(Ok I'm finally caught up on blogs, but since no one knows I'm posting these, does it really matter? If a blog posts in the woods and no one is there, does it make a sound?)
Sunday 6/2 9:30pm head to SFO. Holy hell we have to stay up for 4 more hours until we board…
Monday 6/3 2am take off, I think. I pass out as soon as I plop into my seat.
Tuesday 6/4 4:30am land in Tokyo Haneda. It’s going to be a loooong day.
6:30am get to hotel. It doesn’t open until 7. 7am clerk notifies us check in isn’t until 3pm…
unless we want to pay extra 5,000 yen for early check-in. Say “yes” before he can finish his
sentence.
First experience with an amazing Japanese bathroom.
8am delicious breakfast at Suke6 - great little cafe, excellent pastries
8am delicious breakfast at Suke6 - great little cafe, excellent pastries
Spend day walking around Asakusa, including Senso-Ji temple where we pull our fortunes for 100 yen, snacking on random fun Japanese things every 20 minutes,
CAT CAFE *heart emoji*, trying drinks from every other vending machine, lots of shopping streets.
Girls in the Asakusa neighborhood where we stayed, very pedestrian friendly.
Washing hands before entering Senso-ji temple.
Enjoying one of many food streets!
Don Quixote a Japanese superstore. Nine floors of everything you can think of buying!
Vending machines everywhere that also allow you to pay with your subway card let the girls
try all sorts of random drinks.
The first of many animal cafes we visited in Japan.
Lunch at conveyor belt sushi above Uniqlo, Don Quixote (like a massive Dollar Tree / CVS),
Kamata knife store, Matsuya department store.
Parents got in around 6pm, went to ramen. Georgia fell asleep or at least tried to at the table
Crashed out around 9:30pm
Wednesday 6/5 meet folks at 7am. Spend 2 hours riding subway and hanging out in JR Train Station
for no good reason.
Girls in the Asakusa neighborhood where we stayed, very pedestrian friendly.
Washing hands before entering Senso-ji temple.
Enjoying one of many food streets!
Don Quixote a Japanese superstore. Nine floors of everything you can think of buying!
Vending machines everywhere that also allow you to pay with your subway card let the girls
try all sorts of random drinks.
The first of many animal cafes we visited in Japan.
Lunch at conveyor belt sushi above Uniqlo, Don Quixote (like a massive Dollar Tree / CVS),
Kamata knife store, Matsuya department store.
Parents got in around 6pm, went to ramen. Georgia fell asleep or at least tried to at the table
Crashed out around 9:30pm
Wednesday 6/5 meet folks at 7am. Spend 2 hours riding subway and hanging out in JR Train Station
for no good reason.
Go to Ritz in Roppongi for amazing buffet breakfast… only to be turned away bc its only for
hotel guests. Noooooo!!!! Eat at Le Pain Quotidien instead for not bad but it’s not the Ritz
breakfast.
Go to Shibuya to shop til my dad drops. Which is about 5 min after we start.
Uniqlo again then the 15 floor department store at Shibuya Sky.
hotel guests. Noooooo!!!! Eat at Le Pain Quotidien instead for not bad but it’s not the Ritz
breakfast.
Go to Shibuya to shop til my dad drops. Which is about 5 min after we start.
Uniqlo again then the 15 floor department store at Shibuya Sky.
Hands is an amazing store, we eat at Din Tai Feng for lunch, also amazing!
We do the Shibuya Scramble Crossing like 5 times throughout the day. We take a picture with Hachiko, from the movie about the loyal dog.
We spend way too much time at Lush getting free samples and L’Occitane but at least we buy something
We do the Shibuya Scramble Crossing like 5 times throughout the day. We take a picture with Hachiko, from the movie about the loyal dog.
We spend way too much time at Lush getting free samples and L’Occitane but at least we buy something
Sushi making class back near the hotel w/ Lorraine, Zach, Syd and G. We try to make Kawaii (cute) sushi
and not Kowai (scary) sushi. Maki rolls too, yum.
Thursday 6/6 Breakfast at Suke6 again. Wow their pastries are sooo good. Note to taste more Japanese bakeries.
and not Kowai (scary) sushi. Maki rolls too, yum.
Thursday 6/6 Breakfast at Suke6 again. Wow their pastries are sooo good. Note to taste more Japanese bakeries.
Ikebukuro - Earthquake Museum w/ simulator. Unfortunately either because of the girls
or because we are foreigners, he gave us the limited quake experience, which was far less jolting
than your average ride at Disneyland.
Coffee Valley makes an amazing cappuccino, wow. So smooth and delicious.
or because we are foreigners, he gave us the limited quake experience, which was far less jolting
than your average ride at Disneyland.
Coffee Valley makes an amazing cappuccino, wow. So smooth and delicious.
Anime museum was not interesting for the girls, nor anyone really, but it was free!
