I'll be choosing this city over Tokyo from now on

It’s estimated that a truly mind-boggling 63 million people travel to or within Japan to catch sight of these blush pink blooms between the months of March and May, which to me sounds like a hot pink hellhole and everything Japan should not be: chaos, pushiness and over-tourism. But I have an alternative ...

Gyeongbokgung Palace is Seoul's most iconic landmark.

It’s Sakura Season in Japan and my instagram has been filled not with awestruck visitors and locals gazing mistily at trees full of plump pink petals, or picnicking in tranquil meadows beneath laden bows.

But with crowded Tokyo streets packed with tourists wrecking every shot with hundreds of cameras and iPhones. Of overpriced hotels and overstuffed bars. “The desperation is real,” wrote one of my friends as she shared a pic of a guy zooming in one lonely, trembling blossom on the end of a bare branch. 

It’s estimated that a truly mind-boggling 63 million people travel to or within Japan to catch sight of these blush pink blooms between the months of March and May, which to me sounds like a hot pink hellhole and everything Japan should not be: chaos, pushiness and over-tourism.

Luckily I’ve found a better option.

Sakura in Japan can be super pretty, but also wildly busy. Image: iStock

While my friends were in Japan, I was in Seoul in South Korea, on the very cusp of cherry blossom season there.

My flights were ridiculously cheap: around $800 return on budget Korean airline T’Way. I appeared to be the only Australian on the flight in both directions, and I saw only the smallest handful of tourists while I was in town. Admittedly I was a few days too early for the proper start of the season - I was there for other reasons - but the blossoms were slowly beginning to bloom anyway. And every tree I saw was able to simply burst forth with colours without being swamped by influencers influencing.

Gyeongbokgung Palace is Seoul's most iconic landmark.

Seoul isn’t all about cherry blossoms. These are the other reasons I’ll be choosing it over Tokyo from now on:

The food is incredible

I love Japanese food but after a while the lack of spice starts make me droop a little. Koreans? They are a spice people. Gochujang! Spicy kimchi! Red and green peppers! But it’s not all spice either; there’s the freshness of bibimbap. Comforting soups (Koreans tend to season their soups beautifully which makes them very approachable for a western palate). Savoury, nutty cold noodles. Ferments and pickles. Shareable, sociable, crunchy fried chicken and barbecue made with Hanwoo beef (which gives Kobe a run for its money). Korean food was already my favourite food before I went to Seoul. Now I’m not sure I ever want to eat anything else.

Koreans love their spice.

It’s possible to get a booking at the city’s best restaurants

It doesn’t matter if you’re Taylor Swift or King Charles; there is practically no way to secure a booking to Tokyo’s top restaurants without a personal invitation, something that is beyond the reach of almost all of us. But Seoul’s top restaurants like Mingles and Onjium, are perfectly accessible as long as you book far enough in advance. Hot tip: Onjium is not only my favourite restaurant in the city but it’s also surrounded on all sides by cherry blossom trees, and borders a park where locals and tourists borrow hambok, or traditional Korean dress, to parade through the grasslands. It’s all your Instagram dreams come true.

The shopping!

The shopping in Seoul is next level.

K-Beauty - or Korean Beauty - is basically a religion. The cosmetics stores make Mecca or Sephora look like a K-Mart aisle. The best place to scoop up masks and treatments is a chain called Olive Young, which has branches all over the city.

It’s not the easiest place to get around…but luckily the Ubers are cheap

Seoul is gigantic. At 605km2 it is the 16th largest city in the entire world. So if you want to get anywhere, it’s generally a 30 minute drive, minimum, particularly if you’re crossing the river that divides the metropolis into two halves. But the Ubers are cheap, which helps. On average, a 30 minute Uber trip cost me around 15000 Won or $17 Australian dollars. 

People are super friendly

If you're a little bit lost, someone will probably help you.

I was in Seoul for a restaurant event which helps for making friends but I still felt people were exceptionally kind and welcoming. My new Korean friends (hi JungYoon and Summer!) didn’t hesitate to help me make restaurant bookings or find me pharmacy medicine when I needed it. Another time I was busy turning my phone around in circles in that daft way you do when you’re trying to work out the Google Maps arrow, and a guy stopped me in the street and helped get me to where I needed to go, despite the fact he spoke zero English. 

…and the tiniest bit wild

My friend Kaja was recently kicked out of a listening bar in Japan for not properly sitting still and paying attention (raps knuckles). By contrast, at the end of a big night in Seoul it’s not unusual to see staff up on bars funneling whisky or soju into their upturned mouths, or treating everyone at the counter to a round of shots. The Korean bar scene is still fairly young, and Koreans are embracing it, double fisted. It’s a proper good time.

Originally published as I'll be choosing this city over Tokyo from now on