This post is an overview of our two week Japan family travel experience. Japan is one of our favorite places, and one we keep going back to. We saw a good mix of traditional and modern Japan. We also ate some great Japanese food – it’s one of our favorite cuisines. Each section below includes […]
We mostly spent our final day in Japan experiencing modern Tokyo culture. This was a bit like our first day in Tokyo as we wandered a few different neighborhoods seeing what we could see. Ikebukuro We started our day in the busy shopping district of Ikebukuro. This is the home of Sunshine City, the first […]
Our second full day in Tokyo was a lot more structured than our first day spent wandering various neighborhoods. We had tickets for two Tokyo museums that we had bought well in advance before our trip. This meant we had a very specific plan for the day. Of course, Tokyo’s public transport ran flawlessly, so […]
After enjoying our time in Osaka, it was time to head to our last destination in Japan – Tokyo. In our first day and a half we managed to cover a few different Tokyo neighborhoods. Nihonbashi After arriving at Tokyo Station, we had some time to kill before we could check in to our AirBnB […]
After our visit to Hiroshima and a stop in Himeji, our next adventure was a few days in Osaka. After seeing so many temples, shrines and palaces in Kyoto, we focused on more modern sights during our time here. Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan Our first stop in Osaka was the Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan. This aquarium is […]
After our too-short visit to Hiroshima, it was time to make our way to our next stop, Osaka. Along the way, we visited Himeji Castle. This is one of the most famous castles in Japan, and well worth a visit. The town of Himeji is right on the Shinkansen line, so is a very easy […]
After our adventures in Kyoto (day 1, day 2, day 3), our next stop was Hiroshima. With two nights here, we only had time to see the major sight in Hiroshima – the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, and to do a day trip to Miyajima Island. There are other things to do in Hiroshima, like […]
On our last day in Kyoto we did a walking tour that covered some of the highlights of western Kyoto. We did this with a guide we found on Tours by Locals. We had used them on a previous trip to Kyoto, and had a great experience. The specific guide we had used before wasn’t […]
After all the walking on our first day in Kyoto, we had a bit of a slower start on day two. The planned highlight of the day was a family kaiseki lunch. Kaiseki is a traditional Japanese multi-course meal, featuring seasonal ingredients and an elaborate presentation. As a major center for Japanese traditions, Kyoto is […]
This post will cover the first part of our time in Kyoto, including our self-guided walking tour through eastern Kyoto. After our stopover in Narita, we were up early the next morning to meet our friends at the airport. After finding some breakfast in one of the terminals, we made our way to the Japan […]