Kura Sushi, conveyor belt with a chance for a prize with every five dishes you drop into
the clean plate slot. We ate so much of their fresh mango that the last one for the girls came out
still frozen. Looks like they had to hit their freezer to find more mango as we’d already scarfed
5 or 6 orders.
the clean plate slot. We ate so much of their fresh mango that the last one for the girls came out
still frozen. Looks like they had to hit their freezer to find more mango as we’d already scarfed
5 or 6 orders.
Ueno Park, mostly watched a local juggler perform to Georgia’s delight
Sumo Dinner Show - funny. Large butts.
Friday 6/7 We are now regulars at Suke6. Bagels are really good, chewy and soft
River walk over to Sky Tower, girls check out a ninja warrior style playground on the way
Sumida aquarium is beautiful. Really well designed displays, lighting is great and scent
release? The place smells amazing, not all stinky fish like some US aquariums. My favorite
display is the jelly fish.
We also see turtle feeding
and very cute penguin area,
seals, and big aquarium w/ manta ray and shark among other fish. Garden eels are the mascots,
the cafe has a giant pretzel in the shape of a garden eel.
Friday 6/7 We are now regulars at Suke6. Bagels are really good, chewy and soft
River walk over to Sky Tower, girls check out a ninja warrior style playground on the way
Sumida aquarium is beautiful. Really well designed displays, lighting is great and scent
release? The place smells amazing, not all stinky fish like some US aquariums. My favorite
display is the jelly fish.
We also see turtle feeding
and very cute penguin area,
seals, and big aquarium w/ manta ray and shark among other fish. Garden eels are the mascots,
the cafe has a giant pretzel in the shape of a garden eel.
Lunch at McDonalds - I had a spicy cheese teriyaki burger and an egg burger.
Suspicious meat in the teriyaki, but tasty and really US micky D should add egg burger,
I mean its the same egg mcmuffin egg and so good! Sydney will not eat McD however, due to
some book she read. This is why you shouldn’t teach your children to read.
Girls love the shopping in the Sky Tower(Tokyo Solamachi), a whole shop of fake food
causes a 20 minute delay in our travel schedule.
Suspicious meat in the teriyaki, but tasty and really US micky D should add egg burger,
I mean its the same egg mcmuffin egg and so good! Sydney will not eat McD however, due to
some book she read. This is why you shouldn’t teach your children to read.
Girls love the shopping in the Sky Tower(Tokyo Solamachi), a whole shop of fake food
causes a 20 minute delay in our travel schedule.
Team Lab Borderlessssss!
Hard to describe what we saw there but it was a sensory delight and wonder. Again,
scents, sounds, lights, movement, changing over time, visual trickery, gorgeous.
We let the girls wander by themselves but they ended up getting booted by security - I guess in Japan
they actually monitor their kids? But they let them ride subway to school solo at like 5?
You draw your picture and then it appears on the wall of the “aquarium”!
Georgia with her seahorse.
Rejuvenation can be yours for 300 yen ($2) on the 5th floor of the Ekimase mall by our hotel.
They have four massage pods, and a 12 min session is all you need!
Hard to describe what we saw there but it was a sensory delight and wonder. Again,
scents, sounds, lights, movement, changing over time, visual trickery, gorgeous.
We let the girls wander by themselves but they ended up getting booted by security - I guess in Japan
they actually monitor their kids? But they let them ride subway to school solo at like 5?
You draw your picture and then it appears on the wall of the “aquarium”!
Georgia with her seahorse.
Rejuvenation can be yours for 300 yen ($2) on the 5th floor of the Ekimase mall by our hotel.
They have four massage pods, and a 12 min session is all you need!
Dinner at the Tonkatsu place near our hotel. I think it was on my cousin Brett’s food tour list
and it is delicious. Tiny restaurant, great thin cabbage salad accompaniment and also tried their
Japanese curry. Yum and yum and yum. Quote of the night from Georgia, “Why haven’t we been
here sooner?!?”
Saturday 6/8
and it is delicious. Tiny restaurant, great thin cabbage salad accompaniment and also tried their
Japanese curry. Yum and yum and yum. Quote of the night from Georgia, “Why haven’t we been
here sooner?!?”
Saturday 6/8
Suke6 learns it is our last day and bids us a fond farewell, with many deep bows and well
wishes (or at least that’s what I assume they are saying in Japanese. Either that or “good riddance”?)
wishes (or at least that’s what I assume they are saying in Japanese. Either that or “good riddance”?)
Train to Nagoya. Mom forgets to take her JR ticket out of the machine and chaos/confusion
ensues. We decide to just head for our track and speak with a train attendant.
With the help of Google translate, the attendant said they would look for the ticket in the machine
and that someone would resolve it with us on the train. On the train another attendant let us know
they’d found her ticket in the machine and gave her a slip of paper to allow her to exit on the other end.
So impressive.
Btw, how is Japan so clean? Well I will tell you. You are expected to carry your trash around all day.
Whatever wrappers, empty containers, etc you accumulate during the day you carry around with you
until you get home and throw it all away. This is “encouraged” by the total absence of trash cans in
public. A rare vending machine or public restroom might provide an opportunity to empty your trash
but otherwise, it helps to have a “trash” bag with you to carry accumulated debris throughout the day.
Small price to pay for a pristine environment!
