On our way back to Seoul from the DMZ, we stopped at the Majang Lake Suspension Bridge, the longest towerless suspension bridge in South Korea.

I’m gonna acknowledge from the jump that this tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) is told from a South Korean perspective and, try as they might, there are inherent biases in their descriptions/depictions.

With that out of the way, I’d definitely recommend doing this tour if you have a morning and afternoon to kill as it’s the only legit way you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of North Korea, a place that’s almost suspended in time.

For my first night in Seoul, I stayed at the Courtyard Seoul Namdaemun | @courtyard_namdaemun, for its convenient location and to burn my last FNA. As Courtyards go, this was a standout amongst the brand (definitely nicer than the one I stayed at in Osaka) - decidedly not fancy but more than adequate and a decent-sized room, which is also an indication I was no longer in Japan. I arrived on New Year’s Eve and went to sleep before 11 pm as it’d been a long day but was “treated” to fireworks at midnight to ring in the New Year.

Seoul, as seen on the coldest run of this trip.

The experience in Korean Air Prestige Class from Tokyo to Seoul which was… fine, I guess? Nothing spectacular but a meal on a short regional flight is always welcome.

Before my flight to Seoul, I stopped in at the American Express Centurion Lounge | @americanexpress which I was able to access with my Platinum Card. It would be an understatement to say that this lounge at Haneda was, by far, the best in the Centurion Lounge portfolio. Food was great with made-to-order onigiri on offer when I was there during breakfast hours and some standout cocktails, made all the better with the choice of what Japanese whisky I wanted in it.

I had a noon-ish flight out of Haneda on my last day in Tokyo and I recalled seeing the Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda Airport | @hotelvillafontaine_village while passing through the airport during my last trip to Japan in 2023/24. With its direct connection to Terminal 3 where my flight would be departing the next day, it was a no-brainer to do a stay here so I could avoid having to make my way there in the morning from Shinjuku.

For my first-ever stay at a hotel in Tokyo that wasn’t the Hyatt Regency Tokyo or the Conrad Tokyo, I opted for the former’s neighborhood of Shinjuku with the Keio Plaza Hotel Tokyo | @keioplazahotel. Much like the Hyatt Regency across the way, this hotel was a very standard, albeit nice, Japanese Western-style hotel - no frills but it was lovely. Also, the view from my 26th floor room was excellent.

All the drinks I had over the course of four nights at SPIRITS BAR Sunface SHINJUKU. As always, Koji | @koji.esashi absolutely killed it - there’s a reason this has become a mainstay of any trip to Tokyo since stumbling upon this one in 2019.

A wonderful final couple of days eating and drinking my way through Tokyo.

Tokyo, as seen on one last run, going old school with one of my favourite routes.

Lunch at Tempura Shinjuku Tsunahachi Souhonten | @tsunahachi_official which continues to be my favorite spot in Tokyo for delicately-fried goodness.

Tokyo, as seen on my five-mile run run from Shinjuku to Shiodome to pick up a bag I stashed at the Conrad Tokyo.

For my quick two-day swing through Sapporo, I stayed in the cheapest room type possible at the JR Tower Hotel Nikko Sapporo | @jrtowerhotelnikkosapporo but with a great view of the city from my room on the 28th floor. Breakfast wasn’t included with my rate but what was included was access to the onsen bath and I made sure I maximized my number of visits there, even going so far as getting a run in at 7:15 am on my last morning so I could be sure to get some solid bathing in before they closed at 9 am for cleaning.

A wonderful weekend eating and drinking my way through Sapporo.

Sapporo as seen on some incredibly sub-0º C runs.

When I got to Tatsuyoshi | @tatsuyoshi_sushi, I mistakenly waited on the line for those with reservations and when I explained I didn’t, it seemed like I was gonna be shown the door as there was seemingly no space at the counter. To their eternal credit and to my great fortune, they took pity on me and carved out a spot at the very end by the register and let me stay for what turned out to be a very wonderful, quick sushi meal.

Getting into Sapporo just before 6 pm meant I couldn’t get in a visit to the Sapporo Beer Museum. Thankfully I had the good sense to make a reservation at Sapporo Garden Grill | @sapporo_bier_garten, one of the restaurants on their campus so I could at least try the beers that aren’t as easily gotten in the States.