Tumbling Japanese

Today we woke up and the kids enjoyed some Japanese kids television. We then went to a great Japanese breakfast place, fish and rice and pickled veggies for the adults and pancakes for the kids. Then it was a train ride to Nara, where the deer roam free and are quite demanding. We pet them for a bit then got an ice cream before we went to the epic Tōdai-ji, a huge shrine with scary guardians and two buddhas. We walked and then went back home to do luggage transport and cook off. The we went to the shopping district of Kyoto for dinner at an izakaya.

Lessons!!

Emergency ice cream is a real thing

Local tv is part of your cultural exposure

Another day in the heat wave, about 91 Fahrenheit. After breakfast at the train station, we headed over to Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, a bamboo enclave that is cool and mostly calming… amongst all the tourists finding the same Zen peace.

We ended up skipping the monkey enclave due to the heat so went to the gorgeous Tenryu-ji temple, a huge set of buildings with beautiful gardens of maple and lilies and ponds. We enjoyed looking at the frog statues.

We then got some shaved ice and sushi lunch and a little souvenir shopping in the main tourist drag, and took one more bus to the Kinkaju-Ji, the golden temple. It really did look beautiful, placed with a sense of balance in the large pond.

We went back to the apartment for s bath and rest and then went out for Shabu Shabu / Sukiyaki in the Gion district, traditional geisha neighborhood. It was a cool, calm and tranquil evening as we walked though quiet streets with red lanterns and a temple shut for the evening.

Lessons!!

All those vending machines are always in the right place to buy a Kyoto Lemonade or Pokari Sweat

Everyone carries those little portable fans because they work

Another lucky break from the our spring planning: we got tickets to Ghibli Park, an outdoor park with installations from Ghibli animation (which are some of our favorites). It was about 90 minutes away, and so had to hustle to make the shuttle bus. It was also the hottest day we were there. But also one of my favorite days of the trip!!

The park is very big, but we started at Valley of the Witches. In peak toddler form, P. rejected a wristband so had to have a special piece of paper for her ticket. It was amazing to see - they had Kiki’s house and Howl’s moving castle and you could go in and touch everything - papers and hats. (But not take pictures.) The kids did a carousel and another ride, T. had a strange cat hot dog, we went to a witch bookstore. There was also a bakery from Kiki and I wish we had had a bit more time to explore but we were off.

We then had lunch in Porto Rosso’s Mediterranean eatery in the Grand concourse. Here the kids found Totoro’s land and got to romp on a giant plush Catbus. Parents were not allowed except when P. refused to leave, we were called to escort her off the plushy premises. There was so much more to explore there and so little time! Every nook and cranny had something amazing like the radish from Spirited Away and soot sprites. We did a mad gift store rush and then took a bus to Dondoro Land.

Everyone was quite melted and we all were chugging water and lemonade. Here it was wooded and slightly cooler, wild woods where a Totoro might hide. The replica of Mei’s house took my breath away. I didn’t think there would be desks and real items from a 1950s Japan house. There was a place to look for soot sprites and a stupid bucket, the vegetables the girls were growing for their mom - amazing eye for detail and utterly transportative.

The other thing I didn’t realize was how the Ghibli sky animation matches the Japanese sky. We saw the same clouds and I really gained even more appreciation for the art in those movies.

We took a Catbus transporter to the Village, from Princess Mononoke, and then it was transporting ourselves home.

After bedtime, T. and I attempted to go out for dinner. We almost struck out but found this cocktail “speakeasy” that served food and drinks inspired by the well it was sitting on. All amazing except no seats for our aching feet.

Lessons!!

If you are a Ghibli fan, this is a must visit.

We have been soaking in the large tub here, good for fun and cleaning and resting our tired tourist feet.

Happy Father’s Day to those who celebrate! Today was a lucky one, we managed to snag tickets and a tasting at the Yamazaki Distillery.

One thing I’ve noticed about differences in this trip compared to last trip is that many things are so much more in demand, probably due to more tourism. I managed to get Yamazaki tickets the same week as our trip when I had jet lag one morning. This time, we entered a lottery at 10 at night - four of us - to be able to get tickets.

In the morning we took a quick drizzly walk with the kids. J. kindly was watching them while T., N. and I headed to the distillery, about 45 minutes outside of Kyoto, where three rivers meet and there is a fresh spring of much renown. The site has gotten a refresh to celebrate its 100th anniversary two years ago, displays sharing information about the process and pride in the Japanese achievements.

We had a tour of the process and the aging barrels, walking from warm weather to warmer rooms where the spirits magic happens. The tour ended with a delightful tasting, and we then went downstairs where we sampled a few more - including a 20 year!, then went to the gift shop and home.

We then went for a neighborhood walk, visiting the very close Hokoji temple and a playground across the street. It was time to choose dinner, and getting hard to find something that the kids would probably eat. So we split up and went to McDonalds which was kind of a treat - they served edamame and corn as an option instead of fries. And their portions are much smaller

Lessons!!