Bus to Osu Shotengai Shopping Street, lots of vintage clothing, costumed Japanese kids
shopping, busy fun area. We had our first fruit filled mochi that you split open with a string.
Delicious but expensive, like $5-6 for one mochi.
Pizza for dinner that was fresh from the pizza oven and delicious!
Our Marriott hotel is a huge business hotel. Cali upgraded our room but they didn’t
upgrade the girls’ room, so they are on a separate floor. Is that scary for them? Watch and you be the judge!
I wasn’t sure if they’d let them have their own room so I offered to split one child / one parent
per room, but they said it would be a surcharge to have a child on the concierge level.
Very odd since Team lab was insistent that kids can’t be alone. Oh well, Tiff and I are enjoying the
privacy!
Sunday 6/9 Nakasendo TrailGreat breakfast buffet here at Marriott. Donut wall, fresh squeeze oj machine, amazing fruit
Train to Nagiso, cab to trailhead at Tsumago.
ensues. We decide to just head for our track and speak with a train attendant.
With the help of Google translate, the attendant said they would look for the ticket in the machine
and that someone would resolve it with us on the train. On the train another attendant let us know
they’d found her ticket in the machine and gave her a slip of paper to allow her to exit on the other end.
So impressive.
Btw, how is Japan so clean? Well I will tell you. You are expected to carry your trash around all day.
Whatever wrappers, empty containers, etc you accumulate during the day you carry around with you
until you get home and throw it all away. This is “encouraged” by the total absence of trash cans in
public. A rare vending machine or public restroom might provide an opportunity to empty your trash
but otherwise, it helps to have a “trash” bag with you to carry accumulated debris throughout the day.
Small price to pay for a pristine environment!
Bus to Osu Shotengai Shopping Street, lots of vintage clothing, costumed Japanese kids
shopping, busy fun area. We had our first fruit filled mochi that you split open with a string.
Delicious but expensive, like $5-6 for one mochi.
Pizza for dinner that was fresh from the pizza oven and delicious! Our Marriott hotel is a huge business hotel. Cali upgraded our room but they didn’t
upgrade the girls’ room, so they are on a separate floor. Is that scary for them? Watch and you be the judge!
I wasn’t sure if they’d let them have their own room so I offered to split one child / one parent
per room, but they said it would be a surcharge to have a child on the concierge level.
Very odd since Team lab was insistent that kids can’t be alone. Oh well, Tiff and I are enjoying the
privacy!
Sunday 6/9 Nakasendo TrailGreat breakfast buffet here at Marriott. Donut wall, fresh squeeze oj machine, amazing fruit
Train to Nagiso, cab to trailhead at Tsumago.
My Fitbit tracked us for 3 hr 22min, 5.82 miles,
13,637 steps, burning 1,233 kcal and says I slept 8 hr 22 min last night! Beautiful hike, lots of cold
water hand washing basins (not sure if potable?), rice paddies, amazing greenery, azalea flowers,
birds, bell ringing to scare off bears. Overcast and light rain at times keeps temperature manageable.
Hike into Magome and find we barely have enough time to catch bus back to Nagiso station.
Hiroshima Peace Museum and Children’s memorial. Both were beautiful and well done.
The museum had some graphic photos, which the girls seemed okay with, but we sort of breezed
through, and didn’t wait in the lines to read descriptions of every single photo, piece of clothing, etc.
which I think was a good way to go. Sydney, for example, missed the famous “tricycle” and helmet.
She did not, however, miss the ice cream vending machine in the gift shop!
We also saw the “dome” building that still stands as a memorial to the bombing. Something
like 145,000 people died - its hard to fathom the scale of destruction. And that doesn’t count the
subsequent cancers and other illnesses suffered in the years following as a result of the radiation
exposure, like the girl who folded 1000 paper cranes. She didn’t get leukemia for another 10 years
after or something like that.
Lunch was okonomiyaki at a building in Hiroshima that is basically 5 floors of okonomiyaki counters.
We all enjoyed it! The Hiroshima style seems lighter than what Tiff and I remember from Osaka.
Mostly cabbage and noodles. Even the girls liked theirs.
Andersen bakery by our hotel has amazing baked goods: light and airy, less sweet than back
home.
Mom got us massages at the hotel, which were not particularly hard pressure, but very relaxing!
Girls had snack dinner from 7-11: smoothie (made in store by machine, very fun), vegetable
sticks and pack of cut apple.
Din Tai Feng in Ginza. This is our third Din Tai Feng on this trip (Shibuya and Kyoto with my
parents were the first two times). We are pros now and love the mango shaved ice dessert as well as
all the green vegetable dishes.
Sunday 6/23 Tokyo
13,637 steps, burning 1,233 kcal and says I slept 8 hr 22 min last night! Beautiful hike, lots of cold
water hand washing basins (not sure if potable?), rice paddies, amazing greenery, azalea flowers,
birds, bell ringing to scare off bears. Overcast and light rain at times keeps temperature manageable.
Hike into Magome and find we barely have enough time to catch bus back to Nagiso station.
