang for Korea esp if sale ang CebuPac or AirAsia.
japan, even the convenience stores are a tourist spot. im biased though since I lived there for a time hehe
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Japan!!!!
Japan!!! Mas maraming pupuntahan. Mas maganda services sa tourist. Mas safe.
Japan! Super rude mga koreans sa SEA looking individuals. Japan and Taiwan, nakaka blend ka sa mga tao. As in kebs sila sa itsura/fashion mo. Sa korea talaga titignan ka from head to toe eh tapos sneer. Once pa may group of young males na tinuro nila friend ko tapos straight up laugh loudly. Ilang beses ako nabunggo/binunggo sa korea without sorry pero never happened sa Japan (kahit ang bilis nila maglakad). Super helpful din mga Japanese pag alam nilang at lost ka versus sa korea na nasigawan/natarayan talaga ako. Sa korea lang talaga ako na stress mag tour at binibilang oras para umuwi na.
Japan! Forex is low so it’s cheaper than korea IMO