in many ways from Japan. Both countries are wonderful though and have very distinct cuisine, architecture, traditional clothing, etc. One positive in South Korea is that transportation is much less expensive. I couldn't believe I could do an hour each way to Seoul and paid literally about $3. That's not the case in Japan. Unfortunately the air quality tends to be much worse in South Korea (I still can't believe how clean the air is here in the Tokyo area). Eating out in both countries is quite affordable with the exchange rate, so that's a big plus. I'm hoping to do about a week long trip in SK with my family this year, and I'm thinking we'll probably spend 3 days in Seoul and visit historical sites on the other days.
I absolutely love living in Japan and if you'd like any tips I'd be happy to share. Hope you have an awesome time whatever you end up doing!