Make the express train back to Nagoya, snack dinner of fruit, vegetables and Cup O Ramen
for girls, concierge lounge for Tiff and me.
Monday 6/10 on to Kyoto
for girls, concierge lounge for Tiff and me.
Monday 6/10 on to Kyoto
Sidenote: Google translate has been quite useful this trip. First time for me using it and
definitely helps with all the little questions we’ve had along the way, as well as the big ticket mix-up
heading to Nagoya. There’s also taking photos of Japanese text and translating. That doesn’t work
as well - i think bc there can be a mix of chinese characters (kanji) and Hiragana and Katakana
Arrive in Kyoto and walk to Nishiki famous food street. Girls tried cinnamon/sugar coated
apple (yum!), sandwich filled w/ strawberry and cream, Tiff had a green tea chicken croquette and a
pumpkin one, both good.
definitely helps with all the little questions we’ve had along the way, as well as the big ticket mix-up
heading to Nagoya. There’s also taking photos of Japanese text and translating. That doesn’t work
as well - i think bc there can be a mix of chinese characters (kanji) and Hiragana and Katakana
Arrive in Kyoto and walk to Nishiki famous food street. Girls tried cinnamon/sugar coated
apple (yum!), sandwich filled w/ strawberry and cream, Tiff had a green tea chicken croquette and a
pumpkin one, both good.
Georgia had her first wagyu, served on a skewer, which she loved, and then
I realized I’d paid 3200 Yen for it which is like $20. Yikes ok no more wagyu.
Gear show at night was awesome! Non-verbal theater and the actors communicated the
story so clearly and brought the story to life with their animated movement and great facial expressions.
Tuesday 6/11 Nara and Kobe
I realized I’d paid 3200 Yen for it which is like $20. Yikes ok no more wagyu.
Gear show at night was awesome! Non-verbal theater and the actors communicated the
story so clearly and brought the story to life with their animated movement and great facial expressions.
Tuesday 6/11 Nara and Kobe
Train to Nara. Deer, deer, more deer. Girls could’ve stayed for hours feeding/petting
watching / enjoying all the deer. Walked around the biggest wooden building in the world, a buddhist
temple, and then went back out for more deer.
Kobe, ate at Meriken Hatoba for a Kobe steak lunch. Chef is a lucha libre fan and quite a ham,
took lots of photos with us. And cooked Georgia’s favorite meal ever. My set meal also came
with a kobe steak taco, which was amazing mouthwatering and i could’ve eaten 10 more.
Walked Kobe chinatown and tasted pretty much everything.
Sydney said it was her favorite churro (because of course Kobe Chinatown sells churros!) the sesame
balls were delicious, and we had honey glazed sweet potato chips that were addictively good.
Train back had serious delay and we didn’t get back til evening, tried the Sir Lipton restaurant
that Tiffany had hoped for cheesecake from, but it was not really much of a cheesecake. I had a lemon
one that was literally lipton ice tea flavored
Wednesday 6/12 exploring Kyoto
watching / enjoying all the deer. Walked around the biggest wooden building in the world, a buddhist
temple, and then went back out for more deer.
Kobe, ate at Meriken Hatoba for a Kobe steak lunch. Chef is a lucha libre fan and quite a ham,
took lots of photos with us. And cooked Georgia’s favorite meal ever. My set meal also came
with a kobe steak taco, which was amazing mouthwatering and i could’ve eaten 10 more.
Walked Kobe chinatown and tasted pretty much everything.
Sydney said it was her favorite churro (because of course Kobe Chinatown sells churros!) the sesame
balls were delicious, and we had honey glazed sweet potato chips that were addictively good.
Train back had serious delay and we didn’t get back til evening, tried the Sir Lipton restaurant
that Tiffany had hoped for cheesecake from, but it was not really much of a cheesecake. I had a lemon
one that was literally lipton ice tea flavored
Wednesday 6/12 exploring Kyoto
Georgia woke herself up laughing bc of a dream about someone named “Tamantha Jr Jr.”
Car/driver rental for the day to cover Arashiyama (bamboo forest), Kinkaku-ji (golden temple,
very crowded), Ichiwa (1000 yr old mochi store was closed today, sad), Ryoan-ji (rock garden
meditative temple that Sydney loved), Gion (no geisha and nighttime might be the better time?),
Ritz-Carlton (rejected again), Din Tai Feng (delicious, again!), dad asks if girls want to see Heian
temple, they choose cat cafe instead. It was also pretty hot all day.
Our favorite mango ice dessert at Din Tai Feng.
Ice cream squeeze package sold out of a vending machine. Delicious!
Meditative rock garden.
Another cat cafe!
very crowded), Ichiwa (1000 yr old mochi store was closed today, sad), Ryoan-ji (rock garden
meditative temple that Sydney loved), Gion (no geisha and nighttime might be the better time?),
Ritz-Carlton (rejected again), Din Tai Feng (delicious, again!), dad asks if girls want to see Heian
temple, they choose cat cafe instead. It was also pretty hot all day.
Our favorite mango ice dessert at Din Tai Feng.
Ice cream squeeze package sold out of a vending machine. Delicious!