Don’t forget to build in a downtime day.

It’s actually lovely to explore the local kid time attractions like playgrounds.

Sometimes a comforting taste of home is welcome!

Ahh back to almost normal for the family. The four sick members rested many hours and were ready for a day of light touristing and travel to Kyoto. We decided to do a “light” version of our original Friday plans and headed (via taxi mind you) to Tsukiji Outer Market for breakfast.

In 2018 Tsukiji Market split in two, the fish auction and sales site and most of the food vendors. We went to the Outer Market (food vendors) which was awesome and also I missed being able to see all the crazy sea food for sale. We chose some amazing fatty tuna sushi to start the day, fruit skewers and grilled eel. Then it was back to our Airbnb for packing up and heading to the train station for a Shinkansen to Kyoto. (We had shipped our larger luggage the day prior.)

Kyoto is smaller, which probably makes it more striking how many tourists there are in Japan.

We made it to our Airbnb which was beautiful, bright and designed well with a stone soaking tub. We grabbed some udon and tempura for dinner.

Lessons!

Although cities like Tokyo have fantastic transportation, sometimes it’s worth it to do a taxi.

Lollipops are a great, transportable candy to have on you at all times.

Plus one to anyone who suggests carrying your own bag for trash in Japan.

Disneyland- or rather Disney Sea - here we come! Disneyland is intense, at least the two times I’ve been in the last ten years. We weren’t positive we wanted to plan for Disney while we we were in Tokyo but P. lives and breathes Anna and Elsa from Frozen so we thought it would be fun.

There’s definitely a range of how you feel about Disney and the parks, ranging from Disney Adult to “never for me.” I’m somewhere in the middle, enjoying the parks for my own childhood nostalgia, a great history lecture from my undergraduate days calling Disneyland’s creation to America’s psyche, and now the enjoyment my own kids have. That said, Disney amusement parks these days are more expensive and more crowded than ever.

Tokyo Disneyland was made in 1983, and Disney Sea was made in 2001, with a recent expansion including Frozen in 2023. We decided to just do Disney Sea.

It was luckily not raining but warm and muggy when we left early. Everyone and every blog said it was essential to arrive at least an hour before the park opened at 9 to get there and to fast lane requests on the Disney app to avoid lines. It took about an hour to get there and we arrived in the queue so it was 9:25. We got some good ride (but not Frozen!).

The theme of Disney Sea is water films and rides and it’s totally different than Disneyland, much more immersive (think: new Star Wars land).

We rode some great rides including:

Soaring: Fantastic Flight (twice for Malcom with Rider Switch)

Scuttle’s Scooter

Jumpin Jellyfish

Ariel’s Playground

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Indiana Jones

Nemo and Friends Sea Rider

The Whirlpool

Unfortunately T. felt really poorly in the morning so headed home to recover. Another travel reminder that you never can tell what may be thrown your way.

Lessons!

Bring a battery pack to amusement parks because those apps are needed all the time and they drain your phone.

Today was largely an unplanned day which again under certain circumstances I am, let’s say, open to, but not necessarily traveling internationally with two kids.

M. and T. and N. had an awesome morning. They had an early morning reservation at a sumo training stable. T. Has become a large fan of sumo wrestling. They got to watch two hours of practice, especially with some of the younger wrestlers and take photos afterwards.

P. and J. and I don’t have a plan for the morning we knew we wanted to get a little bit more breakfast but the place I wanted to go had a 9 AM open but at 10 AM open time for being able to sit down. This was a lovely little French café, and P demanded a crêpe to walk around with. We ended up going into Don Quixote which is sort of like a giant target/dollar store/I don’t even know what. Suffice to say they have pretty much everything you would want to buy, including make up and kitchenware and souvenirs and clothes.

We returned to the French place at 10 AM for our breakfast and it was clear right when we went upstairs. This was not a kid friendly establishment. It was quiet and tiled and we got shushed at least once so it was a quick breakfast to see the least.

We met up with the sumo visitors and made a game plan for what to do next.  as we made it a plan half of us got Takatsu and half of recharged with coffee. It was really raining hard now not the slightly inconvenient mist of the previous days.

We made a plan to go to Senso-ji, the oldest temple in Tokyo. Despite the rain, it was actually really nice to be outside and although there were a lot of people, it’s a different sort of feeling when you’re breathing fresh air than when you’re inside. P. conked out in the stroller for much needed nap. M.  was really taken with the fortunes and the ritual of it. I won’t lie that he was also taken with the Nakamise shopping street where he got a cool little slot machine keychain. It’s only day 5 five and I’m already feeling like we’re going to need another suitcase to bring all our stuff home!!

Back home it was raining again, so we bought some delicious array of salty snacks and decided to watch the Little Mermaid. We ended up to this fancy as izakaya for dinner, which I had read was kid friendly in that was fancy but each group had their own “pod stall” where the kids could romp to their hearts’ content. Back home for another early night because tonight the next day was our big day at Disney Sea.

