Adventures We Seek

Tokyo to Korea Travel Guide — Korean Air, Incheon Airport and the Opera Singing Cab Driver


We have taken a lot of journeys but very few have ended with a cab driver belting out opera at full volume — and honestly it was the perfect welcome back to Korea.

We left our wonderful guest house nice and early on Tuesday Morning. Sweet Nishibe drove us to TamaPlaza where we took the Limo Bus to the airport. It runs every 30 minutes or so, costs 2,800 a person and takes 2 hours.

We arrived at the airport only to find out that a nice storm coming from China was going to delay our departure. We noticed immediately the noise coming from the terminal. It was nothing but the joyous Koreans laughing and discussing their vacations in Japan.
I switched my travel hat for my Gwangju Kia Tigers hat in support of the wonderful KBL.
We eventually boarded Korean Air, were given exit seats and also they didn’t charge us for our extra bag! Yay for the little things in life. We were served a meal of fish and veggies with rice. It was quite unexpected especially since the flight was only 2 hours.
We arrived in Korea, went through immigration with no problems even though we only had a one way ticket and were quite concerned with what troubles that may bring.
We collected our bags and headed over to the subway station on the airport grounds. We switched trains twice and then exited the wrong way at a station and ended up jumping in a cab for the remainder of our trip to the motel. It was only a short ride. Korean cabs start at 2,200 won and doesn’t start to accumulate an extra fee for a good 5 minutes into the ride (2,200 is equal to about $2).
Our driver began to ask us  a few questions in English and then told us his other job is singing opera…and belted out some amazingly deep tenor or baritone (I am not sure)
He dropped us off a few feet from our motel and we immediately felt at home.

Q: How do you get from Tokyo to Korea by plane? A: Korean Air flies regularly between Tokyo and Seoul Incheon Airport with a flight time of roughly two hours. It is a short and straightforward hop between two incredible countries and Korean Air even served us a full meal of fish, vegetables and rice on the short flight which was a very pleasant surprise.

Q: How do you get from Incheon Airport to central Seoul or other Korean cities? A: The subway system connects directly from the airport terminal making it easy and affordable to reach most destinations. If you miss your stop or get turned around Korean cabs are an excellent backup — they start at just 2,200 won (around $2) and do not start accumulating extra fees for a good five minutes into the ride.

Q: Is it a problem to enter Korea with a one way ticket? A: We were genuinely concerned about this going through immigration but had no issues whatsoever. Having documentation of your employment or accommodation in Korea helps smooth the process considerably.

Q: What is the Limo Bus from Tokyo to the airport like? A: The Limo Bus runs every 30 minutes, costs 2,800 yen per person and takes about two hours to reach the airport. It is comfortable, reliable and a great option if you are traveling from the suburbs of Tokyo without easy subway access to the airport.

Q: What is it like arriving back in Korea after traveling in Japan? A: The difference is immediately noticeable — Korea feels louder, warmer and more immediately welcoming. Hearing the laughter of Korean travelers in the terminal and stepping into a cab where the driver spontaneously sings opera reminded us exactly why we love living here.

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