Meditative rock garden.
Another cat cafe!
Fushimi Inari “Torii Gates” at night. So nice to see in cooler temperature and not crowded at all.
Gates are lit up and very cool to walk through.
Side note: It’s hard to keep track of all the random drinks and food we’ve sampled. We tried a
peach drink on the way home from the gates. It was agreed to be too sweet but pretty good flavor.
So far ‘CC Lemon’ has been my favorite.
Thursday 6/13 more Kyoto
Gates are lit up and very cool to walk through.
Side note: It’s hard to keep track of all the random drinks and food we’ve sampled. We tried a
peach drink on the way home from the gates. It was agreed to be too sweet but pretty good flavor.
So far ‘CC Lemon’ has been my favorite.
Thursday 6/13 more Kyoto
Girls went shopping while I did one more laundry
Tea ceremony at temple - we were all very impressed with our tea host, primarily in her
ability to get up from her knees so easily! Also learned how to properly “purify” at the water station
outside the temples. First, fill the ladle with water, then wash left hand, then right hand then bring
some water in your hand to your mouth, lastly turn ladle upright and use remaining water to rinse
off handle.
Georgia loved the tea ceremony, Sydney less so, but she liked making the tea, so we are thinking
Sydney will be the tea “host” when we get back to the US.
Had a quick bowl of cha siu ramen (delicious) and went to our cooking class inside a lady’s
home. Very fun and neat to see inside a home. Made mochi treats that were more fun to make than
to eat, other than the ice cream mochi which was delicious!
Back to hotel and dropped girls off while Tiff and I went on the usual Clear Care hunt, which we found
easily and then enjoyed strolling down the shopping streets at night.
Friday 6/14 Kyoto to Hiroshima
Tea ceremony at temple - we were all very impressed with our tea host, primarily in her
ability to get up from her knees so easily! Also learned how to properly “purify” at the water station
outside the temples. First, fill the ladle with water, then wash left hand, then right hand then bring
some water in your hand to your mouth, lastly turn ladle upright and use remaining water to rinse
off handle.
Georgia loved the tea ceremony, Sydney less so, but she liked making the tea, so we are thinking
Sydney will be the tea “host” when we get back to the US.
Had a quick bowl of cha siu ramen (delicious) and went to our cooking class inside a lady’s
home. Very fun and neat to see inside a home. Made mochi treats that were more fun to make than
to eat, other than the ice cream mochi which was delicious!
Back to hotel and dropped girls off while Tiff and I went on the usual Clear Care hunt, which we found
easily and then enjoyed strolling down the shopping streets at night.
Friday 6/14 Kyoto to Hiroshima
Train to Osaka then to Hiroshima. None of Cali’s upgrade requests have gone through, btw,
since Nagoya and checking in is super annoying bc I keep asking them and then they get confused
and it takes forever. Japan cannot seem to think outside a very narrow box.
Got pizza and pasta with the kids for lunch. I think they’re a bit tired of Japanese food.
Walked to an adorable dessert place with delicious desserts that we just pointed at and had no idea
what they were except by sight as there was no English menu.
Sydney and I went swimming at the hotel and enjoyed the locker rooms. We were the only
guests using them!
Saturday 6/15 Hiroshima
since Nagoya and checking in is super annoying bc I keep asking them and then they get confused
and it takes forever. Japan cannot seem to think outside a very narrow box.
Got pizza and pasta with the kids for lunch. I think they’re a bit tired of Japanese food.
Walked to an adorable dessert place with delicious desserts that we just pointed at and had no idea
what they were except by sight as there was no English menu.
Sydney and I went swimming at the hotel and enjoyed the locker rooms. We were the only
guests using them!
Saturday 6/15 Hiroshima
Breakfast buffet at Sheraton: large selection but worse food than Cross Hotel, which actually
had great pastries and hot food. Georgia and I liked the cooked carrots and roast potatoes, and I
liked the broiled cabbage. Sheraton has a tomato-based smoothie? Georgia still doing her daily
breakfast salad (as am I!)
had great pastries and hot food. Georgia and I liked the cooked carrots and roast potatoes, and I
liked the broiled cabbage. Sheraton has a tomato-based smoothie? Georgia still doing her daily
breakfast salad (as am I!)
Hiroshima Peace Museum and Children’s memorial. Both were beautiful and well done.
The museum had some graphic photos, which the girls seemed okay with, but we sort of breezed
through, and didn’t wait in the lines to read descriptions of every single photo, piece of clothing, etc.
which I think was a good way to go. Sydney, for example, missed the famous “tricycle” and helmet.
She did not, however, miss the ice cream vending machine in the gift shop!
We also saw the “dome” building that still stands as a memorial to the bombing. Something
like 145,000 people died - its hard to fathom the scale of destruction. And that doesn’t count the
subsequent cancers and other illnesses suffered in the years following as a result of the radiation
exposure, like the girl who folded 1000 paper cranes. She didn’t get leukemia for another 10 years
after or something like that.
Lunch was okonomiyaki at a building in Hiroshima that is basically 5 floors of okonomiyaki counters.