Lessons!

As a recovering control freak, I am sometimes tempted to go with the flow and see what happens. Data point in Planners side to learn when that doesn’t serve and in this particular day, I would say have a plan would have helped.

It’s been so long since I spent with jet lag and also it’s sort of impossible to say how I would react without kids because their experience will override yours. M. has not adjusted well and got up about 2 AM and didn’t go back to sleep.  so we were able to sleep a little bit, but definitely not as restful as it could’ve been.

It was also raining in Tokyo today sort of a humid drizzly rain, but still not the best circumstances to go anywhere outside. We got ready and ended up going to the same breakfast place we went to the day before. The place I’ve been fine but sometimes it’s nice to know what you like and didn’t like and where to sit, etc. At least as a party of six with a two-year-old a seven-year-old.

Our plans for that day were to go to Harajuku. We decided to ride the subway and it was about 9 AM on a Tuesday. It was insane. I’ve forgotten the crowds and feeling like a minnow and they’re not being any escalators so I heroically lifted the empty stroller up three or four flights of stairs. 

We had an appointment at a mini pig petting café is something in Tokyo I had never done before was the animal scene. It was really odd. I think parts were really fun. The pigs were very cute. Some of them were a little big and seemed a little aggressive to be there— I think more so this was me experiencing it through visiting with a kid who was smaller than some of the pigs. But it definitely was an experience.

Next, we went to Kiddy Land a mega toy store with frankly something for everyone and I had a good time there I know people had told me that the exchange rate was in the dollar favor, but it is something else to be experiencing it and I’m afraid it’s only been a few days and I’ve already I’ve already shopped more than I had really anticipated. The kids are making out like bandits, then went to a Ramen place ordered by the machine. T. did a heroic job and the kids ate really well. The broth was very light almost herbal which I never had before and really liked.

We then walked a little bit more around Harajuku and split up. The guys were heading for a ninja class and the rest of us took the bus back to the apartment and rested. I wasn’t at the ninja class, but the pictures looked very cool and everyone got to throw a ninja star and ninja sword.

 After everyone had a much needed rest, and during which I snuck in a solo trip to Muji, we braved Shibuya evening crowds to go to a all-you-can-eat shop shabby place took us a while to find it on the ninth floor but once we did, it was super fun: everything was delivered by The food was excellent. We made it home for a late bedtime. T. And I snuck out for a late night drink in Shibuya had a cool record bar where they allowed you to select one song to be played while you were there.

Lessons!!

We could not have survived without a washer dryer unit in wherever we are staying. I have two date done to loads of laundry and will be doing a third tomorrow so that is good for us all to know for future travels.

Today was chock full of Shibuya Tokyo experiences. We started our day verrrry early when P. woke up at 1 (we all crashed around 8pm) and it took until 3 to get her back to sleep. Luckily we got back to sleep til 6. In the other hotel room it was another story - M. woke around 1am and… stayed up. So we left for breakfast on the early side (at City Bakery) but it was clear by the time we finished and went to Shibuya Scramble to look at the Hachiko statue, M. was fading. So off he went for a nap with his grand parents, and P. and T. and I went on a little adventure.

We went to (formerly Tokyu) Hands, an awesome craft, home goods, all things kind of store. We bought a few things but it was HOT so we went to procure the ice cream P. had been promised for good behavior in the store. We ended up in Baskin Robbins, one of those chains that surprises me with their international presence.

We went back to the hotel to check out and store our luggage, then off to the Pokemon store. It is on a floor with a complex of all these pop culture brand stores including Nintendo. Long lines and tough choices awaited us, but we ended up with some great items (even if I couldn’t name any character we bought). We had a good lunch downstairs at a katsu place. Then we had at least two hours to kill before we could check in to the other place, it was lightly raining and our feet hurt so we ended up going to … karaoke! It was definitely as novelty. P. got so mad when I sung instead of Anna and Else on Frozen songs.

Then we had to go back to our hotel and get our many heavy suitcases, which my in laws took over in a car while we walked. Then we got settled and headed to conveyer belt sushi. It was a great novelty of not super fancy.

Lessons!!

Always map out a few meals when traveling for kids, saves the time in your vacation when you have to make a stressful decision.

I always knew going into the trip it would be an adventure. That said, I am a planner and did my best to pack snacks, activities and other items that would help smooth the longest flight my kids have been on and a big day of travel.

Things went smoothly as we got to the airport, checked in. The first leg of the flight also was pretty easy as we all watched our various screens. However, M. started getting motion sick around a third of the way in. P. did ok but did not nap the whole way and so was quite cranky for the immigration and customs. We ordered a van from the airport to the city which I was so happy to see. M. was so excited to see Tokyo as we approached. It was lovely to check into a hotel in the thick of Shibuya with people to help and amenities we needed (laundry, cough). We ate some Lawsons take out and crashed early.

Lessons!!

Bring snacks and sandwiches, perhaps more than you ever dreamt up

Wet wipes are your friend

Day 1