We all enjoyed it! The Hiroshima style seems lighter than what Tiff and I remember from Osaka.
Mostly cabbage and noodles. Even the girls liked theirs.
Andersen bakery by our hotel has amazing baked goods: light and airy, less sweet than back
home.
Mom got us massages at the hotel, which were not particularly hard pressure, but very relaxing!
Girls had snack dinner from 7-11: smoothie (made in store by machine, very fun), vegetable
sticks and pack of cut apple.
Tiff accompanied me on my trip to all the food places in the train station.
Hiroshima oysters, one was good other two were too big, but still good. Fried chicken, deliciously
crunchy but needed more salt/seasoning.
crunchy but needed more salt/seasoning.
With all the food and drinks we’ve been consuming, maybe
now is a good time for a public service announcement: Don’t forget to learn the Heimlich maneuver aka the “choky thing”!!
Sunday 6/16 Father’s Day - Hiroshima to Disney
now is a good time for a public service announcement: Don’t forget to learn the Heimlich maneuver aka the “choky thing”!!
Sunday 6/16 Father’s Day - Hiroshima to Disney
Last day with my parents! It was great to be able to travel with the girls and my parents,
really glad we all shared this experience.
Disney Tokyo Hotel is amazing! Beautiful hotel, pristine clean, huge lobby, we have the
Beauty and the Beast themed room and it is OR-nate! Georgia loves the provided pajamas as well
as the reading nook that will serve as her bed.
All the hotels provide robes, and I think the Disney ones were my favorite.
Monday 6/17 Disneyland Tokyo
really glad we all shared this experience.
Disney Tokyo Hotel is amazing! Beautiful hotel, pristine clean, huge lobby, we have the
Beauty and the Beast themed room and it is OR-nate! Georgia loves the provided pajamas as well
as the reading nook that will serve as her bed.
All the hotels provide robes, and I think the Disney ones were my favorite.
Monday 6/17 Disneyland Tokyo
Space Mountain, Pinochio, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain,
Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch inside at Blue Bayou, mailed postcards, Star Tours, Its a Small
World back to the hotel for a rest. Then Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain again then
Splash Mountain again. 18,000 steps
People would bring all their Disney gear and set up on the ground around the park to take a rest.
Churros! Our family favorite Disney snack.
All types of popcorn varieties.
Lunch at the Blue Bayou, inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We’ve never been able to get a
reservation at the US Disneyland one so happy to finally get in at the Japan Disney!
Apparently people go on “double-dates”; this couple brought their Mickey and Minnie and were
seated for four, no problem, like this is totally normal. Mickey and Minnie even had their own menus…
The more Splash Mountain the better.
The hotel was beautiful, all lit up at night.
Tuesday 6/18 Disney Sea.
Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch inside at Blue Bayou, mailed postcards, Star Tours, Its a Small
World back to the hotel for a rest. Then Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain again then
Splash Mountain again. 18,000 steps
People would bring all their Disney gear and set up on the ground around the park to take a rest.
Churros! Our family favorite Disney snack.
All types of popcorn varieties.
Lunch at the Blue Bayou, inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. We’ve never been able to get a
reservation at the US Disneyland one so happy to finally get in at the Japan Disney!
Apparently people go on “double-dates”; this couple brought their Mickey and Minnie and were
seated for four, no problem, like this is totally normal. Mickey and Minnie even had their own menus…
The more Splash Mountain the better.
The hotel was beautiful, all lit up at night.
Tuesday 6/18 Disney Sea.
Pouring rain! Tower of Terror was a great story, scary inside and the ride was same as
Guardians in CA. Journey to Center of the Earth was our favorite, big surprise drop. 26,000 steps!
I can’t believe the girls want to go on a water ride when it’s already pouring.
Actually, no, that makes sense.
This roller coaster went so fast the rain felt like needles on my face! So Tiff and I opted out
and watched as the girls rode it three more times on their own…
Wednesday 6/19 Disney to Nikko
I can’t believe the girls want to go on a water ride when it’s already pouring.
Actually, no, that makes sense.
This roller coaster went so fast the rain felt like needles on my face! So Tiff and I opted out
and watched as the girls rode it three more times on their own…
Wednesday 6/19 Disney to Nikko
Holy buffet! The Asaya Hotel reminds me of a hotel we would’ve found in China.
Ornate and over the top (there’s a church organ playing automatically all day long) and everyone
walks around in their kimonos all day. We check out the onsen but the girls are immediately
grossed out by all the nakedness hahahaha.
Thursday 6/20 Nikko
Ornate and over the top (there’s a church organ playing automatically all day long) and everyone
walks around in their kimonos all day. We check out the onsen but the girls are immediately
grossed out by all the nakedness hahahaha.
Thursday 6/20 Nikko
Edo Wonderland is super cool, thanks Erin O’Hara for the rec! You can rent costumes
for the day but the girls aren’t into it and it’s already hot, so full costume get-up is not that appealing.
for the day but the girls aren’t into it and it’s already hot, so full costume get-up is not that appealing.
The shows are in Japanese, but we still get the gist. Ninja show is amazing, best real life fight
choreography I think I’ve ever seen. Magistrate show is funny, even in Japanese, and water
magic show is also neat. The whole town is a replica of an Edo period town, with a historical
display of the 250 years of peace and what they were able to accomplish, it’s pretty amazing.
choreography I think I’ve ever seen. Magistrate show is funny, even in Japanese, and water
magic show is also neat. The whole town is a replica of an Edo period town, with a historical
display of the 250 years of peace and what they were able to accomplish, it’s pretty amazing.
The girls love the ninja challenge, they have to find 9 stamps hidden throughout a maze, some
ninja challenges, a very disorienting house that fells Tiffany. All in all a great find and well worth
making the trip up to Nikko.
Friday 6/21 - back to Tokyo
ninja challenges, a very disorienting house that fells Tiffany. All in all a great find and well worth
making the trip up to Nikko.
Friday 6/21 - back to Tokyo
Taxi to Tobu Nikko, ride the SpaciaX train on the Tobu Railway, which is a pretty cool private
railway. We get a couch in the cafe and had a private compartment on the way to Nikko.
Everything looks cool, but there’s no room for luggage and the bathrooms are tiny (versus regular
JR trains). I wish we could’ve tried JR Green Car but oh well.
Honestly riding all the trains and navigating the subway has probably been the most painful,
tedious part of the trip. In many ways I think using our smartphones makes it worse, since the maps
apps tend to optimize for time, and assume you can naviate through crazy crowded Japan stations
without getting lost multiple times.
Georgia forgot her purse on the Nikko train so we had to come back to the station that night.
But sure enough they had it wrapped in plastic with a computer print out of relevant info, including
that her Suica card was in there and the amount of yen, which they asked me to count to confirm
(as if I knew how much she had in there!) Japanese service is amazing.
TeamLab Planets that night - water features which the girls loved, and a living garden room
which was pretty cool.
Prince Sakura Gardens Hotel is very nice, they feel bad that they can’t upgrade us, so we get
lounge access and one room gets free breakfast. The gym here is also nice and the outdoor garden
very lovely. Nice location near Shinagawa station and not as crazy busy as Shibuya or Shinjuku
would’ve been.
Saturday 6/22 Tokyo
railway. We get a couch in the cafe and had a private compartment on the way to Nikko.
Everything looks cool, but there’s no room for luggage and the bathrooms are tiny (versus regular
JR trains). I wish we could’ve tried JR Green Car but oh well.
Honestly riding all the trains and navigating the subway has probably been the most painful,
tedious part of the trip. In many ways I think using our smartphones makes it worse, since the maps
apps tend to optimize for time, and assume you can naviate through crazy crowded Japan stations
without getting lost multiple times.
Georgia forgot her purse on the Nikko train so we had to come back to the station that night.
But sure enough they had it wrapped in plastic with a computer print out of relevant info, including
that her Suica card was in there and the amount of yen, which they asked me to count to confirm
(as if I knew how much she had in there!) Japanese service is amazing.
TeamLab Planets that night - water features which the girls loved, and a living garden room
which was pretty cool.
Prince Sakura Gardens Hotel is very nice, they feel bad that they can’t upgrade us, so we get
lounge access and one room gets free breakfast. The gym here is also nice and the outdoor garden
very lovely. Nice location near Shinagawa station and not as crazy busy as Shibuya or Shinjuku
would’ve been.
Saturday 6/22 Tokyo
Mini pig cafe in Meguro is super adorable! Except for the large, bossy one that bit Tiff
while moving the babies out of the way… The little ones run all crazy then collapse in your lap and fall
asleep, it’s hilarious. They chew on their own saliva to reduce appetite apparently, since they are
hungry all the time. Anyway, it’s adorable and the hour passes quickly.
I did laundry while Tiff and the girls tackled the 7 story Hands store in Shibuya
I tried to go shopping on Omotesando and was overwhelmed. Super crowded, I didn’t like
the Rimowa luggage (original too heavy, essential looks like plastic), couldn’t find anything at Porter
and came home. Sad.
while moving the babies out of the way… The little ones run all crazy then collapse in your lap and fall
asleep, it’s hilarious. They chew on their own saliva to reduce appetite apparently, since they are
hungry all the time. Anyway, it’s adorable and the hour passes quickly.
I did laundry while Tiff and the girls tackled the 7 story Hands store in Shibuya
I tried to go shopping on Omotesando and was overwhelmed. Super crowded, I didn’t like
the Rimowa luggage (original too heavy, essential looks like plastic), couldn’t find anything at Porter
and came home. Sad.
Din Tai Feng in Ginza. This is our third Din Tai Feng on this trip (Shibuya and Kyoto with my
parents were the first two times). We are pros now and love the mango shaved ice dessert as well as
all the green vegetable dishes.
Sunday 6/23 Tokyo
Hedgehog cafe in Shibuya. They are cute but since they’re nocturnal most of them seemed
pretty put off by us trying to pick them up. Some were very cute, one came over and let Tiff pet her.
There were also something called “lesser hedgehogs” that were cute as well as Panda mice, which
were fun. I was less enamored by the whole experience but the girls enjoyed it.
Shopping at Seibu department store - the Loft department store is a hit! We find a cute luggage
to use as our carry-on to stash delicate purchases from our trip, a Porter bag Tiff and I can use for
overnight/weekend trips, a new laptop/backpack for me, and then Georgia and I keep shopping
for more. We end up finding our matcha tea set, I get some tumblers that I *think are double-walled,
and we find really cute 3-D cards and buy like 15 of them!
Also went to Body Shop to clean them out since they are going out of business and have
closed their US stores! They had a cool metal scooper made from old Shinkansen trains. We bought
4 of them.
Lunch at Happy Pancake where we finally get our super fluffy pancakes. They are eggy
but not too much, and overall thumbs up.
Dinner is at Teppan Baby in Harajuku so we get to see the 3D cat at night. Georgia and I get
Wagyu steak one last time, Tiff and Syd get Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki that they claim might be
better than the original, and its a fun restaurant experience overall. Great last dinner in Japan!
Monday 6/24 Time to fly home
pretty put off by us trying to pick them up. Some were very cute, one came over and let Tiff pet her.
There were also something called “lesser hedgehogs” that were cute as well as Panda mice, which
were fun. I was less enamored by the whole experience but the girls enjoyed it.
Shopping at Seibu department store - the Loft department store is a hit! We find a cute luggage
to use as our carry-on to stash delicate purchases from our trip, a Porter bag Tiff and I can use for
overnight/weekend trips, a new laptop/backpack for me, and then Georgia and I keep shopping
for more. We end up finding our matcha tea set, I get some tumblers that I *think are double-walled,
and we find really cute 3-D cards and buy like 15 of them!
Also went to Body Shop to clean them out since they are going out of business and have
closed their US stores! They had a cool metal scooper made from old Shinkansen trains. We bought
4 of them.
Lunch at Happy Pancake where we finally get our super fluffy pancakes. They are eggy
but not too much, and overall thumbs up.
Dinner is at Teppan Baby in Harajuku so we get to see the 3D cat at night. Georgia and I get
Wagyu steak one last time, Tiff and Syd get Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki that they claim might be
better than the original, and its a fun restaurant experience overall. Great last dinner in Japan!
Monday 6/24 Time to fly home
Harajuku saw some girls in crazy outfits, couldn’t get into Shibu Inu cafe so went to another
cat cafe
Bought a bunch of skin care products to bring home.
Walked around the hotel which had a really nice garden and adjacent to two other Prince
hotels so we tried all their club lounges as well.
One last Kura Sushi conveyor belt. Girls got their fill of cucumber rolls and tried another
mango shaved ice.
Flight home is fine, only 9 hours. We all slept for a while and wow, walking through
SFO international terminal makes me feel like we just left!
Summary of Japanese cultural differences
They are obsessed with giving you paper receipts but don’t provide any trash cans. In fact
much of the time we were forced to keep an extra “trash” bag with us to carry accumulated wrappers,
empty bottles etc. from the day
cat cafe
Bought a bunch of skin care products to bring home.
Walked around the hotel which had a really nice garden and adjacent to two other Prince
hotels so we tried all their club lounges as well.
One last Kura Sushi conveyor belt. Girls got their fill of cucumber rolls and tried another
mango shaved ice.
Flight home is fine, only 9 hours. We all slept for a while and wow, walking through
SFO international terminal makes me feel like we just left!
Summary of Japanese cultural differences
They are obsessed with giving you paper receipts but don’t provide any trash cans. In fact
much of the time we were forced to keep an extra “trash” bag with us to carry accumulated wrappers,
empty bottles etc. from the day
Bathroom talk. All the toilets are bidets, yay! Toilets are often separated from the rest of the
bathroom, the “poo-poo room” as we’ve taken to calling it, and it will have a sink but no soap, boo!
bathroom, the “poo-poo room” as we’ve taken to calling it, and it will have a sink but no soap, boo!
Always sinks in public restrooms but no paper towels, just electric hand dryers, which considering
they don’t always have trash cans, makes sense, I guess. People carry their own hand towels around
with them.
they don’t always have trash cans, makes sense, I guess. People carry their own hand towels around
with them.
Hotels replace our amenities each day, regardless of whether we’ve used them. Often we
end up with mountains of unused toiletries by the time we check out. Hopefully they reuse them?
end up with mountains of unused toiletries by the time we check out. Hopefully they reuse them?
We got two massages in our time here, and both times we kept all our clothes on. On top of
that, the masseuse would put a towel over the area being massaged for another layer of “protection”.
But then you go to any sauna in a hotel and everyone is walking around naked! Maybe it’s the
touching?
that, the masseuse would put a towel over the area being massaged for another layer of “protection”.
But then you go to any sauna in a hotel and everyone is walking around naked! Maybe it’s the
touching?
No tipping was nice
Everything here is super clean
Very good rule followers here. No exceptions will be made for you.
Everything here is super clean
Very good rule followers here. No exceptions will be made for you.
